Turkey-Pumpkin Meatloaf Muffins with Cranberry Glaze

This is the ultimate November recipe if you ask me - turkey, pumpkin, and cranberries?! I spoke before about my desire to incorporate more pumpkin into heathy dishes, and this recipe does just that. The ground turkey is combined with chopped and sauteed mushrooms and onions, and then with rolled oats, egg whites, and of course pumpkin. Just like the Turkey-Pumpkin Chili, the pumpkin flavor isn't prominent here, if you can distinguish it at all, but rather it adds some moisture. The simple cranberry glaze is a nice addition - a bit of sweet and sour baked on top. I may try playing around with the herbs next time. This time I added thyme and rosemary and may swap the rosemary for sage or another seasoning commonly used with turkey.

I love meatloaf muffins because they are already divided into individual portions, and it's super easy to pack up a couple for lunches. Bob and I were both excited that there was enough leftover for both of us to have a lunch the next day, and then some. I served these with Smashed Sweet Potatoes and roasted asparagus. With how busy we've been lately, I haven't had much time to focus on make truly balanced dinners, so it felt really good to get back to it. This dinner really got us pumped for Thanksgiving!

Turkey-Pumpkin Meatloaf Muffins with Cranberry Glaze

Servings: 12 muffins

Ingredients:

For the muffins:

2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 cup finely chopped onion
1 8-ounce package mushrooms, chopped finely
2 cloves minced garlic (or pressed through a garlic press)
1 pound 93% lean ground turkey
1 cup pumpkin puree
1 egg white
1/3 cup rolled oats

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme, broken into smaller pieces (or sage)

1/4 teaspoon dried rosemary
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt (I just guessed an amount and thought it could use more salt, so you may want to up this to 3/4 teaspoon)

freshly ground black pepper

For the glaze:
1 cup fresh cranberries
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup water

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400F. Spray a standard 12-cup muffin tin with nonstick cooking spray.

1. Heat the oil in a nonstick skillet over medium heat. Cook the onions until softened, about 8 minutes. Add the mushrooms and garlic and cook for about 5 minutes more, or until vegetables are tender.

2. Add veggies to a bowl with the turkey, pumpkin, egg white, oats, Worcestershire, herbs, salt, and pepper. Toss gently to combine. Divide the mixture evenly among the muffin tin. Place in the oven, bake for 20 minutes.

3. Meanwhile, combine cranberries, sugar, and water in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil and then simmer for 10 - 15 minutes. Spoon onto the meatloaf muffins, and bake for another 15 minutes. Make sure to test the internal temperature of the meatloaves to make sure it registers at a safe temperature for poultry (165F being the absolute lowest, although mine were considerably above and still very moist). Remove from the oven and let rest for 5 minutes before serving.

Source: Adapted from Cara's Cravings

Pumpkin Yeast Bread

This is an oooold recipe - meaning that I made it a long time ago. In fact, these photos were taken in my apartment kitchen in Chicago . . . in December 2009! By the time I loaded them on my computer, pumpkin season was pretty much over. I planned to post this recipe last fall but never did. So here we are.

This is a really good bread recipe - just a hint of sweetness and a mellow pumpkin flavor. It's great for the leftover turkey sandwiches that we all love to enjoy throughout the holidays. I plan to make this again this year and follow Annie's example of creating a Thanksgiving leftover panini - yum!

Pumpkin Yeast Bread

Ingredients:

1/2 cup warm water

1 1/2 tablespoon instant yeast

2/3 cup warm milk

2 large eggs

1 1/2 cups pumpkin puree

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1/2 cup brown sugar

2 teaspoons salt

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Dash of ground cloves

6 1/2 cups bread flour (approximately)

Directions:

1. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the warm water and yeast. Add in the milk, eggs, pumpkin, oil, brown sugar, salt, and spices. Mix briefly to combine.

2. Add 4 cups of the bread flour to the bowl, and mix until a sticky dough has formed. Switch to the dough hook. With the mixer on low speed, gradually add the remaining flour until you have a dough that is smooth and elastic, and not sticky.

3. Transfer the dough to a well-oiled bowl, turning once to coat the dough. Cover the bowl with a damp kitchen towel and let the dough rise until doubled in size, about 1 hour.

4. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface. Divide in half. Press each pieces into a rectangle about 1 inch thick and no longer than 9 inches long. With the long side of the dough facing you, roll the dough firmly into a cylinder, pressing down to make sure the dough sticks to itself. Turn the loaf seam-side up and pinch the seam closed. Place the loaves in two well-oiled 9 x 5-inch loaf pans and press down gently so the dough touches all four sides of the pan. Cover with a towel and let rise until almost doubled, about 45 minutes.

5. Preheat the oven to 375F. Bake the loaves for about 30 minutes, or until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the loaf reads 190F. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool.

Source: Annie's Eats, originally adapted from King Arthur Flour