Hi Roger & Myrna,

Roger, I would also be interested in knowing how the Stevia does when growing your own. It's a little too pricey for my taste in the grocery stores. Myrna, since you say that I always make you hungry, here's a deliciously low calorie meatloaf that will fill us up, without filling us out. It would make a great weeknight dinner idea, and this Vegetable and Turkey Meatloaf Recipe is not only tasty, but quite healthy too. Made with ground turkey instead of beef, and loaded with veggies, we give this traditional American meal a healthy makeover.

Vegetable and Turkey Meatloaf

Ingredients

• 1 1/4 lb ground turkey
• 1 medium yellow onion, diced
• 1 large zucchini, shredded
• 1 large celery stalk, finely chopped
• 3 medium carrots, shredded
• 1 red bell pepper, finely chopped
• 1/2 lb mushrooms, chopped
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 3/4 cup old fashioned rolled oats
• 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
• 2 tbsp tomato paste
• 1/4 cup fresh parsley, finely chopped
• 1/4 cup liquid egg substitute
• 1/2 tsp paprika
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp black pepper

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a loaf sized baking pan with foil.
2. Spray a nonstick skillet with non fat cooking spray. Saute the onion until softened – about 3-5 minutes. Add in the carrots, celery, and bell pepper, and cook for another 3-5 minutes to soften the veggies. Add in the zucchini, mushrooms and garlic and saute about 3 more minutes.
3. In a large bowl, combine the ground turkey, oats, parsley, egg substitute, applesauce, tomato paste, paprika, salt and pepper. Fold in the veggies.
4. Empty the mixture into your baking pan, and shape mixture into a loaf form with your hands.
5. Bake until browned and meat inside is thoroughly cooked – about 1 hour.
6. Remove from oven and let stand about 10-15 minutes. Cut into 6 equally sized slices.

Have A Wonderful Day My Friends,

Phil

Ordering Stevia tomorrow.

We will give it a try.

Roger

Hi Myrna,

The Stevia plant sounds interesting, so I'll look forward to learning more. Of course, my main favorite Sweetener is still Natural Honey. As long as the Bees survive, that's always going to be my first choice.

Pat B. had said something over at my other Forum, the Crockpot Cooking, about not caring for Eggplant and had mentioned using Zucchini in a recipe that you had shared. I ran across this Zucchini recipe today and it sounded so good that I thought you all might like it as well.

The Zucchini gets a light and tasty stuffing of Italian chicken sausage, sweet onion, tomato, and Parmesan cheese before being baked. So for a light dinner, I hope that you'll try this simple and yummy recipe.

Stuffed Zucchini with Chicken Sausage

Ingredients

• 2 zucchini, ends trimmed
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 links Italian-style chicken sausage, casings removed
• 2 teaspoons crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
• salt and ground black pepper to taste
• 1/2 sweet onion (such as Vidalia®), chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 (14.5 ounce) can whole peeled tomatoes, drained and chopped
• 1/2 cup dry bread crumbs
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
2. Cut a lengthwise 3/4-inch thick slice from each zucchini. With a spoon, scoop out the flesh, leaving a shell intact all around the zucchini. Discard or save the flesh for another use. Chop up the long slices of zucchini.
3. Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium heat, and cook the chicken sausage, breaking the meat up as it cooks, until the sausage has begun to brown, about 8 minutes. Sprinkle in the crushed red pepper flakes, and season with salt and black pepper. Stir in the chopped zucchini, onion, and garlic, and cook until the onion is translucent, about 5 minutes. Scrape the sausage mixture into a bowl, and stir in the tomatoes, bread crumbs, Parmesan cheese, and basil until the stuffing is thoroughly combined.
4. Lightly stuff the zucchini boats with the stuffing, place the zucchini into a baking dish, and bake until thoroughly heated through and beginning to brown on top, about 30 minutes. Serves 4.

Have A Blessed & Beautiful Weekend My Friends,

Phil