Gluten free meatloaf muffins with blood orange balsamic ketchup

Nothing says lovin' like a muffin made outta meat. Ok, they are more like large meatballs - but the trick is the cooking vessel: a standard muffin tin. No more hour plus waits for meatloaf!

For my recipe I use 2 pounds of grass-fed beef. This yields about 12 or more large muffins. Hey, I like leftovers!

To the beef, I add:

• 2 eggs (I have to give a shutout to The Good Eats Gal, my next door neighbor. In the middle of making these I discovered I had no eggs....FAIL. She graciously lent them to me. Don't you love neighborly neighbors!)
  
• A generous amount of chopped garlic and 1 small finely diced or shredded purple onion (If shredding, raw is best. If chopped, a quick sauté with the garlic til caramelized is a great way to add flavor.)
  
• 1 bunch of fresh basil (finely shredded)
  
• A couple pinches of dried thyme
  
• A palm of that awesome Spanish oregano I mentioned in ratatouille with spinach
  
• 2 tablespoons of coconut flour to help it bind
  
• 2 tablespoons milk (cut this to 1 if you are using shredded raw onion, as it lends moisture)
  
• A few shakes of pepper flakes to taste
  
• Kosher salt and black pepper to taste
  
• A heaping quarter cup fresh shredded cheese - I used Romano and Parmesan.

Now comes the fun part - use those utensils at the end of your arms, dig in, and mix well! To form the muffins, I grab a palmful of meat and cradle in my right hand. Then I use my left hand to "lift and turn" quickly to lightly form into a ball. We are aiming for a size just under the actual size of a cooked real muffin. Now they are ready to be muffinized. Place them in the tin, and place the tin on a cookie sheet. They will give off enough love to not stick, and if there's too much love - the cookie sheet will keep the love from getting the oven all messy. Bake these guys at 375 for 20 minutes and let everyone know dinner's on in half an hour.

Now for the sauce! To make our own sugar free healthy ketchup, we'll start with a can of tomato paste, some salt, powdered mustard, and blood orange balsamic. Regular balsamic would also work great here - or you could make your own flavored citrus balsamic by simmering some balsamic lightly and adding your citrus of choice. The balsamic will add just the right hint of sweetness, which helps curb the acidity of the tomato paste.

Start by drizzling the balsamic into the paste and a sprinkling of mustard. Mix, taste, add salt, adjust....until you have it just how you want it. Once the muffins reach the 20 minute mark, smear some ketchup on them and pop them back in the oven for 5 minutes more.

Let them rest for 5 minutes before serving, they worked hard and deserve a little break. Use a fork to remove them from the pan by gently "carving" around the exterior of each muffin (to release the sides from the pan) and lifting out. (There will be some juice and fat accumulated in the bottom of the cup. The fork helps to remove the muffin from its juicy bath.)

And then the fun part. Eating!

Served with ratatouille with spinach and roasted winter squash purée topped with black lava salt.

I need better lighting in the kitchen. I will work on that....

Until next time!