BBQ-GLAZED TURKEY MEATLOAF WITH VEGETABLE LATKES

I have to admit that I made this recipe for one reason only--to make meatloaf in a crockpot. I happen to have a newfound respect for meatloaf and have included other recipes for it in earlier posts. This meatloaf was special not only because it took 5 minutes to throw together, then cooked in a crockpot for a few hours, but also because it is a turkey meatloaf from Weight Watcher's Everyone Loves Chicken cookbook. At a scant 3 points per serving, this is a great meal when you've had a splurge at lunch or when you want to spend a few more points on your sides. In fact, with the meatloaf I made the most delicious cauliflower-broccoli latkes.

I must give credit to Haalo of Cook (Almost) Anything at Least Once. While surfing the food blogs this morning, I happened upon her site and saw her recipe for cauliflower fritters. I happened to have picked up a bag of broccoli and cauliflower florets this weekend and, knowing I had a very low points entree, I decided to make a variation of her fritters. Haalo's measurements were metric, so I found an online converter and took care of that. I also substituted shredded part skim mozzarella for mozzarella cubes and chicken stuffing mix--I was out of seasoned breadcrumbs. To fry the batch of 20 latkes, I used 3 tablespoons of vegetable oil. Though delicious, we had a dozen leftover (sadly, I limited myself to 3). These I froze for a future dinner; I'm sure they'll reheat beautifully.

BBQ-glazed Turkey Meatloaf - 6 servings (3 WW points each)

1 1/4 lbs ground extra-lean turkey breast

1/3 cup seasoned dry bread crumbs

1/4 cup (1 oz) reduced-fat cheddar cheese

1/4 cup minced onion

1 large egg, lightly beaten

1 tsp dried oregano

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp freshly ground pepper

2 tbs ketchup

2 tsp packed brown sugar

2 tsp Worcestershire sauce

1 tsp spicy brown mustard

Fold a 24 inch length of aluminum foil in half lengthwise and fit it into the bottom and up the sides of a slow cooker insert. (I just had to rinse it out afterward; what a pleasure!)

Put the turkey, bread crumbs, cheese, onion, egg, oregano, salt, and pepper in a medium bowl and mix until well combined. Shape the mixture into a loaf and place it on the foil in the slow cooker.

Cover the slow cooker and cook until the juices run clear or an instant read thermometer registers 165 degrees--I cooked it for 3 hours on high and it was perfect.

A half hour before the meatloaf is done, combine the ketchup, brown sugar, Worcestershire sauce, and mustard and spread it over the meatloaf, then finish cooking.

Lift the meatloaf out using the foil. Cut into 6 slices.

Broccoli-Cauliflower Latkes - Makes 20 small latkes

1 lb broccoli-cauliflower florets

3 large scallions, chopped

3 oz self-rising flour

3/4 oz grated cheese

fresh parsley, chopped

2 eggs

2 oz shredded mozzarella cheese

salt and pepper

vegetable oil, for frying

Saute the scallion in a teaspoon of oil. Set aside to cool. Steam the vegetables until fork tender. Set aside to cool. When vegetables are cool, use a couple of forks to break them into small pieces.

In a large bowl, mix the scallions and vegetables. Add in the parsley. In a second bowl, beat the eggs, then stir in the flour and grated cheese. Add this batter to the vegetable mixture, then stir in the shredded mozzarella. Season to taste.

Use an ice cream scoop to make your latkes the same size. Add 2 tbs vegetable oil to a large skillet over medium high heat. Fry the latkes until crisp and brown on one side; turn over and do the same. Remove excess oil by blotting with paper towels. Hold the latkes in a 250 degree oven until all are fried and ready to serve.

We ate ours with a dollop of sour cream. The texture was incredible--creamy inside with chunks of the vegetable and crispy outside. Thank you, Haalo.