Cactus Country Meatloaf

This tasty Southwestern meatloaf, seasoned with onion, mild green chiles, spicy jalapeño peppers and fresh cilantro, uses 'tomato-seasoned cooked cornmeal' as its bread filler.

Recipe Ingredients:

1/2 cup water, boiling
1 tomato, chopped
1/4 cup white or yellow cornmeal
3 cloves garlic, crushed
1 1/2 pounds lean ground beef
2 large eggs
2/3 cup sliced green onion
1 (4-ounce) can diced green chile peppers
1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro
2 jalapeño, seeded and chopped
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 tablespoon white or yellow cornmeal

Cooking Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C).
2. In a large bowl combine boiling water, tomato, cornmeal and garlic; mix well then set aside for 10 minutes.
3. Add ground beef, eggs, green onions, green chile peppers, cilantro, jalapeños, salt and pepper; mix well.
4. Form into a shallow baking dish or a loaf, sprinkle with 1 tablespoon cornmeal.
5. Bake in the oven 50 minutes to 1 hour, or until done. Let stand for 10 minutes before slicing. Serve hot.

Makes 6 servings.