Wheat Germ

Have you ever heard of Wheat Germ before? I hadn't until I came across a recipe for some muffins that I wanted to try. I considered not using it in the recipe since I didn't know what it was. I'm glad that I ended up trying it because it turned out to be quite tasty.

Wheat Germ is apparently very good for you and can be used to add a unique crunchy flavor to just about any dish. I found it in the baking aisle of my local grocery store and it was in a glass jar. If you want to read an article on Wheat Germ just click on the picture below.

I was very excited when I brought it home and discovered that the label had a recipe on the back! I collect recipes from everywhere and really like it when a product I buy comes with a recipe to try. This was a recipe for Mini Meat Loaves with Honey-Mustard Sauce.  I personally have more success cooking mini meat loaves than a great BIG one. They usually are more flavorful and moist. Not to mention how fun is it to serve someone their own personal sized meatloaf! This recipe was definitely a hit with the family and I'll be making it again in the future. See below for a printable recipe and details on how I made the dish.

 MINI MEAT LOAVES WITH HONEY MUSTARD SAUCE (click the title for the printable recipe)

The ingredients you need are: 1-1/2 pounds lean ground beef or turkey (I used beef), 3/4 cup original wheat germ, 1/2 cup chopped green onion (I grated 1/2 a white onion), 1/3 cup water, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon black pepper, 1 egg lightly beaten, 1/4 cup Dijon mustard and 3 tablespoons honey ( I added 1 tablespoon mayonnaise to my honey mustard)

1.)  Preheat oven to 350 degrees

2.)  Combine meat, wheat germ, onion, water, egg, salt and pepper in large bowl. Mix together well.

Notice how fine that onion is. I like to grate my onion for dishes like this
so that you don't bite down on pieces of onion and the flavor tends to disperse better. 
I use a hand held grater that's bigger than the one I use for garlic.

Get your hands in there! They are the best kitchen tool you've got.

3.)  Shape meat mixture into eight 3 x 2 inch loaves and place in a baking dish

4.)  Bake 30 to 35 minutes or until center is no longer pink

5.)  While the meat loaves are baking mix together the honey mustard dressing. You just need 1/4 cup mustard and 3 tablespoons honey. I prefer to use a grainy mustard and I usually add a little mayonnaise to my dressing. Mix these ingredients together well.

6.)  Pull those mini loaves out of the oven and let rest for 5 minutes then serve with dressing drizzled over top.

We thought these turned out wonderfully! The Wheat Germ added a great flavor and texture to the loaves. I'm not sure I will go back to using bread crumbs again.  I'll look forward to hearing what you think about this recipe, I hope you'll try it.