Mind-blowng Mediterranean Meatloaf

Sometimes a craving for something just hits me. I was watching The Kitchen on the food network one morning while they were making some of their favorite recipes.  In the middle of a tofu stir fry and a grapefruit margarita was a hidden gem of a recipe that I just had to make. 

It is an amazingly minty, fresh and easy recipe is a perfect combo of textures and flavors. I highly recommend it with some sautéed spinach. 

Skill Level: Moderate

Feeds: 6

Based off: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/jeff-and-geoffreys-ultimate-meatloaf.html

Ingredients: 

1 lbs ground beef* 

1 lbs ground pork* (I am not going to lie, I used 1 lbs mild italian sausage) 

1/2 c putted kalamata olives, finely copped 

1 small white onion, diced 

8 crushed saltine crackers** 

1/2 c 2% greek yogurt 

2 tbs. finely minced fresh mint 

2 tbs. finely minced fresh oregano or 1 tbs. dried oregano 

1 tsp. ground cumin

3 cloves of garlic, minced

1 large egg 

1 tsp salt 

1/2 tsp pepper 

1/2 c crumbled feta 

Mint Tzatziki: 

1 English cucumber, seeds removed 

salt

1 c 2% Greek yogurt 

1 minced garlic clove 

3 tbs minced fresh mint 

* My grocery store never has even pounds of meat so I got the closest to a pound- usually around 1.2-1.4lbs. 

** place the saltine crackers in a ziplock bag and smooth the crackers into a crumb with a rolling pin or can. 

Directions:
 1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
 2. Line a roasting pan or a cookie sheet with a lip with parchment paper and spray with cooking spray.
 3. Place all the ingredients in a large mixing bow. Wash your hands. Using your hands, mix the meat together until it is incorporated but not overworked. If you over mix, the meatloaf will be tough. 
4. Shape the meat into a log shape and place it on the pan. 
5. Bake the meatloaf 45 minutes to an hour until a meat thermometer reads 155 in the center. Because you are working with pork you really need to make sure that the meatloaf is cooked all the way through. 
6. Let the meatloaf rest for 15 or so minutes and make the tzatziki sauce. 
7. Dice the cucumber and liberally cover in salt (1-2 tbs.). I like having my cucumbers a little larger than what was recommended which was grading, I find it adds a nice textural difference to the meal. Place the slated cucumber in a strainer over a bowl. The salt will bring out the excess moisture in the cucumbers so your sauce won't get too runny. Let the cucumber sit for 10-15 minutes.
8. In the meantime mix the remaining ingredients for the sauce together. When you just can't take it any more and you are so hungry you just don't care add in the cucumbers and spoon it over a slice of your meatloaf. Enjoy!