Wheat-free, No-Added-Sugar All-Beef Meatloaf

¾ cup unsweetened organic applesauce

2 large eggs

⅓ cup minced onion

2 large garlic cloves, minced

¼ cup chopped fresh parsley (Italian flat leaf, preferred)

1 teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon fresh-ground black pepper

¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper

2 pounds 85-percent lean ground beef (100-percent grass-fed, preferred)

1 cup coarse grated fresh zucchini (do not peel)

½ cup tomato ketchup

Place a wire mesh strainer over a deep bowl, add the applesauce to the strainer and set aside to drain for 15 minutes.

Place the oven rack in the center position and begin heating the oven to 350 degrees (325 degrees if it's a convection oven). Lightly spray the interior bottom and sides of a 9-by-5-by-3-inch loaf pan with vegetable oil.

Break the eggs into a medium-large mixing bowl and whisk. Add the drained applesauce, minced onion, minced garlic, chopped parsley, salt, black pepper and cayenne pepper and whisk until combined. Before adding the grated zucchini, using your hands, squeeze out some moisture. Then add the zucchini and ground beef to the egg mixture and, with clean hands, combine all the ingredients until well distributed through the ground beef.

Put the meat mixture into the prepared loaf pan, smoothing the top. Spread the ketchup evenly over the top. Bake for 1 hour, or until a digital thermometer inserted into the meatloaf's center registers 160 degrees. Remove from the oven and rest for 15 minutes. Remove the meatloaf from the pan to a platter, slice into sections and serve. Serves 8.

Nutrition values per serving: 302 calories (56 percent from fat), 19 g fat (7.2 g saturated fat), 8 g carbohydrates, 6.5 g sugars, 24.2 g protein, 157 mg cholesterol, 0.7 gm fiber, 562 mg sodium.

Salt Sense: Omitting added salt reduces sodium per serving to 272 milligrams.

Sugars Note: The sugars listed in the nutritional analysis come from the ingredients (like the applesauce or ketchup). No sugar has been added to this meatloaf.