Sunday, July 31, 2011

Gettin' Meaty With It

I'm pretty sure I wasn't crazy about meatloaf as a kid. I don't recall my mom making it that often, and when she did, I don't remember being very excited about it. But vegan meatloaf is one of my favorite meals. Maybe because it's totally meat-free. And possibly because I've grown to love ketchup even though I didn't love it growing up.

I've tried several veggie loafs and lentil loafs and other such hippie alternatives. And every single recipe is a little different. The July recipe in Sarah Kramer's 2011 Go Vegan wall calendar is no exception. The loaf is named Emily's Mock "Meat" Loaf in honor of Emily the Cow, who escaped a slaughterhouse and now lives in a rescue facility:

As you can see, the texture is pretty creamy. Most mock loafs have a firmer texture, but the addition of a cup of melty Daiya vegan cheese makes this loaf melt in your mouth. That cheese is combined with veggie burger crumbles (I used Boca), walnuts, carrots, celery, onion, and plenty of herbs and spices. Then it's all topped with ketchup. I'd have never thought to add cheese to a meatloaf, but the addition was genius. You can also find the recipe here and in La Dolce Vegan.

It'd be un-American to serve meatloaf without a side of mashed taters and gravy. Plus, I roasted some fresh okra from the Memphis Farmers Market:

Click here for my easy roasted okra recipe. As for the "beef" gravy, I combined 1/4 cup whole wheat pastry flour with 2 cups of water, salt, pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, and a teaspoon of Kitchen Bouquet browning sauce. This stuff is totally vegan, and according to Wikipedia, folks have been using it to brown their gravy since 1879!

How do you like your mock meatloaf?

12 comments:

VeganLinda said...

I never liked meatloaf as a kid, but this vegan version looks great and love the okra on the side!

JL goes Vegan said...

This is funny because I hated meatloaf growing up! (though I'll never know if a) I actually hated it, b) I just hated my mother's meatloaf or c) always selected the smallest, hard, end piece was a bad decision. Regardless, once going vegan I was obsessed about a good, vegan "loaf" Your plate of food looks like the vegan version of what I always wanted! LOL I sort of swooning over the okra and potatoes and gravy....

The Health Sensei said...

lentil loaf for the win! with daiya though? oh my goodness yums!

T said...

Oooh this looks heavenly! Almost like a gourmet update of those microwave tv dinners I loved as a child.

Jen said...

I like taking leftover loaf and making a big sandwich out of it. I'm also a superfan of the magical loaf studio by Jennifer McCann (vegan lunch box)

Rose said...

I never liked meatloaf as a kid either. Yuck! Vegan loafs are delicious though, my favorite recipe at the moment is one from MeloMeals blog...this one sure looks and sounds good too!

I voted for you on the 2011 VegNews awards: Good Luck!

Jessica said...

I need to roast some okra - that looks great.

I like my veggie loaf with lots of onions and some mustard in the ketchup sauce.

Anonymous said...

I don't think I ever had actual meatloaf but I love vegan versions! I use the comfort loaf recipe from vegan on the cheap, that's amazing, especially in a sandwich with ketchup the next day...mmmm!!

Anonymous said...

Mm... boca's not my favorite and I like my neatloaf a little dryer (leftover sammiches) but daiya in my neatloaf??? Genuis! Sub in some gimme lean and I'm in!!

Grace@ FoodFitnessFreshAir said...

Mm, roasted okra, I like the sound of that. I'm just now getting into okra. When I was a kid, I always thought it was too slimy. But I've been enjoying battering and baking it.

alldaynatural said...

I was JUST trying to find a unique recipe for the okra I bought at the Urban Farm Market. This post is right on time!

Jess of Midwest Vegan said...

I've never had mock meatloaf, though I have thought about veganizing my Mom's recipe. Of course, it's one of those things I always SAY I'm gonna do and never do it, lol.

Your okra looks tasty! I just picked me some okra the other day. I was gonna make some vegan gumbo, but laziness has taken hold and I'll probably just roast them now. Good idea!