The Un-Meat Loaf
1 cup cooked brown rice
1 cup wheat germ
1 cup instant oats or oat bran (uncooked)
1/2 cup walnuts, chopped fine
1 cup mushrooms, chopped fine
1 medium onion, chopped fine
1/2 bell pepper, chopped fine
1 medium carrot, shredded fine
1 teaspoon dried thyme, marjoram or sage
2 tablespoons fresh parsley finely minced
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons prepared mustard
ketchup
Combine all ingredients and mix for 2 minutes with a wooden spoon. Pack in to a 4 x 8 loaf pan sprayed with Pam and bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour or until lightly browned. You may wish to top the loaf with ketchup after about 40 minutes, then continue baking the final 20 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes before slicing.
NOTE: The vegetables should be chopped as finely as possible. If you have a food processor this would be a great time to use it. Put each vegetable and the nuts in one at a time, pulse until finely ground. Then dump in to a big bowl with all other ingredients for final mixing.
This recipe freezes well too! Just wrap in foil and then in a freezer bag. To reheat either slice and warm in the microwave or reheat covered in a 350 oven for 20-30 minutes.
SO HOW'D IT GO?
I made this last night for a group of my friends and even the non-vegan ones loved it! I didn't put mushrooms or bell peppers because of a couple of my friends food dislikes. I added a half a can of black beans and 2 TBSP of olive oil since someone mentioned it being a little dry. It was amazing!!!
For reasons I don't remember, I made this and froze it without eating any a really, really long time ago (think months). This week I finally defrosted it in the microwave, and it was amazing. I wish I had eaten it sooner. It was really good with leftover Christmas mashed taters and gravy. Yum!
Wonderful!!
I have to admit, when I began removing animal products from my diet I became very concerned with eating whole, unrefined foods.. and so I started out not eating meat substitutes, believing they were silly and rich in additives and preservatives. Lately however I've been embracing them, and this was my first "un-meat loaf!" As a friend once remarked, they're an excellent way to encourage others to adopt plant-based diets.. and after trying out this recipe I will certainly be serving it to my omnivorous friends and family. I think my KFC-loving boyfriend will love it too. (:
As for some of my modifications.. I added about 1/4 cup of ground flaxseed and 1/2 tsp. sage plus 1/2 tsp. thyme to the loaf and substituted pecans for walnuts (I didn't process these but rather left them in pieces). For the sauce I mixed some Campbell's Tomato Soup (contains fruit sugar as a sweetner.. so it's vegan!) with paprika, chili powder and cayenne pepper. Lovely served with some fresh salad greens and spinach!
We have made this recipe multiple times now. My omni husband loves it and keeps requesting it. We've changed it up each time, and every time it's come out delicious.
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