rants & recipes

Meatloaf is a work-in-progress, nothing strict about this recipe - add whatever you want as long as you end up with something that will hold a loaf shape and has good flavor! That's one thing I like about vegan recipes, even "meatloaf" - you can taste at any stage and make decisions about what to add.

Ingredients:

• 1 small to medium onion, diced (or about 1 tsp onion powder, 1 tbsp dried onion flakes)
• 1 box extra-firm aseptic tofu
• 1 tub firm tub tofu (14oz)
• 1/3 cup dried parsley
• 6 tbsp (low sodium) soy sauce
• 1/3 cup flour
• 2/3 cup tvp
• about 1 1/3 cup fine bread crumbs
• 1 tsp dry mustard
• 1 - 2 tsp marmite
• 2 tsp peanut butter
• 4 tsp tahini
• 1/2 tsp paprika
• 4 tbsp ketchup
• few drops liquid smoke
• sprinkle of roasted garlic granules (or garlic powder or minced garlic)
• about 2 tbsp each wheat germ, nutritional yeast
• 2 tsp beaf flavoring (Bill's Best)
• 2 tsp miso
• black pepper to taste
• 1 tsp spicy brown mustard

Instructions:

1. Saute onion in olive oil until tender.
2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
3. Mix all ingredients together. I usually do this by hand (sometimes wearing a vinyl glove because tofu is cold!) (Actually, now, I throw everything into the Bosch, with the dough hook - mixes like a charm!)
4. Shape into two loaves, place in loaf pans.
5. Bake for about 40 minutes.

Notes:

• This makes enough for two loaves. To halve, just use one tub of either kind of tofu.
• For drier meatloaf, use extra firm tub tofu and bulgar wheat in place of 2/3 cup tvp, 1/3 cup flour. Or, turn off oven and let remain in oven for 30 more minutes.
• Next time, I may use tomato paste for the ketchup.

Updated:

• I usually now make this with an added batch of okara, from making soymilk. When I do this, I increase the other ingredients by roughly 1/3rd.
• And by all means, for the flavor ingredients, don't "teaspoon" yourself to death - estimate, taste and adjust, if necessary! =)