Meat Loaf, sounds disgusting, is a classic main dish that always managed to make it to my family’s dinner table. Unlike Paula Deen’s Aunt Peggy, my grandmother’s recipe was nothing to write home about, so it was never written down. I never craved meat loaf in my meat eating days. It was something that just happened every once in awhile. The one time of the year we did not have meat loaf was Thanksgiving, and that was exactly the first time I thought about trying to veganize a meat loaf recipe.

For some reason, with whole Turkeys, Chickens, Hams, and a plenty of delicious sides, I thought people might want to know how to make meat loaf vegan. It sounded silly, so I let the idea go. Now I am faced with the ‘Basic Meat Loaf’ recipe in the Paula Deen’s Southern Cooking Bible. That is exactly what I am starting to love about this Project. It is forcing me to cook all the vegan things I never wanted to cook or never had the balls to attempt. So here it goes, the (never craved, but always welcome) Basic Vegan Meat Loaf.
Serves 8

Vegan Meat Loaf Recipe – Mushroom Nut Loaf

 

Ingredients

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium onion, diced
1 rib of celery, diced
4 cloves of garlic, minced
1 pound of mushrooms, diced
1/2 cup vegetable broth
1 1/2 cup pecans
1 1/2 cup walnuts
1 1/2 cups cooked rice
1 cup oats
1 teaspoon dried parsley
1 teaspoon poultry seasoning
3/4 cup water
4 tablespoons ground flax seeds
salt and pepper to taste

Directions

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit and line a 9 inch loaf pan with parchment paper.

Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add onions and celery to the pan, and sautee until onions are translucent.

Add the garlic, mushrooms, and vegetables broth to the skillet. Stir all the ingredient together and allow to simmer until most of the moisture has been absorbed.

Grind nuts in a food processer into a fine chop. Add the ground nuts to a large bowl with rice, oats, parsley, poultry seasoning blend, salt, and pepper. Mix in the ingredients from the mushroom pan and stir well.

Stir ground flaxseed into a small cup with the water until thick and glutinous. This is a egg replacement mixture. Add it to the nut mix bowl and combine well.

Dump the meat loaf batter into the parchment line loaf pan. Spread it evenly through out the pan.

Bake the meat loaf, vegan mushroom nut loaf, for about an hour until it is brown and a tooth pick can be inserted into the center and pulled out clean.

Allow it to cool for 15-20 minutes before running a knife around the edge and moving the meatloaf to a plate to serve.

Happy healthy meatloaf. It is really full of more goodness than I expected.

My Verdict

This vegan meat loaf turned out much better than I expected. Since I am not a fan of soy or wheat gluten based meat substitutes, this mushroom – nut loaf was a happy compromise. I have found in my vegan culinary adventures that I much more enjoy the products that place overall flavor above the need to come as close as possible to tasting like meat or dairy. For one, you will never be able to mimic another flavor and texture spot on and I do not even enjoy those flavors or textures any more.

So while the nut loaf didn’t taste like meat, I was perfectly fine with that. I did find that it was a wee bit on the bland side, but that was resolved with some soy sauce. Next time I will add the soy sauce in or go a little heavier on the seasonings. I just did not want to do too much since this was my first time making this recipe. And, I would definitely make this again.

Ingredient Sources

Ground Flaxseed
Bob’s Red Mill Whole Ground Flaxseed Meal
http://www.bobsredmill.com/flaxseed-meal.html
Does ground flaxseed have more health benefits than whole flaxseed?
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/flaxseed/AN01258

Poultry Seasoning is a blend of thyme, sage, marjoram, rosemary, black pepper, and nutmeg

About the Southern Queen of Vegan Cuisine Project

Inspired by the Julie and Julia Project, the Southern Queen of Vegan Cuisine will take on the Paula Deen Southern Cooking Bible. Veganizing 326 butter-laden, pork-filled recipes in 326 days. This is a test . . . . this is only a test of skill, imagination, and physical & mental fortitude.

Project Inspired by

Paula Deen’s Southern Cooking Bible: The New Classic Guide to Delicious Dishes with More Than 300 Recipes
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1416564071/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=ajoodheanbe-20

AND

Julie and Julia: My Year of Cooking Dangerously
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/031604251X/ref=as_li_tf_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=ajoodheanbe-20

Research and Similar Recipes

Wheat Free Meat Free Mushroom Nut Roast
http://www.wheatfreemeatfree.com/mushroom-nut-roast/

A Couple Cooks Vegetarian Nut Loaf
http://www.acouplecooks.com/2010/12/vegetarian-nut-loaf/

Tagged as: gluten free, loaf, meat, meatless, meatloaf, monday, mushroom, mushroom loaf, nut, nut loaf, roast, vegan meat loaf, vegetarian meat loaf