Vegan Meatloaf

I'm not a fan of lentils, but I decided to give this recipe a try because I like meatloaf.  I was shocked at how much this tasted and felt like actual meatloaf.  Then I thought about how much healthier this recipe is vs true meatloaf, and this dinner is amazing, in my opinion.  Enjoy!

Servings: 8 maybe?

Ingredients:
        1 cup dried brown rice, prepared and cooled
        2 cups dried lentils, prepared and cooled

        3 cloves garlic
        1 large onion, diced
        1-2 Tbsp oil or water for sauteing
        Worcestershire sauce, to taste*
        1/3 cup ketchup, plus extra for topping
        2 Tbsp flour
        1 egg* (or egg replacer)
        1/2 tsp parsley
        1/2 tsp thyme
        1/2 tsp oregano
        1/4 tsp sage
        3/4 tsp salt
        1/2 tsp pepper

*these are technically not vegan ingredients!

Directions:
1. Prepare the brown rice and lentils, preferably the day before so it has a chance to cool and dry out.  I personally put some worcestershire sauce in with the lentils to let the meaty flavor cook in well.

2. Saute garlic and onions in oil or water until onions are soft and clear, about 3-4 minutes.

3. In a large bowl, mash the lentils until only about 1/3 of the lentils are still intact.

4. Add the garlic and onions, rice, ketchup, and flour to the lentils and mix well.

5. Add the egg, seasonings, and some worcestershire sauce and mix well.

6. Gently press the mixture into a lightly greased loaf pan.

7. Drizzle additional ketchup on top.

8. Bake in a 350° oven for 60 minutes.

9. Allow to cool for about 10 minutes before serving to allow the loaf to firm up a little.

10. Eat and enjoy!  Goes great with mashed potatoes, of course!

Veggie Couscous

Just tried this one last night, improvising and adding to another recipe I found online.  Got great reviews, even after my wife was nervous that there were "too many different flavors" for one dish.  It turns out to be fairly mild but still flavorful.

And aside from the prep work of cutting up all the veggies, this is a pretty quick meal.

Servings: 6-8

Ingredients:

        1-2 Tbsp of cooking oil (for sauteing the veggies)
        2 zucchini, yellow summer squash, or one of each
        2-3 good-sized carrots
        1 medium onion
        4 cups vegetable broth
        1.5 tsp cumin
        1 tsp coriander
        2 cups couscous
        15oz (or just 1 can, drained) prepared garbanzo beans (optional)
        salt & pepper to taste

Directions:
PREP: Chop up all the veggies.  Make the pieces as big or as small as you'd like (I like a little bigger).

1. Heat the oil in a large pan (this makes a lot, so if you don't have an extra large saucepan, try a big pot) over medium-high heat until shimmering

2. Add all the veggies to the pan and saute, stirring frequently, for about 5 minutes (until the onions are soft and translucent, but the rest of the veggies aren't limp).  Add salt and pepper to taste

3. Add the vegetable broth, cumin, and coriander.  Stir to combine and bring to a boil

4. Add the couscous, stir to combine.  Cover the pan and remove from heat.  Let it sit 5 minutes so the couscous can cook and absorb the liquid.

5. If you're using garbanzo beans, add them after the couscous has absorbed the liquid.  Stir in the beans, cover, and let them warm up in the couscous for just a couple minutes.

6. Fluff with a fork and serve!

Black Bean Burgers

These have now become a top-favorite in our household.

Makes about 8 patties.

Ingredients:
        2 16oz cans of black beans, rinsed and well-drained
        1 bell pepper (color doesn't matter, but we use green)
        1 onion
        5-6 cloves of garlic
        2 eggs (use a vegan binder if you prefer to be a vegan purist)
        2 Tbsp chili powder
        2 Tbsp cumin
        Hot sauce (we use just a few drops, but if you want it spicy, go for it)
        1 Cup panko bread crumbs

Directions:
1. In a large bowl, mash the black beans with a fork or potato masher until it's mostly a paste (some beans should still be intact).

2. In a food processor, finely chop the bell pepper, onion, and garlic.  To avoid gooey patties, put the chopped veggies into a strainer and the use the back of a spoon to squeeze out as much liquid as you can (this is the most annoying task in the recipe, but really necessary).

3. Once the veggies are as dry as you can make them, stir them into the mashed beans.

4. In a small bowl, stir together the eggs, chili powder, cumin, and hot sauce.  Stir this mixture into the mashed beans.

5. Stir in the breadcrumbs.  The mixture should be pretty thick.

6. Start taking a small handful of the mixture into your hands and forming them into patties (if it seems a bit mushy or gooey, don't worry - the next step will help them firm up).

7. Place each patty onto a shallow baking sheet or large plate(s) lined with wax paper. Once you have formed all the patties, put the baking sheet in the freezer to let the patties harden up.

8. Once the patties are firm or frozen, take them off the wax paper and bake them for about 8-10 minutes at 425°. Then, to get patties that are nice and crispy on the outside and hold their form, turn your broiler on and let the patties broil for about 5 minutes on one side. Flip the patties and let the other side broil for another 5 minutes or so.

Enjoy these burgers with the same fixin's as a regular hamburger. We usually accompany them with baked fries and salad or fruit.

About this Blog

In May of 2013 my wife and I finally got around to watching Forks Over Knives (see the trailer below).  We had considered ourselves healthy eaters before then, but after watching we felt compelled to try out what the movie calls a "whole-food, plant-based" diet.  A little nervous about taking the plunge into a diet we always considered the weirdest one out there, my wife found a book at the library called The 21-Day Kickstart, which suggests trying it out for just 3 weeks to see how we like it (For anyone on the fence about the vegan diet, we definitely recommend checking both that movie and that book out).

Over 4 months later, we're still eating whole-food, plant-based and have even encouraged some family and friends to try it out, too.  We've discovered and/or modified some great meals and are getting asked for recipes ideas, so I decided to start this blog.  I hope anyone who finds this enjoys these meals.

A few caveats that pertain to our diet (and therefore, many of these recipes):

• There are a lot of vegan "substitute" ingredients out there (cheese, eggs, margarine, etc.), but they're processed foods, so we don't use them at all.  Hence, you won't find any in these recipes.
• We are not fans of soy products.  This stems partially from the fact that it's one of the biggest GMO crops, but also because we've read enough about the controversies over soy that we choose to avoid it as much as possible.  Hence, you won't find any soy/tofu recipes here.
• Not all of these recipes are 100% vegan (gasp!).  When a recipe calls for an egg or two as a binder, we do not substitute it out for something vegan (see the first point above as to why).  However, that is the ONLY time these recipes include any type of animal product.

Thanks for visiting this site!