UK Will Publish Meat Plant Audits
Like the great friend to animals Linda McCartney once said, if slaughterhouses had glass walls, everyone would be vegetarian. Food Safety News reports that the UK gets us a little bit closer as the country has announced it will begin to publish its meat plant audits. With food-borne illnesses related to contaminated animal products continuing to rise (and increasingly resistant to conventional antibiotics), and as more and more citizens are seeking to adopt healthier lifestyles, this news can only serve to support the transition away from animal-based diets and further towards the healthy and delicious vegan lifestyle.
UK Will Publish Meat Plant Audits by Dan Flynn | Jan 30, 2012
British meat-packing plants deemed to be a “cause for concern” will be named publicly under a policy adopted this month by the Food Standards Agency (FSA), which is responsible for inspecting food processing in the UK. The decision to publish audit reports on the agency website is designed to eliminate the public mystery surrounding audits of British processing plants. But the move promptly drew criticism from food processors, according to Meat Trade News Daily, a British trade publication. The publication quoted unnamed industry sources complaining that the audit documents are “impenetrable and misleading.” They responded to an agency announcement that it would begin regular publication of audit reports from inspections of meat plants in England, Scotland and Wales, all as part of a new commitment to public “transparency.”
In making its announcement, the FSA published 200 audit reports dating back to November 1 last year, and promised to publish more by the end of the month. About 1,200 FSA-approved slaughterhouses and other meat processors operate in Great Britain, and 60 more in Northern Ireland. The agency’s aim is to publish audits from around the UK, but only after reviewing the documents to make them understandable to interested people from outside the industry. Processors with poor audit scores will be considered a “cause for concern,” the FSA said in its announcement. “These establishments must put in place improvements to ensure required standards are met,” the agency said.
Read the entire article on Food Safety News.
Fridays with Friends: Dynise Balcavage, the Urban Vegan
Dynise Balcavage, aka the Urban Vegan, believes that vegan cooking should be held to the highest standards and should always be superbly decadent and healthy. I couldn’t agree more!
Allison’s Gourmet: When/how did you become vegan?
Dynise Balcavage: I went vegan “cold tofurkey” in 2006.
AG: Nice. Did you enjoy cooking before you transitioned into a more compassionate lifestyle?
DB: I’ve been cooking since age 7 and have always loved puttering around the kitchen; I associate cooking with fond memories of the women in my family. I actually grew up in a house with an old-fashioned coal stove, so there was always a pot of soup simmering or a plate of something yummy warming on its shelf. We used to stand around the stove to keep warm. My older sister, Debbie, taught me to bake– and to lick the beaters and spatula (which is safer now that I’m vegan).
I’ve always enjoyed experimenting in the kitchen, as a result of my innate curiosity, travels and restlessness. Although I now own close to 200 cookbooks, most of which are omni books, I read them more for inspiration and ideas. I rarely follow recipes. Even with my own cookbooks, I think recipes should be a conduit to creativity, and not a set of rules to be followed blindly. I like recipes that have flexibility, so I try to structure my recipes so they are improv-friendly.
AG: “Improv-friendly.” I like that. You are known as The Urban Vegan, which is also the title of your first cookbook. Is there a difference between an Urban Vegan and one who is suburban or rural?
DB: I’m sure there is, but being an urban vegan, I’m spoiled. I live in Philadelphia, a large herbivore-friendly city, and am just a short ride from NYC, perhaps the world’s most vegan-friendly city, so it’s easy to find vegan-friendly restaurants, plant-based foods and like-minded people in my own backyard. I’m sure being a suburban or rural vegan is more challenging.
AG: Ah, I see what you mean. Being a rural vegan, I can attest that herbivore-friendly restaurants are too few and their ability to impress is even less frequent. Luckily our home kitchen is a good stand-in. I do admit there are times I’d love to get good take-out though! What’s the biggest challenge in creating exciting vegan meals for urbanites?
DB: Now, it’s continually upping the “wow” factor. Vegan used to be a fringe term; now it’s a bona-fide cuisine. I try to continually keep my recipes fresh and exciting, a little healthy and a little hedonistic.
AG: People may be surprised to know that there are indeed opportunities for edible hedonistic pleasures within a vegan menu. Your second cookbook, Celebrate Vegan: 200 Life-Affirming Recipes for Occasions Big and Small is out now, can you expand more on how you create celebrations to remember?
DB: Every day should be a celebration of some sort. And of course, every celebration begins with memorable foods. Dining can become so dull if you’re eating the same thing day after day, though–and so can noshing on the same old holiday foods year after year. My book is a bit unlike other holiday cookbooks in that I include recipes for some quirky holidays, like Festivus, Guy Fawkes Day and “Girls’ Night In,” instead of just the traditional biggies.
But at the same time, it’s fun to mix, match and cross-polinate your holiday menus. Old traditions are important, but it’s also essential to keep on creating new traditions. Why not make Tsimmes, a traditional Jewish side, for Christmas, for example? Or a King Cake for a child’s birthday party instead of just waiting for Mardi Gras? It’s certainly got the wow factor. Don’t be afraid to venture beyond, whatever “beyond” represents to you.
AG: You have a theme of encouraging people to reach beyond, both in your approach to food and in your literary escapades. Do you have any advice for people making the transition into veganism?
DB: Go at your own pace and be easy on yourself. Just like every recipe is customizable, so is every transition to veganism. What’s right for someone else might not work for you–so do it unapologetically your way.
AG: Well-said. What are some of your favorite simple vegan meals/recipes that keep you supercharged through your day?
DB: I’m a smoothie nut, even in the winter, and I’ve just gotten into the habit of tossing baby spinach into my shakes. 
I am also an unabashed pasta freak. I coat my pasta with sauce made with seasonal veggies, olive oil and an obscene amount of garlic–it always works and it’s always easy. When I am too tired or busy to cook, I have been known to order vegan take-out or pick up a slice of vegan pizza.
AG: Do you have a favorite Allison’s Gourmet product?
DB: I adore the caramels, especially the salted chocolate ones, and also I’m a huge fan of the peppermint creme patties. But I would eat anything from Allison’s Gourmet.
Thanks Dynise, this rural vegan loves keeping up on your urban vegan adventures. 
For more of the Urban Vegan, follow Dynise on Twitter.
Larry Hagman Goes Vegan to Fight Cancer
If you grew up in the 1980s, chances are your television viewing time was shared between “I Dream of Jeannie” reruns and new episodes of “Dallas.” Enough to make anyone fall in love with the irresistible Larry Hagman…but now there’s one more reason: The 80 year old has gone vegan as he battles cancer, the Times of India reports, joining the ranks of a number of awesome celebrities and proving that it’s never too late to make the move to a healthier life for you and the animals!
Larry Hagman Goes Vegan to Fight Cancer
Veteran actor Larry Hagman has turned totally vegan in a bid to overcome cancer and has shed 25 pounds after changing his diet.
The ‘Dallas’ legend revealed in October last year he is receiving treatment for the illness and he overhauled his lifestyle following the diagnosis.
Now, he is convinced his new diet is helping him beat the disease.
“I’m feeling great and I’m back on track,” Contactmusic quoted him as telling Britain’s Mail On Sunday.
“I’ve finished treatment and the doctors are thrilled with my progress. My outcome looks very positive.
“It’s my firm intention to whop cancer into submission and I truly believe I’ve given myself the best start possible by radically overhauling my diet and by staying true to my motto, which is: Don’t worry, be happy, feel good.
“The first thing I did when I was diagnosed was to turn vegan. Now I live on fresh vegetable drinks which taste like c**p but which I firmly believe have helped me get through this thing.
The ‘Big Six’ Are a Big Problem Worth Solving
We were delighted to see that Erik Marcus of Vegan.com is spreading his reach to a wider audience by delivering this great story on America’s food supply through Food Safety News. Important times indeed and knowing what’s going on with our food is of the utmost urgency. Well done, Erik!
The ‘Big Six’ Are a Big Problem Worth Solving by Erik Marcus, Food Safety News
This March, America’s food supply is slated to get a tiny bit safer — a change the meat industry is vehemently opposing.
At issue is the USDA’s plan to require U.S. slaughterhouses to expand their E. coli tests. Currently, meat companies must test for just one E. coli strain: O157:H7. The USDA’s pending regulations will require testing for six additional pathogenic strains. These bacteria are often referred to as the “Big Six,” and food safety advocates have long assailed the government’s refusal to mandate testing for these bugs. As with O157:H7, each of these strains produces the kidney-ravaging Shiga toxin.
The closing of this testing loophole is unwelcome news to the meat industry, which has a longstanding penchant for attacking even the most sensible of food safety regulations. James H. Hodges, executive vice president of the American Meat Institute, went so far as to say: “[The] USDA is proposing a solution in search of a problem.”
It’s hard to imagine a more clueless and callous response than denying point-blank that these bacteria pose a genuine menace. Since 2004, seven different USA outbreaks involving non-O157 strains have been traced to meat or dairy-containing foods. Collectively, these outbreaks have produced more than 4,500 illnesses. And there have been seven more USA outbreaks in which scientists have been unable to determine the bacteria’s origin. I’d like to see Hodges tell all these victims that Big Six bacteria are not a problem worth solving.
Read the entire article on Food Safety News
Fridays with Friends + Giveaway: Hannah Kaminsky
As a fellow sweets lover, I have long admired Hannah Kaminsky’s dedicated work in the world of vegan desserts. Her skills as a recipe creator and photographer are out of this world. Often, when I have a spare moment, I pop over to her enticing blog just to see what she’s up to. I was thrilled to sit down with Hannah to talk to her about her genius.
Allison’s Gourmet: What inspired you to adopt a vegan diet?
Hannah Kaminsky: Well, at first I went vegetarian simply because I suddenly found myself with many new veggie-powered friends when I entered high school. I found it intriguing, as I hadn’t really considered it a viable lifestyle before, and was impressed at how easily it came to me. After finally doing a bit of research as to why one would become a vegetarian, and all those horrible websites about the cruelty of the egg, dairy, and meat industries popped up… Well, there was no looking back, and I went vegan straight away, after only a month of being vegetarian. Now it’s been about 8 years and I haven’t regretted that decision once.
AG: How in the world did you decide to write a cookbook for your Senior project at the tender age of 18?
HK: Actually, it wasn’t so much that I decided to write a cookbook as a senior project – I lucked out that I had some of the most open-minded teachers in the world. I was going to work on that cookbook to the detriment of all other assignments, but they graciously allowed me to submit it as a final project anyway. So I could have just as easily failed; the cookbook was way more important than school in my eyes!
Hannah recently released a gorgeous new full-color cookbook, Vegan Desserts, that’s arranged seasonally, has lots of lovely holiday and gift-able treats, and includes her own enticing photographs of every recipe. She’s generously allowing us to give away a copy of this volume to one lucky reader. Read on!
AG: What’s the biggest challenge in running a blog?
HK: Keeping up. Keeping up with both the lovely comments, other inspiring blogs, and regular postings with new and exciting content. Sometimes it becomes too much, and my email piles up like some horrific multi-car accident on the highway, but it’s always worth it to sort through in the end, whenever time allows.
AG: What do you love most about it?
HK: I couldn’t survive without the feedback. The reason that I keep blogging is not for money (I only make a meager amount from Amazon referrals every month, as cruelty-free and committed advertisers are hard to come by), nor the freebies for review (though they are a nice perk), but for the community. On the days when it’s hard just to get out of bed, and I have to wonder why I keep writing recipes, a glance at the comments always lifts my spirit. Small compliments really do have a huge impact, and I treasure the thoughtful words from my “regulars” especially.
I hear you on this, Hannah. Cyberspace can feel a touch solitary at times and the human contact through feedback is essential for me as well.
AG: You’re an amazing photographer and have taught me a lot! I especially love what you’ve been doing with my ‘Veganize It!‘ recipes in VegNews. Do you have a preference between taking pictures and writing blogs or recipes? Why?
HK: Why thank you! I’ve definitely begun to identify more as a photographer than cook or writer at this point. 
It’s mostly due to my increased focus on it, thanks to school, and other freelance jobs that keep on graciously popping up. I’m a very visual thinker as well, and I find it entirely satisfying to take an image in my head and recreate it in real life, generally relatively faithfully to my original inspiration. To be able to share my vision with others is one of my favorite parts of the job… Plus, on the styling end, I love having an excuse to play with my food!
Sounds like similar reasons to mine for cooking/baking/candy-making!
AG: Are there any whole-food staple grocery items you can’t live without? (Favorite fruits, veggies, beans or grains?)
HK: Well, this is probably pretty weird, but I adore cucumbers. There are always at least two or three in the house. I just slice them up, salt them, and munch on them as needed. Simple and refreshing, it’s my idea of healthy comfort food!
AG: Do you have a favorite seasonal meal idea or recipe you’d like to share?
HK: Come winter, I make giant vats of stew at least every other day of the week. 
Whatever’s in the fridge or pantry gets piled in, and every batch is a little bit different. It’s just a wonderful way to wind down my evening; get a big pot of stew bubbling away while I work on a few last emails for the night, enjoy one bowl full with some light reading, and then pack away the rest for quick meals later. The leftovers are excellent to freeze for long term storage, too.
AG: You combine your love for making crafts with food, is that a natural fit? How do your readers respond? Are there different audiences?
HK: There are definitely different audiences that visit my blog, and I try to appease them all whenever possible… Although I can tell you right now, I’m grateful for all the crafters that hang in there, because that section has been rather quiet for some time now. It’s tough to balance everything out, so I just post edibles and crafts whenever they happen, rather than forcing sub par stuffed animals. It’s harder to find the time to just sit and craft these days, so although the blog started out only as a craft blog, without any recipes, it really is more of a food blog with a few crafts thrown in now. I hope that foodies and crafters alike can appreciate both sorts of posts, though!
AG: Which Allison’s Gourmet goodie is your favorite or would you most like to try?
HK: Well, I had the incredible luck of receiving your peppermint brownies one year as a holiday gift from a co-worker, and I still can’t get them out of my mind! I love chocolate and mint together more than most flavor combos, and the crunchy topping of crushed candy canes on those fudgy brownie squares just made this marriage perfect. I wish they were available year-round!
Just wait until you try our new artisan truffles and caramels! 
Now for the Giveaway! In her new book: Vegan Desserts, Hannah cracks the code of formerly elusive vegan meringue, which, in it’s non-vegan form, is made with only egg-whites. To win, post here on our blog telling us what you would create with this revelatory discovery? We’ll choose a winner Wednesday, the 7th. Good luck!
UPDATE: This contest is now closed. Esther, of A, B, C, Vegan won!
Holiday Meals: Breakfast and Lunch
Having family over for the holidays can be one of those wonderful and also challenging experiences. A house full of loved ones should be a fun and happy time, but it can be crowded and stressful, especially feeding all of those people. We don’t have a plan to make your house bigger, but if you’re wondering what to feed your omnivorous loved ones, we’ve got some answers.
Photo by Snarky Vegan Julia Moran Martz
Take some of the stress off by planning delicious vegan meals in advance. Knowing what you’re making, shopping before hand and doing preparation steps ahead of time can all make your holiday meals go over smoothly and calmly. For great time-saving tips even for more complicated recipes check out Snarky Vegan’s Vegan MoFo series EZ Comfort Food for Tired Wenches. Here are some suggestions from Allison’s award-winning “VeganizeIt!” column from VegNews Magazine:
Photo by Heather Blackmon of Better with Veggies
If you’re having family staying with you for the holidays chances are you’ll want to plan more than just dinners. But a meal planned doesn’t have to be a big, sit-down affair. For a sweet and simple breakfast treat try warm and buttery scones. Our bloggers have created several versions for you to try: Pumpkin Cranberry, Orange Chocolate Chip, and the latest Better with Veggies version Currant-Raisin Orange, which are all spin-offs of Allison’s original Orange Currant recipe. Scones make great casual breakfast fare as they can be kept warm or re-heated for everyone to eat in their own time.
Photo by Snarky Vegan Julia Moran Martz
For a fancy sit-down breakfast or brunch nothing beats a golden-brown Frittata complete with seasonal veggies and topped with your favorite shredded vegan cheese. For extra decadence and tastebud delight, serve slices of Frittata with a fruit salad and strips of Smoky Fried Tofu Bacon on the side (or crumbled and baked in). YUM!
Amidst all the holiday eating, lunch can be a satisfyingly simple and healthy affair. Turn a plain-jane soup and salad combo into light lunch extraordinaire with French Onion Soup (available in the September/October edition of VegNews), Clam-Free Chowder, or Cream of Broccoli Soup and a very green kale salad.
Of course, we’ve got you covered in the sweets department. Let us do the baking, and make dessert one less thing for you to worry about.
Gourmet cookies in seasonal flavors and trays of decadent vegan fudge make perfect holiday snacks and desserts. They’re also great as gifts for friends near or far. Check out the Holiday Gifts and Gifts By Price sections of our website for seasonal gift ideas to fit any budget.
Come back next week for a super exciting chocolate announcement on Monday, and then holiday dinner suggestions and even a new recipe or two later in the week…
Vegan MoFo 2011: Ghoulish Shepherd’s Pie
Just in time for this Halloween, one last Vegan MoFo Recipe from our lovely guest blogger, Snarky Vegan (aka Julia Moran Martz). She had a super time with Allison’s Vegan Shepherd’s Pie recipe as you’ll see below. It’s such a warming and comforting meal any time of year, but we absolutely LOVE the Halloween twist Julia adds to it! What do you think? What are your favorite recipes for Autumn? Halloween? Let us know over on Facebook and Twitter!
Ok, so I’m on a ghost roll. I love Halloween and just couldn’t come up with any other ideas for the mashed potatoes on Allison Rivers Samson’s Shepherd Pie recipe printed in her award-winning VeganizeIt! column in VegNews magazine.
Of course, other folks have created better mashed potato ghosts than mine. My first effort at making mashed potato ghosts is a bit amateurish but I’m sure with practice they could resemble those ghosts by these other masters.
Use a zippered sandwich bag with the corner cutoff to squeeze out easy ghosts made from mashed taters on shepherd’s pie. Push in lentils for eyes before baking.
This Shepherd’s Pie is perfect, even DH said so.
You may have read here that my hubby is rather picky about food so if he likes something, it’s got to be good, right? Yep. This is a great Fall/Winter dish that will definitely become a regular around here because it’s healthy and something hubs will eat.
Reprinted here with permission by Allison Rivers Samson and VegNews magazine. Any changes on my part are noted.
6 servings
Ingredients:
- 3 1/2 cups yellow potatoes, dices, cooked and mashed
- 1/4 cup non-hydrogenated margarine
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, divided
- 1/4 cup unsweetened non-dairy milk
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 3/4 cup chopped onions
- 1 cup slices mushrooms
- 1/2 cup diced carrots
- 1/4 cup diced celery
- 1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
- 2 tablespoons barley flour
- 1/2 teaspoon dried marjoram
- 1/2 teaspoon celery seed
- 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1/4 teaspoon paprika
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 3/4 cup vegetable broth
- 2 cups cooked French lentils, drained well
- 1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley
- 1 1/2 teaspoons vegan Worcestershire sauce
- 4 teaspoons tamari
- 1/2 cup frozen peas
Steps:
- Preheat oven to 350°F. In a large bowl, combine mashed potatoes with margarine, 1 teaspoon salt and non-dairy milk. Set aside.
- In a large saute pan over medium head, add oil and onions. Saute for 2 minutes. Add mushrooms, carrots and celery. Cook for 2 minutes. Add garlic and saute for 1 minutes. Add flour and stir until absorbed. Stir in marjoram, celery seed, thyme, paprika, remaining salt, and pepper. Cook for 1 minute, and then stir in broth. Continue to stir frequently until the mixture comes to a slow boil. Stir in lentils, parsley, Worcestershire, tamari and peas, then remove from heat.
- Transfer mixture to a deep pie dish or a 9×13-inch casserole. Spread the mashed potatoes on top of the vegetable mixture in the dish. Use the tips of a fork to rake across the top of the mashed potatoes, making a rough surface to facilitate a brown crispy top.* Bake for 40 minutes, or until potatoes are browned. Serve hot.
*I used ramekins to make single portion pies with an individual ghost for each pie. Glad I put them on a baking sheet to bake because they did cook over the sides.
Just look at how yummy the pie is under the ghost!
Tired Wench Tips:
- Make a stash of lentils up to 3 days prior.
- Use frozen carrot and pea mix to cut back on some chopping.
- Buy pre-sliced mushrooms.
- Make both the taters and vegetable mixture in advance and assemble for dinner after work. Not sure I’d put the mashed potatoes on the veggies ahead of time because I don’t know if they’d merge into a goo. You can nuke a side dish of veggies and set the table while this is baking.
Now pardon me while I go determine how many leftovers to eat for lunch. It’s difficult to determine this when you have to share with someone else.
Great job, Julia! It’s ghostly delicious looking.
And the Winners Are…
Our Tee and Tote Design Contest was a great success with the entry of many beautiful and creative designs. 
In the end the final challenging decision was left to our judges and myself, and after painstaking deliberations, I am very excited to announce these winners…
It was a tie for third place among all the judges, so instead of having to choose between these two elegant designs, I decided to award two third-place prizes:
Karen Rosenstein (above) and Devin St Clair (right) will each receive a 3-month brownie, fudge or cookie of the month club membership from AG, plus a year’s subscription to VegNews Magazine so they can stay current on affairs of the veg world and always have access to my latest VeganizeIt! recipe.
The second place prize goes to Jonathan Day. 
We especially love his “A” inspired logo design (left). He will enjoy a 6-month monthly club membership, 6 containers of his favorite So Delicious Dairy Free ice cream, and an autographed copy of Kathy Freston‘s new book “Veganist.”
And finally, the grand prize of $500 cash and a 3-month Allison’s Gourmet monthly club membership goes to Erika Themaras for her gorgeous logo design. I especially love her “Sustainably Sweet” tag line.
Congratulations to Erika, Jonathan, Devin and Karen!
Congratulations are also in order for Jessica Campbell, Heather Cox, Adam Youngers, Ashley Blodgett, Colin Redmon, and Brooke Parker whose designs made the final 10 after public voting. You will each receive a $25 gift certificate to Allison’s Gourmet as my way of saying thank you for submitting your work.
A big thank you to everyone who participated and helped make this contest such a success!
BREAKING NEWS: “VeganizeIt!” Wins 2011 Veggie Award!
Some very exciting news has just come our way from VegNews: Allison’s “VeganizeIt!” column has won the 2011 Veggie Award for Favorite Column! 
We’re so thrilled and excited. Allison sends a great big “thank you!” to all our fans who love her recipes and voted for her column.
If you haven’t yet experienced one of Allison’s super-delish vegan versions of traditional comfort foods, you’re in for a treat. We’re heading into winter, when most people tend to crave those rich, warming foods most, so this is the perfect time of year to try her classics 
like creamy vegan Mac ‘n’ Cheese and hearty Shepherd’s Pie.
It just so happens that two wonderful bloggers are in the process of cooking their way through the complete collection of “VeganizeIt!” recipes this month as part of Vegan MoFo. So, you don’t have to take our word for it. Check out Better with Veggies and Snarky Vegan for their spins on Allison’s recipes including time-saving tips and alternative substitutions.
If you make any of Allison’s savory recipes yourself, we’d love to see pictures and hear about your experience here or on Facebook or Twitter.
Thanks again for making “VeganizeIt!” your Favorite VegNews Column. We all love Allison’s sweets, but she also has a savory side and one of her great joys is getting to share her love of vegan comfort food with the VegNews audience. Yippee!
Allison Saves Lentil Loaf from Your Boring Hippy Aunt
Vegan MoFo is in full effect and we are pretty darn ready for a slice of Snarky Vegan‘s twist on Allison’s Lentil Loaf! Yumm. Perfect for a chilly Meatless Monday too. Check it out below and you can view all of Snarky Vegan’s recipes on her website.
EZ Comfort Food for Tired Wenches
by Julia Moran Martz
Remember those soulless lentil loaves from the 70′s pretending to be healthy meatloaves? No? Well, let me describe one for you: brown, pasty, tasted like cardboard, squishy, gross and h-e-a-v-e-y. Yeah, that one lentil brick I tasted as a kid in the 70′s prevented me from trying any modern, updated vegan meatloaf—no matter what the ingredients. To me, there was no way to pull this off…until now.
Allison Saves Lentil Loaf from Your Boring Hippy Aunt
EZ tip: prepare the meatloaf on Sunday then assemble and bake on Monday after work. Nuke some frozen broccoli and a potato and you’ve got dinner!
Let me start by saying I wasn’t really able to shave off significant amounts of time from this recipe for my favorite Tired Wenches. It’s critical to the flavor depth of this meatless loaf that you NOT skip any ingredients or steps. At the end of this post I’ll list some ideas for saving time but they’ll mostly involve advance prep-work.
Meatloaf Remixed
Reprinted here with permission by Allison Rivers Samson from her VeganizeIt! column in VegNews Magazine. Any changes on my part are in parentheses.
4 servings, if you aren’t me.
Ingredients:
- 1/2 cup tomato paste (almost one of those small cans, I added the extra to my lentils as they cooked to give more depth)
- 3 tablespoons tamari, divided
- 1 tablespoon dark agave nectar (I used brown rice syrup)
- 1/2 teaspoon liquid smoke
- 1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons garlic, minced and divided
- 1/4 cup vegan margarine, divided
- 1 cup onion, chopped and divided
- 1 cup portabello mushrooms, diced into 1/2-inch pieces
- 1/2 cup celery, diced
- 1/2 cup carrot, finely diced
- 3/4 teaspoon salt (I cut this back by half because I cooked the lentils and rice in salted bullion, but in hindsight, I should have cut this out completely or used bullion without salt)
- 3/4 teaspoon black pepper, freshly ground
- 3/4 cup cooked brown rice (I cooked in bullion)
- 2 cups cooked French lentils (I cooked in bullion)
- 1 1/2 teaspoons vegan Worcestershire sauce
- 1/4 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 2 tablespoons fresh Italian parsley, minced (my garden was bare so I used 1 tablespoon dried tarragon)
- 1 tablespoon arrowroot powder
- 3/4 cup fresh breadcrumbs (time saver: used panko from pantry)
Steps:
- Preheat oven to 350°F (I waited to do this until I was in the final mix because I’m a slow cook.) Line a small loaf pan with parchment paper and set aside.
- In a small bowl, combine the tomato paste, 2 tablespoons tamari, agave, liquid smoke, and 1 tablespoon garlic. Set aside.
- Heat a large skillet over medium heat, add 2 tablespoons margarine and 1/2 cups onions. Saute 5 minutes. Add the portabello mushrooms and sauté for 7 minutes. Transfer to a small bowl. Add remaining 2 tablespoons margarine to the skillet and saute the celery, carrot, remaining 2 teaspoons garlic, salt and pepper over low heat. Cover and cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- In a food processor, pulse the rice and lentils 10 times, then transfer to a large bowl. In the food processor, pulse the cooked carrot/celery mixture with Worcestershire sauce, remaining tablespoon of tamari, mustard, parsley, arrowroot and 1/3 cup of the tomato topping 10 times. Add this mixture to the bowl with the lentils.
- Fold in the reserved sautéed onions and mushrooms, breadcrumbs, and the 1/2 cup chopped onion.
- Press half of the mixture into the prepared loaf pan and spread the top with half of the tomato topping. Press remaining loaf mixture in the pan then coat the top with the last of the tomato topping. Cover with foil and bake for 45 minutes, Uncover and bake an additional 15 minutes until top is browned Remove from oven and cool for 20 minutes before serving.
Tip to keep the loaf moist: when processing the veggies, don’t strain them from the margarine you used during sautéing. Dump the margarine from the skillet into the processor as well.
Tired Wench Tips:
- Make a stash of lentils and rice up to 3 days prior. Use a veggie broth instead of plain water and you can use them for other things too (just cut back on the salt in the recipe if you use salted broth). Good weekend activity for when you’re mad at hubby.
- This tomato topping would make a great topping for burgers or hot dogs so I recommend making a batch of it to keep in the fridge. Then you can just pull it out like we used to with ketchup on past meatloaves.
- Celery, carrots and onions can always be chopped and stored in little airtight containers in the fridge. Garlic however will lose some of it’s potency if you try this time saver.
- Dry herbs are a time saver if you don’t have fresh.
- Use panko or other boxed breadcrumbs so you don’t have to make your own.
- Let the parchment paper extend over the sides of the pan and it’s super easy to pull the loaf out when it’s cooled down.
- And of course, MY FAVORITE IDEA, make the meatloaf mixture on a Sunday then assemble and bake it Monday night for dinner. Plan 1 hour for baking and 20 minutes cooling time to set the table, make a side salad and nuked potatoes with Teese® or Daiya® cheese.
Overall, I really like this recipe for many reasons: nobody died, no chance of biting into any boingies, and it’s loaded with flavor. Even DH liked it and you know he hates everything.
Thanks Snarky Vegan!
