Food2 is jumping on board with Meatless Monday, an initiative to help reduce meat consumption for personal health and the health of the planet by going vegetarian for one day each week.
Got a vegetarian on your holiday dinner guest list? Try a meatless meatloaf. This budget-friendly main dish only requires 30 minutes of hands-on time, so it could double as an easy weeknight dinner.
Meatless Meatloaf
Yields 4-6 servings
Preparation time: 30 minutes
Cooking time: 45 minutes
Ingredients:
Meatloaf:
2 14-ounce packages firm tofu
4 slices bread, cut into 1/2- inch cubes
1 1/2 cups almond milk
Vegetable oil, for sautéing
1/2 cup onions, chopped
1/2 cup celery, diced
1/2 cup carrots, diced
1 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons soy sauce
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon celery powder
1 teaspoon paprika
4 tablespoons ketchup
1 tablespoon sesame oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons finely chopped flat-leaf parsley
Vegetable oil cooking spray
Topping:
4 tablespoons ketchup
1 tablespoon sugar
Pinch salt
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Coat a loaf pan with vegetable oil cooking spray.
2. Strain tofu, and crumble with hands. Set in a sieve or colander for 15 minutes to allow excess water to run off. Soak bread in almond milk for 15 minutes.
3. In a medium skillet, heat 1 tablespoon vegetable oil over medium-high heat. Add onions and cook until they are translucent, stirring occasionally, about 3-4 minutes. Add carrots and celery, and continue cooking until they are tender but still firm, about 5-6 minutes. Remove from heat and transfer to a large mixing bowl.
4. Return skillet to stovetop. Heat 2 tablespoons vegetable oil over medium-high heat and add tofu. Cook until all liquid is evaporated. Add salt, soy sauce, garlic powder, celery powder and paprika. Remove from heat and add to mixing bowl with cooked vegetables. Add bread and almond milk mixture, paprika, ketchup, sesame oil, garlic, black pepper and parsley to bowl as well.
5. For the topping: In a medium bowl, mix together all ingredients until sugar is dissolved.
6. Add meatloaf mixture to loaf pan, and press down firmly. Bake for 30 minutes, and then remove from oven and brush with topping. Bake for an additional 10 minutes. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving.
Rina Oh is an artist, writer and chef and a Meatless Monday advocate. For the last year these Meatless Mondays recipes have appeared on Food2.com, a website that is owned and operated by Scripps Networks. These posts are copyrighted material and any photographs, illustrations or written material are forbidden to be used or reposted anywhere without permission. For more information on Meatless Monday, please visit meatlessmonday.com