Homestyle Loaf

OKAY. I feel like "lentil loaf" and similar are used as sort of the default Gross Vegan Thing that omnivores like to make fun of. And, I admit, I share this prejudice. Who would eat that crap?? I think a major issue is that the word "loaf" is so unappetizing. Even "meat loaf" sounds pretty gross when you think about it.

So tonight, I decided to challenge my prejudice and try the Homestyle Loaf recipe in Vegan Diner, which is rapidly becoming my favorite cookbook. I've made a lot of her recipes, and have been blown away with every single one - so I figured she would be a dependable place to start for my venture into Loafs. In this recipe, the "meat" mixture is Boca crumbles, shredded tofu, oatmeal, and ground walnuts, with some onion & garlic & celery plus ketchup and soy sauce and various herbs. I KNOW it sounds suspect, people. But look at it out of the oven - nicely meatloafy:

And here it is sliced up.

It was GOOD. Ben said, "This reminds me of my mom's meat loaf," and that's exactly what Julie says in the recipe, that she made it as a substitute for her mom's meat loaf! Therefore, it must be true.

I also slivered a bunch of brussels sprouts and sauteed them with shallots and garlic and salt and pepper. Ben is an avowed brussels hater - and he ate these all right up. SUCCESS!