Vegan Meatloaf using Beyond Beef Plant-Based Ground

 This meatloaf is extremely flavorful and moist! We don't eat meatloaf with a glaze but I really don't think this one needs it anyways.  I hope you give this a try and let me know what you think! 

Vegan Meatloaf

INGREDIENTS

16 oz Beyond Beef Plant-Based Ground

1 small Onion, diced

3-4 Garlic Cloves, minced or crushed

1 cup Italian Breadcrumbs

2 tablespoons Flaxseed Meal

1 teaspoon dried thyme

½ teaspoon black pepper

½ teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon garlic powder

¼ cup fresh Parsley, chopped

1 tablespoon vegan Worcestershire Sauce

1 tablespoon Low Sodium Soy Sauce

1/3 cup Ketchup

¾ cup Plant-Based Milk

 

DIRECTIONS

1.       Preheat oven to 375*F

2.       Heat a small pan on medium with some olive oil. Add the onion and sauté until softened. Add the garlic and sauté a little more until fragrant. Remove from heat and set aside to cool slightly.

3.       Mix all ingredients together in a medium bowl. You can use a spoon or your hands!

4.       Transfer meatloaf mixture to a greased loaf pan.

5.       Place in oven and bake for 1 hour.

6.       Remove from oven and let rest for 10-15 minutes

7.       Remove from the loaf pan and slice.

8.       Serve with your favorite side dishes.

Baked Falafel

Some notes about this recipe. I do not have a food processor and I used my ninja blender. I had difficulty getting the mixture processed properly and it ended up very smooth. It still baked well, but it did not have the right consistency for falafels. I wish I had a food processor for this and I think it would have turned out much better with one. 

I also think this recipe had too much salt, so next time I will reduce the salt quite a bit. Otherwise, it tasted great! It is super easy to prepare so I would like to try to make this again one day if I ever get a food processor. 

I did not flip the falafel halfway through cooking but I think it would have been better if I did.  If you look at my pictures the falafel looks very much like cookies! I mean they are delicious so you could eat them like savory cookies. 

The original recipe by David Branagan instructs you to fry them. I do not like fry foods at all so I rarely do. If I can figure out alternatives to frying something I do. So I baked them and they were great! Check out my video below the recipe to see how I made these. 

Baked Falafel

Recipe adapted from DAVID BRANAGAN at Delishably.com

INGREDIENTS

·         3 cans (14oz) Chickpeas, drained and rinsed

·         4 cloves of garlic

·         1 small onion, coarsely chopped

·         1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

·         1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

·         1 1/2 tsp salt

·         1 tsp cumin

·         1/4 tsp chili powder

·         Sprinkle black pepper

·         1 tsp baking powder

·         1/3 cup plain flour

 

DIRECTIONS

1.       Preheat oven to 400*F

2.       Drain the chickpeas, rinse well, and set aside.

3.       Combine chopped onion, garlic cloves, parsley, cilantro, cumin, salt, pepper, and chili powder into a food processor. Process until finely chopped. Remove from food processor and place into a bowl.

4.       Add the chickpeas to the food processor and process until finely chopped as well. Transfer to the bowl with the other mixture.

5.       Combine both together with the flour and baking powder.

6.       Use a small scoop to measure out the mixture and place onto a baking sheet.

7.       Carefully flatten the balls of falafel mixture with your fingers.

8.       Spray with cooking spray.

9.       Place in preheated oven and bake for 30 minutes flipping halfway.

10.   Remove from the oven and let cool.

11.   Serve with some salad, inside a pita pocket or dip into your favorite hummus or yogurt dip.

  

Enchilada Casserole

 This casserole is super easy! You can always prep the day before and have it ready to pop into the oven at any time. I usually make it in a 9x13 baking dish, but this time I decided to split it up into two 8x8 pans so I could freeze one for later. 

Enchilada Casserole

INGREDIENTS

4 Bell Peppers (variety), diced

1 large Onion, diced

3-4 Garlic Cloves, crushed/minced

1 cup Frozen Corn

1 (15oz) can Black Beans, drained and rinsed

Adobo Seasoning

1-2 small cans Red Enchilada Sauce

Corn Tortillas

Shredded Cheese (optional)

 

DIRECTIONS

1.        Dice bell peppers and onions and mince the garlic. Mix together with the frozen corn and season with adobo seasoning.

2.       Saute the pepper mixture until soft and browned. Set aside a let cool for about 10 minutes

3.       Once cooled mix in the drained black beans.

4.       Preheat oven to 350*F.

5.       Pour enchilada sauce into a shallow bowl or dish. Dip a corn tortilla into the sauce and begin layering the casserole.

6.       Place a layer of corn tortilla in sauce on the bottom of a baking dish then spoon over some of the pepper mixture. Sprinkle on some cheese if desired. Place another layer of the corn tortilla and peppers and repeat until all of the mixture is gone. The final layer should be of corn tortillas

7.       If desired pour some more sauce over the casserole and top with cheese.

8.       Bake casserole for about 20-30 minutes or until the sauce is bubbly and the cheese is melted.

9.       Remove from the oven and let sit for about 10-15 minutes before serving.

 

Notes: You can also roast or grill the vegetables for more flavor.

Gingersnap Cookies - Egg Free!

 I love gingerbread cookies and gingersnap cookies! So of course I needed to figure out how to make it vegan, which was easy. This recipe is from King Arthur Flour and all I did was use a flax egg instead of a real egg. See, super easy. You can bake it for only 10-11 minutes for softer cookies which are amazing, but I baked these for about 15 minutes for a crunchier texture.  I have plans for these cookies which need them to be a bit hard. I did make them a little bit bigger than I intended but that's fine with me. 

Gingersnap Cookies

INGREDIENTS

For the Cookies

3/4 cup vegetable shortening

1 cup sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons baking soda

1 Flax egg (1 tablespoon flaxseed meal + 3 tablespoons water)

1/3 cup molasses

2 1/3 cups Unbleached All-Purpose Flour

2 teaspoons ginger

1/2 teaspoon cloves

1 teaspoon cinnamon

For the Coating

1/4 cup sugar

1 teaspoon cinnamon

DIRECTIONS

1.       Preheat the oven to 375°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

2.       Beat together the shortening, sugar, salt, and baking soda.

3.       Beat in the egg, then the molasses.

4.       Add the flour and spices, beating to make a smooth, fairly stiff dough.

5.       Combine the sugar and cinnamon for the coating.

6.       Spoon about 1 teaspoon of the cookie dough into your hand and roll into a ball.

7.       Roll in the sugar and cinnamon mixture and place on the baking sheet, leaving at least 1 1/2" between them; they'll spread as they bake.

8.       Bake for 11 minutes for soft and chewy cookies and 13-15 minutes for a crunchy cookie.

9.       Remove from the oven and let cool completely on a cooling rack.

 

 

Recipe adapted from King Arthur Flour retrieved from https://www.kingarthurbaking.com/recipes/gingersnaps-recipe

Spicy Shredded Jackfruit (GREAT FOR TACOS, BURRITOS, TORTAS, OR TOSTADAS!!)

 

Spicy Shredded Jackfruit

 

INGREDIENTS

3 cans Young Jackfruit in Brine, drained and rinsed

1 Portobello Mushroom cap, thinly sliced

½ White Onion, thinly sliced

2-3 Garlic cloves, crushed

2-3 Chipotle in adobo, chopped

1 cup Vegetable Broth

12 oz Dark Beer (I used Modelo Negro)

2 tablespoons Soy Sauce

1 teaspoon Liquid Smoke

Juice of 1 lime

1 tablespoon Oregano

½ tablespoon Cumin

2 Bay Leaves

DIRECTIONS

1.       Place all ingredients in a slow cooker.

2.       Cook on high for 4 hours.

3.       Great in tacos, burritos, tortas, and tostadas!  

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