Vegan Loaf

I've recently been experimenting with TVP (Textured Vegetable Protein) and have had some pretty delicious results. I don't normally try to make vegan alternatives to conventional meat dishes, but I thought TVP would make a really good 'meat' loaf. It just made sense to me. It surprisingly had that texture similar to ground beef and proved to be a hearty meal served over basmati rice.







Ingredients: 

• 1 cup TVP
• 1/2 cup onions
• 1/2 cup carrots
• 1/2 cup celery
• 1 cup mushrooms 
• Garlic cloves
• Parsley
• Dried Italian herbs
• Salt and pepper
• 2 tbsp lemon juice or apple cider vinegar
• 1/2 cup nutritional yeast
• 1 cup water
• 1 1/2 tbsp egg replacer with couple tbsp water added
• Cooking oil and some for lining the casserole dish
• 8oz can of tomato sauce

Directions:

• Preheat the oven to 350º F 
• Mince the onions, garlic, carrots, and celery and sautée on high heat with some oil, salt, and pepper until almost tender. Add the finely chopped mushrooms (you may need to add some more cooking oil to keep the mixture moist). 
• When the mixture starts to brown, add the apple cider vinegar or lemon juice to deglaze the pan. 
• Prepare the egg replacer mixture and set aside. 
• Add the TVP and nutritional yeast to the pan. Once incorporated turn off the heat and add half of the tomato sauce, the cup of water, parsley, and the egg replacer mixture. 
• Mix well and place into a casserole dish. If there is any leftover mixture, enjoy it as is--its delicious at this point too!
• Pour the remainder of the tomato sauce on top of the loaf and bake in the oven for 20 minutes. 
• Let cool and enjoy!!