Comforting Homestyle Meatless "Meat Loaf"

MAKES: 6 servings

INGREDIENTS:
- 1 small yellow onion
- 2 cloves garlic
- 2-4 T extra virgin olive oil
- 1 c water
- 1 c textured vegetable protein
- 3-5 sun dried tomatoes
- 1 c organic tofu, liquid squeezed from tofu using paper towels
- 1/2 c pecans
- 3 T hemp seeds
- 1/2 c oat bran
- 1/4 c nutritional yeast
- 1 T italian seasoning
- 1 tsp thyme
- 1/4 c parsley, minced
- Just under 1/4 cup organic tomato ketchup
- 1 T mustard
- 1 T soy sauce
- salt and pepper to taste

The Sauce:
- 1/4 c ketchup
- 1/4 c A1 steak sauce
- 2 T vean Worcestershire sauce
- 1 T brown sugar

DIRECTIONS:
1) Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In a large saute pan, heat 1-2 T olive oil and the garlic. Add the onions and cook until translucent. Place cooked onions and garlic into a large bowl and set aside.
2) In a separate small pot, boil the water and add the TVP. Remove from heat and let sit for 10 mins, then drain the liquid and add to the large bowl of onions and garlic.
3) In a small bowl, combine the ketchup, A1, Worcestershire and brown sugar to make the sauce. Set aside.
4) In a food processor, pulse together the sun dried tomatoes, tofu, pecans and hemp seeds. Use a spatula to transfer the mixture to the large bowl of onions.
3) In a small bowl combine the oat bran, nutritional yeast, italian seasoning, thyme, salt, pepper and minced parsley. Stir with a fork and add to the large bowl of the tofu/onion mixture. Mix thoroughly. Add the ketchup, mustard and soy sauce and mix again.
4) Scraping the sides of the bowl, start to form a ball with the mixture in the center of the bowl. Transfer the ball to a small bread pan or casserole dish and press the top down just just a bit to form a loaf. Pour the small bowl of sauce over top of the loaf to cover it completely. Place in the oven, uncovered, for 1 hour. Let it cool for 10 minutes before serving.


This is definitely one of those dishes that gets better as time goes on :) I don't love leftovers, but this one I will eat for a few days. Change up your side dishes to keep the meal going for days...or try eating it as a sandwich by chopping it up a bit, mixing it with more sauce and serving on a toasted bun. Delish!

I also like to save a little of the mixture before it gets cooked to roll into balls, freeze and use as meatballs in a pasta dish later that week. So many options....

Roasted Butternut Squash with Spicy Pecans + Dates

This salad is a real treat! It's my attempt to recreate a similar salad from my favorite restaurant, Northstar Cafe. Rather than use beets like they do, I subbed in dates. I'm not a huge fan of beets.

MAKES: 4 servings

INGREDIENTS:
- Cooking spray
- 1 small butternut squash, peeled, seeds removed (you can roast these for a little snack!) and chopped into 1/2 inch pieces
- 1 T sugar
- Sea salt and freshly ground pepper
- 4 T honey
- 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
- 3/4 C pecan halves
- 1 package mixed greens (or any lettuce you'd like to use)
- 1/2 c pitted dates
- 1/4 c champagne vinegar
- 2 T Honey Dijon Mustard
- 1 clove garlic finely chopped
- 2 T fresh lemon juice
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper
- 1/2 c extra virgin olive oil


DIRECTIONS:
1) Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with foil. Lightly coat with cooking spray.
2) In ziplock bag, combine the sugar and 1/4 tsp salt. Set aside.
3) In a frying pan, warm 2 T of the honey over low heat. Add the cayenne, mix well. Add the pecans and stir until coated. Spread the nuts onto the baking sheet and toast in the oven until lightly browned - about 8-10 minutes. Don't let them burn! Watch closely. Remove from oven and let cook slightly, then add to the bag of sugar and salt. Shake until fully coated. Lay nuts out to cool on the baking sheet.
4) Raise the oven temp to 450 degrees F. Line another baking sheet and spray with cooking oil.
5) In a large bowl, toss the butternut squash pieces with 2T of olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Spread the squash pieces across the baking sheet. Roast, turning several times, until tender and lightly browned. Roughly 25 mins. Remove from oven and cover with foil.
6) Prepare the vinaigrette by whisking together the vinegar, mustard, garlic, the last 2 T of honey, lemon juice, salt, pepper, and oil in a small bowl.
7) Toss the mixed greens with the desired amount of dressing. Spoon into a large bowl and top with the roasted squash, pecans and dates. Serve immediately.

Recipe was modified from this recipe on healthy green kitchen