Meet Our Loaf

Why a vegetarian would crave meatloaf is beyond me. I'm pretty sure Mom never made it when I was little and "loaf cooking" had pretty much fallen out of style by the time I was out of the house. So why the sudden urge? I asked Andy. The response: "Because I'm craving the loafiness of it?". Works for me.

I couldn't find any recipe I liked on-line. I wanted to use tofu and tofu only; not meatless crumbles, not lentils, just tofu. How hard could it be? E-A-S-Y, that's how hard. Plus, with the exception of the tofu, I already had all the ingredients.

Veggie Loaf

Makes one loaf pan. Serves six "normal" people or two very hungry cooks.

Ingredients:

14 oz. extra firm tofu
1/3 cup ketchup
1/3 cup soy sauce
2 Tbsp. Dijon mustard
1 Tbsp. dried parsley
1/4 tsp. black pepper
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
1 egg, beaten
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 cup bread crumbs or crushed corn flakes

The night before, drain the tofu and place in a baggie in the freezer. When you're ready to make the loaf, defrost the tofu and mash in a sieve using a fork or a spatula. Freezing is not absolutely necessary, but it gives the tofu "meatier" texture and lets you press more liquid out of it.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

In a large bowl, combine all the ingredients and mix together. I used my hands to get it well mixed.

Coat the inside of a loaf pan with oil and press in the mixture. Bake in the oven for about an hour or until brown.

Once cool, remove it from the pan. Warning: it's going to seem kind of, uh, watery. It's not really, though. Give it a few minutes and it will firm up.

Serve with ketchup (I'm looking at you, Christy), barbecue sauce, gravy, whatever. Taste-tastic! I cannot wait to have it as a sandwich tomorrow.