Garlic Black Bean Loaf - From the "Loaf Studio"

I found this AWESOME vegan "Dinner Loaf" recipe-maker website on The Vegan Lunchbox. i'm going to have a ball making up new variations!

Here's the page: http://www.veganlunchbox.com/loaf_studio.html

Here's my first loaf that I can't wait to make tonight:

The "Try To Fool The Texan" Loaf

Ingredients:

1/2 cup walnuts
2 TB olive oil
One onion, diced
One large garlic clove, minced
One large carrot, peeled and grated
Two celery ribs, diced
2 cups cooked black beans
1 cup cooked brown rice
1/2 to 1 1/2 cups tomato juice, as needed
1/2 cup cooked oatmeal
1/4 tsp. dried thyme
1/2 tsp. dried sage
1/4 cup minced fresh parsley
1/4 tsp. dried oregano
2 TB ketchup
Several dashes vegetarian Worcestershire Sauce
1 tsp. salt

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350º. Oil a loaf pan or spray with nonstick spray and set aside.

Grind the walnuts into a coarse meal using a food processor or spice/coffee grinder. Place in a large mixing bowl and set aside.

Sauté any vegetables you've chosen in the olive oil until soft. Add to the large mixing bowl along with all the remaining ingredients. Mix and mash together well, adding only as much liquid as needed to create a soft, moist loaf that holds together and is not runny. Add more liquid or binder/carbohydrate as needed.

Press mixture into the loaf pan and bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour, or until cooked through.

Let the loaf cool in the pan for 10 to 15 minutes, then turn out onto a plate or platter and slice. Serve with potatoes, vegetables, and vegetarian gravy, if desired.

Cold leftover slices of The "Try To Fool The Texan" Loaf make a great sandwich filling.

[Punkie]

I was just looking at her loaf maker the other day! This looks amazing!

[greenemama]

Okay, so I discovered that I didn't have a whole lot of the ingredients for my first creation Here's what I made:

2 cups vegetarian baked beans with onions
1/2 small head of cabbage, chopped small
6 cloves garlic, smashed and chopped fine
2 T olive oil
1 1/2 cups fresh bread crumbs
1/2 cup ground brown rice
2 T ketchup
1 T worchestershire sauce
1 t. salt
1 t. black pepper
1 T dried thyme

I sauteed the cabbage and garlic until very soft. Then I dumped them into the bowl with the mashed up baked beans. Added everything else, and it came out looking for all the world like conventional meat loaf mix, and smelling like it. I packed it into a loaf pan and it's baking right now. This house smells like meat loaf!

Dh came into the kitchen and looked over my shoulder as I was mixing. He didn't say anything. I said "don't doubt me!", because he usually has unfailing faith in my cooking. This time he said "Well...I'm having a really hard time."

He just came out and said he smelled bbq. I said, "it smells like meat loaf to me". He walked away mumbling "yeah, well, there better be MEAT in it."

Poor Texan married to a woman raised by Californian hippies. You gotta feel for the guy.

[ShangriLewis]

I really, really miss meatloaf. My mom made it with extra green peppers. I've tried a bunch of recipes, but they didn't work and no one but me likes meatloaf. I would love to have a bean one. I have her and I was thinking maybe I could just replace the meat with beans and walnuts. I don't know, but I would love a cold meatloaf sandwhich

[abbiroads]

I'm running REALLY low on food, but I think I have enough stuff to make this. THANKS!