Vegetarian Meatloaf

My daughter is a vegetarian and her husband is a meat lover! I am visiting them and have altered my favorite meatloaf recipe to make them both happy! If I were to describe this meat loaf . . . I think I could easily get away with calling it " Meat lovers meatloaf! " I say that because . . . . the flavor and texture is amazing and if you did not know the ingredients I think you might mistake it as real meatloaf. It is chocked full of whole foods such as oats and rice, and sprouted wheat, barley, rye, millet and corn, as well as nuts, and plenty of fresh vegetables! If you are interested in cutting back on eating red meats but miss them, then this meatloaf won't disappoint you. It won't disappoint vegetarians either! Follow through and let's get started! This recipe is an entry for the Healthy Eating Contest.

Ingredients and Utensils

Ingredients:

2 Cups water or vegetable stock
3 Cups rolled oats ( not instant or quick )
1 cup cooked brown rice
3/4 Cup finely chopped onion
1/2 Cup chopped celery
1/2 Cup finely chopped parsley
1/2 Cup diced red and yellow bell pepper
1/4 Cup chopped mushrooms
1/2 Slice sprouted grain bread crumbs
1/2 Cup finely chopped Walnuts or pecans
1/4 Cup Canned or fresh tomato's ( optional I used leftover tomato's from the night before. )
2 eggs
If the mixture seems too dry you may add a little more water.

Seasonings:

1/4 Cup Soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon salt optional
3/4 teaspoon basil ( fresh is better but I used dried because I did not have fresh )

Sauce:

3/4 cup ketchup ( homemade is fantastic! )
2 Tablespoons brown sugar
2Tablespoons mustard ( We like it tart so we add mustard at the table as well. )
You will also need to oil the loaf pans. One large loaf or 3 mini loaves.

Stock

Stock ingredients:

Add water to a sauce pan and add:
Soy sauce, onions, celery, peppers, salt, and basil.

Bring Stock to a Boil

Boil the stock:

Bring the stock to a boil and then reduce heat.

Gently add . . . oats, mushrooms, parsley, walnuts, tomato's, and rice stirring gently.
Increase heat and cook for another couple of minutes.
Set aside for five minutes while you make the sauce.

Sauce

Making the sauce:

To make the sauce mix together:
3/4 cup of ketchup, 2 Tablespoons brown sugar and 2 Tablespoons of mustard
Shape the mixture into the oiled loaf pans and fill almost to the rim.
Coat the tops with the sauce and tomato's if desired.

Bake

Bake the loaves:

Bake the loaves at 325 Degrees F for 45 minutes to 1 hour.

Cool and Serve

Serve:

Allow the loaf to cool until you can comfortably touch the pan.
Using a spatula carefully go around the edges of the pan so the loaf can be easily removed.
Serve

Sunshiine's Final Thoughts

The meatloaf was a huge success! In fact this is my favorite meatloaf recipe ever! It is a great recipe to use up left over veggies and you can get creative adding different spices to change the flavor! These loaves freeze nicely so I like to make extra because we eat them often. I hope it will be your families favorite recipe as well.

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sunshiine