Yes, yes. I am still on my faux meat kick. It started with meatballs. And then more meatballs. And has now morphed into meatloaf. You could say I’m a bit…hooked. I have never been a huge fan of meat. But as a kid there was something about my mom’s meatloaf that actually got me to eat it. Maybe it was the ketchup on top that was baked and kind of sticky sweet, or maybe it was the potatoes mushed up with it that made it even better. I’m not quite sure what it was that made me want to eat that meat and not others, but I thought why not try to re-create the one meat I actually liked? So I tweaked the meatball recipe a bit and came up with this. It was a great recreation of my mom’s meatloaf without all the…you know, meat.

What You’ll Need:

• 2 1/2 cups cooked lentils
• 2 cups shitakke mushrooms, finely chopped
• 1 cup panko bread crumbs
• 3/4 cup nutritional yeast
• 1 small yellow onion
• 1 cup spinach
• 1/2 cup parsley
• 2 cloves garlic, minced (I used really large cloves, if you have smaller ones, use 3 cloves)
• 3/4 cup walnuts
• 3 egg replacers (I like to use Bob’s Red Mill, you can also use a flax egg there’s a great recipe here)
• 4 tablespoons tomato paste, divided
• 1 tablespoon maple syrup
• 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
• dash salt

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Start by prepping all the ingredients. Chop the mushrooms, onion, spinach, parsley, walnuts.

Mix the egg replacer with water and whip together until it’s frothy.

Add all the ingredients except the water, maple syrup, vinegar, and two tablespoons of tomato paste together in a large bowl. Mix everything well until all the ingredients are incorporated and everything starts sticking together. Take a bread pan, and spray it with oil. Mold the loaf into the pan and make sure it’s spread evenly so it cooks evenly too.

Mix the remaining tomato paste, vinegar, and maple syrup in a small bowl for the glaze. I had originally thought of doing ketchup, like my mom. But then I realized the ketchup in my fridge had an expiration date of 2012. Really? That was a pretty disturbing discovery. Clearly, ketchup isn’t in high demand in this household.Spread the glaze on top of the loaf and place in the oven for 50-60 minutes.

Keep an eye on the loaf as it bakes. I ended up checking it a few different times until it was cooked all the way through. When you remove it from the oven, let it cool for a bit before cutting and serving.

I served with sauteed kale and smokey cauliflower mashed potatoes which was the perfect way to make a whole hearty meal. It may still be cold and icky outside, but with all the new comfort foods I am whipping up, I can’t help but think that if nothing else, I’ll be armed and well equipped for next winter.