pretty by the bay

When I was a vegetarian, I craved red meat like nobody’s business. Meatloaf was a particularly intense craving, so I was ecstatic to learn that a local vegetarian restaurant named Ananda Fuara serves a delicious veggie version known as Neatloaf. It’s delicious on a sandwich or served blue plate style with mashed potatoes and gravy. The moment I tasted this, I knew I had to recreate it at home, a task made much easier after a Google search yielded a bootleg recipe that’s pretty darn close to the restaurant version. (I can’t find the original link, but this is the recipe as I found it a few years back.) Even though I’m back to my meat-eating ways, I still whip this up from time to time as a tasty alternative to my usual loaf. Try it, and if you visit San Francisco, we’ll dine at Ananda Fuara to sample the real deal!

Neatloaf

For the loaf:
1/4 c vegetable oil, divided
1/3 c chopped onion
1 1/2 tbsp chopped garlic, about 2 – 3 cloves
4 eggs
2/3 envelope dry onion soup mix
1/3 lb lowfat ricotta
1/3 lb firm tofu, drained, pressed and crumbled to resemble ground beef
1/2 c cooked brown rice
1/2 tsp each of dried basil and oregano
1/4 tsp dried rosemary
4 c Special K or similar flake cereal, crumbled with your hands to break up large flakes

For the sauce:
1/2 c ketchup
2 tbsp dijon mustard
1/4 c molasses or brown sugar
2 – 3 tbsp apple cider vinegar, to taste
pinch of cayenne, to taste

Preheat oven to 300. Saute the onions and garlic in approx. 1 tbsp of vegetable oil. Beat the eggs in a medium bowl, then add all remaining ingredients except the cereal. When combined, add the cereal, using your hands or a wooden spoon to break up any large chunks and form a cohesive mix. Put into a loaf pan sprayed with cooking spray and bake 1 hour.

Meanwhile, make the sauce by combining all ingredients in a small saucepan and heating over medium low. Stir until smooth and combined. Remove the loaf after one hour, pour sauce over the top and return to the oven to bake for 10 minutes more. Remove from oven and allow to stand for about 10 minutes before slicing and serving.