A Gluten-free Vegan “No-Meat Loaf”

I started this gluten-free vegan meal with a recipe from Chow Vegan on Pinterest (Home-style Vegan Meatloaf).

The dish looked good as it was, but I noticed there was a discussion about a gluten-free version, which the original was not. Although I’m not personally gluten-free, many of my customers are.

When it’s possible to make something taste just as good without gluten, I try to do it for my customers. In this case, I just substituted flaxseed and water for the breadcrumbs and used Tamari wheat free soy sauce.

Gluten-Free Vegan “No-Meat Loaf” Recipe

Ingredients

• 2 lg onions
• 4 stalks celery
• 8 carrots
• 4 cups dried chickpeas
• 1+ cups extra virgin olive oil
• 3 tsp oregano
• 3 tsp basil
• 2 tsp sage
• 2 TB lemon juice
• 2 TB salt
• 8 TB Tamari wheat free soy sauce
• 1 tsp hot paprika
• 12 garlic cloves
• 4 cups ground flaxseed
• 1 cup reserved chickpea liquid
• Organic catsup

Preparation

1. Wash and dice the onions and celery, and saute in extra virgin olive oil.
2. Wash and chunk the carrots, and process with the garlic until they are in small pieces (not pureed).  Add the carrots and garlic to the onions and celery, and continue to saute.
3. Add seasonings to the mixture in the pan.
4. Cook the chickpeas until al dente. Drain, reserving the liquid, and pulse in the processor until they are a rough chop. Place in a bowl.
5. Stir the veggie and seasoning mix into the processed chickpeas, and mix well.
6. Add flaxseed to veggies, seasoning and chickpeas, and mix well.
7. Add reserved chickpea liquid and salt, and mix well. You can start with a reduced amount of salt and bring it up to your taste.
8. Form into loaves, and coat with a good, organic catsup.
9. Place on a baking sheet, and bake at 475 degrees for 30 minutes.
10. Remove from oven. Place about 2 tsp. catsup on top of each loaf, and spread over top and sides.
11. Remove each loaf carefully from the baking sheet with a spatula, and turn to the opposite side. Place about 2 tsp. catsup on top of each loaf again, and spread over top and sides.
12. Return loaves to the oven to bake another 15 minutes or until the catsup has darkened some.
13. Remove the loaves from the oven and, using a spatula, from the pan to a serving platter.
14. The loaves are most attractive when they are cut.  They will cut more easily with a serrated knife when somewhat cooled – best if cold. They can be served cold or warm.

This recipe yields 28 half-cup mini-loaves. Freeze extra loaves for another occasion, or the recipe can be reduced to 1/4 quantities for a family meal.