As you know, the other night was nachooooo night. The taste buds were prepared and waiting for dinner all day and, as any woman knows, and any man should know about women....when you have a craving, you must obey. So, I pulled out all the fixings and, to my dismay....no lentils. Yes, I know, how could this be? I was shocked and confused. I couldn't bring myself to have nachos with no "meatyness." And, with my taste buds already salivating for nachos there was no telling them no.
I was just about to send my husband out in a cyclone warning, torrential rain storm to retrieve said lentils from the only store on the island that sells them, but then genius struck. I had read about vegan meat crumbles in my research and decided to give it a go. I pulled out the left over leftover meatloaf that I was saving for meatloaf sandwiches, put some oil in a sauce pan and when the oil was hot I crumbled it in. It crumbled so very well. I added some taco seasoning, put them on the nachos and presented them to Matthew. They tasted just like meaty, honest to goodness nachos. My taste buds were very pleased! So, yet again, the best recipes come serendipitously! I am excited to try these in other dishes that call for ground beef or the like. I'll keep ya posted. Here is the recipe in case some people skip to the end.
"Meat" Crumbles
leftover meatloaf
oil
seasonings (e.g. taco, gravy, etc.)
Heat up oil on the stove in a sauce pan. When the oil is hot crumble in the meatloaf. Be very careful, the oil will spit! Coat with the oil and cook till brown and crumbly. Serve as you would ground beef. It's AMAZING on Nachooos!
At my house as a child we had what was lovingly referred to as "clean out the fridge" meatloaf. When the fridge was over-run with leftovers my mother would blend them all up in the food processor, add a pound of ground beef and whatever spices she thought it could handle, say a prayer as she put it in the oven, and bake it. My mother is a genius in the kitchen and often her concoctions turned out to be fabulous. But, because it depended on the leftovers, her meatloaf was NEVER the same twice. I believe our favorite was leftover macaroni and cheese, onion soup, and homemade rolls as the breadcrumbs. Others were less then desirable (which might be a contributing factor to why I am now vegan....I'll have to explore that later) but being my mothers daughter, I do find myself in concoction mode on a regular basis - my husband may say a little too regular. This recipe is owed to my "creative" mother.
Meatloaf
leftover Hawaiian Chili
leftover rice
2 c plain lentils
1-2 c cooked barley
2 large cans mushrooms drained (fresh is always best)
1 pkg onion soup mix
oats
garlic powder (to taste)
salt (to taste)
In a blender or food processor blend up your leftover hawaiian chili till smooth. Now blend the rice, barley, lentils, and mushrooms. Add to the chili. Add onion soup mix, garlic powder and salt. Mix that together. Now mix in enough oats so you can form it into a small meatball and it holds together (tender but not falling apart). Fill a greased bread pan and bake on 350 for about 40 minutes or till you can insert a knife and it comes out clean. Let it sit out of the oven for a few minutes to firm up. Serve with chili sauce or gravy. If you have more "meat" left over they make great meatballs!
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