This meatloaf is the key ingredient for the meatloaf sandwiches we're currently obsessed with. It's easily vegan with flax eggs instead of regular; for a flax egg you simply mix 1 TBSP of ground flax seed with 3 TBSP water and allow it to set until it thickens. For this recipe, you'll use 2 TBSP ground flax seed and 6 TBSP of water to sub the 2 eggs. If you use gluten-free oats (bob's red mill) then this is easily gluten free as well. 

You will glaze the loaf with the ketchup sauce after 40 minutes and continue cooking for a total cook time of 1 hour and 10 minutes depending on your oven. You can prepare the loaf ahead of time to reduce prep the night of cooking. 

Ingredients: 

• 2 lbs Beyond Meat ground beef substitute
• 1 small onion, diced
• 5 cloves garlic, minced
• oil for pan
• 2 large eggs (or flax eggs)
• 1/2 cup oatmeal flour (made in food processor)*
• 1/4 cup fresh parsley, minced (optional)
• SNP to taste 
• 1 TBSP Annie's vegan Worcestershire
• 1/2-1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes

Topping: 

• 1 cup ketchup
• 1/4 cup Annie's vegan Worcestershire

Directions: 
Sautee onions and garlic in pan with a little oil until they turn translucent, about 5 minutes. Cool. 

Mix onions, Beyond beef, eggs, oat flour, parsley, crushed red pepper flakes, SNP and Worcestershire together gently but well. You don't want to over work the mix. 

Line a baking sheet with foil and a light coating of oil to prevent sticking. Shape the loaf into a 2 inch tall and 6 inch wide loaf, you should have even spacing on all sides (as pictured). 

Mix ketchup sauce ingredients in a small bowl. 

Bake loaf at 350F for 40 minutes. Remove from oven and brush with the ketchup sauce. Return to oven for another 20-30 minutes. A thermometer should read 165F at this point. 

Serve hot with extra ketchup sauce. 

Vodka sauce is one of my favorite go to dishes. It's flexible, you set it on fire, and it goes over pasta so what's not to love? The base sauce recipe is one I often make in bulk and keep in the freezer as you can add so many things to it to alter it for different recipes. 

Gumbo is a great comfort food for the weather we're having. I like mine spicy but approachable- feel free to go as spicy as you want with yours. This base recipe has vegan or vegetarian options and is all around very versatile. When served over cauliflower rice it is a great way to cut carbs as well. All suggestions for alterations are at the end of the recipe. This recipe freezes exceptionally well. 

Gumbo (serves 6): 

• 3 TBSP unsalted butter
• 3 TBSP flour
• 6 cups vegetable stock 
• Oil for pan
• 1 yellow onion, diced
• 1 red and 1 green bell pepper, diced
• 6 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 stalk celery peeled and diced
• 1/2 bag frozen sliced okra
• Creole seasoning to taste (start with 2 TBSP, I use 5TBSP)
• 2 bay leaves
• 14.5 oz can Fire Roasted tomatoes
• salt and pepper to taste
• Cooked brown, white, or cauliflower rice for serving

Toppings (all optional): 

• Sliced spring onions
• Andouille sausage (vegan or regular)
• Tail on shrimp
• Fried tofu

Directions: 

1. Dice the onion, peppers, celery, and garlic. Add them to a skillet over medium heat with a little oil. Add the frozen okra and cook over medium heat until onions are translucent and peppers are soft. Sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper. Set aside. 
2. In a dutch oven or heavy bottomed pot, make your roux. Add flour and butter and melt together over medium low heat until the mixture turns brick red (pictured). Stir frequently to prevent burning. I find this is easiest when started in a cold pan. 
3.  When the roux is ready, add vegetables and creole seasoning and stir to coat. Slowly add stock while stirring. The mix will be very thick in the beginning but loosen as you add the stock. 
4. Add bay leaves and can of tomatoes (not drained). Bring dish to a boil then reduce to a simmer and allow to reduce by about 1/4th (1 to 2 hours). 
5. Serve over rice of your choosing. 

For optional toppings: 

• I coin sausages when I use them in gumbo and sear them to get them crisp. 
• If using shrimp and sausages, cook the sausage first to get the fats into the pan. You'll want to cook your shrimp in the sausage fat with some oil, minced garlic and a sprinkling of creole seasoning. 
• For fried tofu I'll press and cube tofu, then toss them in a corn starch and creole seasoning mix. Then they get super crispy when you pan fry them.  

Vegan options: 

• Substitute a neutral oil for the butter in the roux step. 
• Use vegan sausage or fried tofu as optional toppings. 

Vegetarian options: 

• Use vegetarian sausage or fried tofu as optional toppings. 

I adapted this recipe from one I found in Fine Cooking to suit my needs. This spread is mellow and brite, and tastes great on a BLT or tomato sandwich. 

Herbed shallot aioli:

Ingredients: 

• one small to medium shallot, finely minced
• 1 extra-large egg yolk
• 1 medium clove of garlic finely minced
• 1 tsp fresh lemon juice
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 1/2 cup grapeseed oil
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1/2 cup basil leaves, finely chopped
• 1/4 cup parsley leaves, finely chopped

Directions: 

1. In a large bowl, beat the shallot, egg yolk, garlic, lemon juice, salt, and 1 tsp water with a whisk or a hand mixer (go hand mixer, your arms will thank me later). 
2. Slowly drizzle in the oil, a few drops at a time, whisking constantly, until it starts to emulsify. Once the sauce is thickened (no oil pooling in places) send a steady small stream of the oil into the bowl, still continuously whisking until all of the oil is used. You should have a thick, creamy base. 
3. Mix in minced herbs. You can store in an airtight container for up to a week, it makes about a cup and a half of spread. 

Note: To make this vegan, omit the oils and egg yolk and use a vegan mayo as the base. Stir in the other ingredients and allow to meld together for about an hour for the best results. 

I like making different brines to amp up whatever I'm cooking. This brine happens to work just as well for chicken and tofu!

This brine will make about 4 cups of brine. It is enough to brine the pork and tofu (in separate containers), or if you'd like you can pour 2 cups of the hot brine into a sterile mason jar to keep for another night. 2 cups of brine should be sufficient for one 1.5 pound pork loin. 

Ingredients: 

• 1.5 pounds of pork loin or tenderloin
• 1 block extra firm tofu, pressed

Maple Brine: 

• 2 cups vegetable stock
• 1/4 c kosher salt
• 1/4 c maple syrup
• 2 tbsp maple vinegar or apple cider vinegar
• 1 tbsp whole peppercorns
• 2 bay leaves 
• 2 cups amber/brown ale or more vegetable stock
• 1 cup ice to chill

Maple Dijon Sauce: 

• 3 tbsp maple syrup
• 2 tbsp whole seed dijon mustard

To make the brine: 

1. Add all ingredients to a sauce pan except the 2 cups beer / vegetable broth and the ice. Bring to a boil and stir to mix the salt into solution. 
2. Allow brine to boil for 10 minutes, then turn off heat. Remove pan from heat and add ice, followed by beer or more vegetable stock. Cover and allow to cool to room temperature. 
3. Place pork into a small container or plastic bag and cover with brine so it is fully immersed. Allow to sit for 2-24 hours. The longer the pork sits, the more flavor it will pick up.                        (If using tofu, make sure tofu is pressed and allow to sit in the brine for up to 8 hours. Don't let to tofu sit in the brine for too long or it may become salty.)

To cook in the oven: 
Pork: Preheat oven to 425. Cook pork on a rack for 30 minutes, then lower temperature to 325 and cook an additional 30-45 minutes until a thermometer reads 150 for a nice juicy roast. Tent and allow to rest 10 minutes prior to slicing. 

Tofu: Preheat oven to 325. Slice tofu into 4 slices and place in a lightly oiled pan. Cook for 30-45 minutes, depending on how crisp you'd like the outside to be. Alternatively you can add the tofu pan to the oven when you lower the temperature for the pork if cooking these together. 

To cook on a Traeger: 
Preheat the smoker to 425 using cherry pellets. Cook pork for 30 minutes, then lower the temperature to 325 and cook until internal temperature is 150, about 30-45 minutes. If cooking tofu as well, you can add the tofu to the smoker when you lower the temperature. When pork is done, tent and allow to rest for 10 minutes prior to slicing. 

Mix the ingredients for the maple dijon in a small container and drizzle over the sliced pork or tofu and enjoy! 

One of my go to classic meals is spicy chicken parmesan. Feel free to make this as spicy (or not) as you want. The chicken is baked instead of fried. 

This recipe as written will make extra sauce- I like to freeze the leftovers. This will feed 4 hungry adults or 6 not so hungry adults. 

Sauce: 

• Oil for the pan
• ​2 shallots, minced
• 1 red onion, minced
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 c red wine (I generally use cabernet)
• 3  28oz cans crushed tomatoes
• 1 6 oz can tomato paste
• 2 tablespoons Italian seasoning
• 2-4 habanero peppers, sliced in half (optional)
• Salt and pepper to taste

Chicken: 

• 4 chicken breasts, whole or cut into cutlets or pounded out thinly
• about 2 cups flour
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1 cup Panko
• 1 cup grated parmesan cheese
• 1 tablespoon Tuscan or Italian seasoning
• Crushed red pepper flakes to taste
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Shredded Mozzarella cheese 

Additional: 

• Linguini noodles- 1 pound
• Basil and parmesan for serving, optional
• Garlic bread

Making the sauce: 

1. In a large pot, add oil to pan and heat over medium heat
2. When oil is hot, add onion and shallots and cook until translucent. Add the minced garlic and stir to ensure even cooking. Add a pinch of salt and pepper. 
3. When the garlic is fragrant, add the wine and stir to evenly distribute. Reduce the heat to medium low.  Allow wine to reduce to a syrup like consistency, stirring to prevent onions and garlic from burning. 
4. Add in remaining ingredients. Note about the habaneros- My husband likes particularly spicy things. I usually use 2-4 per batch of sauce and pull them out when the sauce is spicy enough for him. Please omit if you are not interested in a spicy sauce, the flavor is really good even without the heat! If you use them, taste the sauce every 10-15 minutes until the heat intensity is to your liking.
5. Bring pot to a boil then reduce to a simmer and allow sauce to meld for at least thirty minutes and up to two hours, depending on how thick you would like the sauce
6. Taste and adjust salt and pepper

For the chicken: 

1. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Prepare a baking sheet with a non stick covering (non stick foil, a silicon mat, or parchment paper) OR you can cook the chicken on a rack over a baking sheet for a crispier all over texture. Spray the rack before adding the chicken to ensure it doesn't stick. 
2. If you would like to have thinner chicken, feel free to cut the chicken breasts into cutlets or pound them out. 
3. Put the beaten egg in a bowl. Set up flour with salt and pepper on a plate. Mix together breading ingredients (Panko through crushed red pepper flakes) and place the mix on a plate. Run the chicken through the flour mixture, then the egg mixture, then the breading mixture. Press firmly to ensure the mix sticks to the chicken. Place the chicken on your prepared baking sheet.
4. Get pasta started- bring a pot of salted water to a rolling boil and cook pasta according to package instructions
5. Bake for 30 minutes until breading has browned. Add mozzarella to cover the top of the chicken and return to the oven for five minutes until cheese is fully melted, then remove and prepare for plating. 
6. Plate the linguini noodles, top with a generous serving of sauce. Place chicken on top and cover with extra sauce if desired. 
7. Serve with garlic bread, parmesan and freshly cut basil if desired.