md*intake

The tempeh loaf I planned for and made for Tuesday’s dinner was incredibly simple to prepare and freaking rocked. The ingredients are common, the prep time minimal and the result delectable. When planning meals for the week, I knew that we’d all be eating together without a time constraint, like practice to get to. A rare occurrence of which I wanted to take full advantage.

The thought of a family sitting down to eat together led my mind to a 1950 image of mom in a dress, heels, apron and oven mits, serving a piping-hot dinner just as dad gets home and little Johnny comes in from playing. That image naturally led to my dinner selection of potatoes and greens aside meatloaf. (Huh. Not sure why I neglected the martini that surely would’ve been present at that table.)

The greens I had on hand were broccoli and asparagus, which I simply steamed. Since I already had the oven on to bake the loaf, I decided to cut up and the bake potatoes in a covered stoneware dish with a bit of olive oil and Earth Balance.

While everything was baking, I had plenty of time to set the scene. Place mats, forks, knives, napkins, serving dishes with spoons, water glasses and condiments were all set on the table before dinner. I even turned the radio on to a jazz station (no, not that ez listening crap) and pulled out a tray on which I could place the hot loaf pan and potato dish to bring to the table. Everything was finished cooking and I served dinner within ten minutes of Jason coming home and Avery’s friends leaving.

Feeling Fancy Tempeh Loaf

1 lb. tempeh
1 Tbl. olive oil
1/2 cup whole wheat bread crumbs
1/2 cup rolled oats (or 1/4 cup oats plus 1/4 cup wheat germ)
2 ribs celery, with leaves, finely chopped
2 carrots, grated
1 medium onion, finely chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/3 cup nutritional yeast flakes
1/3 cup tahini
1/4 cup tamari
1 tsp. each of dried basil, oregano, turmeric, and thyme, plus a dash of black pepper
1/4 cup good quality ketchup
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly oil a 9×5 loaf pan. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium flame. Add the celery, carrot, onion, and garlic and cook for 5 minutes. Remove from the heat. Put the tempeh in a large bowl and mash well. Add the yeast, tahini, tamari, all of the dried herbs, and the ketchup. Stir until well mixed. Add the bread crumbs, oats and the cooked vegetables and mix well. Press the mixture firmly into the prepared loaf pan. Bake for 45-50 minutes. Let the loaf stand for 5 minutes, then invert onto a serving platter to unmold.

RECIPE from Macrobiotic Foundation of Central Florida’s MacroNewsBite

I was actually out of tamari, so I substituted soy sauce; you could use Bragg’s, too. To make this easy recipe even easier, I added the grating plate to my food processor and grated the onion, carrot and celery into one bowl.

As we sat down and ate together, we couldn’t help but feel fancy — a stark contrast to another recent meal — and grateful for the simple pleasure of eating a no-deadline meal together. We’ll definitely be doing this more :)