+GF
For those of you who don’t know, my grandmother, Linda’s mom, is from the south. Because of that, my mom grew up with a lot of southern cooking, as did I. So, we can’t help but introduce you all to our smoky southern-style meat loaf. It’s tangy, slightly spicy and has the best hint of smoke in the aftertaste. —LM + AM
MAKES 1 (9-INCH [23-CM]) LOAF
1 (15-oz [425-g]) can chickpeas, liquid reserved, drained and rinsed
2 (15-oz [425-g]) cans black beans, drained and rinsed
1 cup (82 g) rolled oats
1 cup (160 g) cornmeal
3 tbsp (45 ml) liquid smoke
½ cup (118 ml) aquafaba (reserved chickpea liquid)
2 tsp (10 ml) olive oil
1 large yellow onion, chopped
1 tbsp (3 g) dried Italian seasoning
2 tsp (10 g) fine sea salt
1 tsp ground black pepper
2 tbsp (30 ml) vegan Worcestershire sauce
½ cup (118 ml) vegetable broth
⅓ cup (83 g) ketchup
1 cup (245 g) BBQ sauce
Preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C) and line a 9 x 5 x 3-inch (23 x 13 x 8-cm) loaf pan with parchment paper.
Blend the chickpeas in the food processor until smooth and creamy. Remove the chickpeas from the food processor and place in a large bowl.
Place 1 can (half) of the black beans in the food processor and blend until creamy. Put those black beans in the same bowl as the chickpeas.
Put the second can of beans in the food processor and pulse until the black beans turn into small pieces. Don’t over-pulse. These beans should be broken down into small bits, not creamy. Toss those beans in the large bowl with the other beans.
One last time, take your food processor and add the oats. Grind the oats in the food processor until the oats turn into a coarse flour. Add the oats to the bowl with the beans.
Add the cornmeal, liquid smoke and aquafaba to the beans and mix with your hands until the ingredients are well combined.
Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Once the oil is hot, add the onion and reduce the heat to medium-low. Add the Italian seasoning, salt and pepper. Keep stirring the onions until they become soft and translucent, about 5 minutes. The onions should not brown.
Add the Worcestershire sauce, vegetable broth and ketchup to the onions. Stir the mixture until the ketchup dissolves.
Remove the onions from the pan and add them to the bean mixture. Gently fold in the onions until they are well combined with the bean mixture.
Spoon the mixture into the loaf pan and press the mixture until it is evenly distributed throughout the pan.
Evenly spread the BBQ sauce on top of the loaf and bake for 1 hour and 20 minutes, or until a wooden toothpick is inserted and comes out clean.
Cool the loaf for 10 to 15 minutes to allow it to set before cutting.