All American Dinner -- Vegan Meatloaf with Miso Gravy and Kale

I know when I'm finally starting to get over an illness, because my appetite goes through the roof. I was sick for a week with a trachea infection, but come Thursday, I could not stop thinking about gravy.

This is THE BEST homemade gravy I have ever tasted, and it was perfect with this surprisingly good vegan meatloaf recipe. It is made smooth by creating a roux, which is flour cooked in butter or its substitute. The meatloaf recipe is from Vegetarians in Paradise, one of the ugliest websites I've ever seen. It calls for Gimme Lean meat substitute. I had a half package of ground beef style and a half package of sausage style, so I just mixed them together and it was pretty good. This loaf is very small, so if you want a larger one (that will fit into a traditional loaf pan) I'd suggest tripling the recipe, which can get expensive. You could try out a TVP substitute, but I'd suggest really seasoning it. As for the kale, I won't provide a recipe, just instructions: saute on medium heat washed, de-stemmed, and chopped kale in a lightly oiled pan with salt and pepper to taste until the leaves change from bright green to a dull green.

Creamy Vegan Miso Gravy
makes about 2 1/2 cups

Ingredients:
2 T Earth Balance
1/4 cup flour
3 cups low sodium vegetable broth OR 3 cups water with 2 T of homemade vegetable bouillon
1 T nutritional yeast
1 tsp cornstarch, as needed 
black pepper to taste
2 T red miso
2 T water
soy sauce to taste

1. Melt the Earth Balance in a sauce pan. Add the flour and whisk until bubbly and you can't smell the flour. Add the vegetable broth, nutritional yeast, pepper, and cornstarch and bring to a boil, stirring continuously until it reaches the thickness you prefer. Allow to cool slightly.
2. Dissolve the miso in the water and add to the gravy. Stir to combine thoroughly. Add soy sauce to taste.

Vegan Meatloaf
(serves 2)

Ingredients:
2 pieces of bread, lightly toasted
1/3 to 1/2 cup unsweetened soymilk
1 T soy sauce or tamari
1 14 oz package of Gimme Lean ground beef style
2/3 cup chopped onion or 4 T onion powder
1 T garlic powder
1 T black pepper

1. Preheat the oven to 375. Break the toasted bread up into small pieces in a bowl and add the soymilk, soaking the bread. Add the remaining ingredients to the bowl and mix well with your hands.
2. Shape the mixture into a loaf and place in a lightly oiled loaf pan. (Optional: pour some gravy over the loaf.) Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 20 minutes. Uncover and bake for another 5-10 minutes. Allow to cool for 5 minutes, then slice and serve with gravy.