{ MEATLESS LOAF - REVISED }

I've made this recipe several times, tweaking it a bit here and there each time. I think I'm done tweaking and have a pretty-close-to-perfect version. We love it. Here's what I do now:

1 c. water
1/4 c. corn meal
1/4 c. sundried tomatoes
1 t. canned green chilis
1/2 t. cumin
2 to 4 T. fresh cilantro (2 t. dried)
1/2 T. tomato paste
2 T. nutritional yeast
1/2 t. salt
1/4 t. pepper
2 c. onions, chopped
2 T. fresh parsley
1 t. sesame seeds
2 T. water + 1 T. ground flax seeds
2 T. lemon juice
2 T. flour
1 c. walnuts
1 1/4 c. cooked brown rice (1/2 c. uncooked), or 1 1/4 c. Spanish rice


3 T. ketchup
1 T. balsamic vinegar
1 T. unsweetened applesauce

• Prepare brown rice or spanish rice.
• Make polenta by boiling 1 c. water in small saucepan. Whisk in corn meal and turn heat to low. Cook for a couple of minutes, stirring often, until water is absorbed and it's the consistency of thick cream of wheat cereal.
• Process polenta in food processor with sundried tomatoes through pepper. Set aside.
• Saute onions and parsley in a medium saucepan until soft and translucent. Only add water if necessary.
• Meanwhile, whisk flax and 2 T. water and allow to sit 5 minutes.
• Whisk lemon juice and flour into flax mixture.
• When onions are soft, add sesame seeds.
• Turn off the heat and add the flax/lemon juice/flour mixture. Mix well.
• Add polenta mixture from processor. Mix well.
• Process walnuts until they're the consistency of ground beef. Don't over process.
• Add walnuts and rice to the polenta/onion mixture. Mix well to combine.
• Spoon mixture into a bread pan and smooth top.
• Combine ketchup, balsamic, and applesauce. Spoon sauce onto loaf and smooth top.
• Bake loaf, uncovered, at 350 for 1 hour. Turn off heat and leave loaf in oven until serving. (I've had the best texture when I start cooking mine 2 hours before serving time: bake at 350 for 1 hour, turn the oven off, and leave it in for another hour.)
• Serve with ketchup or more balsamic sauce.