(vegan) April fools' Meatloaf

Nothing in this meatloaf is what it seems- every ingredient you may or may not commonly find in a traditional meatloaf has been replaced with either a vegan ingredient or something else entirely that is similar in appearance. 

I've always wanted to do an April Fools' Meatloaf and this is what I came up with for you guys. 

I gotta say, the amount of meat substitutes available today is astounding- some even look like the real, meat-based thing! Sadly, they don't taste like it. I used vegan ground beef, vegan bacon, and vegan American cheese- they all have the texture and consistency of what they're imitating and with the exception of the vegan bacon(which looks more like vegan pepperoni than vegan bacon) look like the real (carnivorous) thing! What a shame. Look, I know there's more to life than meat, but these three vegan substitutes probably won't convince a meat-lover to turn vegan. 

But there's a silver lining in the vegan ground beef being bland- you can make a meatloaf with it  and the "beef" will take on the flavor of whatever you add in. Still, it's no substitute for my favorite non-meat based meat when making meatloaves- tofu! At least with tofu, you can turn it a different color, like with cocoa powder or matcha green tea powder. 

You might be wondering why the picture of the meatloaf before baking has yogurt on top but not the one after baking. The yogurt and jelly melted in the oven, making each meatloaf look kind of deflated. But it still tasted good! 

It's funny that the package of vegan ground beef had directions on cooking the beef in either the microwave or on the stovetop, but not in the oven, luckily, I found this link. It's a lot better than cooking the meat on the stovetop before putting that cooked meat into the oven, thereby cooking it twice. That would be no good, though maybe that would've made the meatloaves less deflated. 
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My dad tried this faux meatloaf and he said it tasted fruity- yea, because I put in strawberry jelly and topped the meatloaf with strawberry coconut milk yogurt! Like I said, the "beef" is tasteless. 

At least I felt good knowing no animals were harmed in the making of this meatloaf...

HELPFUL LINK: Roasted Coconut Butter: https://eatingevolved.com/products/sweet-salty-roasted-coconut-butter

You will need: 

For the cooking equipment: 

A large bowl
Nonstick cooking spray
A lasagna pan

For the "meatloaf": 

Pinch of garlic powder(in lieu of onion powder)
2/3 cups unsweetened granny smith applesauce(in lieu of eggs)
1/2 cup cooked spaghetti squash(I had it in my fridge and it looks like the flour-based version!)
2 tbsp. nutritional yeast(in lieu of Parmesan cheese- it was in my pantry)
2 tbsp. roasted coconut butter(in lieu of peanut butter- it was also in my pantry)(see HELPFUL LINK)
1/2 cup strawberry jelly(in lieu of ketchup)
Pinch of salt
Pinch of black pepper
3-4 slices crumbled pumpernickel bread(not only is it a vegan bread, it looks like chocolate!)
12 ounces vegan ground beef
1 slice vegan American cheese
4 slices vegan bacon
Coconut milk yogurt(in lieu of sour cream)

1. Put the first 10 ingredients into a large bowl. Mix all the ingredients up until you get a firm mixture. 
2. Spray a lasagna pan with nonstick cooking spray. Form 2 loaves using half the meatloaf mixture in the lasagna pan. 
3. Tear the vegan American cheese slice in half. Place each half on top of each meatloaf in the lasagna pan. 
4. Top the vegan American cheese with the rest of the meatloaf mixture. 
5. Spoon coconut milk yogurt on top of each meatloaf. Top the coconut milk yogurt with 2 slices of vegan bacon. 
6. Bake the "meatloaves" in a 375 degree Fahrenheit oven for 60-65 minutes. Bon appetit! 

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