By Rip Esselstyn
This is a great “meat” loaf recipe from one of the Engine 2 Pilot Study participants, Lynn Jocelyn. Lynn brought this to the Engine 2 potluck awards banquet, and it disappeared before everyone could get a bite. She graciously brought two loaves over for my wife, Jill, and me one week after Kole was born. This “meat” loaf is wonderful the next day pan-fried on whole-grain bread with mustard, pickles, and ketchup.
Serves 6.
Preheat oven to 375°F.
Ingredients:
2 stalks celery, chopped
1/2 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
10 ounces firm tofu, drained
1/4 cup walnuts, finely ground
12 ounces vegetarian meat crumbles
1 1/4 cups quick-cooking oats
3 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons ketchup (additional for topping)
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
2 teaspoons dried parsley
1/2 teaspoon each thyme, sage, and rosemary
ketchup, to taste
Instructions:
1. Spray loaf pan.
2. Sauté celery, onion, and garlic on high heat in sprayed skillet for 5 minutes until tender.
3. Remove from heat and cool.
4. Mash tofu in large bowl.
5. Stir in cooked mixture and remaining ingredients, and combine well.
6. Spoon mixture into loaf pan. Top with a layer of ketchup.
7. Bake for 55 to 60 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.
Rip Esselstyn is a mission-driven man. As a swimmer at the University of Texas at Austin, he was a three time All-American. As a professional athlete, he was one of the premier triathletes in the world for more than a decade. As a firefighter for the Austin (TX) Fire Department, he helped people and saved lives. As a friend to other firefighters, he transformed the way Austin’s Engine 2 ate to save firefighters’ health. Now, as the author of The Engine 2 Diet, he is teaching people the irrefutable connection between what they put in their mouths and their ability to reach their ideal weight and their ideal health. Recently, he has teamed up with Whole Foods Market as a Healthy Eating Partner to raise awareness for Whole Foods Market team members, customers, and all of America about the benefits of eating a PlantStrongÔ diet composed of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes, nuts, and seeds.
Rip comes from a family steeped in medicine. His great-grandfather, George Crile, co-founded the world-renowned Cleveland Clinic, where his father, Dr. Caldwell B. Esselstyn, Jr., was chief of the breast cancer task force and completed one of the most extensive studies ever conducted on the relationship between the heart and diet–proving that a plant-based diet can stop, prevent, and even reverse heart disease.
Rip serves on the Board of Directors for The Wellness Foundation, EarthSave’s Meals For Health Program, and the AllergyKids Foundation.
