VEGAS BABY! Vegan Meatloaf, Fries, and Bordelaise inspired by Switch Steak

Today. we have a delicious recreation of one of the vegan dishes offered at the Wynn Resort in none other than Las Vegas, Nevada, baby! We chose to put our own spin on the Vegan Meatloaf dish from Switch Steak, which is served with mashed potatoes and a vegan bordelaise.

We've never been to Vegas and while I'm not the gambling/drinking/partying kind of lady, I do like sun and warmth. Vegas had a high of 27 degrees celsius today, doesn't sound bad. It's sunny here, which is nice, but we're far from reaching 27 degrees! 

This meatloaf has great texture and is full of flavour. The fries are too; nice and garlicky! I've made this meatloaf quite a few times before. It's virtually fat-free but very hearty. The lentils, steel-cut oats,  and regular oats give this meatloaf a protein punch. So, you won't have to worry about people accusing your vegan diet/lifestyle of lacking in protein if you keep this recipe on rotation.

 We've never had a bordelaise sauce before and... it was different. Not bad, just not my cup of tea. It looks pretty though!

This is such a meat and potatoes dish, literally. It's comical to me. We don't eat like this on the regular, not even veganized versions, and we never really have. But it's nice to switch it up every now and then. That's why we chose this dish to recreate.

And for a little more Nevada-born charm, here's Brandon Flowers' new song. It just came out today so I thought it was very apropos for this post.

(let's just forget the whole Mormonism thing while we listen)

Hearty Vegan Meatloaf

Adapted from Let Them Eat Vegan via FatFree Vegan Kitchen

Ingredients

½ cup red lentils

1 cup veggie stock

1/3 cup water

1 dried bay leaf

¾ cup steel cut oats

1 cup water, boiled

¼ cup ketchup

1 cup rolled oats

3 tbsp soy sauce

2 tbsp nutritional yeast

2 tbsp ground flaxseed

2 tbsp vegan Worcestershire sauce

2 tbsp almond butter

2 tsp molasses

1 tsp Mrs. Dash original seasoning

½ tsp dried oregano

Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Directions

Add lentils, veggie stock, 1/3 cup water, and bay leaf to a large pot. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low and cover for 25 minutes or until the liquid is absorbed. Add steel-cut oats and boiling water to same pot, cover, and cook for 8-9 minutes over medium-low heat.

Preheat oven to 375˚ F. Grease an oven-safe glass loaf dish. When steel-cut oats are cooked or the liquid is all absorbed, add the remaining ingredients. Mix well to make sure all of the seasoning is evenly distributed, and press into the prepared dish.

Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 25-30 minutes, remove foil and bake for another 7 minutes. 

Take it out of the oven and let it hang out for 15 minutes, before serving. 

Garlicky Baked Fries

Adpated from Brand New Vegan 

Ingredients

7-8 medium sized potatoes

1 tbsp flour

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp paprika

1 tsp chili powder

Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

Directions 

Clean and slice potatoes into 1-inch thick strips. Add to a large pot of water so the water just covers the potatoes and bring to a boil. Boil for 5 minutes.

Preheat oven to 425˚F and line a baking sheet with parchment. When the potatoes are done boiling drain the water and return potatoes to the pot. Add the seasonings to the pot and shake it all around. Make sure all the potatoes are covered in coating.

Spread evenly on the baking sheet and bake for 20-25 minutes.

Vegan Bordelaise Sauce

Adapted from Meet the Shannons

Ingredients

2 tbsps margarine

1 red onion, one slice and dice the rest

1 cup red wine

2 tbsp AP flour

½ cup veggie stock

1 tsp fresh parsley, chopped

2 dried bay leaves

1 tsp soy sauce

Freshly ground pepper, to taste

Directions

Melt margarine in skillet over medium heat. Add the slice of red onion and cook until browned. Remove the slice. Stir in the flour, you can use a whisk if you’d like. Lower heat and add the stock and wine. Stir, or whisk, in the parsley, onion, and bay leaves. Bring to a boil while whisking for one minute. While whisking, add the soy sauce and black pepper. Remove from heat.