Protein & Veggies
Magic Batter & Meatloaf
low carb vegan recipe
There are at least three things that are magical about Magic Batter:
1: Anything goes! Or at least, anything that can go into a food processor :)
2: Thus, you get to draw on the magic of your imagination — what will you create with the great freedom and latitude afforded by ye olde food processor contraption?
3: So long as you put great ingredients into it, it will do magic for your body’s health and well-being.
Magic Batter is this book’s vegan mystery meat, in other words, a combo of protein and veggie matter that you can do meatloafy things with, like, well, make meatloaf, air fried meatballs, stuffed peppers filling, or shape into a pattie and sauté for burger delivery format (geometric integrity willing), and so on.
Below is a list of the ingredients I have included in the example of Magic Batter (and the resultant Meatloaf) that you can see in these photos:
2 cans of black soy beans
Cooked riced cauliflower
Cooked broccoli florets
Dash of vegan Worcestershire sauce
8 whole garlic cloves
1 can of pitted black olives
A few pickles
2 cups of small pickled onions (note it will add some sourness, though)
5 shiitake mushrooms
A chunk of eggplant
2 serrano peppers
2 slotted spoons of capers
3 tbsp of Super Spice
Makes many servings!
You can think of this as a bit like the idea of ‘eating the colors of the rainbow’ — as is often recommended of fruits and vegetables — only in this case, brown isn’t really a color of the spectrum (though astronomers say that the average color of the universe is a kind of dark brown — go figure).
All of this — EXCEPT for the Super Spice and riced cauliflower — had to be run through my 2L food processor in two batches. Needless to say, ratios and measured amounts aren’t too important here, since you are getting to make the clay that you will also sculpt your meal out of. See, it’s that magical :)
Line a large baking sheet with cheesecloth or flour sack towels, and place the batter (as much as will fit — you may need to do this in multiple passes) in the center. Then, fold up the corners to wrap the raw batter inside it, so it looks like a baby in a stork package, and squeeze hard. This step is to expel as much water as possible from the batter, so that it has a more meat-like consistency after baking. Squeeze hard, to make it as dry as possible.
The harder you squeeze, the more water will come out, so let your first Magic Batter meatloaf motivated you to squeeze harder on your second batch ;~) You will then add this squeezed batter to the riced cauliflower, add the Super Spice (or any spices and herbs to your delight), and stir very very vigorously to make a uniform substance.
The two most essential ingredients of Magic Batter are the black soy beans, since those provide the complete protein (which justifies this substance being used as a mystery meat substitute), and the riced cauliflower, which helps the batter obtain some semblance of geometric shape and stability, allowing the cooked form to not collapse under its weight by providing some structural integrity, just as rice does in regular meatloaf.
You can use the occasion of creating Magic Batter as an opportunity to go through your pantry and fridge to see what can be thrown into it. Is it about to go bad? Throw it into the Magic Batter!
With the exception of the super spice and cooked riced cauliflower (which should be placed in a very large mixing bowl), run your ingredients through the food processor in any order that makes sense to you.
Be mindful of the relationship between the amount of material your casserole dish (or stuffed peppers, etc.) can hold, relative to the size of your food processor, and adjust all ratios and portion sizes accordingly. I always use 2 cans of black soy beans, just to make sure I have a respectable amount of complete protein in the batter.
Simple Batter Variation
A more straightforward batter can be made just with:
Black soy beans
Cooked riced cauliflower
Onions
Garlic (cloves or minced)
Dried herbs and spices to taste
Follow the same steps as above.
Meatloaf
Magic Batter
Avocado oil
Makes many servings!
Preheat the oven to 400°F/205°C. Rub a large casserole dish with avocado oil for anti-stick purposes. Scoop the completed Magic Batter (with the riced cauliflower and spiced) into it, and bake uncovered — to let excess water evaporate — for 60–90 minutes. The exact timing will depend on how deep you have made your meatloaf, but this range will generally suffice.
Unlike regular meatloaf, this one is a completely balanced meal, due to all the veggies pre-combined with the protein. What you pair it with will be, well, magical! Hot sauce is a great choice.
