The first recipe I tried was Emily’s “Meat” Loaf, contributed by reader Wolffie (a woman who contributed over thirty recipes and, according to Kramer, doesn’t want to write her own cookbook).
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Emily’s “Meat” Loaf

1 small onion, finely chopped
2 celery stalks, finely chopped
1 small carrot, finely chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
1 tbsp olive oil
2 slices bread, roughly chopped
1 cup walnuts
5 – 6 veggie burgers or 1 ½ cups mock ground “beef,” crumbled
½ tsp salt
¼ tsp ground black pepper
½ tsp dried oregano
½ tsp dried basil
1 tbsp nutritional yeast flakes
1 tbsp tahini or nut butter (your choice)
1 tbsp vegan Worcestershire sauce
1 cup vegan “cheese,” finely grated
¼ - ½ cup ketchup

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (180 degrees C). Lightly oil an 8-inch loaf pan and set aside. In a large saucepan on medium-high heat, sauté the onions, celery, carrots, and garlic in oil until onions are translucent. Set aside to cool. In a food processor, blend the bread and walnuts and set aside. In a large bowl, combine the sautéed vegetables, bread mixture, “beef,” salt, pepper, oregano, basil, nutritional yeast, tahini, tamari, Worcestershire sauce, and “cheese.” Mix together until well blended. Press firmly into loaf pan and bake for 30 minutes. Pour ketchup evenly over top of loaf and bake for an additional 10 minutes. Remove from oven and let sit 5 minutes before serving. Makes 4-6 servings.

(Reprinted with permission of the author)
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Instead of veggie burgers, I used textured vegetable protein (TVP) reconstituted with a veggie boullion (this is less expensive). And I found a vegan mozzarella cheese that I like, so I cut it into chunks instead of shredding it. It was so good! I hoarded it like a miser, denying my earlier desire to share it with my omnivore roommate. But I made a second loaf later in the week for a small dinner party and actually shared that one. (Well! It would've been rude to have people over for dinner and not feed them!) The omnivores liked it, too. The rest of the menu included mashed potatoes and a rich, chocolate cake. Just like mom used to make on Sundays!... only without eggs, milk, cheese, or meat.

Concerned about eating healthily while you eat compassionately? Kramer recommends that you read Becoming Vegan by Brenda Davis and Vesanto Melina.