Amy's Vegan Veggie Loaf

Ok, let's go back to the year 2000. I was on the verge of going Vegetarian, I was trying new foods like meat-analogs and dairy-free milks and I was getting tempeh and hummus mixed up (I'm from Nebraska, cut me some slack.) Tofu seemed like this wonderful protein that I had no idea what to do with. Organic produce had more flavor and I consumed more veggies than I ever had before.

But one thing I really appreciated was Amy's frozen dinners. They were on the natural side of things, with great ingredients, but the food didn't seem super alien to me. I could relate to a frozen dinner, it wasn't intimidating. Anyway, my first Amy's frozen dinner was the Veggie Loaf. I was blown away by the flavor and the texture and I knew I was on the right path. It was my favorite frozen dinner up until I went Vegan in 2003. You see, the Veggie Loaf had honey and all these years I've been upset that honey was the only thing keeping me from eating it. Like, change the one ingredient and so many more people can enjoy the dinner. Well, to my surprise, Amy's finally got rid of the honey and now I can once again enjoy some delicious Veggie Loaf!

So after all these years, I finally have a Vegan Amy's Veggie Loaf in front my face. I'm trying to remember what the old Veggie Loaf was like. As I recall, the loaf itself was denser and the tray had separate compartments for the sides. I kinda remember a dessert of some type? Also, I'm pretty sure the original wasn't gluten-free. Anyway, this is a totally different meal and I'm ok with that.

The new loaf is tasty, something that would be an excellent gateway food for a veg interested person. It's familiar enough while still having some of the characteristics of meat. The veggies, mashed potatoes and gravy were good as well. Everything cooked evenly in the microwave and was delicious. My only complaint would be that it seems like less food than it used to be. I know it's not the year 2000 anymore, so that's just wishful thinking. But you know me, I could easily eat two of these dinners.

I'm happy Amy's finally made their Veggie Loaf Vegan, and it's definitely back on my list of favorites. Thinking about the old Veggie Loaf made me nostalgic and it really got me to think about my long and windy road to Veganism. I'm glad Amy's was there at that transitional time in my life and it's exciting to relive that again.