The Power of Vegetarianism: A Conversation with Melissa Murphy and Her Husband Mark

In recent times, there has been an increasing demand for vegetarian options, and many people have been asking about my family's perspective on this topic. As it happens, I come from a loving family that shares a passion for vegetarian food. My sister Morgan is particularly fond of Sweet Mista bars filling up with delicious ingredients, and her enthusiasm is contagious.

Melissa Murphy, the talented chef behind these mouth-watering dishes, has been a game-changer in the culinary world. Alongside her husband Mark, they have turned their restaurant, bar, and food truck into thriving businesses that prove that vegetarianism can be both sustainable and indulgent. Despite facing initial doubts about their chances of survival, Melissa and Mark have persevered for over two decades, and their dedication has paid off.

One of the most intriguing aspects of Melissa's cooking style is her ability to transform cauliflower, mushrooms, or black beans into unique dishes that are sure to delight both vegetarians and non-vegetarians alike. Her creativity knows no bounds, and she has a knack for reinventing classic recipes while maintaining their essence. As I sat down with Melissa, I couldn't help but notice the excitement in her eyes as she began discussing her latest creations.

We decided to tackle one of our favorite dishes – a lentil version of meatloaf. Melissa explained that this was not only an exciting project but also an opportunity for us to explore new flavors and techniques. She began by mashing some potatoes using pre-cooked Yukon Golds, salt, pepper, almond milk, and melted vegan butter. This was followed by the preparation of mushroom gravy, which involved sautéing onions, crony mushrooms, black pepper, and tamari in olive oil.

As we cooked, Melissa shared with me her experience as a vegetarian and how it has shaped her culinary approach. She explained that while she respects non-vegetarian diets, she has found a sense of fulfillment in creating plant-based dishes that are both healthy and delicious. Her enthusiasm was contagious, and I couldn't help but feel inspired by her passion for cooking.

Next, we prepared the meatloaf mixture, which consisted of olive oil, onions, potatoes, minced celery, carrots, garlic powder, black pepper, sea salt, cressed red chilies, soaked lentils, and veggie stock. Melissa explained that this recipe takes about an hour to cook, during which time the flavors meld together beautifully.

Once the meatloaf mixture was ready, we added a few key ingredients – Tabasco poultry seasoning, Tamari crackers, cheddar cheese, and a fair amount of egg – to give it that extra oomph. We then transferred the mixture into a loaf pan, lightly sprayed with non-stick spray, and baked at 350 degrees for about an hour and 15 minutes.

As we waited for the meatloaf to cook, Melissa explained the significance of using water when boiling potatoes to thicken the gravy. She also shared her secret ingredient – corn starch slurry – which adds a richness and depth to the dish that is hard to replicate with other ingredients.

Finally, the moment of truth arrived as we sliced into the cooked meatloaf and revealed its tender, moist texture. The combination of vegan mashed potatoes and mushroom gravy was nothing short of magical, and I couldn't help but feel like I was missing out on something special by not being a vegetarian.

As I finished my meal, Melissa smiled at me with pride, knowing that she had created a dish that would satisfy even the most discerning palate. And as I sat there, savoring the last morsels of her culinary masterpiece, I couldn't help but feel grateful for the power of vegetarianism and the incredible talent behind it.

In conclusion, my conversation with Melissa Murphy and her husband Mark has left me with a newfound appreciation for the world of vegetarian cuisine. Their passion, creativity, and dedication to their craft are truly inspiring, and I have no doubt that they will continue to push the boundaries of what is possible in the culinary world.

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: enwell you know what people been asking for a lot lately vegetarian and if you know anything about me about my family about my sister Morgan we love vegetarian food and this is sweet Mista bars filling up get ready to be slammed it doesn't really matter if you're vegetarian or not everyone is just very into Sweet Melissa buffalo cauliflower Wings Melissa is fabulous at changing cauliflower or mushroom or black bean into something that just is unique and for over two decades Melissa Murphy and her husband mark years have turned surviving into thriving with their restaurant bar and food truck we just thought probably won't make it but let's give it a try you went from I hope we make it to 22 years congratulations are you vegetarian yeah both of you no no I respect the the diet and I it at home right and here selling two lenol for table six the Lenola amazing if you didn't know you would have thought it was Meatloaf Dallas and ketchup just like growing up it comes with mashed potatoes and a mushroom gravy it's delicious what's the first dish we're going to make a lentil version of a meatloaf do you understand that I get mental for the lentil excellent the first thing we're going to do is Mash some potatoes we precooked some Yukon Gold some salt and pepper almond milk and melted vegan butter what's our next step the mushroom gravy that goes on top the mashed potatoes olive oil and then onions crony mushrooms black pepper tamari you can have it today but it's also good tomorrow water that we use when we boil the potatoes thickens it up you also get the flavor Tada corn starch slurry it'll tighten up let this cook for about 30 minutes next we make the meatloaf yep okay olive oil onions potatoes minced celery and carrots little garlic powder black pepper sea salt cressed red chilies soaked lentils and our veggie stock it takes about an hour or so for it to cook okay we're going to do the next step for our lentil off the lentil mixture we just cooked a little bit of Tabasco poultry seasoning Tamari crackers cheddar cheesee and that is a fair amount of egg that's how it works out for us okay it's going into a loaf pan Tada and a little spray yeah just had to freshen up bake at 350 about an hour 15 minutes we're going to slam it out of here okay slice a few slices crisp it on both sides steam it just a little bit okay mashed potatoes mushroom gravy top it with some of this Tangy Tomato Sauce and what's in that tomato sauce ketchup brown sugar Tabasco and and mustard stick this up in the salamander just to heat up that sauce all right this right here is like the most tender moist meatloaf you could find I mean it's got great texture it's got great chew love the little bit of crust that you put on it the vegan mashed potatoes and this mushroom gravy what I like is how creamy you're able to get them without the dairy and the kicker to the whole thing is the ketchup brown sugar mustard tobasco sauce really delicious mashed potatoes and gravy going down for the lentil Lo I'm a meat eater and I don't feel like I'm missing that meat at all on top of that she has great mashed potatoes it's just a die forwell you know what people been asking for a lot lately vegetarian and if you know anything about me about my family about my sister Morgan we love vegetarian food and this is sweet Mista bars filling up get ready to be slammed it doesn't really matter if you're vegetarian or not everyone is just very into Sweet Melissa buffalo cauliflower Wings Melissa is fabulous at changing cauliflower or mushroom or black bean into something that just is unique and for over two decades Melissa Murphy and her husband mark years have turned surviving into thriving with their restaurant bar and food truck we just thought probably won't make it but let's give it a try you went from I hope we make it to 22 years congratulations are you vegetarian yeah both of you no no I respect the the diet and I it at home right and here selling two lenol for table six the Lenola amazing if you didn't know you would have thought it was Meatloaf Dallas and ketchup just like growing up it comes with mashed potatoes and a mushroom gravy it's delicious what's the first dish we're going to make a lentil version of a meatloaf do you understand that I get mental for the lentil excellent the first thing we're going to do is Mash some potatoes we precooked some Yukon Gold some salt and pepper almond milk and melted vegan butter what's our next step the mushroom gravy that goes on top the mashed potatoes olive oil and then onions crony mushrooms black pepper tamari you can have it today but it's also good tomorrow water that we use when we boil the potatoes thickens it up you also get the flavor Tada corn starch slurry it'll tighten up let this cook for about 30 minutes next we make the meatloaf yep okay olive oil onions potatoes minced celery and carrots little garlic powder black pepper sea salt cressed red chilies soaked lentils and our veggie stock it takes about an hour or so for it to cook okay we're going to do the next step for our lentil off the lentil mixture we just cooked a little bit of Tabasco poultry seasoning Tamari crackers cheddar cheesee and that is a fair amount of egg that's how it works out for us okay it's going into a loaf pan Tada and a little spray yeah just had to freshen up bake at 350 about an hour 15 minutes we're going to slam it out of here okay slice a few slices crisp it on both sides steam it just a little bit okay mashed potatoes mushroom gravy top it with some of this Tangy Tomato Sauce and what's in that tomato sauce ketchup brown sugar Tabasco and and mustard stick this up in the salamander just to heat up that sauce all right this right here is like the most tender moist meatloaf you could find I mean it's got great texture it's got great chew love the little bit of crust that you put on it the vegan mashed potatoes and this mushroom gravy what I like is how creamy you're able to get them without the dairy and the kicker to the whole thing is the ketchup brown sugar mustard tobasco sauce really delicious mashed potatoes and gravy going down for the lentil Lo I'm a meat eater and I don't feel like I'm missing that meat at all on top of that she has great mashed potatoes it's just a die for\n"