Dinner Twelve

Lentil Loaf

I don't remember my parents ever making meatloaf as a kid, or being served it much as an adult, but I'm certainly enjoying the vegan versions now!   

A lot of people have difficulty digesting beans and lentils.   This can be for four main reasons:

• a food sensitivity 
• a deficiency in digestive secretions that we use to break down beans
• an imbalance in the population and location of bacteria in your digestive tract
• a reaction to some of the compounds naturally found on beans, such as phytic acid

If you're wondering about which of these applies to you, best to talk to your health-care practitioner.   For me, my reaction is definitely the last one, and I find that when beans are made in a factory it breaks down the phytic acid better than any amount of soaking, sprouting, boiling, and pressure cooking I can do at home.   So, for me, the toxins that come from the can lining are the lesser of two evils. 

* Side note - Never, EVER, prepare beans at home by just slow cooking them!   You've got to bring them to a rolling boil for a few minutes first!  

Anyway, back to the dish at hand.  I used this recipe, with the following modifications:

Ingredients

• one 540 ml can of cooked lentils, rinsed and drained (the recipe calls for just over one cup of cooked lentils, if you want to make from scratch)
• 1 Tablespoon olive oil
• ½ large onion about 1 heaping cup, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic minced
• 1 rib of celery chopped
• 1 carrot peeled and chopped
• ½ cup chopped walnuts
• 1 cup old fashioned rolled oats
• 3 Tablespoons tamari
• 3 Tablespoons tomato paste
• 2 Tablespoons ground flaxseed
• 2 Tablespoons nutritional yeast
• 2 teaspoons pure maple syrup
• 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
• ½ teaspoon dried thyme
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
• ¼ teaspoon ground pepper
• ¼ teaspoon sea salt

Maple Sweetened Glaze:

• 2 Tablespoons tomato paste
• 1 ½ Tablespoons pure maple syrup
• 1 Tablespoon balsamic vinegar
• pinch of sea salt

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Instructions

• Pre-heat oven to 375°F
• Toast walnuts by spreading them onto a baking sheet and toasting in the oven for about 8-10 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool.
• Heat oil over medium heat in a medium sauté pan and cook onions, garlic, carrots and celery until they've softened and become fragrant. About 5-10 minutes. Once cooked remove from stovetop to cool.
• Add lentils (reserve ½ cup for later), cooked veggies, toasted walnuts, oats, tamari, tomato paste, ground flaxseed, nutritional yeast, maple syrup, apple cider vinegar, thyme, oregano, basil, cayenne pepper, ground pepper and sea salt to the food processor. Pulse until mixture is just combined and the texture is to your liking. You want the mixture to be combined enough to stick together, but you don't want it to be completely pulverized.
• Stir in the reserved lentils and press mixture into a silicone loaf pan.  The recipe calls for a parchment lined loaf pan (9" x 5" x 2½").
• In a small bowl stir together glaze ingredients and spread the glaze over top of the loaf.
• Bake covered with silicone pot or bowl covers for 25 minutes. (I learned this trip from a friend!   Instead of using foil once and sending it to the landfill, just put silicone over top of your dish when it needs to be baked covered!)  Uncover and bake for about 8 more minutes. Let the loaf rest 15 minutes before cutting and serving.
• Store leftovers in a sealed container for up to 5 days in the fridge. Or freeze for up to 1 month.

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