Glazed Lentil Loaf

Day 29

Tried a new recipe today. Laura found it and wanted to try it out, so she made a lentil loaf, which is meant to be a vegetarian version of meatloaf. 

Ingredients/Grocery List

Lentils (green/brown)

Water

Ground flaxseeds

More water 

Olive oil 

Garlic cloves

Onion

Red bell pepper

Carrot

Mushrooms

Rolled oats

Oat flour

Dried thyme

Cumin

Garlic powder

Onion powder

Ground chipotle pepper

Cracked pepper

Sea salt

Ketchup

Balsamic vinegar

Maple syrup

That's a lot of stuff! 

Glazed Lentil Loaf

Loaf Recipe

1 cup dry lentils

2 1/2 cups water

3 tbsp ground flaxseed

1/3 cup water

2 tbsp olive oil for sautéing

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 small onion, finely diced

1 small red bell pepper, finely diced

1 carrot, finely diced or grated

1 cup chopped mushrooms

3/4 cup rolled oats

1/2 cup oat flour

1 heaping tsp dried thyme

1/2 heaping tsp cumin

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp onion powder

1/4 - 1/2 tsp ground chipotle pepper

cracked pepper & sea salt to taste

Lentils

We went to the Bulk Barn to buy the lentils and there are a lot of kinds to choose from, including organic ones, although they are much, much pricier. Bulk Barn had green ones, red ones, orange ones, brown ones, black ones, French ones, etc, so several options. We went with green. Although they look brownish.

Rinse the lentils and add 2 1/2 cups water with lentils to a pot. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer for 40 minutes, stirring occasionally. Cool but don't drain; mushiness is ok.

Lentils cooking

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Making "Flax Egg"

In small bowl combine ground flaxseed and 1/3 cup water and set aside for 10 minutes in the fridge. This is a vegan version of egg and will act as your binder!

Lentils, oats, oat flour, spices

Vegetables

I guess these don't all constitute as vegetables, since mushrooms are fungi, but same idea. Love all the colors. 

Chop and mince the veggies as indicated in recipe above. Sauté garlic, onion, bell pepper, carrots and mushrooms for about 5 minutes. Add spices and mix, then set aside to cool.

Chopped vegetables

Veggies sautéing

Mix it All Up

In a food processor (Laura did some hand mashing instead), blend 3/4 of the lentil mixture. Combine sautéed vegetables with the lentils, oats, oat flour and flax egg. Add salt and pepper as needed. 

Lentils and veggies mixed

Loaf Pans

Place into a loaf pans lined with parchment paper and press down firmly to make sure the edges get filling too.

Prepared loaf pans

Uncooked lentil loafs, sans glaze

Glaze

3 heaping tbsp ketchup

1 heaping tbsp balsamic vinegar

1 heaping tbsp pure maple syrup

Combine ketchup, vinegar and syrup in a small bowl and mix. Spread over top of loaf.

Uncooked glazed lentil loaf

Bake in oven for about 45 - 50 minutes, then let cool before slicing.

Cooked loafs, boiling potatoes

Glazed lentil loaf with potatoes and Lady A's

Reviews/Comments

Great flavor, beany texture; tastes better than it looks. Will bake longer on a lower heat for a drier texture next time. Laura thinks it would be better with more sauce and baked in muffin cups so it's drier. Very filling.

Missy's rating: 8
Laura's rating: 8
My rating: 8.5

I had seconds :)