Vegan Lentil Walnut Vegetable Loaf
Being the lone vegan in a family of meat eaters is tough sometimes. The smells of roasting or grilled meats is hard to ignore. But today I filled up the house with the aroma of deliciousness, and had all the meat eaters coming into the kitchen to see what was cooking.
Lentil loaf is a vegan and vegetarian staple food. It’s extremely versatile and can, if done correctly, go to formal holiday dinners, casual Sunday family dinner, work potlucks, group picnics, or to work and school in a sandwich with ease.
The problem I had with lentil loaf recipes I’d tried were that they were frankly, quite nasty. Blandness was a huge problem. I sat there wondering how people could say (in comments) “OMG this was so fabulous!” Could our taste buds be THAT different?
Other recipes were too something and didn’t hold together well, so one would end up with a flaky, crumbly mess before you could even get it out of the pan.
That left me wondering “where is the LOAF part?”
Anyway, after studying my grandmother’s meatloaf recipe, comparing it to my Aunt Helen’s recipe, and after trying a couple of different lentil recipes I found online over the past two months, I put together something I think you’ll really like. From my trials this is the absolute best and tastiest lentil loaf of all. I baked it in individual serving size large cupcake tins for easy transportation and serving size measurement.
- 1 cup dry green lentils
- 2-1/2 cups water
- ½ vegetable/herb bouillon cube
- ¼ tsp sea salt
- 3 tablespoons ground flax seeds
- ⅓ cup water
- 1 cup walnuts, chopped small
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 medium Vidalia (sweet) onion, minced
- ⅓ cup minced yellow bell pepper
- ⅓ cup minced red bell pepper
- 1 carrot, peeled and grated
- 1 large stalk celery, diced fine
- ¾ cup rolled oats
- ½ cup unsweetened applesauce
- ½ cup garbanzo bean flour
- 2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves
- 1 teaspoon Dhana Jeera (mixture of coriander and cumin powders)
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- Fresh ground black pepper, red pepper flakes, and more salt to taste
- Preheat oven to 325*.
- Rinse lentils and strain. In large pot, add 2-1/2 cups water, bouillon cube and lentils. Bring to a boil then lower heat and simmer for about 30-35 minutes until soft, stirring occasionally. Slightly overcooked is fine since they’ll be mashed or pureed for the loaf.
- Once done, remove the top and set pot of lentils aside to cool. The last water will absorb and the lentils will thicken after about 10 minutes. Once cooled, break up with pastry blender until ¾ are consistency of mashed potatoes and the rest remain whole.
- Stir flax seeds into water and let sit for 15 minutes until thickened.
- In small pan, place chopped walnuts. Put in oven and toast for about 8-9 minutes.
- Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in nonstick skillet over medium heat. Sautee onion, garlic, carrots, peppers, and celery about 5-6 minutes. Remove from heat and add seasonings, stir to mix well and set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine cooked lentils, flax egg, sautéed vegetables, garbanzo bean flour, applesauce, oats, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper.
- Stir in toasted walnuts. Taste and adjust seasonings if required.
- Spray six large muffin tins with non-stick spray. Divide lentil mixture equally into the six compartments, pressing mixture into the pan to eliminate spaces.
- Bake uncovered at 350 for about 30 minutes. When done, the edges will be a light toasty brown.
- Cool for at least 15 minutes before removing from pan, and finish cooling on cooling rack.
- Before serving top with ketchup, barbecue sauce or whatever glaze you like (optional).
Category: Veganism and African Americans
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