Lentil Loaf
1 cup rolled oats, divided
1 cup walnuts
2 large carrots, peeled and chopped
1/8 cup tahini
6 ounces tomato paste, divided
1 teaspoon xanthan gum, optional (but helps hold it together)
nondairy milk, as needed (I use almond milk)
1 yellow onion, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
8 ounces sun-dried tomatoes, sliced thinly
olive oil, as needed
salt and cracked pepper, to taste
2 1/2 cups cooked lentils (I use Melissa's lentils)
8 ounces prepared pesto
2 1/2 ounces sliced black olives
1/4 cup ketchup
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Combine 1/2 cup rolled oats, walnuts, carrots, tahini, 3 ounces tomato paste, and xanthan gum in a food processor. Process. While running, add enough milk to make a hummus-like consistency.
2. On high heat, saute onion, bell pepper, and sun-dried tomatoes with some olive oil for 3-5 minutes. Add some salt and pepper, to taste. You just want to char/brown the vegetables, not fully cook them.
3. In a large bowl, combine everything but the ketchup and remaining tomato paste. I typically add more cracked pepper as well (about 1/2-1 tablespoon).
4. Smash mixture into an 8x8" glass pan. Bake uncovered for 1 hour. Remove from oven, and cover top of the loaf with a mixture of the remaining tomato paste and ketchup. Bake for another 30 minutes.
Eat, enjoy, go back for seconds.
Source of recipe: I was playing around in the kitchen, and this is what I came up with.
SO HOW'D IT GO?
This was fantastic! I had to try it because of the tahini, sun dried tomatoes & walnuts.
I only changed a few things. (It's in my nature to do so) I left out the pesto & olives (I was in the mood for a more traditional tasting loaf, but I'm sure these would make for a fancy loaf.) I did not process the tahini, oat, walnut mixture to hummus like consistency. I left it a little chunky for some extra texture in the loaf. I also made homemade bread crumbs out of a couple of slices of whole grain sprouted bread, dried parsley, and Italian seasoning mix, and added that to the mix, since it's usually in meatloaf.
I am definitely going to try this again! Book marked for seconds!