Wednesday, October 27, 2010

Veggie Loaf


Veggie loaf is one of those classic dishes that needs to be in everyone's repertoire. This one tastes like Thanksgiving stuffing, thanks to the sage and other herbs. The leftovers make wonderful sandwiches. I especially like the sandwiches on whole wheat spread with cocktail sauce - a mixture of ketchup and prepared horseradish. Mashed potatoes make a perfect companion for both the plain loaf and sandwiches. 

This goes out to My Legume Love Affair, created by Susan of The Well-Seasoned Cook and hosted this month by of Divya of Dil Se. 

Veggie Loaf

1 tablespoon olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 stalks celery, finely diced
1 cup diced onion, about ½ an onion
1/2 cup lentils
1/2 cup brown rice
2 cups vegetable broth
2 tablespoons ground flax seeds
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1/3 cup walnuts
2/3 cup rolled oats
1 teaspoon sage
1/2 teaspoon oregano
1/4 teaspoon thyme
1/4 teaspoon salt or to taste

Heat olive oil in a pot. Sauté garlic, celery and onion until tender. Stir in lentils, rice and broth and bring to a low boil. Reduce heat to a simmer, cover, and cook for 45 minutes or until broth is absorbed. Remove from heat and mash with a hand-held potato masher or a fork.

Preheat oven to 350. Whisk together flax seeds and soy sauce until mixture thickens slightly. Add to lentil-rice mixture.

In a blender, coarsely grind walnuts. Add to lentils and rice. Briefly pulse oats in the blender to break up into smaller pieces. Add to lentil-rice mixture, along with sage, oregano, thyme and salt. Stir well.

Press mixture into a well-oiled 8 x 4-inch loaf pan. Press down mixture with the back of a spoon to remove any air pockets. Bake for 40 minutes.

Run a knife around edge of loaf and turn upside-down on a cutting board to remove loaf. Slice.

About 5 servings

11 comments:

  1. I never really liked 'real' meatloafs, but this one really tinkles my tastebuds. And I can't have enough recipes that make good leftovers.

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  2. Made this tonight and it was a hit. I've been collecting veggie loaf recipes and there is no need to look further or try others. This was so good!!

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  3. Thanks Melanie, I love to hear back when someone tries a recipe and likes it!

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  4. I just made this as well and it was wonderful! It definitely took care of all my 'meat'loaf cravings! I actually blogged about it on my site, and linked to this page for the recipe =) Thanks a lot!

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  5. Made this tonight, and it was very good! Swapped half of the walnuts for whole sunflower seeds which I think added a nice crunch. Although, the boyfriend thought I was insane when I recommended he eat the leftovers on a sandwhich. :)

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  6. I'm glad y'all liked it, Ashley!

    Your boyfriend doesn't know what he's missing by not trying the sandwich. Actually, the sandwiches are mostly an excuse to add something really spicy to ketchup (horseradish, chipotles in adobo or sriracha) and slather it on.

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  7. yay! can't wait to make this! It is so hard to find a vegan "meat" loaf that doesn't have tofu in it! Thank you so much!

    Angela

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  8. Does anyone have a good sauce to go along with this recipe?

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