Looking for a new comfort food? Hmmm, this could accompany mac n’ cheese, however, cheese is a heavy food. How about a nice green salad and maybe some baked sweet potatoes fries? Yes.
The recipe I based this on called for 2 cups of cheddar cheese. I’ve cut it down a bit and for health I use grass-fed organic cheese. So with that said, carefully chosen ingredients are a must. You can’t make someting like a lentil loaf and compromise your ingredients. You mine as well eat the meat loaf with the white bread and the French fries. Okay, maybe I’m exaggerating.
This comes together nicely once everything is set. Throw it into the oven and make your salad or other side dish. I always advise that if you are going to eat a cooked food, it should be accompanied by something raw. Eat your raw foods first followed by the cooked foods as it is best for digestion.
Ingredients:
- 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons red lentils
- 2 cups vegetable stock or 2 cups water and 1 vegan bouillon cube
- 1 bay leaf
- organic butter
- 1 -2/3 cups whole grain bread crumbs, reserve 2 tablespoons (Make this gluten free with your favorite gluten free bread)
- 1 cup shredded grass-fed cheddar cheese
- 1 medium onion, finely chopped
- 3/4 cup cooked short grain brown rice
- 1/4 cup finely grated raw sweet potato
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley or cilantro
- 1 tablespoon dried oregano
- 2 teaspoons cumin
- Pinch nutmeg
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 2 eggs, lightly beaten
- Sea salt
- Freshly ground pepper
Directions: Place the lentils, stock, and bay leaf in a large, heavy-bottomed pan. Bring to a boil, cover, and simmer 15-20 minutes, or until all of the liquid is absorbed. Remove the bay leaf.
Line the bottom of a loaf pan with parchment paper. Butter the pan and the paper. Sprinkle with 2 tablespoons of the breadcrumbs. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Stir the bread crumbs, cheese, onion, rice, potato, herbs, and spices in to the lentils. Stir in the eggs and lemon juice. Season to taste with salt, and pepper.
Spoon into the prepared pan and smooth the top. Bake for 1 hour, or until golden. Loosen the loaf with a spatula and turn out onto a warmed serving plate. Garnish with parsley. Serve sliced alongside roasted potatoes and/or fresh salad if you desire.
Note: the pan I used was quite wide for a loaf pan hence the short-looking piece of lentil loaf
Fit For the Kitchen 