Lentil Loaf & Smashed Root Vegetables

Vegan Lentil Loaf (slightly adapted from Amuse Your Bouche, Serves 6, Total Time: 75 minutes)

Ingredient

• 1 Tbsp. oil
• 1 red onion, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 medium carrot, finely diced
• ¼ tsp. ground cumin
• ¼ tsp. curry powder
• ¼ tsp. cayenne chili pepper
• ½ tsp. paprika
• ¾ cup red lentils (based on conversion from grams)
• 4 cups vegetable stock (based on conversion from mL)
• Black pepper
• ½ tsp. dried oregano
• ½ tsp. dried thyme
• ½ cup rolled oats (based on conversion from grams
• 3 Tbsp. fresh parsley, roughly chopped

Directions

1. Heat the oil in a saucepan over medium heat; cook the red onion, garlic and carrot for 5-10 minutes, until the onion is soft. Add the next 4 ingredients (the 4 spices), and cook, stirring constantly, for 1-2 minutes.
2. Add the lentils and stock and season well with black pepper and the dried herbs. Simmer for around 20 minutes, until the lentils are soft. Stir regularly.
3. Add the fresh parsley, and stir in as many oats as you need to bring the mixture to the correct consistency (I actually needed about 1.5 cups of oats). It should be moist, but sturdy enough to hold its shape solidly. Mix well.
4. While the mixture is cooking, preheat the oven to 400°F.
5. Lightly grease a baking dish or loaf tin, and spoon in the lentil mixture. Spread out until smooth.
6. Bake for 30-40 minutes, and then gently turn out onto a baking tray. If needed, grill (broil) for a few minutes to crisp up the top. Leave to cool for 5-10 minutes, before carefully slicing.

This is delicious! I think it is the best loaf that I have made and my husband liked it too!  The only item that I changed to the above list was using 3 tsp. dried parsley in lieu of 3 Tbsp. fresh.  As noted, I did need a lot more oats than was called for and I was scared that the loaf would dry out while cooking, but it didn’t!  Next time I make it, I plan to use 1 or 1.25 cups of red lentils so that I can cut back on the oats.

The loaf is moist and has a crisp top and ends. I thought it would taste a lot like oatmeal, but it didn’t.  The creamy texture has a mixed taste that combines the veggies, lentils, and the oats, with no single spice or item overpowering it.  I definitely plan on making this again (especially since my taste buds are watering again, and I just had leftovers for lunch).

I served this dish with Smashed Root Vegetables.  I made the root vegetable dish while the loaf was in the oven.

Smashed Root Vegetables (slightly adapted from Woman’s Day, Servings: 8, Total Time: 45 minutes)

Ingredients

• ½ pound(s) parsnips, peeled
• 4 sprigs fresh rosemary
• 4 sprigs fresh flat-leaf parsley
• 6 cloves garlic, peeled and roughly chopped
• 1 ½ pounds Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and cut into 1 1/2 -inch pieces
• 1 ½ pounds (1 large) rutabaga, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces
• ½ pound (about 4) carrots, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces
• Kosher salt
• Pepper
• ¼ cup olive oil

Directions

1. Quarter the parsnips lengthwise. Cut out and discard the woody centers. Cut the remaining parsnips into 1-inch pieces. Using a piece of kitchen twine, tie the rosemary and parsley together.
2. Place the parsnips, herbs, garlic, potatoes, rutabaga, and carrots in a large saucepan, cover with cold water and bring to a boil. Add 1 tsp. salt, reduce heat, and simmer until the vegetables are tender, 12 to 15 minutes.
3. Remove and discard the herbs. Reserve ½ cup cooking liquid, drain the vegetables and return them to the pot. drizzle the oil over the vegetables, season with ½ tsp. each salt and pepper and, using the back of a fork or potato masher, smash the vegetables (adding some of the reserved liquid if the vegetables seem dry). Sprinkle with the chives before serving, if desired.

I did not use the fresh herbs, but rather dried (a few dashes each of rosemary and parsley) and left them in the dish after draining (well, as many as stayed on the root veggies).  I should have cut the carrots smaller because they did not mash well, even when I used my handheld mixer. The rutabaga also didn't  mash completely, so there were some chunks of that in each serving.

The flavor of the dish was kind of flat – not bad, but not a wowser either.  My husband was OK with it, but said that it wasn’t worth the time and effort that it took to make it.  (He would rather I made garlic mashed potatoes.)  I did find that adding some extra pepper to the leftovers helps out the dish.

Mexican Meatloaves

Mexican Meatloaves (adapted from Kraft Recipes, Servings: 8-12, Total Time: 1 hour, 10 minutes)

Ingredients

·         2 packages Morningstar Farms Burger Crumbles

·         6 oz. box of vegetarian stuffing mix (I used Stove Top for Pork)

·         1 can  (14-1/2 oz.) Mexican-style diced tomatoes, undrained

·         1-1/2cups  Mexican Style Shredded Cheese, divided

·         1 cup  Salsa, divided

·         2 eggs

·         4 cloves garlic, minced

·         2 Tbsp. brown sugar

Directions

1.)    Preheat oven to 375ºF.

2.)    Mix crumbles, stuffing mix, tomatoes, 1-1/4 cups cheese, 3/4 cup salsa, eggs and garlic until well blended. Shape into 2 loaves in 13x9-inch baking dish.

3.)    Bake 50 min. Meanwhile, mix remaining salsa and sugar.

4.)    Spread salsa mixture over meatloaves; top with remaining cheese.

5.)    Bake 10 min.

This made a lot more meatloaf than I thought it would, but that’s not a bad thing!  I served this with the Chipotle Smashed Sweet Potatoes and some steamed veggies.  As with the sweet potato dish, it was both sweet and spicy.  I could taste more of the sweet at first (due to the brown sugar glaze), but the spicy kicked in when you delved a little deeper into the loaf.  This was pretty easy to make, but next time I’ll half the recipe.

Vegetable Meatloaf with Roasted Root Vegetables

Vegetable Meatloaf with Roasted Root Vegetables (adapted from LaaLoosh and KraftFoods, Servings: 6-8, Total Time: 1 hour, 45 minutes)

Vegetable Loaf

Ingredients

·         1 ¼ lb. Morningstar Farms burger crumbles, thawed

·         1 medium yellow onion, diced

·         1 large zucchini, shredded

·         1 large celery stalk, finely chopped

·         3 medium carrots, shredded

·         1 red bell pepper, finely chopped

·         ½ lb. mushrooms, chopped

·         4 garlic cloves, minced

·         ¾ cup old fashioned rolled oats

·         ½ cup unsweetened applesauce

·         2 Tbsp. tomato paste

·         ¼  cup fresh parsley, finely chopped

·         ¼ cup liquid egg substitute

·         ½ tsp. paprika

·         1 tsp. salt

·         1 tsp. black pepper

Instructions

1.)    Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a loaf-sized baking pan with foil.

2.)    Spray a nonstick skillet with nonfat cooking spray. Saute the onion until softened – about 3-5 minutes. Add in the carrots, celery, and bell pepper, and cook for another 3-5 minutes to soften the veggies. Add in the zucchini, mushrooms and garlic and sauté about 3 more minutes.

3.)    In a large bowl, combine the burger crumbles, oats, parsley, egg substitute, applesauce, tomato paste, paprika, salt and pepper. Fold in the veggies.

4.)    Empty the mixture into your baking pan, and shape mixture into a loaf form with your hands.

5.)    Bake about 1 hour.

6.)    Remove from oven and let stand about 10-15 minutes. Cut into 6 equally sized slices.

Roasted Root Vegetables

Ingredients (all measurements are approximate because I had a lot of items from a CSA box to use)

·         1 lb. Brussels sprouts, trimmed, cut in half

·         1 lb. turnips, peeled, cut into small pieces

·         ½ lb. new potatoes, cut into quarters

·         ½ lb. red potatoes, cut into quarters

·         ½ lb. purple potatoes, cut into quarters

·         ½ cup  KRAFT Zesty Italian Dressing

·         ¼ cup Romano cheese

Directions

1.)    Heat oven to 400ºF.

2.)    Toss vegetables with dressing; spread onto bottom of 15x10x1-inch pan.

3.)    Bake 30 min.

4.)    Mix vegetables.  Sprinkle cheese on top. Bake 5 min. or until potatoes are tender.

I really wanted to make the Meatloaf recipe and had a ton of veggies from a CSA delivery, so decided to make the Root Vegetables to go with it.  I think it all ended up pretty darn delicious, although my husband would disagree.  He was not a fan of the meatloaf (probably too many veggies for him) and he was OK with the root veggies. 

I’ll start with the Meatloaf – the texture is not right for a meatloaf, it actually falls apart on your plate.  I recommend increasing the rolled oats to 1 cup or more and maybe taking out the egg substitute.  Other than that, I liked it!  There is a slight crunch from the onions and celery, but overall a very chewy texture.  The taste is slightly peppery/garlicky.  I definitely plan to make it again.

The Root Vegetables also ended up pretty good.  I’ve had Brussels Sprouts once and hated them, but I didn’t hate them in this dish.  They aren’t my new favorite vegetable, but they’re not bad.  I actually started cooking this at 350 for the first 30 minutes because the meatloaf was in the oven, then added about 10-15 minutes at 400.  The new potatoes were slightly undercooked, but everything else tasted good.  This was also my first time having a purple potato!  The taste wasn’t different from the other potatoes in the dish.  The Italian dressing and Romano cheese worked well with the vegetables.  I think that I’ll be making something similar when my next CSA delivery comes next week!

Cheddar Bay Biscuits, Cheesy Polenta, and Best Ever Meatloaf

Cheddar Bay Biscuits, Cheesy Polenta, and Best Ever Meatloaf (slightly adapted from ABCNews and AllRecipes respectively, Servings: 8 for Polenta & Meatloaf, 12 for Biscuits, Total Time: )

Biscuits Ingredients

• 2 ½ cups Bisquick baking mix
•  ¾ cup cold skim milk
• 4 Tbsp. cold butter (1/2 stick)
• ¼ tsp. garlic powder
• 1 heaping cup grated cheddar cheese

Topping Ingredients:

• 2 Tbsp. butter, melted
• ¼ tsp. dried parsley flakes
•  ½ tsp. garlic powder

Directions:

1.)    Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

2.)    Combine Bisquick with cold butter in a medium bowl using a pastry cutter or a large fork. There should be small chunks of butter that are about the size of peas.

3.)    Add cheddar cheese, milk, and ¼ teaspoon garlic. Mix by hand until combined, but don't over mix.

4.)    Drop approximately ¼-cup portions of the dough onto an ungreased cookie sheet using an ice cream scoop.

5.)    Bake for 15 to 17 minutes or until the tops of the biscuits begin to turn light brown.

6.)    After removing from oven, melt 2 Tbsp. butter in a small bowl in microwave. Stir in ½ teaspoon garlic powder and dried parsley flakes. Use a brush to spread this garlic butter over the tops of all the biscuits. Use up all of the butter.

My husband requested these for his birthday dinner, so I found a recipe and went at it.  They were soft and a tad flaky, very garlicky.  They had a little too much garlic and cheese for me (the horror!), but my husband thoroughly enjoyed him.  He said that they tasted slightly different (maybe because of skim vs. whole milk), but that he thought they were tasty.  I only had one, so he has successfully eaten all of them himself!

Polenta Ingredients:

• 2 cups skim milk
• 2 cups water
• 1 ½ tsp. sea salt
• 1 cup yellow cornmeal
• ½ tsp. freshly ground black pepper
• 4 Tbsp. unsalted butter
• 4 oz. (1 cup) shredded sharp Cheddar cheese

Directions:

1.)    In a large pot, over medium-high heat, bring milk, water, and salt to a boil. Gradually whisk in polenta.

2.)    Reduce heat to low, and cover. Cook 20 minutes, until creamy, lifting the lid and stirring every 3 or 4 minutes to prevent sticking.

3.)    Remove pot from stove, stir in pepper and butter. Gradually stir in cheese. Serve.

Along with the biscuits, I served this polenta dish and Best Ever Meatloaf.  The polenta was good, very cheesy, but a little spongey (I either overcooked it or it was because of the skim milk).  I still liked the taste and would make it again!

Best Ever Meatloaf (adapted from KraftRecipes, Servings: 6, Total Time: 1 hour, 30 minutes)

Ingredients

·         2 pkg. Morningstar Farms MealStarters Burger Crumbles

·         1 egg

·         1 cup ground Stove Top Stuffing

·         1 pkg. onion soup

·         1 can tomato soup

·         ½ green pepper

·         ½ cup shredded carrots

Directions

1.      Combine crumbles, egg, stuffing, onion soup, tomato soup, green pepper and carrots.

2.      Spray a loaf pan with nonstick cooking spray.  Spread mixture into pan.

3.      Bake at 350°F for 1 hour and 15 minutes.

This is my husband’s favorite “meat”loaf recipe.  He won’t stop eating it when I make it!  He likes that there is the onion soup mixture instead of onions (which he doesn’t like).  I added the whole can of tomato soup to act as a binder with the crumbles.  It worked!  It stays together nicely after being cooked.  The loaf has a nice texture to it, creamy with a slightly crispy edge from the cooking and the stuffing.  I really enjoy this one, too!

Quick-Fix Cheeseburger

Quick-Fix Cheeseburger “Meat”loaf (adapted from Kraft Recipes, Total Time: 1 hour, Servings: 4-6)

Ingredients

1 package Morningstar Farms burger crumbles

10 crackers, crushed (about 1/2 cup) – or ½ cup breadcrumbs

2 Tbsp. Dijon Mustard

¼ cup ketchup

¾ cup shredded Cheddar Cheese

Directions

1.)    Preheat oven to 375°F.

2.)    Thaw crumbles in microwave, heating in 30 second intervals and mixing.

3.)    Mix crumbles, crumbs and mustard until well blended; press into 8x4-inch loaf pan.

4.)    Bake 40 min.

5.)    Spread ketchup over loaf. Top with cheese; bake 5 min. or until melted.

My husband enjoyed this recipe much more than my usual “meat”loaf, so it’s a keeper.  It definitely tastes like a cheese”burger”, without the bun, I don’t really know how else to describe it.  Delieicous!  The loaf holds together well when removing it from the pan, which is a definite improvement over other loaf recipes.  I served this with Trader Joe’s Asparagus Risotto (super creamy and very tasty) and cauliflower florets topped with cheese.  A complete meal.  I definitely suggest trying out this dish!