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.