i think there’s no good way to take photos of a lentil loaf. no matter how many different angles i tried, it kept looking kinda blah. but the thing is that this recipe is anything but blah. the lentil loaf is loaded with such amazing flavors, all held together by two magic ingredients: ground flax seeds that are soaked in water and slightly overcooked lentils.
the soaked flax meal and the overcooked lentils hold together all the other amazing components: walnuts, raisins, apples, celery, carrots…the list goes on and on. as soon as we tried this at mike’s cousin’s house a few months ago, i knew i needed the recipe asap (thanks, natalie!). and since then, we’ve made THREE of these loaves. i feel like a broken record – but seriously, we rarely make meals over and over. except for this one…we just can’t get enough of it! (but one piece of advice: this is not a quick recipe, so make sure you have a good chunk of time set aside to make it!)
this week’s recipe list:
- this lentil loaf with roasted vegetable salad
- roasted moroccan vegetables with rice
- corn, quinoa soup, and red bell pepper soup
one year ago: chili with indian spices
two years ago: red lentil loaf
three years ago: minestrone soup
four years ago: pesto pizza
lentil, walnut, and apple loaf
borrowed from oh she glows
yields 1 large loaf, approx 8 servings
- 1c uncooked green lentils
- 3c vegetable broth
- 1c walnuts, chopped
- 3T ground flax meal
- 1/2c warm water
- 1T olive oil
- 1½c onion, diced
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1c celery, diced
- 1c carrots, peeled and grated
- 1/3c apple, peeled and diced finely
- 1/3c raisins
- 1/2c oat flour
- 3/4c baby oats
- 1/2t dried thyme
- 3/4t salt, or more to taste
- 1/4t red pepper flakes
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- preheat your oven to 325º
- put the lentils in a pot with the broth and simmer for 45 minutes, stirring often
- meanwhile, toast the walnuts for 10 minutes, then remove from the oven and increase the oven to 350º
- next, mix the ground flax meal with the water in a bowl and set aside
- heat the olive oil in a large pan over medium heat, then add the onion and sauté for 5 minutes
- add the garlic, celery, carrots, apple, and raisins, sautéing for another 5 minutes, then remove from the heat
- in a large bowl, mix the oat flour, baby oats, thyme, salt, red pepper flakes, lentils, walnuts, onion/garlic/celery/carrot/apple/raisin mixture, and ground flax meal mixture (i.e.: everything!) together
- grease a loaf pan and then line it with wax or parchment paper
- use a spatula to press the loaf firmly into the loaf pan
- spread half of the glaze (recipe below) over the loaf and bake for 45 minutes
- allow to cool for 10 minutes, then slice, top with more of the glaze, and enjoy!
balsamic apple glaze
borrowed from oh she glows
yields enough for one large loaf
- 1/4c ketchup
- 1T maple syrup
- 2T apple butter
- 2T balsamic vinegar
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- whisk all ingredients together and spread on top of the loaf before baking
- drizzle slices with the sauce as you serve it, and enjoy!
