Lin’s Lentil Loaf

From the Vitality Food Feature ‘Lovely Lentils‘.

Here’s my favorite recipe for what my family fondly calls “mom’s meatless meat loaf.” It is delightful supper loaf that goes very nicely with steamed carrots and a poached egg, or a side salad and steamed broccoli.

INGREDIENTS

• 1-1/2 cups of green or brown lentils, or dried split green or yellow peas
• 2-1/4 cups water
• 3 cloves minced garlic
• 6 slices of whole wheat bread, cut into small cubes and dried slightly in the oven to remove excess moisture. For finer textured loaf, use bread or cracker crumbs instead of cubes
• 2 eggs
• 1 large minced onion
• 1/2 tsp seasoned salt
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 Tbsp spicy ketchup
• Additional 2 tablespoons fine bread crumbs or finely crushed cracker crumbs

1) Rinse lentils under cold running water and put into medium-sized saucepan. If using dried split peas, wash and soak for 5 minutes, discarding water before using. Add water and garlic. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer until tender, about 30 minutes, adding a dab more water if needed.

2) Remove from heat and let cool. Add remaining ingredients, except crumbs, and let stand until bread has absorbed the cooking liquid. Mix well, taste and adjust seasoning. If mixture appears too thin, another slice or two of bread or more crumbs can be added to help it bind.

3) Empty mixture into greased, 9 by 5 inch loaf pan. Sprinkle top with crumbs and bake at 350 F for 40 minutes or until set and golden. Let stand 10 minutes to firm up before emptying from pan and slicing.

4) Tip: leftovers are absolutely delicious when sliced, rolled in flour and fried in olive or coconut oil until golden.