Lentil Loaf (Vegan, Gluten-Free)

This must be one of the best savory vegan creations in the kitchen–a crispy surface hiding a soft, chewy texture within amidst a herbaceous, nutty steam. One bite and you know that with the nutritional benefits equaling the taste in greatness, it must be too good to be true.

But it’s a real deal!

And what’s so great about it is its versatility (since you can easily pack it  in a lunchbox) and maybe even malleability, allowing you to shape the mix into patties or even meatballs when you feel like having a veggie burger or adding a bit of flair to your pasta dish. We tried it as a burger patty–and it was the most incredible thing that ever happened in a bun (with added avocadoes, tomatoes, lettuce, onions, pickled relish, ketchup, mustard, tarator, and the special dip mentioned below).

I was inspired to try this first from The Green Forks, a great food blog by a very creative young Mommy. I did  a few tweaks though, in order to make a gluten-free version (by replacing bulgur with quinoa), and I played a bit with the spices (as hubby doesn’t like the taste of sage and rosemary that much).

And what I love about the ingredients is that most of them are superfoods with super nutritional value (and taste), such as lentils, quinoa, nutritional yeast, zaatar, walnuts, and flax seeds!

What you need is the following:

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 medium onion (minced)
• 2 celery stalks, finely chopped
• 1 large carrot, finely grated
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1.5 cups lentils, cooked and pureed in a food processor
• 1.5 cup cooked quinoa
• 2 tablespoons tamari
• 2 tablespoons ketchup
• 1 tablespoon mustard
• ¼ cup chopped fresh parsley
• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 2 teaspoons zaatar mix (or dried oregano)
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
• ¾ cup chopped walnuts
• 1 cup brown rice flour (or oats)
• 2 tablespoons milled flax seeds

• For the dip:
• 4 tbsp ketchup
• 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• a pinch of ground black pepper or chili flakes (only if you want to make it spicy)

For preparation:

1. Heat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius. Meanwhile, stir-fry the onions, celery, and carrots, adding in the garlic a few minutes later.

2. If you haven’t pureed or mashed the lentils, do so now before adding them to the stir-fried mixture. Mix them all well.

3. Add in all the other ingredients, again mixing well with your hands until you receive an even mixture.

4. Spoon the mix onto a lightly greased casserole or baking dish, and bake for around 35 minutes.

5. Remove from the oven, and allow it to cool for a few minutes before cutting the loaf into slices.

Enjoy! 🙂

Roula