The Cure For Your Meatloaf Craving On #MeatlessMonday

Lentil loaf

Yield– 1 loaf pan- 9, ¾” portions

Lentils, dry- 2 Cups

Olive Oil- 1 Tbsp

Onion, minced- ¼ Cup

Poblano Pepper, minced- ¼ Cup

Celery, minced- ¼ Cup

Carrots, minced- ¼ Cup

Mushroom, small dice- 1 Cups

Garlic, minced- 2 tsp

Glaze (sub recipe below)- 4.5 oz (1.5oz + 3oz)

Cornmeal, fine- ½ C

Oats, rolled- ½ C

Salt, kosher- 1 tsp

1. Sort lentils, looking for any small stones or other debris removing if found. Rinse, strain and cook lentils in a sauce pot with about 3 times their volume of water and a pinch of salt. Bring water to a boil and reduce to medium heat for about 20-30 minutes. Lentils should be tender enough to easily mash between your fingers. Drain lentils from water and place in a large bowl, mash them with the back of a spoon or food processor if available and place pan back on stovetop.
2. Add oil to sauce pan and allow to heat up gently. Once oil begins to shimmer, add onion, peppers, celery, carrot and mushroom and cook over medium heat stirring to prevent sticking. Cook for about 3 minutes to allow vegetable to sweat and soften, add minced garlic and stir for another minute then add all the cooked vegetables to the bowl of lentils.
3. Add oats, cornmeal, salt and 1.5oz of the glaze (saving the other 3oz for the next step). Mix together until the ingredients are thoroughly incorporated.
4. Add lentil mixture to a lightly greased loaf pan, smoothing the top with a spatula. Add the remaining 2/3 of the glaze to the top of the loaf, cover with aluminum foil and bake in a pre-heated 350ﹾ oven for about 25 minutes.
5. Remove loaf from oven and carefully remove foil from the pan, place back in the oven for another 5-10 minutes to allow glaze to caramelize lightly. Cut ¾” slices out of the loaf and serve.

Glaze

Soy Sauce- 1oz

Cumin, ground- 1 tsp

Coriander, ground- 1 tsp

Brown Sugar- 2T

Tobacco- 4 dashes

Black pepper, ground- ½ tsp

Apple cider vinegar- 1T

Cayenne, ground- 1/8 tsp

Smoked paprika- 2 tsp (regular paprika is just fine)

Ketchup- 1 Cup

1. Prepare your glaze by adding all the ingredients to a mixing bowl and whisking to incorporate well.