Lentil Loaf

Ahh, lentil loaf.  A staple of vegetarian cooking.  When done right, it can be delicious; however, it could also be a mushy brick.  We had lentil loaf sandwiches last night and this loaf was good.  It may not look like much, but the outside was crisp and the inside flavorful.  The recipe was a mishmash of things I had in the house and in the fridge (namely some french lentil soup that we didn’t want to eat anymore and leftover brown rice from Sunday).

Lentil Loaf

Ingredients:

• 1 small onion, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 carrot, chopped finely
• 1/2 tablespoon olive oil
• spices (I used crushed red pepper, more garlic, some cumin and salt and pepper)
• 2 cups cooked French lentils
• 1 cup cooked brown rice
• 1/2 cups rolled oats
• 1 egg
• 1/2 cup bread crumbs
• Ketchup

To Do:

1. Preheat the oven to 375F.
2. Heat the olive oil in a small skillet and add the onions, garlic and carrots.  Saute until they become tender.  Add the spices and cook for a minute or two more.
3. Mush together all of the other ingredients (preferably with clean hands) or use a big spoon.  Add the onion mixture and mix well.  If the mixture seems too dry, add a bit of water.  If it seems to wet, brown rice or breadcrumbs should do the trick.
4. Spray a loaf pan with some olive oil.  Spread the lentil loaf mixture evenly in the pan and top with ketchup.
5. Cover pan with tinfoil and place in the oven for 45 minutes.  Uncover and bake for another 15-20 minutes – until the top looks crusty and a toothpick comes out clean.
6. Serve with whatever you desire or make sandwiches.

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