Cook the lentils beforehand and dry them with a towel before using them or your loaf will suck. I like to cook mine in the pressure cooker. Prepare to dice a lot of ingredients; this meal is mostly raw ingredients. I cook mine in a class or stone bread pan. If you have neither, no worries, this thing will stick together pretty tight, so you can mould it and throw it on a cookie sheet. As always, I believe that throwing pre-cooked items in the freezer for a bit helps bind ingredients together, especially since we are not using egg here.
-------------
Now I see why there are always long, annoying paragraphs in these recipes. I do not even want to type you a novel because most will not read it, been there. Anyway, here are a few of my notes I found while making this recipe. I made this for the first time for our first vegan Thanksgiving in 2015.
Making the lentils, usually, the standard ratio is: 1C dry rice + 2C water = 3 cups cooked rice, quinoa, legumes, etc. NOT HERE. Use 1:1 ratio for the lentils in the instapot. Make sure the "keep warm" option is off; it ruins everything. I cook 6-8 minutes, I believe, always on low. If they are not completely done, it will be okay as long as they can combine in the food processor.
I make my tomato sauce and paste. Just buy 2 tomatoes, de-seed for the paste and add it into a bowl for the sauce. In a blender (I use a bullet, add the tomato and a teaspoon of arrowroot powder, depending on the size of your tomato, this amount will vary, you need 2-3tbsp in the loaf. For the sauce, add the tomato with seeds and blend, this is for the topping, adding bbq sauce makes an excellent paste as well for the topping. This is an excellent zero waste option!
I like to add the garlic in last in this recipe because it flavours the entire loaf nicely, instead of mainly in the vegetables, again cooking is about personal preference.
QUINOA I like to add quinoa to this recipe, (1/2 cup) for extra protein.
Some may want more of a real texture, and no veggies, so I suggest putting it on medium-high until its a big ol' loaf if that's how you feel, especially with kiddos screaming that there is a vegetable in their meat. Also, you can blend the oats up to a flour to keep this gluten-free, and the texture won't be so off, I find it is more "meaty" when it is quick oats.
Put in the freezer for 20-30 minutes to help set, if you are impatient, just make sure you put olive oil in your pan or non-stick is fine. I find that putting it in the freezer helps set it up better. Optional.
You can make this into patties, stuff them into bell peppers and bake for 30-35 minutes @ 375. The patties can be frozen in an air-tight container, and baked or made on the stove-top.
Hope this helps!
Reminder to take Deep Breaths
Have a radical day today
-KAYS-
