Vegetarian Lentil Loaf

I admit that one of the things I miss a little bit since becoming vegetarian is meatloaf and roast night.  I wanted to make something where I don't feel left out and I'm left with some yummy leftovers for work. I did follow this recipe from "About Vegetarians" and it's really nice, but now that I'm on holidays, I'm going to experiment with quinoa, brown basmati rice and wild rice.  I'll put another post with the results.... stay tuned! I used french and red lentils and it turned out quite nice :-)

This is also really yummy served with a side salad with an extra squirt of sauce! 

P.S: Preparation is the key to effective time management in this recipe! 

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups lentils
• 3 1/2 cups water or vegetable broth
• 2 onions, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 2 cups pre-cooked rice (basmati works the best and is less gluggy)
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 cup ketchup or barbecue sauce
• 1/2 tsp sage
• 1/2 tsp Italian seasoning

Preparation:

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large soup or stock pot, simmer the lentils in water or vegetable broth until cooked, about 30 minutes. Drain thoroughly then mash the lentils until they are half mashed.

Sautee the onions and garlic in olive oil for 3 to 5 minutes, or until soft.

Combine the onions, garlic and olive oil with the mashed lentils and add the rice, salt, ketchup or barbecue sauce, sage, and Italian seasoning.

Gently press the mixture into a lightly greased loaf pan. Drizzle a bit of extra ketchup on top if desired.

Ready for the oven! 

Bake for 1 hour. Allow to cool slightly before serving, as this will help the lentil loaf to firm up.

Served with salad.... YUM!

Makes six servings.

Tomato, Leek and Spinach Pearl Barley Risotto

Winter is upon us..... well 'comfort food' season is upon us.  This year has had it's share of wet cold days, so what a perfect time to cook up a yummy stew, soup or even risotto!

Personally, I am not the biggest fan of rice based risotto, so I wanted to find a rice alternative that tasted great.  This is when I came across pearl barley!

I have a basic, yet satisfying risotto recipe that is easy to make.... you can even make it while you're tending to your chores around the home. This recipe serves 4.

Pearl barley: Great and healthy alternative to rice and pasta!

Ingredients


2 cups of washed pearl barley
1 leek
2 shallot bulbs OR 1 purple onion chopped finely
1 small packet of spinach
1x 450g tin of chopped tomatoes
1L liquid stock
1 cup of white wine or water
1 tbs crushed garlic
1 tbs olive oil

Method


1. In a dry and heated pan, place the pearl barley and stir around until lightly toasted (about 5 minutes). Put to the side.
2. Heat oil in same pan and place the garlic, leek and shallot bulbs and stir until golden.
3. Add the pearl barley and stir to combine.  Add spinach, liquid stock and wine/water and give a gentle stir.  Add more water or wine if required (the water should be completely covering everything). Bring to boil for a couple of minutes then bring down to simmer.

Simmering away....

4. Continue to simmer and stir occasionally until almost reduced.
5. When almost reduced, add the crushed tomatoes and stir.  Continue to simmer until reduced.
6. Serve with a sprinkling of parmy cheese.

Pearl barley risotto served with a side of garlic brussel sprouts (optional)