Lentil & Vegetable Loaf

Today I'm posting another recipe for spinach, the mother of green vegetables in my eyes. The father being Kale of course!

This loaf is full of flavoursome ingredients which are also very good for you, I haven't used salt or pepper as the loaf is packed full of herbs too. To top it all, the loaf also includes green lentils another food that's good for you, lentils are low in calories and high in nutrition. 

Since eating a vegan diet I have felt much better, friends have said I look great even though I've been going through a stressful time with S in hospital and work being mad as ever. I've lost weight without trying and I've got heaps more energy. My headaches have almost disappeared and my skin is glowing.

I'm enjoying a wider range of foods and I'm enjoying experimenting in the kitchen. OK sometimes recipes don't quite make the plate, but most of the time I'm happy with what I've created. I hope you like this power packed healthy nutritional vegetable loaf.

Ingredients
50ml Water
2 Tbs Ground flax seed
1Tbsp Rapeseed oil
1 x 400g Can of green lentils, washed and drained leaving around 260g lentils
100g Oats
1 Onion
2 Cloves Garlic
140g Courgette
100g Spinach
2 Tbsp Vegan pesto
75g Cahew nuts
1 Tsp Dried sage
1 Tsp Dried Marjoram
1 Tsp Dried Thyme

Method

Preheat the oven to 180°C

Add the water to the ground flax seed and stir well to combine. Set aside while you prepare the rest of the ingredients.

Add the cashews to a food processor and process until they are chopped very finely, careful not to over process as they may start to form a paste.

Dice the onion and garlic and saute in the rapeseed oil until translucent. Dice the courgette and add half to the onion and garlic, saute for 5 minutes. Shred the spinach leaves (including the stalks) and add to the pan with the dried herbs. Stir over a low heat until the spinach has wilted.

Add half the oats, half the green lentils and the remaining courgette to a food processor and process until chopped finely and thoroughly combined, almost to a paste.

Add the remaining lentils and oats to a large bowl and stir to combine, next add the vegetable mixture and stir again. Add the oat, lentil and courgette mixture and stir again. Add the ground cashes and vegan pesto and mix thoroughly to combine. Finely add the flax seed and water which should have formed into a sticky, gooey mixture and stir again making sure everything is well mixed. The mixture should almost be a dough like consistency, starting to hold together. 

Transfer the mixture to a lined loaf tin and press in firm using the back of a spoon, bake in the oven for 35 minutes or until golden on top.

Allow to cool before slicing, serve with Mediterranean roasted vegetables or salad.