Gluten free. Low sodium. This is so good and tastes like a holiday! My 14 yo son LOVES this meal and asks for seconds. The recipe is from Dr. Pamela Fergusson, a registered dietician and with a PhD in nutrition. Click here for her website, PamelaFergusson.com Dr. Pamela was there for me when I was trying to figure out how to help my father change his eating habits during and after his stay in the ICU. You can find more of her recipes under "Blog" on her website. I wonder if these would make good "meat"balls. I may try that sometime!
{Additional links for: gravy, mashed potatoes}
Ingredients: (conversions not verified by my kitchen scale, yet)
1 C (227 g) dry lentils (green or brown)
4 C (1 L) vegetable stock
1/2 onion, finely chopped (about 1- 1.25 c or 120 g)
2 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
1 carrot, finely chopped (about 7" long or 60 g)
1/3 c (40 g) walnuts, chopped
1/3 c (83 mL) applesauce
2 T (28.3 g) ground flax seed
1 T + 1 T light olive oil (15 mL, 15 mL)
1/2 tsp (2.4 g) garlic powder
2/3 c (151 g) oat flour (see end of post on how to make own) - can use bread crumbs, too
1 tsp (5 g) poultry seasoning (thyme, sage, marjoram, rosemary, black pepper, nutmeg)
1 T (14 g) fresh sage, minced [or 1/2 tsp (2.4 g) rubbed sage]
for the glaze
1 T (15 mL) mustard
1 T (15 mL) maple syrup
1 T (15 mL) applesauce
5.25'" x 9" x 2.75" (135 x 230 x 70 mm) loaf pan lined with parchment paper or foil
(see photo below). Next time I may just coat bottom with light oil or non-stick spray.
Notes:
-If using water instead of stock, add 1/2 tsp of salt (optional if watching sodium)
-Rosemary or oregano can be nice subs for sage
-If using canned lentils instead of dry: omit vegetable stock and increase seasonings and salt
-If no applesauce: shred an apple (recommend granny smith apple, but any might work)
-To save time: make lentils the day before or prepare loaf the day before and cook it day-of
-The glaze is really good...you can double it, save half to drizzle on after loaf is cooked
Directions:
-Heat vegetable stock, add lentils, cook until soft (about 40-45 min). Check before draining.
-Drain excess stock from the lentils
-Heat 1 T oil in pan or wok and sauté the onion, garlic, carrot, and walnuts
-Stir the ground flax into the 1/3 cup of applesauce. Set aside for 10 min
-Mash lentils with a potato masher until about half of the lentils are mashed (you can use a blender or food processor for this step but it may turn out more-finely mashed)
-Preheat oven to 350 F (180 C)
-Add the sautéed vegetables/walnuts, 1 T olive oil, oat flour, garlic powder, poultry seasoning, and sage to the lentil mixture. Stir
-Add the applesauce/flax mixture to the lentil mixture. Stir
-Fill the loaf pan with the lentil mixture
-Make the glaze by mixing together the mustard, maple syrup, and 1 T applesauce. Spread the glaze over the top of the loaf
-Bake at 350 F for 60 minutes. Remove from oven and let loaf cool for 15 minutes before slicing
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| Re lining the pan with parchment paper: just push it in and form the creases. Then once you begin pouring in the lentil mixture, the mixture will push the paper down. (Trim the top). Next time, I'm going to try without the paper. |
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| Pre-oven |
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| Pre-oven with yummy glaze |
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| Out of the oven and sitting for 15 min It smells so good! |
Making oat flour:
I used old-fashioned rolled oats and a blender. Pictured here is a high-speed blender (NutriBullet). I wanted a rough-flour, so I only blended them for 1 second. For a finer flour, blend a few seconds longer. One cup of oats before blending will reduce the volume as shown below.
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| Turkeys can be very affectionate and form bonds not only with their own feathered-family but also with people and other animals. |
Over 40 million turkeys are artificially bred into existence and held in cramped living conditions each year for our holiday meals. Their transport and slaughter prep cause fear and pain. Because of the high assembly-line rate of their slaughter, not all of them are dead when they begin going through the scalding, plucking, dismemberment, etc.
The good news:
We aren't required to eat turkey, and we don't need to. There are so many other plant-based options (which are healthier than turkey flesh)! And when we choose plant-based options, we are truly showing our gratitude and respect. "If my happiness depends on another being suffering, I need another kind of happiness." Choose ethics over habits.
