surprise it’s me again!

Mid-day post as promised!! Make sure you scroll down past this post for this morning’s if you missed it!  You don’t want to miss the doughball recipes

Topic #1 AHmazing vegan “meat”loaf!!!

This recipe was so so delicious.  I can’t wait til lunchtime for leftovers   The recipe is straight from my new favorite cookbook, Clean Food, in the “winter” menu.  I love how this book is organized by the season.  Surprisingly, I didn’t change around the recipe.  It sounded awesome the way it was.  Maybe next time I’ll put a different spin on it!

I wish I was rich, so I could just put on my own product/book/ingredient giveaways!  This book and cookbook stand would definitely be tops on my giveaway list!!

Lentil Apple Walnut Loaf [Clean Food – pg. 232]

I know this recipe seems to call for some odd ingredients.  I have been expanding my pantry to include them and they ranged from $3 – $6.  Each item has a long shelf life and I thought it was worth the purchase.  If you have any questions about an ingredient, let me know!

• 1c. dried lentils [doesn’t matter which kind]
• 3c. veggie stock
• 1 thumb-size piece of kombu
• 3T ground golden flax seed [I used ground flaxseed meal]
• 1/2c water
• 3T olive oil
• 1 large yellow onion, diced
• 1 carrot, grated
• 1 stalk celery, minced
• 2T mirin
• 1 apple, peeled + grated + 1T lemon juice
• 1/4 raisins [I omitted this..HATE hot raisins ]
• 3/4c toasted walnuts, chopped
• 1t dried thyme
• 6-7 dashes ume plum vinegar
• ground black pepper to taste
• 1c breadcrumbs

Glaze

• 2T ketchup
• 1T balsamic vinegar
• 1T maple syrup
• 1T apple butter [didn’t have apple butter so I used pumpkin butter]
• 1T arrowroot [more natural, less processed alternative to cornstarch – Bob’s Red Mill makes this]

[directions slightly altered]

1. Rinse lentils and check for any debri [dirt, small stones, etc].
2. Add to pot with veggie stock + kombu, bring to boil, then reduce heat to simmer until liquid is absorbed + lentils are tender.
3. Take off heat, discard kombu.
4. Combine flax + 1/2c water, whisk and set aside.
5. Preheat oven to 350*
6. Sauté onion, carrot, and celery in olive oil for ~2min.
7. Add apple, raisins, + walnuts for 1 more minute.
8. Add thyme, vinegar, and pepper to taste.
9. Remove from heat and fold in lentils, breadcrumbs, + flax mixture until thoroughly combined.
10. Lightly oil a 9×4 loaf pan and press mixture firmly into pan.
11. In a small bowl combine all glaze ingredients.
12. Place in small saucepan over medium heat, stirring constantly until thick. ~2-5min – You’ll know when it has gotten to that “thick” point.
13. Spread evenly over loaf and bake uncovered for 40min. [I only used 3/4 of the glaze mixture because I didn’t want it too sweet]
14. Remove from oven, cut + serve.

This recipe may seem somewhat daunting but I have definitely made much harder things and this was so worth it.  I’m also in search for fun ways to use incorporate my new ingredients into other things.  They are not just going to sit pretty on my shelves!

Cooking lentils with Kombu.

Into the loaf pan, before being smashed down.  It smelled similar to thanksgiving stuffing. MMM

Not the most photogenic thing…especially in artificial light…oh well, you get the idea!

Enjoyed with a crunchy side of Kale chips.  I cooked 1 head for both of us and could have eaten ALL of it! YUM

The texture of the loaf was seriously awesome.  It held together well too!  This is the perfect alternative to meatloaf that is still packed with protein and as an added bonus, loaded with fiber.  It will not weigh you down and leave you feeling like you ate a bunch of rocks, as meatloaf can do to you   Any way you cook meatloaf, with any combination of meats, its always super greasy.  This is dense but grease-free!  Chris loved it too!

Sooo….what the heck is Kombu??? 

Check out my ingredients page to find out!

Best veggie stock.  Hands down.  I usually go with Whole Foods brand because it is organic and only costs $1.99 for 32oz.  However, during my latest trip they were out, so I tried Kitchen Basics for about $3.60.

Not sure I’ll be able to return to the WF or any other brand.  The flavor is just so much better with KB brand!

Fun new ingredients!!  The Asian section of your natural foods store is packed with fun finds!!!

Use Arrowroot in place of corn starch!  It works just the same and has no taste while being much more natural and less processed.  This bag was around $3.  I try to avoid processed corn products whenever possible!  

Ume Plum Vinegar smells kind of like balsamic but a little fruitier.  Watch out though, it’s packed with sodium.  I would imagine this is great for stir fry, especially a “sweet + sour” dish! [around $3]

Kombu info is on the ingredient page! [around $6 – will last forever + you don’t need much when cooking with it]

You can add Mirin to any Asian dish.  It is a cooking wine made from rice.  This bottle cost about $6 but a little goes a long way. 

Okay, topic #2!!  Since everyone + their mother seems to be coming out with their Spring Training Plans, I thought I would hop on the bandwagon.  A week or so ago, I decided I am going to sign up for my 2nd 1/2 marathon!  I’m am EXtremely excited for this!  I’ll have my actual training plan figured out soon.  Part of the excitement is stemming from attempting the 1/2 marathon in my Vibram 5 Fingers!

I have been getting a lot of questions about these mystery shoes, so I thought I would make a post about them soon!  I’ll talk about how to find the right size, why I chose this style over others, how on earth I’m wearing socks with them, what they have done for me so far, etc.  Stay tuned!

I will be running the Colfax half marathon, in downtown Denver, on May 16th.  I also want to look for a 10k to run sometime in March.  I’ll keep you posted!  Any CO bloggers up for the challenge???

…..

Look what the Huz requested for breakfast, hehehe

Ballzzzz [the word just makes me LOL like a 7th grader]

I can’t drink coffee without cream but he can!  He requested 3 Peanut Butter Crunch + 1 Cran Crunchy Nutty

I want to work up the nutrition info on these asap! 

All of a sudden I feel like I have more than ever to blog/talk/yammer/blab about….however, job searching + applying is more important right now! 

~Ashley

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