Tempeh and Lentil “Meat” Loaf

This is super healthy, high in protein, loaded with veg and is totally gluten free. Great for use as workout fuel, post workout nutrition or just an amazing dinner if you plan to sit on your couch all night. Enjoy!

TEMPEH AND LENTIL “MEAT” LOAF [VEGAN, GLUTEN-FREE]

INGREDIENTS

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 brown onion, diced
• 2 stalks celery, diced
• 2 small carrots, diced
• 1 red pepper, diced
• 8 mushrooms, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 10 and 1/2-ounces tempeh
• 1 tablespoon smoked paprika
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1 teaspoon dried rosemary
• 1 teaspoon ground sage
• 1 teaspoon celery salt (use normal salt if you don’t have any)
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 2 tablespoons vegan Worcestershire sauce (and/or a small glass of red wine)
• 1 cup rolled oats
• 14-ounces can lentils, rinsed
• 6 sun-dried tomatoes
• 1 and 1/2 tablespoons of red miso paste
• 1/4 to 1/2 cup water
• 4 tablespoons tomato ketchup
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon yellow/dijon mustard

PREPARATION

1. Preheat your oven to 350°F.
2. Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a casserole dish/large sauté pan over a medium heat.
3. Fry the onion, celery, carrots, pepper, mushrooms and garlic cloves for around 10 minutes, stirring regularly, until softened
4. In a bowl, squeeze the tempeh in your hands until it forms a paste like texture. Add the smoked paprika, thyme, rosemary, sage, celery salt (or salt) and pepper. Using your hands again, mix together really well. REALLY get in there.
5. Add the tempeh to the veg and using the back of a wooden spoon, break the tempeh down until you have what looks like ground meat. Stir well and fry for another 5 – 10 minutes, until the tempeh has browned nicely.
6. Add the vegan Worcestershire sauce (and/or red wine) to deglaze the pan, scrape all the pieces of food stuck to the bottom and continue cooking and stirring until the liquid has evaporated.
7. Meanwhile, in a food processor, add half the oats, lentils, sun-dried tomatoes, miso paste and 1/4 cup of water. Mix until you have a paste. This is your binder. You may need to add another 1/4 cup (a tablespoon at a time) but not more than that, you don’t want a liquid
8. Empty the paste into a bowl, add the rest of the oats and the tempeh/veg mixture and leave until cool enough to handle. Once it is, mix everything together.
9. Lay some baking paper into the bottom of a loaf tray or a 8-inch by 8-inch baking tray if you do not have one. Pour the mixture into the tray and using a spatula, smooth out until you have a flat surface. Add the ketchup, soy sauce and mustard to a bowl and stir. Pour evenly over the loaf mixture and using the spatula, spread evenly over the top. It should cover it nicely.
10. Bake for 30 – 40 minutes, remove from oven and leave for 15 minutes to firm up. You can then remove the loaf from the pan by lifting the baking paper up at the sides. Carefully slice into pieces and serve with your chosen side. A simple leaf salad is best though.

http://www.onegreenplanet.org/vegan-recipe/tempeh-lentil-meat-loaf/