LENTIL AND BEAN 'MEATLOAF' with 'MUSHROOM GRAVY'

  Spring is around the corner but we've had a few days of rain so it was time to organize some drawers.  While doing so I came across a couple of recipes I had collected a few years ago and filed away to try 'sometime later'  well it seemed like this was the day.  Lentil and Bean 'Meatloaf'
and I came across a very nice Vegetarian Mushroom Gravy recipe - a perfect fit in my books. 

 Lentil & Bean 'Meatloaf'



The ingredients you will need.

Lentils have cooked up nicely, then TVP (textured vegetable protein)

(I find  this in my local Health Food Store)

was added for a few minutes of cooking time

  The onion sauteing in the pan.

 Celery, carrots and red pepper all ready to go.

 Vegetables added to the onions and cooked for a few minutes.

Tomato paste and ketchup added and stirred in.

 Once the vegetables are cooked they are then

 processed in my machine.

The processed vegetables are added to the lentil/TVP mixture.

Fresh  bread crumbs are added next as well as some

shredded cheddar cheese.

I divided the mixture into 2 greased loaf pans



The loaves will bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour.

One of the baked Lentil & Bean Meatloaves.

such a beautiful colour.

Lentil & Bean 'Meatloaf' Recipe

Serves 4

Makes 9x5 inch loaf (or two)

Ingredients:

1 celery stalk, chopped (including the greens)

1 carrot grated

1 onion, chopped

1 red bell pepper, chopped

1 15 oz can pinto beans (white kidney)

1 cup red lentils

1/4 cup TVP (textured vegetable protein) (dry pieces)

1 cup fresh whole wheat bread crumbs can be added or add ground flax to this

1 cup Cheddar cheese, grated

1 Tbsp ketchup

1 Tbsp tomato paste

1 Tbsp cumin

1 tsp chili powder ( or per taste)

1 tsp lemon pepper

salt to taste

1 1/2 - 3 cups vegetable broth/water

Method

Clean the red lentils in cold water until the water runs clear.

Place in pan along with the vegetable broth (start with 2 1/2 cups) and cook until done (as per directions on package)

Add the soy chunks to it and let it cook for another 4-5 minutes until the soy chunks get soft.

Make sure that this mixture is mushy and does not have excess liquid.

In a skillet, in 1 tsp of olive oil, saute the onions along with salt.

When soft, add the carrots, celery, red bell pepper and cook until the vegetables get soft. Another 3-4 minutes.

Now add the ketchup, tomato paste along with the spices.

Cook until the rawness of the tomato paste goes away ( 2-3 minutes)

Process the mixture along with beans - into a paste.

Add this to the cooked lentils (it's mushy and does not need to be processed)

Now add the cheese and bread crumbs and mix well until combined.

You can, at this point taste mixture to see if the seasoning is to your taste.

Add more salt./pepper if required or cayenne for some heat

Transfer to a greased loaf pan, level the top

Bake in a pre heated 350 degree oven for 1 hour.

You will see the surface of the loaf looking crusty and sort of dry (will be a nice crunch on top)

Cool a bit, remove from pan, cut into slices and serve - warm or cold both are delicious.

If you see the insides do not harden, shut oven off and leave loaf inside for another 10 minutes

 (while oven cools down)

Serve with vegetarian gravy, mashed potatoes and your choice of steamed vegetables.

Vegetarian Mushroom Gravy

 The ingredients you will need.

The vegetables and mushrooms have sauteed and

tomato paste has been added to it, along with the bay leaves.

The broth and mushroom liquid has been

added to the sauteed vegetables.

Vegetables mixture has cooked down for a few minutes.

 Now it's time to strain the 'gravy'.

The gravy smells wonderful, has such a beautiful colour.

It will be perfect for the 'Meatloaf'.

Vegetarian  Mushroom Gravy Recipe

Makes about 3 cups

3 Tbsp olive oil

1 onion, diced

1 small carrot, peeled and diced

1 stalk celery, diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/3 cup dried porcini mushrooms, sliced (use mixed dried)

3 sprigs fresh thyme and flat leaf parsley (used 2 tsp dried thyme and 2 tsp dried parsley)

2 bay leaves

2 Tbsp tomato paste

3 Tbsp whole wheat flour (white flour will do)

2/3 cup red wine (used dry white)

3 cups vegetable stock

1 Tbsp lemon juice

salt and black pepper to taste

Heat oil in a large high sided skillet over medium high heat

Add onion, carrot, celery and garlic , stir until fragrant, about 1 minute

Soak mushrooms in 2 cups hot water until re-hydrated.

Drain and reserve liquid and add mushrooms (sliced) to pan.

Stir in thyme, parsley, bay leaves and tomato paste and cook,

stirring frequently until dark and richly caramelized, about 15 minutes

Stir flour into pan and cook, stirring, until brown and fragrant, about 3 minutes.

De glaze pan with red wine and stir in mushroom liquid and stock.

Bring to a boil, reduce heat and allow to simmer for about 20 minutes until reduced and thickened

Strain through a fine mesh strainer, pushing all liquids out of the solids with the bottom of a ladle.

Season the gravy with lemon juice, then salt and pepper to taste.

 Lentil & Bean 'Meatloaf' drizzled with Vegetarian Mushroom Gravy

 "....The only thing in life we can truly perfect,

is to perfectly and absolutely accept ourselves as we are...!"

BABA NASTIA'S ZUCCHINI NOODLES

Baba Nastia's Zucchini Noodles, delicious comfort food and a great way to use zucchini.

This post is in memory of my Baba Nastia (this is what we called her) who passed away in September 2012 at the age of 93. 

 

This recipe was Baba Nastia's creation, I did not have the opportunity to sample 'her version' as we did not live in the area but am very fortunate to have two beautiful sisters Holly and Wendy who always share their recipes (and those handed down from family) with me. Living away from my family, cooking the recipes that my sisters and other extended family members and friends share with me 'brings them into the kitchen with me' it's like having a visit while I create the dish.

My Aunt Nastia was a wonderful cook,  my Aunt and Uncle always had a wonderful lush garden, many fruit trees and we had the opportunity to 'drop in' at their home from the time we were allowed to wander, as they lived a few houses down the road from us. She would always have a treat ready for us. It may have been Kalachi ( biscuit with cinnamon or jam) or home made pickles 'sveje prosolniye',(fresh salted) if it was summer she always gave us baby cucumber from her garden, still warm from the sun. When little we lived in the community of Ootischenia, outside of city limits of Castlegar, where everyone looked out for one another. The road we lived on was a 'gathering of family' Aunts, Uncles, Cousins and many more. We were allowed to wander and 'visit' with all of our family. What an education this was for us, as we grew older when we 'dropped in' if there was something anyone of our family needed help with - we helped, thus learning a skill as we visited.

 

 

Baba Nastia's Zucchini Noodles

 

Served in a beautiful bowl gifted to me by my sister

Wendy and sitting on a lovely tablecloth - a Christmas

gift from Azam & Ahmen - our in laws who live

in Tehran, Iran.

The ingredients you will need.

 The vegetables all chopped, sliced and ready for the pan.

Cheddar  cheese is grated and waiting to be sprinkled

 over top of the dish.

 

A bit of vegetable oil and butter heating

The onions, celery and green pepper are added to the

oil and butter and sauteing.

 

 

After a few minutes the sliced mushrooms are added to

the pan.

The diced zucchini is dropped into the pan and sauteed

a few more minutes.

The tomatoes are added to the vegetables.

Everything simmers away until the 'sauce' thickens

up a bit. 

Adding the cream cheese, stirring until it melts and creams

the sauce.

The dry noodles are added to the sauce.

Everything is tossed together nicely,

 

and topped with the shredded cheese.

 

Covered to sit about 12 - 20 minutes, the noodles

with absorb the sauce and thicken up.....

 

The finished dish.

 

It was just a few years ago that I started to make this dish, when living in Fort St John someone kept leaving zucchini on my doorstep. This was one of the recipes I used it in. Quick, simple and contains many vegetables. I have adapted this recipe by adding a few ingredients like mushrooms as our family is a big fan.

Auntie Nastia's Zucchini Noodles Recipe

1 medium onion, chopped

2 stalks celery, chopped

1 green pepper, chopped

1 hot pepper ( optional) minced

Saute these ingredients in 1 Tablespoon of butter and 2 Tablespoons of vegetable oil

- approximately 3-4 minutes

1 cup sliced mushrooms

I add the mushrooms after the above ingredients have sautéed their 3-4 minutes.

Saute the mushrooms another minutes then add:

3 cups tomatoes, canned or fresh (if using fresh tomatoes, chop them)

Cook this another 3-4 minutes until the 'sauce' starts to thicken a bit

then add:

2 cups zucchini, chopped and cook another 3-5 minutes.

Stir in: 2 Tablespoons light cream cheese

To this add:

1 bag of the 'fat' FarKay chowmein noodles, toss to coat them evenly with the sauce.

My Aunt Nastia used her homemade egg noodles (which I will use if I have a batch made up)

Sprinkle approximately 1/2 cup of grated Cheddar cheese over top and cover with a lid.

Let this sit until the noodles soften up and absorb some of the sauce, approximately 10 minutes.

Enjoy with a green salad.

 

 

'In the garden I tend to drop my thoughts here and there. To the flowers I whisper the secrets I keep and the hopes I breathe. I know they are there to eavesdrop for the angels.'

 

MUSHROOM CHOWMEIN

Chowmein, stirfry, chinese noodles, tofu all favorites in this home of ours.  Today we travel to China (via Prince Rupert) because I was first introduced to this recipe (now revised a few times) by a good friend that I met while living in Prince Rupert.  Rosalie is from a Japanese family, married to a Dutchman.  We visited many times in one home or another, shared Thanksgiving dinners with their  family of 5.  Rosalie introduced this Chowmein to our family at least 18 years ago  and I have been making it ever since.
With Chinese food you can choose from many vegetables, noodles and sauces - it can be a very healthy way to eat. 

Mushroom  Chowmein

 



The ingredients you will need.

 

Sunflower and sesame oil in the pan.

 

To this the 'meatless' chicken strips are added to

be sauteed for a minute before adding the garlic chili paste.

 

 My boys like some heat in their food so

I like to add 1-2 Tablespoons of this to the protein.

I will use Tofu (cubed) or a 'meatless' product.

 

 

 The 'meatless' chicken sauteeing in the spicey chili garlic paste

for a minute.

 

 To the protein I then add the sliced onion sauteeing another minute.

Add the sliced celery and shredded carrot. Saute

for another minute.

 

 I love shitake mushrooms (and they are very healthy too)

 so I will add these as well as button mushrooms.

 

Toss everything together and saute another minute or two,

adding some of the vegetable broth if too dry.

Lastly adding the steamed chinese noodles.

Pour some more broth over the noodles (not too wet, they will steam

in the oven some more) Mix well and cover.

  The pot is ready to go into a 300 degree oven for approximately

30 minutes. 

SAUERKRAUT 'my Grandmother's recipe'

Sauerkraut, so good and so good for  you.

I grew up eating homemade sauerkraut, my parents, grandparents always

had a vegetable garden and growing in it were rows and rows of

beautiful heads of cabbage.  In another row one can see a lovely line

of beet tops and it's red heads buried in the ground, nice and firm and plump

just waiting to  be picked and made into borscht, cabbage rolls and of

course  tangy, zippy sauerkraut.  

I remember making the sauerkraut in crocks and storing in our root cellar.

 We  always had 'red sauerkraut' coloured this way

 with beets from the gardens.  My family loves to snack on sauerkraut, I love to

 put it into bread ' pyrohi' (tarts)  as well as our 'vareniki', we also love to eat

it with a soup called 'Halooshki'  (dumpling soup) so, so tasty.

As a snack we like to cut out the 'fermented wedge of cabbage' aka sauerkraut into  chunks

drizzle a bit of oil on top and enjoy perhaps with a slice of freshly baked bread......oh the memories

sure to take me back home......comfort food for sure.

 

....Sauerkraut as immune booster
One of the not so secret benefits of sauerkraut is the boost it gives to immune systems. Packed with vitamins and minerals, sauerkraut has been used as a lay immune booster for centuries.Sauerkraut contains phytochemicals which are created during the fermentation process. These naturally occurring, beneficial by products of sauerkraut help boost the immune system which leads to a decrease in a number of health problems. Eating sauerkraut is a great way to protect the balance of bacteria in your gastrointestinal tract. Sauerkraut is one of the few foods that contain the bacterium Lactobacilli plantarum. L. ....

 

SAUERKRAUT

 

The finished batch.....so pretty....so easy.

 

The ingredients you will need.

 

The brine (salt and water) on the stove coming to a boil.

 The gallon jar is sterilized, the cabbage is sliced into wedges

and the raw beets into thin slices.

The wedges of cabbage and put into a large  bowl

and covered in boiling water for 30 minutes,

then drained.

 

A few slices of the beets are added to the bottom

of the gallon jar.

 Layer the wedges of the drained cabbage

between slices of the beet until you have

filled the jar and used up all of your cabbage.

 

Layering the cabbage and beets slices to maximize

the space in the gallon jar.

Here is a view  of the layering... I sometimes

add raw horseradish slices to this for a bit more flavour.

 

Cabbage and beets are all in the gallon

jar, brine has been poured to cover the cabbage.   Do not  seal the jar,

leave on counter for at least 4 days ( sometimes it takes longer)

until you see bubbles ( fermentation) taste occasionally to see how 'sour'it is -

and if it's to your liking then it's time to refrigerate.  You may need to add a bit more brine

as the cabbage will absorb some of the brine as the process starts to work.

 

Day 2 on the counter.

Make sure to leave the lid off (covered only with plastic wrap)  the gases

will expand and bubble, you don't want the jar exploding on you.

This will keep in the fridge until you are done eating it!

You can shred your cabbage and follow the same steps as above.

 

SAUERKRAUT RECIPE

 

1 large head of cabbage, cut into wedges or shredded

Boiling water

   1 large beet, cut into 1/4 inch slices

Brine: (for a  1 gallon jar)

9 cups water

1/2 cup salt

 

Cut your cabbage into 1/4 inch wedges, cover with boiling water.

Let stand for 30 minutes, drain and set aside.

For the Brine:

Bring water and salt to a boil, simmer until salt dissolves.

Layer your cabbage  wedges then a few beet slices and

continue to do this until all cabbage is in the jar.

Pour in brine to cover the top of the cabbage.  

 Cover with plastic wrap or dish towel and let

sit on the counter for at least 4 days (it will depend on how warm it is in your kitchen)

After about 4 (and sometimes as long as 7) days  you will see  bubbles forming

on top, the fermentation process has begun.  Taste the 'juice' to see how

'sour' it is.  If it is not sour enough (to your liking) let it sit a few more days.

Then refrigerate until needed.