mushroom lentil loaf

The holidays are coming up, as is the cold weather. With end-of-the-year work and family obligations, it's hard to find time to catch up with good friends, that's why now's the time to organize a Thursday night get together. I'm off to a Foodie Friendsgiving potluck dinner tonight, and wanted to bring something special and flavorful to the table. I always have a batch of cooked grains and cooked legumes onhand as part of my weekly meal prep, so it's easier to throw this together.

ingredients

FOR THE LOAF

1 1/2 cup cooked lentils

1 1/2 cup cooked quinoa

2 Tbsp chia seeds + 6 Tbsp water

2 Tbsp olive oil

1/2 onion, peeled and chopped

1 stalk celery, chopped

3 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped

16 oz cremini mushrooms, chopped

2 tsp Simply Organic ground sage

1/2 cup walnuts

2 Tbsp nutritional yeast

1 tsp sea salt

1/2 tsp Simply Organic black pepper

FOR THE CRANBERRY JAM

2 cups fresh cranberries

1 orange, zest and juice

1/8 tsp Simply Organic ginger powder

1/4 cup maple syrup

Place everything into a small saucepan. On medium heat, let the cranberries cook and pop, mashing them for 7-9 minutes until thickened. Puree if desired

method

Preheat oven to 400°F. Combine the chia seeds and water in a small bowl and set aside. Heat the oil in a large frying pan, sauté the onion and celery for 5-7 minutes until translucent. Add the garlic, mushrooms, and herbs, and cook for a further 2 minutes. Set aside in a colander to let cool and to drain out the liquid.
Process the walnuts. Add all the remaining ingredients and pulse a few times to combine. Spoon into the loaf pan, pressing it in well with the back of a spoon. Bake for 1 1/2 hours. Poke holes in the loaf after halfway through to release the steam. Let rest for 15 minutes before turning the loaf out to cool. Evenly spread the Cranberry Jam on top. Bake mini loaves for 50 minutes.

NOTE: Layers of color to make this more festive. Here I have 1 cup sweet potato puree and 1/8 tsp Simply Organic smoked paprika for the orange layer; 4 cups of shredded spinach that was sautéed and processed with 1/2 cup walnuts for the green layer. Make sure to squeeze out any excess liquid before adding to the loaf.

This article was created in partnership with Simply Organic and FeedFeed.

All opinions expressed are my own. Visit Simply Organic to find more ways to plan your #ThursdayMoments and enter their giveaway.