(Vegan-Friendly) Lentil Loaf

I'm sure you've all seen it, that commercial where the girl invites a guy over to her house for lunch and her mom prepares a nice meat and cheese tray for them to enjoy. The girl then says, "No, not good! He's a vegetarian!" and she and her mom quickly take to the internet to find some good vegetarian recipes (sadly, I couldn't find the commercial on the internet, so I've included Veganville with Justin Timberlake for your video link enjoyment instead). Now take the guy in the commercial and make him a vegan instead of a vegetarian. Obviously, your go-to dish is....? And pause. Crickets begin chirping. Ummmm... I don't have any tofu in the house, but fruits and veggies are vegan, right? Now what recipe do I have that I can I make using just those ingredients....? Hmmmm... let me look on the internet at my favorite cooking blog.

Have no fear, Cooking Cadenza is here! 

This recipe was inspired by my friend Daniel who joined my family for our Easter celebration this past Sunday. While my family's typical Easter brunch usually consists of vingadolge (Portuguese pickled pork), scrambled eggs, breakfast casserole (sausage, egg, cheese), and pastries, none of those foods are typically consumed by a vegan. So Daniel went ahead and sent me a recipe for lentil loaf, which when paired with veggies/fruits can make for a nice vegan dish. So next time you have a vegan joining you for dinner, you'll be prepared. Enjoy! 

(Vegan-Friendly) LENTIL LOAF

Servings: 6

Nutritional Information:

WW Points Plus: 5+ (not counting fruits/veggies), 7+ (fruits/veggies included)
Note: Nutritional value listed below is for 1/6 serving and includes all fruits/vegetables

Ingredients:

• 2 cups cooked lentils (about 1 c uncooked, with 3 cups water)
• 1/2 onion, chopped
• 1/2 c walnuts, chopped
• 24 Ritz crackers, crushed (about 1 cup)
• Bag of frozen vegetables
• Garlic salt, to taste
• 1 cup natural applesauce
• 1/2 cup ketchup
• Optional: 1/4 cup BBQ sauce, 1/4 cup oatmeal

Directions:

1. Cook lentils according to package directions. Be careful to not use too many lentils, as they will expand with the water (think quinoa/rice).
2. Preheat oven to 350° F.
3. Chop 1/2 onion and and set aside.
4. Crush about 24 crackers (or about 1 cup) and set aside.
5. When lentils are finished cooking, add in onion, walnuts, and crackers and stir.
6. Next, mix in the bag of frozen vegetables, applesauce, and ketchup, adding garlic salt to taste.
7. Pack mixture into a small baking pan and top with ketchup/barbeque sauce and sprinkle some oatmeal on top.
8. Bake for about 40 minutes and enjoy!