Okay, so the past few days I have felt a little blah. Tired. What’s the first thing I do? Consider my diet. What’s missing? IRON!! This prompted a search for some of the best iron-rich food sources for a plant-based diet, which lead to … lentils. You can read more about lentil’s here. This recipe is adapted from The Simple Veganista’s vegetable lentil loaf, and, oh my, did it turn out delicious. I had to tweak a few ingredients due mainly to not having them in my pantry. This recipe was approved by my boyfriend, a connoisseur of meatloaf.

Ingredients:

Loaf

1 cup dry lentils (I used green)

2 1/2 cups water

3 tablespoons flaxseed meal (ground flaxseeds)

1/3 cup water

2 tablespoons olive oil for sauteing

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 large onion, finely diced

1 carrot, finely diced or grated

1 1/4 cup rolled oats

1 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp cracked pepper

1 tsp chilli powder (more or less)

Sea salt to taste

Glaze

1/2 cup marinara sauce

2 Tbsp pure maple syrup

Instructions:

Rinse lentils and place them in a large pot with 2 1/2 cups of water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer for 40 minutes. Remove lid and set aside to cool. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9 inch loaf pan with nonstick cooking spray or line with parchment paper. Mix flaxseed meal and 1/3 cup water in a small bowl and place in the refrigerator to set for about 10 minutes. Place large pan over medium heat and add olive oil. Once oil is hot, add in garlic, onion, and carrots. Saute for about 5 minutes or until onions are translucent and carrots begin to soften a bit. Transfer to a large bowl and add in the rest of the spices. Using a blender or food processor, blend 3/4 of the lentils. Transfer to the bowl with the sauteed veggies, and stir in the remaining lentils along with the oats and flaxseed meal. Add salt and pepper to taste. Add mixture to prepared loaf pan, pressing and smoothing to the side to make sure it bakes evenly. Prepare glaze by combining marinara and maple syrup in a small bowl. Spread over the loaf and bake for 45 minutes. Remove from heat and cool for 5-10 minutes.

*Adapted from Simple Veganista

Serves: 5-8