lentil mushroom loaf

INGREDIENTS
1 cup green or brown lentils, cooked (or cook 1/2 cup lentils beforehand)
1+1/2 cup quinoa, cooked (or cook 1/2 cup dry quinoa beforehand)
2 large carrots, grated
3 ribs celery, grated
1 medium onion, diced finely
16 oz mushrooms, diced finely (they will shrink a lot)
3-4 cloves garlic, minced
3 tbsp ground flax seeds, mixed with 9 tbsp water
3/4 to 1 cup oat flour (or use chickpea flour) (see note 1)
Flavorings (mix and match to taste, see note 2)
3 tbsp nutritional yeast
1 tsp smoked paprika
1 tsp apple cider vinegar
1 tsp salt (or to taste)
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1 tbsp reduced sodium tamari (see note 3)
2 tbsp tahini, optional
Optional Glaze (see note 4)
3 tbsp tomato paste
1 tbsp reduced sodium tamari/soy sauce/NoSoy
1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp sriracha, optional
1 teaspoon maple syrup, optional
INSTRUCTIONS
If your lentils and quinoa are not cooked: Cook the lentils and quinoa in vegetable broth or water. Start by adding 2 1/2 cups of broth and the lentils to a pot and bring to a boil. Turn down the heat and simmer for 15 minutes. Then add the quinoa and cook another 10-15 minutes until everything is pretty soft, adding more broth as needed to keep it from sticking to the pot. You want the lentils to be easily mushed with a spoon. Drain any remaining liquid. If you are preparing everything at once, start prepping your veggies while the lentils and quinoa are cooking.
Mash it up: Mash about 2/3 of the cooked lentils and quinoa with a fork until they are fairly mushy, but leave some intact for texture.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (or 176 degrees C).
Cook the Veggies: Cook the veggies on the stove top in a large skillet. Start by sauteing your onion in a little water until translucent, about 4 minutes. Then add the garlic and saute another minute. Add your mushrooms and saute another 3 minutes. Finally, add the celery and carrots and saute everything until soft, about 4 more minutes.
DRAIN YOUR VEGGIES: Drain the veggies in a mesh colander, and add to the bowl with your lentils and quinoa. Do NOT skip the draining step–if your mixture is too wet it will not hold together.
Assemble the loaf: Add everything else except the glaze ingredients. Mix everything together well. If the mixture is too wet or sticky, add more oat flour. If it’s too dry and crumbly, add more tamari/soy sauce, tahini and/or another flax egg. Add the mixture to parchment-lined (see picture in article above) loaf tin (or muffin cups).
Glaze it up: Mix together your glaze (you can also just use BBQ sauce or another ketchup if you like). If you want more to paint on after it’s baked, make a double batch. Brush on your glaze, or use a spatula to spread it over the top.
Bake: Bake uncovered for 32-40 minutes. I find the sweet spot for me is about 35 minutes, but just check often. If doing muffins I would check it at 25 minutes. You’ll notice the glaze is no longer shiny and should feel much firmer to the touch and be lightly browned (if you can see any edges under your glaze).
Serve: Serve loaf hot with anything you like, such as garlic mashed potatoes with mushroom gravy!
Store: Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days, if your linebacker-sized husband doesn’t eat it all in one night with his linebacker appetite. Not that I know anyone like that. This loaf freezes well too–wrap it tightly in saran wrap and then freezer paper. Freeze up to 3 months.