Mains

Lentil Chickpea Loaf

1/2 c dried lentils 1/2 onion, chopped 3 carrots, chopped 1 can chickpeas, drained 1.5 cup bread crumbs or crumbled crackers or oats 1 can peas 2 flax eggs (2 tbsp flax meal + 6 tbsp water) or 6 tbsp of aquafaba (chickpea can liquid) 3 tbsp ketchup 2 tsp salt 1-2 tsp herbs Sprinkle pepper Sauce: 3 tbsp ketchup 3 tsp balsamic vinegar 1 tsp maple syrup

Cook lentils (1/2 c lentils to 1.5 c water for 30 mins) and let them cool until all water is absorbed. You can use fresh, frozen, or canned veggies. I sautéed half an onion and three small carrots in a bit of oil until carrots started to soften. Other yummy veggies would be celery, green beans, or potatoes. When lentils are cooked, mash them in a big bowl with chickpeas and bread crumbs. Then stir in peas, onion and carrot mix, two flax eggs or aquafaba or other vegan “egg”, 3 tbsp ketchup, a couple tsp salt, a couple tsp herbs (I used a blend of thyme, sage, and rosemary) and some shakes of pepper. Season to your liking! If you want some more texture in your loaf you can add some chopped walnuts or pecans. You can then use straight up ketchup or bbq sauce on top, but I like to mix about 3 tbsp ketchup, 3 tsp balsamic, and 1 tsp maple syrup in a little bowl. Smooth lentil mix into a loaf pan and spread half of sauce on top. Bake for 20 minutes on 350°, add second half of sauce, then bake for 20 more.

Mushroom and Walnut Tamales in Chile Colorado

Chile colorado sauce 5.5 c water 6 dried Guajillo chiles 6 dried Ancho chiles 4 garlic cloves ½ onion 2 tsp cumin 2 tbsp oil salt and pepper to season

Masa 6 cups masa harina 2 tsp baking powder 2 c. vegetable oil 5 cups chile broth 2 tbsp salt

Filling 2 tbsp oil 3 packages mushrooms, chopped 1 cup Walnuts, chopped 2 bay leaves 5 garlic cloves, chopped ½ white onion, chopped 2 tsp cumin 3 tsp salt chile colorado sauce

Soak husks for one hour at the least, and overnight at the most in warm water in a large bowl or pot.

Begin by making the chile colorado sauce. Deseed and destem all chiles. Cook in 5.5 cups water with garlic and onion (no need to chop) on medium-hi for about 15 minutes. Strain and blend with .5 cup of the chile broth, cumin, oil, and salt and pepper to taste, and reserve the rest of the broth (about 5 cups) for masa.

Mix masa harina by hand with baking powder, vegetable oil, chile broth, and 2 tbsp salt. Add two big spoonfuls of chile colorado sauce and mix into the masa.

For the filling, sautee in oil the mushrooms, walnuts, bay leaves, garlic, onion, cumin, and salt with the rest of the chile sauce (about 6-8 big serving spoons). Cook until mushrooms are soft and then remove bay leaves. Add 3 tsp salt.

Set up your station with soaked husks, masa, and filling. Coat each husk with a layer of masa, fill with the mushroom walnut mix, then fold over the sides of the husk and finish by folding the top piece down. Do this until you’ve run out of ingredients. Place them in a large steaming pot with the open ends of the husks facing up and steam on high for 45 min to 1 hour. Buen provecho!

Seitan Loaf

¾ cup refried beans 2 cloves garlic 3 tbsp soy sauce 2 tbsp vegetable oil 2 cups vital wheat gluten 1/2 cup nutritional yeast 1 tsp garlic powder 1 tsp onion powder 1 tsp dried sage 1 tsp dried rosemary 1 tsp dried thyme 1 tsp salt ½ tsp pepper 1 ½ cups water

Preheat oven to 350°. In a food processor, combine beans, garlic, soy sauce, and vegetable oil until smooth. In a mixing bowl, combine vital wheat gluten, nutritional yeast, garlic powder, onion powder, sage, rosemary, thyme, salt, and pepper. Add bean mixture to the dry mix and stir until combined. Mix in water until the dough gets thick, and knead for a few minutes. Form dough into a 10 by 5 inch loaf. Wrap it in parchment paper, then in aluminum foil. Bake on a cookie sheet for 1.5 hours. Remove from oven, remove parchment paper and aluminum foil, and let rest for 10 minutes before slicing.