Wild Rice and Kidney Bean No-Meat Loaf {Vegan}

I've been a vegetarian for goodbye now, over 25 years in reality, that I without a doubt do not consider plenty approximately ingesting meat from my more youthful days except that I observed it basically a distasteful experience. However, I do don't forget playing my mother's signature meatloaf ? A advanced model of what's for lots households like my personal a traditional comfort food. While carnivores may not locate this vegan no-meat loaf made with crimson kidney beans, wild rice, solar-dried tomatoes, mushrooms, walnuts, herbs and spices an specific alternative, I will truly say that it isn't always intended to replace a conventional meatloaf however deserves to be liked in its own right.

Like a meatloaf, though, this bean and rice loaf is a big meal that sincerely does not take all that lengthy to put together once the wild rice and kidney beans are cooked and your components are assembled. It bakes for just over 30 minutes and can be made in advance of time and reheated, so it's particularly appropriate for planning food earlier. It's additionally an excellent desire for a holiday entr?E, because although humble in appearance it is full of taste and substance. After making this loaf twice already in a brief time frame to best the balance of tastes and textures, I can effectively say that those carnivores will no longer miss the beef.

In addition to the heartiness of the kidney beans, wild rice lends a nutty and earthy taste and a chewy texture that makes a slice of this loaf stand out at the palate. It can be a touch bit crumbly, which in large part depends on how finely you narrow the elements, but mashing the wild rice in addition to the kidney beans will increase the possibilities that your loaf will hold collectively higher. But in no way will even a little crumbliness have an effect on the scrumptious experience of eating it.

Other savory loaves to try from Lisa's Kitchen:

Mushroom Nut Roast in Puff Pastry

Portobello Mushroom Wellington

Spicy Lentil Quinoa Nut Loaf

Quinoa Loaf

Azuki Beans in a Fragrant Spicy Tomato Gravy

The colorful little crimson bean spelled variously as azuki, aduki or adzuki is also recognised every now and then as the red mung bean, with which it stocks no longer only a visual attraction however additionally a delicate sweetness. But even as mung beans are broadly utilized in savory arrangements, it's much more hard to locate savory dishes offering azuki beans which can be a ways greater frequently clearly boiled with sugar to make a sweet pink bean paste. This is a abnormal shortage due to the fact each beans are an high-quality foundation for savory cooking.

In truth, these jewel-like beans may be used in any recipe calling for mung beans, however there are variations ? The azuki bean has a richer and nuttier taste than the inexperienced mung bean which has a incredibly earthier taste and texture, so the two beans truly do upload a distinct individual to the dish they are brought to.

These azuki beans cooked in tomatoes and spices are clean to prepare and cross nicely with a facet grain including rice. Frying the spices in oil earlier than adding the beans provides a pleasant smokiness further to the heat that makes clean combined greens dressed with a fundamental vinaigrette a clean supplement to this meal.

Other azuki bean recipes from Lisa's Vegetarian Kitchen:

Spicy Adzuki Beans with Sun-Dried Tomatoes and Mushrooms

Roasted Carrot and Azuki Bean Salad

Spicy Azuki Bean Risotto

Yunnan Stir-Fried Azuki Beans and Green Pepper

This is my contribution to My Legume Love Affair, a month-to-month occasion celebrating the goodness all things legumes, began by using lovable Susan of The Well Seasoned Cook, administered with the aid of me in view that 2013, and stored going by folks who so kindly guest host every month. Shaheen of Allotment2Kitchen is web hosting for March 2019, so please see her post for details and to make contributions a vegetarian legume creation this time round.

Kasha Mixed Mushroom Gratin

In North America, kasha refers to roasted buckwheat groats or kernels. Roasting the groats brings out a strong nutty flavor that makes kasha a popular grain in japanese European cooking in which it's miles loved not simplest as a porridge however also in savory dishes like soups where its corporation and chewy texture makes for an delivered attraction. And due to the fact buckwheat isn't a grain in truth but a seed that cooks like a grain, it is gluten loose too.

It has been a long term considering that I have loved the goodness of kasha, however a habitual cleanup of my cupboards discovered a unfortunately forgotten jar of it. I've been looking to blend up my grains recently anyhow, and cracked buckwheat is often a favourite breakfast cereal porridge that I serve heat with fresh berries and maple syrup. So I changed into immediately inspired to prepare dinner with kasha again, and although it might also make for a high-quality breakfast too, I wanted to function it as part of a main meal considering grains normally occupy a reasonably distinguished role in my dinner making plans.

I've prepared kasha here to function a aspect dish to go along with a primary route. The nutty taste of kasha pairs superbly with plump earthy mushrooms, and so seasoned with dill, paprika and a hint of warmth with floor cayenne, it bakes in a small casserole or gratin dish to form a tantalizing brown crust on top.

This recipe is vegan-pleasant as it is freed from dairy in case you use coconut milk to feature creaminess, however you may use bitter cream instead to make the dish extra in keeping with japanese European traditions. Either manner, it is a scrumptious and smooth to make side dish.

Other baked grain dishes from Lisa's Vegetarian Kitchen:

Baked Quinoa and Vegetable with Paneer Cheese

Baked Tempeh and Black Japonica Rice Casserole

Baked Mushroom Risotto

Roasted Eggplant Involtini {Vegan}

Involtini is an Italian phrase that refers to little "bundles" that function a few kind of filling wrapped in an outer layer. Sometimes known as rollatini in the U.S., it means basically the same kind of meals however it isn't a time period that would be used in Italy. Often served up as little bites in between food or as an appetizer, the filling of an involtini may also encompass meat, seafood, nuts, cheese or veggies, even as the outer layer is every so often skinny slices of meat, seafood or greens. Eggplant involtini is a vegetarian classic offering eggplant as the outer layer, and the filling is often a cheese-based combination with herbs, simmered with tomato sauce. The opportunities are many indeed and fodder for keen cooks.

Though for years I have been especially smitten with trying new approaches to function the undeservedly spurned eggplant, until now I had no longer made eggplant involtini. The version I offer up right here isn't always handiest vegetarian however vegan-friendly too. The filling ? Wrapped up in slices of gently fried eggplant ? Is a wealthy blend of roasted eggplant, tomato, onion and garlic, in conjunction with olives, sun-dried tomatoes and herbs. These involtini are quite hearty and tremendous, and are intended to be served as a part of a prime meal as opposed to as hors d'oeuvres.

I had some frozen homemade marinara sauce that had been left over from a previous dish. I thawed that and used it for a tomato sauce that tops the eggplant rolls and, as it turned into a corpulent portobello marinara sauce, it delivered a whole new element to the dish. Any proper tomato sauce will do, so make your very own ahead of time or purchase your favourite prepared jarred variety from your nearby grocer.

I organized these involtini as a part of special Italian themed meal for a quiet and intimate dining revel in. This stylish eggplant dish ended up being the superstar of the meal, and it become served with a heavenly home made rustic bread with olives and a Puy lentil soup with Swiss chard and Arborio rice.

Other eggplant dishes to enjoy:

Eggplant and Tomato Caponata

Eggplant Quinoa Bites with Pesto

Baked Eggplant Stuffed with Curried Vegetables

Stuffed Eggplant Poriyal

Eggplant in a Tahini Mustard Sauce

Quick and Easy Tahini Ginger Cookies

My obsession with all matters tahini in each assisting and starring roles in each sweet and savory creations continues. On the candy side of the equation, I recently made ginger cookies wherein tahini takes the location of nut butters which can be more usually utilized in cookies.

Although these are clearly ginger cookies, the ginger taste ? Supplied by means of the use of fresh grated ginger in place of powdered ? Is mellow permitting an excellent balance with the nutty sesame flavor of tahini. Slightly crunchy on the out of doors, with a soft and moist interior, this recipe handiest yields a small batch ? 10 cookies to be particular. But the recipe should without difficulty be doubled, and you may just want to remember doing just that. They aren't overly sweet, and you will have a batch of freshly baked cookies in hardly any time in any respect, for which keep-bought versions pretty frankly seem pale and pedestrian in contrast.

Other cookies recipes to strive from Lisa's Kitchen:

Tahini Oatmeal Chocolate Chunk Cookies

Pumpkin Chocolate Chunk Cookies

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chunk Teff Cookies

Healthy Peanut Butter Cookies

Cayenne Peanut Butter Cookies

Baby Potato, Red Kale and Cabbage Subji

As part of my menu making plans, I am conscious of the want to have a vegetable factor for the meal. This does no longer require lots idea if there are plenty of veggies in one of the predominant dishes I am making, but other instances, a aspect appears a vital and exquisite solution.

Subji (additionally sabzi), actually that means vegetable dish, is North Indian in starting place and may encompass any form of greens, although usually two or three are featured. A subji can be wet or dry, with various tiers of spiciness and warmth, relying on the technique and desire of the prepare dinner.

This subji includes pan-fried baby potatoes with purple kale, cabbage and caramelized onions, with a few gentle spicing to fill out the natural sweetness of the veggies used. I've made this subji fairly dry to focus on the earthy sweetness and multiplicity of textures of the vegetables, seeds and spices. It's any such filling aspect that it may almost serve as an entr?E if it were not for the truth that protein is usually attention too. I can without a doubt say, though, that it surely is a part of the main direction and much more than a humble aspect. For this dinner I paired the subji with yellow lemon rice with fried cashews and chickpeas smothered in a tangy tomato gravy, wherein the veggies honestly did not take a returned seat but enhanced the meal to a whole new level.

Other Indian potato recipes to attempt from Lisa's Kitchen:

Saag Aloo (Spinach and Potato Curry)

Aloo Gobi (Curried Cauliflower and Potatoes)

Tamarind Potatoes with Spices (Imli Aloo)

Aloo Mattar (Potato and Pea Curry)

Lentil Minestrone with Swiss Chard and Arborio Rice

Sometimes handiest lentils will do, and that they shine in all their reputedly humble glory in soups. Puy lentils (also called French lentils) are a fave of mine because of their precise earthy flavor and also because, unlike many different lentils, they maintain their form nicely, so presenting a chewy texture to that which they feature in.

Here the lentils feature in a hearty minestrone with earthy Swiss chard and Arborio rice, which I have used rather than the greater traditional inclusion of pasta. The rice provides extra chewiness, and proves a really perfect vehicle for the aromatic and rich flavors of the opposite components of the soup.

The soup can also be made in advance of time, and as it will thicken through the years, especially if made the day earlier than, absolutely add water to thin it out whilst reheating or serve unfold over a few toasted crusty bread to make a thoroughly fun bruschetta.

I made this soup as part of an intimate Mediterranean-themed meal for two, which additionally featured roasted dggplant involtini and a home made crusty bread with olives and herbs that I can be sharing quickly. In the meantime, in case you want to make a bread to go with this soup, you could need to don't forget this rustic sun-dried tomato bread, which could also proudly supplement the meal, as does a nice glass of sturdy red wine.

Other lentil soups to revel in from Lisa's Vegetarian Kitchen:

Puy Lentil and Tomato Soup

French Lentil Soup with Mushrooms, Sun-Dried Tomatoes and Kale

French-Style Lentil Soup with Goat Cheese

Beet, Lentil and Vegetable Soup

Roasted Red Pepper, Tomato and Lentil Soup with Dates and Lime

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