Nutty For Fall/Lentil-Nut Loaf

What a wonderful week I had! The sewing expo was a blast, a lot of work, but a blast. So many lovely compliments on my classes. 

After talking and standing on my feet for 3 days, I need a comfort day, a nice hot bath with lots of Epsom salts for my tired body, and a lentil-nut loaf to feed my soul.

This nut loaf recipe is something that I have been making for years. I absolutely love it! It's chuck full of protein, eggs, nuts, and lentils. Variations can be made. Shredded carrots make a wonderful addition, as does chopped and sauteed kale or spinach. 

The recipe is below. If it sounds good, just click on "printable recipe" and you'll be good to go!  

Lentil-Nut Loaf
printable recipe

ingredients;

2 cups cooked lentils
4 cloves garlic minced
3 stalks celery chopped
1 large onion chopped
1 cup bread crumbs
2/3 cup oats
1 cup chopped walnuts
1 cup chopped pecans
6 eggs beaten
1 tablespoon dried basil
2 teaspoons dried thyme
1 teaspoon dried sage
1 28 oz. can diced tomatoes
Salt and black pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Cook lentils according to package directions.
Saute onions and celery until tender. Add minced garlic and saute for about a minute longer. 

Mix in lentils, basil, thyme, sage, salt, pepper and set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, beat eggs. Add bread crumbs, oats, walnuts, pecans and mix well. 

Add lentil mixture and stir well. Add diced tomatoes. 

Grease 2 loaf pans and divide lentil-nut mixture between the 2 pans.

Place in preheated oven and bake for 1 hour, or until set. 

Slice and serve with sauteed mushrooms or your favorite tomato sauce. 

What I especially enjoy is that the recipe makes 2 loaves, so I have one for now, and one for later. Wrap well and store in the freezer until you're ready for the second loaf. 

I also make open face sandwiches out of the loaf. A little vegan mayo on a slice of good bread, some greens of your choice and a slice of tomato, and you'll have a wonderful lunch!

Hope you enjoy the loaf as much as I do if you give it a try :)
Rhonda 

Sunday's Salad/Mediterranean Summer Salad

I haven't posted a recipe in quite a while, but this one, at least in my opinion :), is well worth the wait. I originally made the salad during the winter, but for lack of a better name, I'm calling it a Mediterranean Summer Salad. It's light, and yet hearty enough for a main entree when you would like a lighter meal. For those of you who are vegan, it's perfect as it's full of protein.

Easy, easy to put together, just begin with mixed greens, about 3 cups. I like to tear them up a bit before I add the rest of the ingredients.

Top with 1/2 cup of cooked and cooled quinoa.

Next, 4 large, or 6 small radishes thinly sliced.

Chop 1/2 of a fennel bulb. The spicy aspect of the radishes mixes perfectly with the slightly sweet taste of the fennel.

Now add 1/4 cup of toasted and cooled chopped walnuts. If you are in a hurry, delete the toasting, but if you have time, the toasting of the walnuts adds a nice flavor. 

Chop 1 small avocado.
 

Toss the salad and set aside.

The dressing is so, so good. By all means, don't skip this step!
You'll need;
1/3 cup tahini (sesame seed paste)
1/3 cup of good olive oil
1 clove of garlic smashed and finely chopped
juice of 3 fresh lemons
Sea salt and black pepper to taste
Mix well. 

Dish up the salad, be sure to dig to the bottom as the good bits always fall to the bottom of the bowl. Drizzle the salad dressing over, dig in and enjoy! A warning, the dressing is so good that you'll want to eat it right out of the bowl!!!

The salad will make 2 large entree servings, or 4 side servings. Just increase ingredients for a larger crowd.
 

Mediterranean Summer Salad

Yield: 2 Entrée servings, or 4 side servings

Ingredients:

3 cups of mixed greens

¼ cup cooked and cooled quinoa

4 large, or 6 small sliced radishes

½ bulb fennel chopped

¼ cup chopped and toasted walnuts

1 small avocado chopped

Salad Dressing

1/3 cup tahini (sesame seed paste)

1/3 cup olive oil

1 clove garlic smashed and finely chopped

Juice of 3 lemons

Sea Salt and Black Pepper to taste

Directions

Mix all salad ingredients.

Stir to combine salad dressing ingredients.

To serve, drizzle salad dressing over salad and enjoy! 

Sunday's Supper/Fettuccine with Walnuts, Lemon and Herbs

Happy Sunday All! I'm quite early with this post today, and it may be a good thing as it will give you time to pop over to the store and pick up any ingredients that you don't have and make this pasta for yourself. Trust me, your mouth will be happy if you do :) Aromatic herbs, lemon and walnuts over pasta? YUM!!!
The recipe that I'm sharing today comes from a very interesting website called, Not Without Salt. The blog is written by Ashley who began her career plating desserts at Spago in Beverly Hills. On her way to becoming a pastry chef, she found out she was pregnant, and life changed. Ashley believes that good food is simple, and her blog is about helping us eat well and enjoy the process of cooking. Her posts are beautifully written. 
This pasta is so easy to make and there are only a few ingredients, but the flavor almost jumps out of the bowl.

The recipe that is posted was adapted from a recipe found on another website, so changes are easy to make based on your tastes. Once again, I made a few changes.
You can find the recipe HERE, and my changes are below. 
*I used 2 cups of chopped parsley rather than just 1.
*Rather than just the rosemary, I used a mix of fresh rosemary and thyme.
*I added broccoli to my pasta
*I used Romano rather than Parmesan cheese. I like the sharper taste of Romano cheese.
*And finally, I added a little of my red pepper mix. I like to grow Habeneros, Cayenne, and Jalapenos in the summer. Once they are harvested, I let them dry and then I grind them down to use as seasoning.     

The fresh herbs and the grated lemon rind smelled heavenly as they cooked. 

When I add broccoli to my pasta, I like to add the broccoli to the boiling pasta 2 minutes before the pasta is ready to drain. Works perfectly. The broccoli is steamed and yet still has a bit of a crunch. 

All the ingredients have been combined and the pasta is ready to serve. 

My husband said that the addition of the walnuts made the pasta all the more special.
This is a pasta that not only your family will enjoy, but it would be lovely for a dinner party as well. In fact, I don't think anyone would miss not having meat. The pasta would be great paired with the Tomato and Roasted Lemon Salad that I posted HERE.
Enjoy!
Rhonda