Meatloaf with lentils and veggies

The secret to my tasty meatloaf is to add in leftovers. I had some organic kale and sausage from the previous day as well as fiber from juicing vegetables for a morning health drink. It proved to be a great way to give my meatloaf a nutritional boost and add flavor as well. 

Instead of using 2 lbs of grass-fed ground beef I used 1 lb and the other lb was replaced with sprouted lentils. This saved money since lentils cost pennies compared to grass-fed beef. Plus Lentils offer plenty of protein, folate, iron, potassium, and fiber. 

 Sauteed celery and onions

 Sprouted lentils cooked with tomatoes, onions, and garlic for 10 minutes.

 Meatloaf is a great way to use up leftovers. I had some sausage and kale that needed eaten up so I blended it up with some garlic. 

 1 lb of grass-fed ground beef, 1 lb of sprouted/cooked lentils, tomatoes, onions, celery, kale, organic sausage, garlic, and fiber from juicing carrots/summer squash. 

 Instead of doing the typical meatloaf in a bread pan I baked them in a greased muffin pan. 

 After they have baked for 45 minutes they are ready to eat. Not the prettiest picture (I'm not a photographer by any means) but they tasted great, in fact we didn't even use ketchup!

Meatloaf

1 lb grass fed ground beef

1 lb of  sprouted lentils

15 oz diced tomatoes

2 Tbs ghee

1/2 onion, diced

2 garlic bulbs

2 celery stalks, chopped

1 cup kale, chopped

2 carrots, shredded (in this case I used fiber from juicing veggies)

1 oz Italian sausage (optional)

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

1/4 tsp ground black pepper

1 tsp sea salt

1 tsp of dried basil

1 tsp of fresh rosemary, diced

4 Tbs of Flax meal + water

1 1/2 cups gluten free bread crumbs (I used roughly blended oatmeal)

Directions

Soak the lentils for 12 hours. Drain and rinse 3 times over 24 hours or until they have sprouted.

Cook the lentils with 15 oz of diced tomatoes. Since they are sprouted it should only take 10 minutes.

Sauté the onion, celery,  garlic, and kale in 2 Tbs of ghee. Place in a food processor and blend so it is chunky. Don't puree it.

Preheat oven to 350

In a large mixing bowl  combine all of the ingredients.

Grease muffin tins and scoop the meatloaf into each cup and shape the top smooth. Bake for 45 minutes or until the temperature reads 170. 

Indian Mango Dal

I love Indian food! So I suppose it is a good thing I live in Seattle because I have soo many options! I was looking for lentil recipes a while back and found this one from Eating Well and decided to give it a try. Well I have made it several times now because it is really good!



This is a jar opener but it also does the trick to take the papery skin off of garlic


Slightly dampen a paper towel and wipe down mushrooms. You can do a quick rinse and then wipe them down but never soak mushrooms. They will absorb water and become rubbery and lose their flavor otherwise.


I still prefer to peel my mango and then dice it but the slice then scoop  method looks better on camera. So I changed things up a bit just for this post.


Now it’s ready to eat! Also you can see that there are mushroom in my picture but not in the actual recipe. I had some mushrooms that needed used up so I tossed them in and they tasted great and also gave a little more texture to the dish.

• 1 cup yellow lentils (I used brown but yellow would probably be “prettier”)
• 4 cups water
• 1 teaspoon salt, divided
• 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
• 2 Tbs coconut oil
• 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 2 ripe mangos, peeled and diced
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro

1. Place lentils in a colander and rinse until the water runs clear. Combine lentils, 4 cups water, 1/2 teaspoon salt and turmeric in a large saucepan. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer, partially cover and cook, stirring occasionally, for 15 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add cumin seeds and cook until fragrant and starting to brown, about 30 seconds. Add onion; cook, stirring, until soft and beginning to brown, 4 to 6 minutes. Add garlic, ginger, coriander, cayenne and the remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt and cook, stirring, for 1 minute more.
3. Stir the garlic mixture and mangoes into the lentils. Return to a simmer; cook, stirring occasionally, until the lentils are falling apart, 10 to 15 minutes more. Stir in cilantro

One last thing. I always cook up a huge pot of lentils and freeze what I don’t use. So I probably cook up 4 cups and then scoop out 2 cups once they are cooked to use with this dish.