Vegan MOFO day 24- Lentil Loaf and Acorn Squash

So it's officially the last day of November, and therefore last day of the MOFO. This is my first year of blogging, and I think I did a pretty good job during Vegan MOFO. I tried my best to blog everyday, and I made it 24 out of 30 days. I'm going to keep blogging, but definitely not at a MOFO pace :)

It was super fun to have so many more readers that I used to have, and I appreciate every one of you that reads this blog. I definitely loved finding so many other blogs, and reading about the amazing vegan food y'all are cooking. I love vegan cooking a lot, and it's so rewarding for me to share my ideas/food with other people.

Tonight I decided to make a lentil loaf, as I haven't had "meat"loaf in a long time. I discovered that smashing brown rice and cooked lentil creates a very meaty texture a few years ago, and I thought it was time to do it again. Alongside the loaf, I cooked an acorn squash. My parents bought a whole bushel of squash, so I got some to take home when I was over there the other day. For this squash, I cut it in half, put a lil EB on the top and baked at 400 for 1 hr.

The hubby and I were very happy with dinner, and looking forward to cold lentil loaf sandwiches for lunch tomorrow!

for the lentil loaf:
cooked green lentils (made from 1 cup uncooked)
2 cups cooked brown rice
3 shallots- chopped
garlic powder
onion powder
chili powder
1 serious squirt of ketchup
1 splash of soy milk
salt and pepper
more ketchup for the top

-yeah, i didn't really measure much when i was making this, i just kept adding ingredients and tasting to see what else i thought it needed (serious perk of vegan cooking, uncooked food=not poison)
-i smashed the lentils and brown rice together with a potato masher, then added all the seasoning.
-i put it in a greased loaf pan, topped it with ketchup
-bake at 400 for 45 min :)

dal, beets&spinach and easy vegan naan bread

I really enjoy Indian food, however I have no idea at all how to make it authentically. I enjoy playing around with lentils, spices, veggies and coconut milk to make 'curries.' Tonight I made a Dal with red lentils.

ingredients:
1 Tb peanut oil
1/2 c. chopped onion
1 tsp mustard seeds
pinch of red pepper flakes
1 inch grated fresh ginger
1 clove grated garlic
1 Tb garam masala
salt to taste
1 c. red lentils
2 c. water

1) heat up oil, add onion and mustard seeds, sauteed for a couple minutes, until the onion is slightly softened
2) add red pepper flakes, ginger, garlic, garam masala and salt, cook for a few minutes until nice and fragrant
3) add lentils and water, cover and stir, cook on a low simmer until lentils are completedly softened (20-25 min). dal with look like a thick paste.
4) served with a dollop of vegan butter on top

I am a sucker for flatbreads, I call this "Naan bread" however, I believe it is closer to what is called "Roti" traditionally... it's delicious whatever its called! I like to make a big batch of this dough, after the first rise, I break it up into little balls and put in the freezer. Whenever we're having Indian food for dinner, I'll take a couple of dough balls out of the freezer, and leave in the fridge while we're at work. When it's time for dinner, just roll out the thawed dough and cook.

ingredients:
1 1/3 c. very warm water
2 tsp. sugar
2 tsp. active dry yeast
2 c. all purpose flour
1 c. white whole wheat flour
2 Tb olive oil
2 tsp salt
2 cloves garlic -crushed

1) combine sugar, yeast and water in a small bowl, mix until yeast is dissolved. let mixture sit for 10 minutes until foamy
2) put flour in a big bowl. make a well in center, add oil, salt, garlic and the yeast mixture. mix thoroughly with hands to form a dough ball.
3) place dough a well floured surface, knead for five minutes. add a bit more flour as needed.
4) place kneaded dough in a slightly greased bowl, cover with plastic wrap and let rise for 1 1/2 hours.
5) knead dough a little, let sit for 5 minutes. break dough up into 2 inch balls (16-18 dough balls). flatten and roll out with rolling pin into little circles.
6) cook in cast iron skillet for 4 minutes on each side (med heat), the bread is done when browned and slightly crispy

I had some beets in the refrigerator, so I decided to make a beet side for the dal and bread. I roasted the beets in the toaster oven until cooked (wrapped in aluminum foil, bake for 35-45 min at 375 degrees). I combined this with a box of frozen spinach, to get some greens into dinner.

ingredients:
5 roasted beets, cut into bite sized pieces
3/4 c. coconut milk
dash salt
curry powder to taste (2 Tb)
1 box frozen chopped spinach
3 Tb nutritional yeast

-combine ingredients in small sauce pan until well combined, and allow to simmer for 15 minutes over low-medium heat.