I don’t eat too many Korean dishes these days but sometimes, I need something spicy and familiar. Occasionally, I’ll get a jar of kimchi from the Asian grocery store in Fort Walton, but it’s an hour away so I’m SOL if I’m not heading out that way. Now, I’m a fan of trying to replicate dishes at home, but kimchi is incredibly time consuming and difficult to make. So what’s a girl to do when she gets a hankering for kimchi? I say, improvise and make Paleo-friendly cucumber kimchi salad!
Since soy is a big no-no on the Paleo diet, I used approved ingredients like coconut aminos and Red boat fish sauce to achieve the right taste. And I must say, I was pretty impressed with the results. Continue reading →
This afternoon, I couldn’t stop thinking about rice. I was annoyed at dinner last night because I was forced to have my curry shrimp without any rice. It was good but it was missing something (rice, duh) so I didn’t thoroughly love it as I normally would. So it’s been bugging me all day today. When I want something, I must have it! Enter cauliflower: The fearless rice replacer.
When I was simply gluten free, I never missed pasta or bread because I was always eating rice. I ate rice quite often, especially since Brandon and I love all kinds of Asian foods: Thai, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, and even the occasional Indian dish. Rice is a huge part of Asian culture. I can attest to this, having grown up in a Korean household where we ate some form of Korean food (with rice) daily. And what’s not to like? It’s chewy, filling, and soaks up the flavor of whatever you’re eating with it. Continue reading →
A tribute to my humble beginnings, I share with you my lentil loaf recipe. Hearty, wholesome, and good for you, this lentil loaf is both easy to make and affordable. This is a perfect recipe for Meatless Monday, and is both gluten free and vegan friendly.
Servings
Prep Time
6servings
15minutes
Cook Time
1hour
Servings
Prep Time
6servings
15minutes
Cook Time
1hour
Humble Beginnings Lentil Loaf
Print Recipe
A tribute to my humble beginnings, I share with you my lentil loaf recipe. Hearty, wholesome, and good for you, this lentil loaf is both easy to make and affordable. This is a perfect recipe for Meatless Monday, and is both gluten free and vegan friendly.
Servings
Prep Time
6servings
15minutes
Cook Time
1hour
Servings
Prep Time
6servings
15minutes
Cook Time
1hour
Ingredients
1 3/4cupsbrown lentils
2cupscooked brown rice
4cupsvegetable broth or water
1largewhite onion, chopped(or 2 smalls)
2clovesgarlic, minced or grated
1tbspvegetable or olive oil
1/2cup + 2 tbsppasta sauce, your choice(or ketchup, if preferred)
Bring water or vegetable broth to a boil. Add lentils and simmer, covered, for 35 to 40 minutes until tender. Drain thoroughly, then coarsely mash with a large spoon or potato masher. Don't over-mash - you want to keep some of the texture.
Heat oil in a frying pan over medium high heat. Add garlic and cook till lightly brown, about 1 minute. Then add in chopped onions and cook about 4 minutes until tender. Add salt & pepper if desired.
Combine brown rice, mashed lentils, onion/garlic mixture, and 1/2 cup of pasta sauce. Add in sage and all dry seasonings. Mix all ingredients very well until thoroughly combined.
Lightly coat a 5x9 loaf pan with cooking spray (or lightly grease with your choice of oil or shortening). Spoon in the lentil & rice mixture, making sure to press it in to bring the mixture together and seal any cracks. Make sure the mixture is evenly distributed in the loaf pan.
Spread 2 to 3 tablespoons of pasta sauce over the top of the lentil loaf, just enough to thinly coat the top.
Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour, uncovered. Allow loaf to sit for about 10 to 15 minutes before cutting and serving. Top with extra sauce or serve on the side, if desired.
Recipe Notes
The nicest thing about this recipe is that you can really play around with the flavor profiles, depending on what you like. Use beef broth instead of veggie broth for a meatier flavor, and replace the pasta sauce with ketchup and mustard to make it more like a traditional meatloaf. If you don't like ketchup or pasta sauce, you can use gravy instead. I have also used an onion soup mix in place of vegetable broth in the past.
I strongly advise using broth instead of water to cook your lentils because it adds depth and flavor to the finished product. If you're out of broth and want to use water, you can season the water with salt and other seasonings to give your lentils some flavor.
I don’t eat too many Korean dishes these days but sometimes, I need something spicy and familiar. Occasionally, I’ll get a jar of kimchi from the Asian grocery store in Fort Walton, but it’s an hour away so I’m SOL if I’m not heading out that way. Now, I’m a fan of trying to replicate dishes at home, but kimchi is incredibly time consuming and difficult to make. So what’s a girl to do when she gets a hankering for kimchi? I say, improvise and make Paleo-friendly cucumber kimchi salad!
