The Nation's Health

So to start... this is another recipe I made a while back and to be completely honest, this was supposed to be a lentil loaf, not dressing. But as luck would have it, the loaf completely fell apart and I decided this made a way better dressing/stuffing alternative (but could still be used as a sandwich filler if so desired).

I got the initial idea from EatLiveRun - with her vegan lentil walnut loaf. I had lentils in the cupboard and decided it was worth a try, so this is how my adaptation went:

Starts with veggies and spices, that looks good!

1 c dry lentils
1 can lentil soup + 1 1/2 c water
1 cube vegetable stock starter

For 20-25 minutes, cook the above lentil mixture until tender and absorbs most of the liquid. Stirring occasionally. In the meantime, prepare the rest of the vegetables.

Mmm, looks great? ....maybe not so much, but it will taste better.

First, cook/saute the onions and celery until tender, then add in your carrots and garlic. Cook for another ~5 minutes then add in dried spices. Cook a couple more minutes and stir to incorporate everything. Transfer vegetables to a large bowl and add in the cooked lentils and breadcrumbs. Stir together and then add in the egg. You should now have a lovely mushy mess.

Put mixture into a baking dish (make sure to spray nonstick) and press in if you want a loaf. Lastly, top with your favorite BBQ sauce. Bake in a 350F oven for 40 minutes. Remove from oven and let sit 10 minutes to settle. You can break everything up for more of a dressing like texture or cut squares/slices for more of a sandwich filling type item. If you're doing a loaf, "try" flipping it out of the pan or maybe just taking slices right out of the pan is the way to go.

This is how the "loaf" turned out - half still stuck in the pan.

This is how I ate it, much more dressing like consistency, and yes with ketchup (I am 5 years old??)