Mushroom Lentil Plantloaf

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Mushroom Lentil Plantloaf (not meatloaf)

Tonight I made this Mushroom Lentil “Plantloaf”, a vegan meatloaf. This is the fourth time, as I am trying to nail the ingredients to make it moist, but not too moist. We were joined for dinner by a fascinating guest, one of the founders of Pela Case – a local Kelowna/Saskatoon company that manufactures biodegradable phone cases made from PLANTS! How can this not be right up my alley?!

Considering the environment: Plant-based eating and biodegradable phone cases

As always, our meal was fully plant based. Jeremy mentioned that he and his wife have been cutting back a lot on meat lately. He boosted my ego saying numerous times how much he enjoyed the meal. I also served airfryer potato fries, steamed broccoli covered with Cheezy Sauce and my Kale Caesar Salad topped with crumbled coconut crisps. He, my hubby and our daughter all went up for seconds. Oh, who am I kidding, I did too! I explained that the reason I was trying to perfect the recipe was to put it on my blog. He didn’t realize, but he was the guinea pig.

At the end of the night, as Jeremy headed out the door, he said he loved my “Plantloaf” and would send his wife to my blog for the recipe. So, that is how this recipe became Mushroom Lentil “Plantloaf”! A name I much prefer over “Meatloaf”!

Pela Case start up

Jeremy grew up in Yorkton, Saskatchewan so of course he knows friends of ours who grew up there… 2 degrees of separation I think they say with Sask folk…. He lives in Saskatoon now, but runs his business from Kelowna. My husband has talked about having him over for months, and has shared how Jeremy’s passion for making a difference and his humble demeanor really resonates with him.

Jeremy described how his company start up was partially triggered by witnessing the burning of flax stalks in farmers’ fields as a young boy. His father taught him that the flax plant was so strong that it had to be burned, because trying to mulch it ruined their machinery. Jeremy figured that since flax was so tough, it must be good for something! Between that, and witnessing the shocking amount of microplastics on the beaches of Kauai, while playing with his children, the Pela Case concept was born.

Above is a photo of the Me to We Ripple Case (providing access to one year of clean water to a person in a community in Kenya…more info here) and the new Pela AirPod Cases. 

Pela Case is now sold worldwide. Jeremy said he saw his phone cases in Harrods while visiting London, and that that kind of blew his mind. Their company just recently had a 5 million dollar investment from Jay Z! I mean REALLY? A boy from Saskatchewan? That is an amazing achievement! Jeremy says each night when he says goodnight to his two young children, he tells them to dream big.

I guess that is what it is all about right? No one has the same dreams and goals as you. So why not just put them out there? What’s the worst case scenario? You only live once. Truthfully, this is more of a reminder for me than you…

Plantloaf!

Ok, so on to my “Plantloaf” recipe! As I said, I have made it so many times, that due to lighting conditions for photographing, these photos are from a slightly different version where I used quick oats instead of rolled oats and the Big Mountain Cauliflower Crumble instead of lentils. You can absolutely go this route, but for a healthier, cheaper and oil free version, I recommend following this recipe instead. It looks virtually the same, only you can see the lentils and the rolled oats are more prominent. 🙂

Why eat lentils?

Lentils are one of the best legumes you can eat. They are inexpensive, cook up quickly if you are cooking them dried, or are simple to just use directly from the can.

Health benefits of lentils

Here is some information about lentils from The World’s Healthiest Foods website.

Lentils, like other beans, are rich in dietary fiber, both the soluble and insoluble type. This fiber is cholesterol lowering, which is good for the heart. Soluble fiber forms a gel-like substance in the digestive tract that picks up bile (which contains cholesterol), and ferries it out of the body. 

Lentils are high in folate and magnesium and give you energy to burn while stabilizing blood sugar.

These little powerhouses are also high in B vitamins and iron, which many people are low in. Unlike animal sources of iron, lentils are not high in fat, cholesterol and calories.

Mushroom Lentil Plantloaf

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Serves: 6+ Prep Time: 20 minutes Cooking Time: 50 minutes 50 minutes

Nutrition facts: 200 calories 20 grams fat

Ingredients

• 20 ounces of white or crimini mushrooms, minced (approximately 20-25 average sized mushrooms)
• 1, 14 ounce can of lentils, drained and rinsed
• 2 cups rolled oats
• 1 medium onion, chopped finely
• 5 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/4 cup celery, minced (about one stalk)
• 3 tablespoons of salsa
• 1/4 cup nutritional yeast
• 2 tablespoons ground flax seeds mixed into 6 tablespoons of water and allowed to sit. (then pour off water on top)
• 2 tablespoons vegan Worcestershire sauce (or 1 tablespoon soy sauce or Braggs Aminos)
• 1 tablespoon dijon mustard
• 1 tablespoon dried parsley
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon grilling spice
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon liquid smoke (optional)
• GLAZE:
• 1/2 cup ketchup
• 2 tablespoons apple sauce
• 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 tablespoon of molasses or maple syrup

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Mix 2 tablespoons of ground flax seeds into 6 tablespoons of water and allow to thicken up. (flax eggs) Pour off the water at the top before using.
3. Chop mushrooms, onions, celery and garlic and set aside.
4. Using only a tiny amount of water, in a large frying pan, saute onions and celery until mostly translucent. Then add garlic and saute a few minutes more.  Next, add the mushrooms.  The moisture of the mushrooms will appear shortly so only add a tiny bit of extra water.  Stir often for another 5-7 minutes, until mushrooms darken and are cooked.  Turn off the heat. 
5.  Add the remainder of the ingredients (not the glaze ingredients) to the pan and mix well. 
6. Line a loaf pan with parchment paper, or lightly coat with oil. 
7. Bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes.
8. Remove from oven and coat the top with the glaze mixture. 
9. Return to the oven and bake for another 10 minutes.  
10. Remove from oven allow to cool on a rack for 10-15 minutes to allow it to firm up.
11. Slice and serve.