Sequestration Meal #526

 

I have to maintain constant vigilance over myself and my tendency to overstock my pantry, so when I found a recipe at Kelly Childs' blog that used a bunch of pantry items I had open--quinoa, millet, almonds, lentils, oats, nutritional yeast, etc.--I was excited. I made this nut, quinoa, and millet loaf and its suggested soy milk-based gravy on a Saturday, and realized midway through why this was suggested as a holiday meal rather than daily fare (more on that below). I had my loaf with some mashed sweet potatoes (I roasted a few in the oven with the loaf) and some sauteed beet greens (recipe from Spend with Pennies).

I rarely roast sweet potatoes in the oven but wow, I should do that more often; the flavor is amazing.

Also, beet greens are so lovely and colorful and I'm really glad our local beets come with the greens.

About this loaf. It's work. The steps are numerous and the ingredients seem to multiply themselves. I was constantly doing things for about two hours to make this meal for myself. Good thing I was on a staycation! I roasted the butternut squash and boiled the lentils, millet, and quinoa in the same pot but with different addition times as directed. I ground my nuts up in a food processor. I thinned my miso with water. I sauteed my onions, then garlic, then carrots and celery together, then added fresh herbs, then added dried herbs. I pureed the butternut squash. I measured out everything else and added things, one at a time, in a mixing bowl, folding each addition in.

I had cut the recipe in half, to make it in a loaf pan, but this makes a really substantial loaf; it barely fit in the pan I'd lined. But I got it in there and got it in the oven with the sweet potatoes so I could turn my attention to the beet greens. After they were done, I made the gravy for the loaf. Finally, I mashed the roasted sweet potato with vegan butter and salt and pepper, defying all recipes that told me to add maple syrup; I am pleased I did not add maple syrup because this really brought out the flavor of the sweet potato and I loved it. I ended up loving everything, though I was disappointed in the appearance on the plate--but gravy rarely looks beautiful, really.

This was a very good meal, but probably not one I'd make again very readily! However, I could see making a loaf to bring for a holiday meal, because it's delicious and substantial without being "weird" like many meat substitutes seem to be to non-vegans. Also, though there are soy and nuts in several places here, there is no gluten, so if you're in need of such options, this could be a good one for you. Just save it for a special occasion, or get some extra hands to do some prep work with you.