Veggie loaf and roasted veggies

I am sad that summer is gone BUT I love the fall foods. Squash, root veggies, yams, sweet potatoes, pumpkin, oh my! I also love the soups, stews and chilies but I make those all year round in my crockpot. Only roasting gets the back burner during our hot months, or days more like it.

I decided to roast up a whole bunch of stuff so that I could eat it over the next day or so for lunch and snacks. I like to dip my roasted veggies in mustard. Is that weird? I LOVE mustard. The grainy stuff is where its at, but when I'm out of that I am more than satisfied with the good ole trusted French's Mustard.

I roasted an acorn squash, yams, PURPLE yams, carrots, parsnips, kohlrabi, and broccoli. Then I made a veggie loaf. I like to juice on the weekends and I hate to waste any food so I save the pulp to make patties or veggie balls, add to soups and chilies or add it to filling that I stuff squash and mushrooms with.

I forgot to take a pic of the purple yams, but this is what they look like. They are usually found during this time at asian grocery stores. They are sooooo good! A little sweeter than regular yams but so tasty and pretty. Adds some new life to your plate. They pack all the same nutritional punch that regular yams do.   High in potassium, plus B6, vitamin C, fiber and antioxidants. GET SOME!!! Kohlrabi on the other hand was not my fave. I did not enjoy it at all. Maybe I need to cook it another way.....

For the squash: Just cut in half and place open part down on a baking sheet. Bake at 350 for 30-45 minutes.

Veggies: Chop then toss with olive oil, half a lemon, sea salt, pepper, garlic powder and veggie seasoning. Bake at 350 for 30-45 minutes. Check on broccoli so it doesn't burn. But crispy is how it should be.

PS: if you haven't had roasted broccoli, you need to. It gets all crispy and delish.  YUM

Since not everyone has leftover veggie pulp from making juice, here is a recipe for a veggie loaf that I've made before. Then I'll tell you some new things I did with mine.

Veggie Loaf

1 cup lentils

3 cups vegetable stock or broth
1 large yellow onion, diced
1 large carrot, chopped
1 stalk celery, chopped
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tsp garlic, minced
1 cup breadcrumbs
3/4 cup chopped walnuts
3 tbsp ground flax mixed with 1/2 cup water
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
2 tbsp ketchup
1 tbsp pure maple syrup
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar

Directions:

1. In a blender put flax seeds and water and blend for 2 minutes. Set aside.

2. Simmer together the lentils, broth and a pinch of salt for about 25 minutes or until the lentils are tender and have absorbed all the broth.

3. Saute the onion and celery in the olive oil over medium high heat for six minutes, or until tender, not caramelized. Add the garlic and carrot and cook for about another four minutes.

4 Add the walnuts to the onion/carrot/garlic mixture on the stove and stir well.

5 Add the oregano, salt and pepper as well and then take the mixture off the stove and transfer to a large bowl.

6 Add the breadcrumbs, flax/water and cooked lentils and toss well. Press mixture into a greased loaf pan and set aside while you make the topping.

7. Mix the ketchup, maple syrup and vinegar. Spread on top of loaf. Bake for 40 minutes and then out on a plate.

This loaf was extremely tasty. I loved it. And the leftovers were even better. Especially when you stuff them in between 2 slices of bread. YUM!

This time I used tons of veggie pulp. Then I took 4 cups of pinto beans, 2 inches of ginger, 3 garlic cloves and processed them in my food processor with a little veggie stock. Mixed that with the veggie pulp and 1 cup (1 cup dry) of TruRoots Organic's Sprouted Bean Trio , onion, cumin, chili powder, 1/2 cup tomato sauce, 4 tsp tomato paste, and 2 cups quick oats. After it was done baking I sprinkled some nutritional yeast on top. It was pretty tasty. I will need to make a sauce to go on top or make sandwiches with it. I was too full after my veggies to eat any.

That is my favorite thing about Sundays. Cooking. I usually cook a lot on Sundays. I do my grocery shopping and cook up a storm. I like to have healthy foods easily accessible. People always ask me how I'm able to cook so much. Organization and planning. And possibly shear determination to eating healthy. This is part of it though. I make tons of food at one time so that I have healthy lunches and leftovers if I can' t make dinner.

Enjoy your fall cooking!!

Peace

xoxo

K