Vegan Thanksgiving Part 1 - Lentil Loaf

I know it is now January, and Thanksgiving was in November. But I hope you'll overlook that, and see these Thanksgiving themed posts as inspiration for next year. You can never start your holiday planning too early! (do some people say that? let's go with yes) Anyways, I apologize for the delay, and hope you enjoy this festive reminiscence. 

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 

It's been five thanksgivings without turkey for me. But let's be real...who reaaally cares about the turkey anyway? It's all about those delicious sides! Still, when I decided to cook a vegan (and gluten free - why not?) Thanksgiving meal this year, I felt that despite the fact that I could easily be happy just with sides, I should try to make a hearty main dish that would blow boring old turkey out of the water. 

There's nothing like a good lentil loaf to fill you up! In fact, I've already posted one on this blog before! It is very similar to the one I'm about to share - and truth be told, both are delicious. I do like this one for Thanksgiving with its addition of raisins and apple for some sweetness and moisture. It also held together a bit better, which was nice for serving. 

   
 So what's in this puppy? Check out the recipe, from Oh She Glows (love her!) here.

lentils, walnuts (I finely chopped and toasted on the stove, moving constantly over medium heat until they were fragrant, had a bit of a crunch, and got a bit golden), onion, celery, carrot, flax seed (to bind), garlic, grated apple, raisins, oat flour, gf bread crumbs, thyme.

And the deliciousss glaze is ketchup, maple syrup, apple butter, and balsamic vinegar!

Sautéing the carrot, celery, onion and raisins!

Mixing everything together

Not super appetizing uncooked, but I promise it's delicious

That's one beauteous loaf!

Stay tuned for another post with more recipes from my Vegan Thanksgiving!

Vegan Banana Spelt Muffins

Another recipe from Oh She Glows (recipe here). You better prepare yourself for a whole lot more from her. I recently downloaded her app on my phone, and it is chock full of amazing veggie filled recipes. ... Although as you can see, while veggies are great, I was actually drawn first to try her take on vegan banana muffins. 

This was my first time using spelt flour, and I have to say, it won't be the last. The muffins came out incredibly light and fluffy. Spelt is not technically gluten free, as it is a cousin of sorts to wheat. However, as an "ancient grain", it is quite nutritious and the gluten is much easier to digest. Therefore, since it is healthier, and results in a fluffy baked good, it is a nice alternative to wheat. 

Besides spelt (I used whole-grain spelt flour), this muffin also has banana, coconut oil, coconut sugar, maple syrup, flax seed, almond milk, oats & vanilla. I threw in some cinnamon (because everything is better with cinnamon) and topped it with some walnuts and chocolate chips. :)

The instructions are pretty straightforward. Her recipe makes it in a loaf pan. I did it as muffins, baking at 350 for about 20-22 minutes. While these do have a fair amount of sugar, it at least is in an unrefined form. All the other ingredients are very wholesome and nutritious. This makes an awesome evening treat, mid-day pick me up, or grab and go breakfast. Enjoy!