Recipes

No-meat Loaf

makes an entire loaf pan

• 1 cup green lentils, dry
• 1 cup sticky brown rice, dry
• 6-8 shiitake mushrooms, dry
• 1.5 cup breadcrumbs 
• 0.25 cup ground chia seeds
• 2 tsp liquid smoke
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 tsp Worchester or balsamic vinegar
• 1 packet onion soup mix
• 2 tbsp dehydrated vegetables (optional) *

1. Pour boiling water over the rice and shiitake and soak at least 1 hour. 
2. Remove shiitake and dice (not too finely). 
3. Add rice, shiitake, lentils, and dehydrated vegetables to InstantPot/Pressure cooker and cook.** 
4. Put into large bowl and add rest of ingredients and mix together until it is a thick paste (it should be kind of springy, a bit like bread dough). 
5. Put into loaf pan, top with aluminum foil and let sit in fridge overnight. 
6. Top with ketchup. 
7. Bake, covered, in oven at 375°F for 45 minutes. 
8. Remove tin foil and turn on broiler for a few minutes at the end.

* I added dehydrated vegetables but you could add diced vegetables like carrots and celery etc.

** I cooked for the amount of time required to cook the lentils. Soaking the brown rice reduces the cooking time.

Salad Dressing

makes enough for many salads

• 1 cup of pickle juice
• 1/2 cup of milk*
• Herbs and spices of your choosing**
• 1/4 tsp + of xanthan gum

1. Put the pickle juice, milk and herbs into a blender
2. Add the xanthan gum
3. Blend
4. Check the consistency. If it isn't as thick as you would like, add another 1/8 tsp of xanthan gum and blend. Repeat until you reach the desired thickness.

* I like to use soymilk because it has a high fat content and neutral flavour. Oatmilk will create a slightly sweeter dressing, which would also be delicious.

** What herbs and spices you use will depend on the kind of pickle juice you are using and also what flavour you would like your dressing to have. For a garden salad using cucumber pickle juice (seasoned with with sugar, dill, mustard and garlic) I suggest: 1 tbsp of parsley, 1 tbsp of onion powder, 1 tsp of pepper and 1 tsp of basil. 

Avocado Toast

makes 4 servings

• 4 slices of bread (sourdough or whole wheat recommended)
• Marmite*
• 1 ripe avocado**
• 1 tbsp of hemp hearts
• 4 lemon/lime wedges OR
• vinegar of your choice (apple cider recommended) ***

1. Toast the bread
2. Use a knife to spread the Marmite on the toast. Marmite has a strong flavour so spread it rather thinly.
3. Use a fork to scoop out the avocado and distribute it evenly among the slices. Use the fork to mash the avocado.
4. Sprinkle the hemp hearts over the toast.
5. Right before serving, sprinkle the vinegar/squeeze the citrus over the toast.

* Marmite is a very salty spread. It is a byproduct of brewing beer. Your country might not sell Marmite, but perhaps a similar product.

** It is important that the avocado is ripe, otherwise using a fork to mash it may not work. If you must use an underripe avocado, use a knife to thinly slice it instead.

*** The amount of vinegar (or citrus) you use depends on your personal preferences. Start with 1/2 a tsp of vinegar (or a thin slice of citrus) if you are unsure.