Vegan Barbecue Lentil Loaf

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This Vegan Barbecue Lentil Loaf is oat-free, sturdy, hearty and never mushy. This loaf is bursting with barbeque flavor! The selfmade BBQ sauce is baked into the loaf, on ideal of the loaf and used as a dipping sauce after it's baked. If you like barbeque sauce, then this loaf is for you!



Ingredients
My do-it-yourself BBQ sauce beneath and the chipotle chile pepper are what make this loaf spicy. If you SUB both of those, the loaf will NOT be spicy and I can't vouch for the taste outcome!

FOR THE LENTILS

  • 1 cup (193g) dry inexperienced lentils (do now not use red lentils, too mushy)
  • 1/2 teaspoon high quality salt

FOR THE LOAF

  • 1/2 heaping cup (80g) finely chopped white onion
  • 1 packed tablespoon minced recent garlic
  • 1/4 teaspoon high quality sea salt
  • 1/4 cup water (this is ONLY for cooking the veggies in 1st)
  • 1 cup (240g) barbeque sauce (below), separated (This is the ONLY BBQ sauce examined within the recipe and the solid taste and texture work perfectly.)
  • 1/2 cup MEDIUM GRIND coarse cornmeal (It MUST be medium grind, now not corn flour or normal high quality cornmeal, otherwise it WILL BE DRY. I use this Bob's Red Mill. If you can't find, order it off Amazon.)
  • 3 tablespoons flooring flaxseed
  • 1/2 teaspoon chipotle chili spice (gives a hefty kick of heat, so ONLY use 1/4 tsp if sensitive)
  • 1/2 cup corn
  • 5 MINUTE BBQ SAUCE (This sauce is STRONG, so it stands out within the loaf. This sauce is what yields such taste to the loaf, so I strongly advise towards subbing. (Makes 1 1/2 cups, lots for the loaf and for dipping!)
  • 1/2 cup (120g) tomato paste, now not sauce
  • 1/2 cup (120g) water
  • 1 teaspoon high quality salt
  • 1/2-1 tablespoon garlic powder, per preference
  • 1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon chili powder
  • 1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon yellow rainy mustard
  • 1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon natural maple syrup
  • 2 tablespoons + 2 teaspoons darkish balsamic vinegar
  • 2 tablespoons + 2 teaspoons unsulphured normal molasses

NOTE

  • Keep in mind, here is a LENTIL LOAF, it be now not meat, so don't anticipate it to style like typical meatloaf. However, it be phenomenal and flavorful with an significant texture as lengthy as you observe the recipe. I used my do-it-yourself barbeque sauce recipe for this loaf. It's the one taste that I can vouch for. It is spicy and has a sensible kick of heat, so anticipate that. If you're touchy to heat, then lower the quantity of chili powder.

Instructions

  • This recipe takes a piece bit of time to prep and make. You are cooking lentils and you're cooking the loaf and there's prep time and ready time in there as well, so supply your self 2 to 2 1/2 hours. Otherwise, I could mean to save time, cook dinner the lentils the day earlier than you desire to consume the loaf and mash them the subsequent day as famous below. It will truly knock off a few time.
  • If you're making my do-it-yourself barbeque sauce, just merely upload all the foods to a small bowl and whisk truly nicely till emulsified and thickened. Set apart or shop within the fridge the evening time earlier than making the loaf. This bbq sauce was created particularly for the loaf, so it WILL style strong, but very yummy on this loaf!
  • For the lentils, rinse them off and upload them with 2 cups water and the 1/2 tsp salt to a pot and convey to a boil. Once boiling, cover, turn to simmer and cook dinner for 35-40 minutes. The water ought to be all evaporated basically. Turn off the warmth and return the lid and allow it sit for just 10 minutes.
  • While the lentils are cooking, cook dinner the onions and garlic. Add the onion, garlic, 1/4 cup water and 1/4 teaspoon salt to a small frying pan. Bring to a boil and as soon as boiling, within the present day turn to simmer for about 5 minutes or till the water has totally evaporated. You don't desire any closing water so the loaf does now not turn mushy. Turn off the heat.
  • After the lentils have completed and sat for 10 minutes, puree about 1/2 of the combination with a hand immersion blender. You don't desire to puree all of it, or it's going to make the loaf mushy, got it? Just eyeball about half of it, leaving the different half complete lentils. Add them to a huge bowl.
  • Preheat the oven to 350 tiers and line a 9x5 steel loaf pan with parchment paper placing moderately over the facets for simple removing later. Make certain to spray the facets that the paper does now not touch, so it does now not stick.
  • Add the cooked onion/garlic combination to the lentils. Add only 3/4 cup of the barbeque sauce to the lentil mixture. Add the chipotle spice and one other sensible pinch of salt and stir collectively well. Add the cornmeal and flaxseed and stir round for a sensible minute or so till it turns into truly thick and sticky. Lastly, gently stir within the corn. Note: If you style the batter, it does now not style overly spicy uncooked, but it's going to turn out to be much spicier simply due to the fact the chipotle spice bakes, so preserve that in mind.
  • Pour the batter within the loaf pan and unfold out evenly. Let it sit for about 20 minutes earlier than baking, so the cornmeal soaks up a few liquid. Spread 1/4 cup of the barbeque sauce throughout the ideal evenly. Bake for 55-60 minutes or till agency and a toothpick well-nigh comes out clean. I baked mine for a complete 60 minutes to guarantee it was done. The ends got moderately charred just the place the barbeque sauce was, however the inner was perfect. You can all the time trim a piece of the sauce off it if will get a piece done, but you certainly desire to make certain the loaf is cooked through, so it be agency and never mushy. If yours seems mushy, you then did now not allow it cook dinner lengthy enough, simply due to the fact the outcome ought to be agency and have a sensible chunk to it.
  • It is essential to allow the loaf sit for no less than 20 minutes to agency up. It will agency up much whereas cooling. If you attempt to chop it hot, it's going to fall apart. I allow mine sit 30 minutes and it was nonetheless warm. Gently lift up the loaf with the parchment paper and truly closely shipping it to a serving platter utilizing spatulas. Carefully slice it. Spread more barbeque sauce on ideal whereas nonetheless warm proper earlier than serving. Add chopped recent parsley on ideal for garnish and presentation, if desired.



VEGAN BBQ LENTIL LOAF
I am SO excited about this Vegan Barbecue Lentil Loaf recipe! I actually have labored on it so much…trial after trial, to get it to my liking. Nailing the style was quite easy, but texture wise, it took a couple of trials. I actually have tried a number of lentil loaf recipes online, even those that claimed to be the best. The trouble I discovered with a couple of of them that I tried, was that they have been at the tasteless part with very little flavor, however the fundamental challenge was texture.

If you've got by no means heard of a lentil loaf, simply it's a vegetarian model of meatloaf and they're wildly frequent inside the vegan/vegetarian running a blog world.

VEGAN LENTIL LOAF THAT DOESN’T FALL APART
Every single vegan lentil loaf I’ve tried or considered makes use of oats they usually all have been simply so mushy. I love oats, but inside the lentil loaf, it simply was no longer operating for me personally with those that I tried. Or, they don’t cling collectively and crumble right into a mess. I desire a combo of tender, but sturdy. I tried them with oats, with nuts, sunflower seeds, chickpeas, you identify it.

So, it hit me….cornbread could be very stable and chewy and hearty. Duh, I’ll upload cornmeal rather of oats or flour. The day before, my mother and I had been speaking about her making my Vegan Gluten-free Magic Skillet Cornbread to convey to our Christmas gathering and a faded bulb went off to attempt including coarse cornmeal!

OMG. It labored brilliantly. The cornmeal no longer just made the vegan barbeque lentil loaf cling it’s form so a lot better, it gave it big heartiness and trust it or not, a meaty texture. It will get cooked very nicely inside all of the moist lentil-goodness, but provides it a lot extra chunk rather of oaty mushiness, haha!


THE PERFECT BBQ SAUCE FOR A LENTIL LOAF
I decided on barbeque sauce as being a star flavor. I totally LOVE barbeque sauce. I created my barbeque sauce namely for this lentil loaf. It has plenty of spices and molasses for depth of flavor. I used maple syrup for a herbal sweetness rather of delicate brown sugar that's often in regular barbeque sauces.

Guess what, it's so dang delicious, I virtually ate the entire vegan bbq lentil loaf myself! The style of barbeque sauce inside the loaf, on ideal of the loaf after which as a dipping sauce, was a real slice of heaven!