This is a pre-oven shot of the meatloaf

Chickpeas, sometimes also called garbanzo beans, are my new favorite legume. Cheap when you buy them in bulk, as with most dried beans. But unlike most beans which I find bland and boring on their own, chickpeas are naturally packed with flavor. They are also healthy and fantastically versatile. I’ve been making falafel, hummus, and chickpea stir-fries a lot lately. Now I wanted to try something a little bit different. This a meatless version of meatloaf which is not only vegetarian but vegan to boot. It can be eaten with mashed potatoes and veggie gravy, or just with some ketchup and frozen “american mix” in true college student fashion. Enjoy.

Faux Meatloaf

Inspired by This recipe and this one

3 cups chickpeas (soaked overnight then boiled 50 mins)
1/2 c cooking water
2 tbs vegetable oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 large white onion, chopped
2 tbs soy sauce
1 tsp cumin
1/2-1 tsp coriander
2 tbs tomato paste
1 tbs apple cider vinegar
salt & pepper to taste
a few shakes of chili power
polenta flour or bread crumbs

1. Preheat oven to 190°c/375°F

2. Soak the chickpeas in a bowl with water overnight. Then rinse chickpeas and boil them on low heat for 50mins-1h until soft.

3. Add all ingredients to food processor except polenta/breadcrumbs and process until smooth. If you do not have a food processor this step can also be done by mashing the chickpeas in a large bowl with a potato masher and then mixing all the spices and other ingredients in by hand.

4. Once the chickpeas have reached a smooth consistency remove the mixture from the food processor and put it in a large bowl. Begin to add polenta/breadcrumbs and mix with your hands until the mixture begins to form into a ball and become workable. Place the mixture in a greased oven dish and form into a loaf.

5. Bake the loaf for 40-45 mins until it begins to form a nice crispy crust. Let cool for 5-10 mins before cutting. Serve with potatoes or rice, and your choice of vegetables.

Some other ingredients that would work well with this recipe (but which I didn’t have on hand) would be: mushrooms, celery,  grated carrot, and maybe some dried sage.

The faux meatloaf with ketchup and mixed frozen veggies

A good overview of the loaf

An artistic shot of my whole wheat bread

I have never been wonderfully skilled with baking bread, and my whole wheat bread especially usually ends up an unappetizing brick. But I am determined to change this, to practice, learn, and improve. Here’s the first loaf on my road to learning how to bake really good bread. Recipe coming later after I tweak things to my satisfaction.

Whole Wheat Muffins

This recipe was inspired by the Minimalist podcast. I saw this brilliantly simple recipe for whole wheat muffins and knew that this was just what I was looking for as a healthy breakfast or snack time muffin. High in fibre and low in sugar and fat. Easy to make vegan also if desired. I made a first batch according to the original recipe and then started tweaking to get the most out of these muffins.

Whole Wheat Muffins
Makes about 12 muffins

2 1/2 c whole wheat flour (6 dl)
2 heaping tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 mashed banana, approx. 3/4 c (1.7 dl)
1 c yogurt/buttermilk or 1/2 c milk or non-dairy milk * (2.3 dl/1.1dl)
2/3 stick melted butter (80g) *
Spices such as for example a dash of cinnamon, ground cloves etc.
Additives such as a handful raisins, sunflower seeds, rolled oats etc.

* Last time I made these muffins I was short on milk so I replaced most of the milk with canned pineapple that I pureed in a food processor. It added a nice sweetness to the muffins without added sugar, you could probably use apple sauce as well. I also plan on trying to bake these with vegetable oil also, to see if the consistency and the flavor is as nice as the butter version. I’d like to do away with the butter if I can.

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease muffin tins or fill them with paper liners.

2. Mix dry ingredients together in a large bowl, making sure to blend well. Mix wet ingredients together in a smaller bowl. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients, add any additives such as raisins and fold the ingredients together to mix. Make sure not to mix too much, only until the wet and the dry ingredients are just incorporated.

3. Fill the muffin tins with the mixture. Fill them high since these muffins are heavy and don’t rise much. Bake for 25 minutes or until the muffins are nice and golden brown and a toothpick (or the tines of a fork) comes out of the center of the muffin clean when inserted.

4. Place muffins on a wire cooling rack (or a wooden cutting board, I do this since I have no cooling rack) and allow to cool. Can be eaten warm, cold, and even frozen and then thawed if you make a large batch in advance.

I like to eat these just plain, or with a bit of all-natural peanut butter.