Buckwheat Meatloaf

By: Ben McKeown

Don't wait for Christmas to come again. Sunday Roasts are a tradition that you don't need to end just because you've gone plant-based.

Ingredients

• 1 Cup 200 g Buckwheat groats, soaked**
• ½ Cup 110 g Lentils, small french Puy recommended, soaked**
• 2 Cups 500 g Vegan Broth or Water
• 3 stalks 200 g Celery
• 1 Lg. 100 g Carrot
• 1 med. 150 g Onion
• 2 Lg. 25 g Garlic
• 5 Lg. 200 g Mushrooms
• ¾ Cup 90 g Walnuts (or sunflower seeds)
• 1 ½ Tbsp 25 g Vegan Broth, (check GF)
• 1 ¼ tsp 12 g Salt
• 1 tsp 2 g Sage, dried powder
• 1 ½ tsp 5 g Rosemary
• 1 tsp 2 g Thyme
• ½ Cup 45 g Flaxseed flaxmeal
• 1 ½ Cup 260 g Polenta
• **Soak the buckwheat and lentils for 12hrs in clean water before cooking, wherever possible. It will not only improve the available nutrition but it will be much friendlier on your digestion too.

SAUCE

• ½ Cup 150 g Plum jam (least sugar content)
• 3 Tbsp 60 g Tomato paste, plain
• 2 Tbsp 30 g BBQ Coconut aminos or BBQ sauce
• 2 tsp 10 g Apple cider vinegar
• ½ tsp 3 g Hot sauce, optional

Instructions

1. Drain the soaked buckwheat and lentils and add them to a saucepan with the 2 Cups of broth or water (if un-soaked, use 2 ½ Cups broth or water).
2. Bring to a boil, then reduce to heat level 2-3 and leave the lid on to finish absorbing for approx. 30 min.
3. This step can be done the day before if easier, refrigerate.
4. If baking the loaves straight away, pre-heat the oven to 180°C (350°F).
5. In a food processor, roughly process the celery, carrot and onion to a minced texture, without turning it into soppy mush.
6. Transfer this into a large mixing bowl.
7. Then process the garlic, mushrooms, walnuts, miso, salt, and herbs to a similar consistency. Transfer into the mixing bowl.
8. Process ½ of the buckwheat and lentil mixture until smooth and sticky.
9. Add all the buckwheat & lentil mixture, flaxmeal and polenta to the mixing bowl of veggies.
10. Mix and 'massage' with your hands until it is evenly combined.
11. Line 2 loaf pans or mini-individual loaf containers with baking paper (unless silicone).
12. Firmly pack the loaf mixture evenly into the containers and shape the tops of the loaves to mound smoothly in the middle.
13. Bake for 45-60 minutes depending on the size of the loaves.
14. Make the sauce: Note - this recipe makes enough to generously baste two loaves but if you wish to baste individual slices you may like to make a 1.5x batch.
15. Mix all ingredients for the sauce together, either by hand or more easily in a small bullet-style blender jug.
16. Take the loaves out of the oven in the last 15 minutes and paint a generous layer of sauce over each loaf with a basting brush. Continue baking. Serve with extra sauce, warmed.
18. This loaf will hold the best if cooked in advance, chilled, and reheated as slices, either in an oven or on the BBQ flat plate. Baste sauce over before re-warming and serve with extra sauce available.

Tips

Serve decoratively with whole-bulbs of gooey-roasted garlic, fresh sprigs of rosemary, glace pears or dried baby figs, and toasted or candied walnuts.

You may substitute the jam for grape, fig, or blackcurrant jam equally.

Use in 'meatloaf' sandwiches, crumble over salads, or warm as 'breakfast toast' with avocado and tomato.

Roll the uncooked mixture into balls for appetizer 'neatballs', then coat in the same sauce and bake. Serve with toothpicks.

Freeze two slices as a 'sandwich' with the sauce in the middle for easy defrosting, easy grilling in a press, and less mess in lunches etc.