Meatless Monday: Chickpea Meatless Loaf

One of my favorite vegetarian meals is chickpea loaf. It’s simple to make, and hearty, yet light. Chickpeas are full of fiber and I love their rich, creamy taste and texture.

• 1 cup dried organic chick peas
• 3 cups filtered water
• 2 organic free-range eggs, lightly beaten
• 2 stalks organic celery, coarsely chopped
• 1 small organic onion, coarsely chopped
• 1/4 cup nutritional yeast
• sea salt, to taste
• organic ketchup (optional)

Soak the chickpeas in water for at least 4 hours (I threw them in a bowl, covered them with water, headed off to a meeting and when I got home, they were ready!). Drain the water, then place the chickpeas in a saucepan with 3 cups of filtered water. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat and cook, covered, for about 1 hour or until the chickpeas are tender and most of the water has been absorbed.

Remove the chickpeas from the stove and mash them with a fork or potato masher until they are all broken up into little pieces. Stir in the eggs and blend well. Then add the remaining ingredients and mix thoroughly.

Place in a greased baking dish and cook uncovered at 350°F for 1 hour. Serve warm with a side salad or cooked greens. In the photo, I have a side of kale chips seasoned with curry and garlic, decorated with fresh violet flowers.

It can be a bit dry, so if you like, you can serve it with organic ketchup.

How to Make Kale Chips

I have always loved greens, and so was thrilled when I discovered a bag of kale chips at my local natural food store. The thrill was short-lived, though. The chips were coated in a thick, super-salty, sesame coating, and the prickly stems felt as if they were leaving splinters in my tongue! However, inspired by the concept of kale chips, I set out to make my own.

Here is my list of ingredients:
1 bunch of organic kale
1-1/2 tablespoons organic olive oil
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

I thoroughly washed and rinsed the kale, then cut the leaves into 3-inch wide sections. I cut off the tough stems, setting them aside for my bunny to snack upon.

I tossed all of the ingredients together in a large bowl until the kale had a nice, even coating of the olive oil and seasonings (feel free to adjust the seasonings to your taste, or play around with different herbs and spices, like curry or chili powder). Then I spread the kale out on a single layer on a baking sheet, and baked them at 350° F for about 15-20 minutes until they were crispy. They aren’t the prettiest things, but if you like kale, you will love these.

Kale is an excellent source of vitamins K and A, as well as calcium, vitamin C and fiber. For more kale recipes (some vegetarian, some not), I recommend you check out Epicurious and Food Network (my two favorite online recipe sources).