I’ve been surprising myself lately. My palate is changing–this Paddy, until now, has always been sensitive to spicy foods. I suppose that all started to change when my Texan Missus started taking over dinner duty and we’ll just say, she likes her spice. In the beginning I wondered if she was trying to do me in but after a while, with a little compromise of her heavy hand, I must’ve grown accustomed to the heat because now I find myself adding hot sauce or chili flakes to nearly everything. Maybe it’s time to reinvent myself like Puff Daddy and become Spice Paddy!

Last month we made homemade ketchup, which lasts about a month so now’s the time to use it up before it spoils. I hate letting good food go to waste, especially in these times.

I chose to use the chipotle ketchup for this recipe to add in delicious flavour as well as kick (see–it’s all the about the spice for me!) but you can certainly substitute the regular homemade ketchup for the spicy one.

RECIPE
Makes one loaf

2 cups cooked lentils
1 cup cooked brown rice
1/2 cup red peppers – small dice
1/2 cup red onion – small dice
1/2 cup fresh tomato – small dice
1/2 cup Italian bread crumbs or gluten free bread crumbs

1 tbsp tomato paste
2 tbsp homemade chipotle ketchup
1/2 tsp hot sauce optional (the chipotle ketchup has kick but if you want more heat add in hot sauce)

OR if you don’t like it spicy
4 tbsp tomato paste
1 tsp mild sauce

3 tbsp fresh parsley – chopped
2 tsp fresh basil – chopped
1 tsp fresh basil – chopped
2 tsp water
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper
1 egg

layer of chipotle ketchup for the top

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 350° F.

Combine the above ingredients (except for the top layer of chipotle ketchup) in a large mixing bowl and mix thoroughly.
Coat a 10″ loaf pan with cooking spray then line with parchment paper. Fill with mixture and lightly pack so you spread all the mixture evenly. Smooth a layer of homemade chipotle ketchup over the top and then pop it into the oven. Bake for 45 minutes.

TIP: Make the homemade ketchup ahead of time and store in the fridge.

This protein & iron rich loaf is a great alternative to traditional ‘meat’ loaves. Eating lentils with foods rich in Vitamin C, such as tomatoes, peppers, broccoli & citrus fruits helps the body absorb iron more efficiently and adding grains, eggs, nuts or seeds will provide a complete amino acid profile making this dish a perfect meal for vegetarians.

All recipes are made with the finest quality farmers market whole foods, natural and non-processed ingredients as much as possible.