An Enquinox Love Loaf

No-Fu Love Loaf with mashed potatoes, mushroom gravy and corn

The autumnal equinox made its chilly appearance this week.   I made it home from a work trip to sleep through much of it, but I certainly felt it. Last weekend, I made note on a recipe I’d come across for a lentil-based loaf with the intention of making it this weekend.  I did and it fit the need for the oven to be on, the hearty feel of a fall feast, and the comfort one might remember from having been served meatloaf as a kid.  It was perfect, and will freeze nicely, which is good since I’ll be off again for work before it’s eaten.

The recipe was from Dreena Burton’s Plant-Powered Kitchen and this “No-Fo Love Loaf” was quite spectacular.  It was around this time last year I whipped up for the first time a Happy Herbivore Hippie Loaf which I loved for the same reason as this recipe: (1) I’m a sucker for a fun name and (2) all ingredients were whole foods.  Comparing the two might not be fair game, but the I will say that I would probably make the No-Fo Love Loaf more often than the Hippie Loaf, even if I like the name of the latter better.  The difference for me?  Lentils. I love the texture the lentils provide this loaf.  Though for a novice, I would probably recommend the Hippie Loaf first… less ingredients and timing involved.

Not only did I find the meal(s) made with this recipe this weekend exactly what I needed… I was just as pleased that it required no shopping on my part.  Made from shelf stable staples I keep on hand. Perfect for only being home one full day.  Next weekend, though, with no plans for travel again soon… let the giant muffins and cinnamony pumpkiny goodness abound.