Bean and Cheese Loaf

One of my talents is that I can discover culinary gems in a cookbook.The title of this post is identical to the recipe I discovered in "New Natural Foods Cookbook" by Jean Hewitt (1982). Not exactly inspiring. Nevertheless, it seemed a reasonable way to make a vegetarian meatloaf - and that sounded good. I give you: Bean and Cheese Loaf (page 104, by the way).

The Method
The only modification I made to this dish was the inclusion of OPO turnips and carrots. I reduced the milk slightly to account for this, but not enough. 3/4 cup would have been plenty.

• 1 C whole wheat bread crumbs (I made mine with honey wheat bread from Three Sons Bakery)
• 1 C milk
• 1 20 ounce can of chickpeas, drained and coarsely ground (I used my nifty Kitchen Aid attachment)
• 1/4 C parsley, chopped
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 large onion, finely chopped
• 1 celery stalk, finely chopped
• 3-4 small turnips, diced (optional)
• 2-3 small carrots, diced (optional)
• 3 TBs oil
• 1 1/2 C walnuts, finely chopped
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1 TB soy sauce
• 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1 C cheddar cheese, shredded

1. Preheat the oven to 350.
2. Soak the bread crumbs in the milk.
3. In a large bowl combine the chickpeas, parsley, and salt.
4. In the oil over medium-high heat, saute the onion, celery, turnips, and carrots until tender but not browned.
5. Add vegetables to the chickpea mixture.
6. Stir in the soaked bread crumbs, nuts, eggs, soy sauce, cayenne pepper, and cheese.
7. Pour into an oiled bread pan.
8. Bake for 50 minutes. 
9. Allow to cool in pan for 5 minutes before removing. (Mine was too moist to remove.)

The Results

Good ingredients, of course, make an enormous difference. Here, it is important to have good bread because this is a dominant flavor in the dish. The loaf is savory and a nice complement to a big salad. We enjoyed ours alongside a strawberry and mixed greens salad topped with a Dijon mustard and honey dressing.