Oat and Lentil Loaf with Mushrooms and Walnuts

This vegetarian main dish provides a complete protein, thanks to the combination of oats and lentils. It can be made vegan by omitting the eggs and substituting flax seed (or simply adding some extra vegetable broth or tomato sauce; this will change the texture but still be tasty). If you would like to incorporate meat, you could substitute cooked ground beef or pork for the lentils. Grated cheese, either mixed into the loaf or sprinkled over the top, is also a nice addition.

1 cup brown lentils
1 cup oats
1 onion, chopped
1 cup mushrooms, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 cup diced tomatoes (canned or fresh)
2 eggs (or 2 Tbsp flax seed soaked in 4 Tbsp warm water)
½ cup walnuts, finely chopped
1 tsp salt
¼ tsp black pepper
½ tsp dried basil (optional)
½ cup ketchup or BBQ sauce (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Cook lentils in boiling, salted water until tender, about 25 minutes. Drain and transfer to a medium mixing bowl.
3. While lentils are cooking, sauté onion and mushrooms in olive oil or butter until onion is translucent and mushrooms are soft, about five minutes. Add garlic and cook for two more minutes.
4. Add oats, diced tomatoes, and cooked onions and garlic to cooked lentils.
5. Stir in eggs or flax seed, chopped walnuts, salt, pepper, basil, and ketchup or BBQ sauce.
6. Pour mixture into a loaf pan or small casserole dish and bake until top of loaf is crispy, about 40 minutes.

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