Thanksgiving Preparations

Larry came home last night to the sight of three separate pots of beans boiling on the stove. One was for dinner and two were for the Thanksgiving lentil loaf in a squash.

"Something smells good," he said as he walked into the kitchen. And he was right. The gently-bubbling beans warmed the kitchen with an aroma promising a good meal. It's a hard one to describe, and those of you who think you don't like beans (or have only eaten canned beans) will not understand it, but when beans have become a regular part of your diet, smelling them cooking foretells a good filling meal in the way the smell of pot roast does to a meat-eater.

Larry has come to appreciate beans in a way that could not have been predicted 20 years ago. (Although when I met him he did cook a mean tofu stir-fry.)

When we were discussing the Thanksgiving menu a few days ago, he suggested that we go vegetarian. He had been thinking about what he was thankful for, and realized he was really grateful for the incredibly healthy (vegetarian) food we eat every day, the food that keeps him strong and vital when others in cubicles around him are dragging and sickly. While I was thinking of getting him a turkey part, stuffing and gravy from Trader Joe's, he was looking forward to celebrating with lentil loaf.

So our Thanksgiving table will look similar to the one we had last year when Tracie joined us and proclaimed her (short-lived) conversion to vegetarianism.

We'll have lentil loaf in a funky-looking squash, mashed potatoes, corn and peppers, green beans, and a salad with persimmons in it. Dessert will be a cranberry concoction - although we'll be too full so it will wait until Friday to be tasted.

It's a simple meal which, now the lentil loaf is cooked, will take a couple of hours to bring together. I plan to spend the day in the garden, and then we'll gather in the kitchen around 4 p.m. to chop and bake and mash these fresh delicious foods. Truly a day to be thankful for.

Lentil Loaf
1/3 cup trail of tears beans
1/2 cup red lentils
1/2 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
1 egg
1 carrot, coarsely grated
1/2 cup grated aged cheddar
1 cup fresh wholewheat breadcrumbs
1 tbsp tomato paste
1 tbsp ketchup
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp hot chili powder

Cook the beans and lentils in separate pots of boiling water until cooked all the way through. The lentils will take about 15 minutes, the beans about 90 minutes. When they're cooked, drain and set aside.

Warm the oil in a skillet and sauté the onion, garlic and celery until softened, about 5 minutes. Set aside to cool slightly.

In a food processor, combine the cooked beans and lentils, the cooked onion mixture and the egg, and process until smooth.

Transfer to a large bowl and add the carrot, cheddar, breadcrumbs, tomato paste, ketchup, cumin and chili powder. Stir together well, then pour into a greased 9x5 loaf pan.

Bake at 350°F for 1 hour.

This is great warm or cold, in sandwiches, in a pumpkin, fried into burgers, served as slices with mashed potatoes and ketchup - any way you would eat meatloaf. (Although I'm not sure anyone has ever served meatloaf in a pumpkin.) It also freezes well.