I attended an Epicure presentation in the Summer of 2013; I bought a Starter set which included Poco Picante Salsa Mix and I have got to say, I use this stuff in a lot of things! First and foremost though, a sprinkle of this stuff in a bit of Plain Greek Yogurt is a great dip! But I digress.
I “Liked” Epicure Selections on Facebook and regularly get recipe ideas in my daily feed. The other day this Mini Meatless Mediterranean Meatloaf recipe came through my feed and since it was Meatless Monday, I thought I would give it a read. Of course I didn’t have Tzaziki Dip Mix in my pantry but it occurred to me that I had made a Mexican inspired Meatloaf in the past…
The long and short of it is that I used my Salsa mix in the recipe and was very pleased with the results. Oh, also, I didn’t have a can of lentils in the pantry…who buys lentils in a can? So I cooked up a cup of red lentils with half a chopped onion, a couple of cloves of minced garlic and a McCormick’s Vegetable Stock cube…all worked out in the end. To complete the Mexican Flare, I topped it with the above mentioned plain yogurt/Poco Picante Salsa Mix, a bit of chopped green pepper, tomato and red onion.
Now I have to admit, this would be pretty challenging to accomplish without a Food Processor; challenging, but not impossible. You would be required to mash the beans and lentils the old fashioned way- with a potato masher; the almonds would have to be ground by hand using a chef’s knife and cutting board but hey! You would have had a great arm workout at the end of it all!
Pretty delish if I do say so myself!
1 can (540 ml) Black Beans, rinsed and drained
*1 can (540ml) Lentils, rinsed and drained
1 cup cooked White or Brown Rice
1/2 cup Ground Almonds
1 Tablespoon Poco Picante Salsa Mix <- when I run out, I will use Adobo Seasoning
1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
1 Tablespoon Lime Juice
1 cup Plain Greek Yogurt
1 Tablespoon Picante Salsa Mix
2 strips of Green Pepper, diced
2 slices of Tomato, chopped
1/16 of a Red Onion, chopped
*if using dry lentils:
1 cup Lentils, rinsed and drained
2 cups water
1/2 Onion, chopped
2 cloves Garlic, minced
1 McCormick’s Vegetable Stock cube
Bring lentils, water, chopped onion, minced garlic and vegetable stock cube to a boil; reduce heat, cover and simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
In a small bowl combine plain greek yogurt, salsa mix.
Place in fridge and allow flavours to meld while preparing the meatless meatloaf.
Chop/dice green pepper, tomato and red onion; set aside.
Preheat oven to 375F.
Lightly spray an 8″x4″ Loaf Pan; set aside.
Or lightly spray 6 4″ Ramekins; set aside.
In a food processor, pulse lentils and beans until coarsely chopped.
Turn into a medium mixing bowl and stir together with rice, ground almonds, Salsa Mix (or Adobo Seasoning), olive oil and lime juice.
Turn into prepared loaf pan.
Bake until browned and crisp on top, about 30 minutes.
Top a slice of Salsa Meatloaf with a dollop of the yogurt mixture and sprinkle with chopped veggies.
Serve with a Green Salad.
