Loafing Around

When most people think of dinner loaves, what comes to mind is ye olde meatloaf. But savoury loaves don’t have to be only about the ground red meat. In fact, everything from lentils to eggs and even salmon can form the backbone of a praise-worthy mealtime loaf.

And there are some serious nutritional perks to playing the field when it comes to transforming loaves. Those that are lentil or bean based are chockablock with satiety-boosting dietary fibre to help quell after-dinner cravings for dessert.

When you include a healthy amount of vegetables such as mushrooms, asparagus, and grated carrot, you’ll benefit from their disease-busting nutrients and antioxidants. Also, swapping out ground red meat for lean ground poultry such as chicken delivers a loaf with a better protein-to-fat ratio.

These loaf recipes will guarantee that nobody at the table is left pondering: “Where’s the beef?”

Recipes

• Sweet Potato Turkey Loaf
• Asparagus Egg Loaf
• Mushroom Lentil Loaf
• Salmon Loaf with Dill-Yogurt Sauce
• Beet Chickpea Loaf with Arugula Sauce

Leftover magic

Most loaf recipes only get better after a day or two chilling in the refrigerator. You can reheat leftovers in the pan in the oven until warmed through. For a new take on veggie burgers, try serving leftover slices on whole grain buns with your favourite burger toppings. Or stuff into pitas for a sandwich upgrade.

Not so sticky

Lining loaf pans with parchment paper is a great way to fret less about the need to chisel out your loaf. Plus, if you leave some overhang you can simply lift out the loaf after cooking. The trick to getting parchment paper to mould into the pan, however, is to take your piece of paper, crumple it up, and then give it a good soaking in water. The wet paper will then easily fit into the pan.