“I am DONE with this race,” I proclaim between sips of coffee. It’s 8:00 on a Saturday morning, and I’ve got an hour to get to the start line of my eleventy-seventh 24 Hour Race. Okay, so that was a bit hyperbolic, and it’s maybe my fourth of fifth, but I kid you not when I say I was over it three years ago. You may be wondering why I kept coming back - believe me, I’ve asked myself that many a time, and the only good reason is that I somehow kept scoring free entries. “This is it, though. For real. Once that gun goes off signaling 9am on Sunday morning, it’ll be the last time for me.” I down the rest of my cappuccino, grab my jacket, and head to the trails.

I was using this race as practice for my first 100 miler - mostly to test out my headlamp and this ridiculous notion that, in an attempt to address my hydration issues, I’d fuel myself with nothing but green juice and fruit. Fortunately, when my alarm went off on the morning of October 24th, it occurred to me that strategically placing bottles of juice on a 100 mile course wasn’t exactly grounded in logic, so it was silly to roll with that in my practice race. Unfortunately, I had no backup plan. Opening my fridge, amidst my bottles of juice and bags of grapes, I saw an untouched lentil loaf made earlier in the week. Without even bothering to portion it out, I wrapped the entire loaf in foil, grabbed a case knife, and hoped for the best. I’ll tell you that I got really lucky and let you pop over here to read the full race story. In the meantime, check out this recipe for my running super food, and know that it’s an excellent choice even for those who don’t find masochistic pleasure on the trail.

balsamic glazed lentil loaf
makes 2 loaves

for the loaves
2 cups uncooked green lentils
5 cups veggie broth, divided + more, as necessary
5 cloves garlic, minced
1 medium sweet onion, finely chopped (apprx 2 1/3 cups)*
5 medium celery stalks, finely chopped (apprx 2 1/3 cups)*
4 medium carrots, finely chopped (apprx 2 1/3 cups)*
1 medium green apple, finely chopped (apprx 1 cup)*
1/2 cup golden raisins
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper
2 Tbs dried thyme
sea salt & fresh black pepper, to taste
1 2/3 cups finely chopped walnuts
2 1/2 cups rolled oats, ground into a flour
2 flax eggs (2 Tbs ground flax seed + 4 Tbs water)**

for the glaze
1 8oz can good quality tomato sauce
2 Tbs pure maple syrup
1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
3 Tbs good quality balsamic vinegar

1) Preheat the oven to 350˚ and lightly spray two 9x5 loaf pans.
2) In a medium pot, bring lentils and 4 1/2 cups veggie broth to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook uncovered for at least 45 minutes, adding more broth as necessary. You’ll want to slightly overcook the lentils so that they mash easily. Alternatively, you can cook the lentils in a pressure cooker according to the manufacturer settings.
3) Drain any excess water from the pot, mash with a fork or potato masher, and set aside.

4) Combine flax seed and water and set aside. This will be your flax egg
5) In an extra large skillet (or two regular size skillets), over medium heat, sauté the garlic, onion, celery, carrots, apple, and raisins in the remaining half cup of veggie broth for 5 minutes.

6) Add the crushed red pepper, thyme, salt, and pepper, and continue to sauté, stirring occasionally and adding extra broth as necessary, for another 7 to 9 minutes, or until veggies are soft.
7) In a small bowl, stir together oat flour and walnuts.

8) In an extra large bowl, combine the mashed lentils and veggie mixture. Add the flax egg and mix well.
9) Stir in the oat flour mixture until thoroughly combined. Taste and add seasoning, as necessary.
10) Evenly divide the lentil mixture into the loaf pans and with damp hands, firmly press down. Set aside.

11) Whisk all the glaze ingredients into a small bowl, and then spread equal amounts onto each loaf.

12) Bake uncovered 45-50 minutes, or until the edges are lightly browned. Remove from the oven and let rest at least 15 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack. Let rest another 20 minutes. It will firm as it cools and be much easier to slice.

*The volume of chopped veggies and fruit is approximate. As long as you’re in the neighborhood, a little more or a little less will be just fine.

**Stir the ground flax seed into the water and let stand for 3-5 minutes. This ratio will yield two fairly firm flax eggs, which work well in these loaves.

notes: This recipe was adapted from Oh She Glows Apple Walnut Lentil Loaf. I’m a ketchup hating, spice loving kind of gal, though, so I needed a new version. I always make two at a time and either freeze one or give one away since making one destroys my kitchen to the same degree as making two. I always make two at a time and either freeze one or give one away since making one destroys my kitchen to the same degree as making two. It’s arguable that it tastes even better the next day, and it makes an AWESOME sandwich - think meatloaf sandwich, vegan style. That said, if you’re not a leftovers person, it this recipe can easily be halved.

balsamic glazed lentil loaf
makes 2 loaves

for the loaves
2 cups uncooked green lentils
5 cups veggie broth, divided + more, as necessary
5 cloves garlic, minced
1 medium sweet onion, finely chopped (apprx 2 1/3 cups)*
5 medium celery stalks, finely chopped (apprx 2 1/3 cups)*
4 medium carrots, finely chopped (apprx 2 1/3 cups)*
1 medium green apple, finely chopped (apprx 1 cup)*
1/2 cup golden raisins
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper
2 Tbs dried thyme
sea salt & fresh black pepper, to taste
1 2/3 cups finely chopped walnuts
2 1/2 cups rolled oats, ground into a flour
2 flax eggs (2 Tbs ground flax seed + 4 Tbs water)**

for the glaze
1 8oz can good quality tomato sauce
2 Tbs pure maple syrup
1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
3 Tbs good quality balsamic vinegar

1) Preheat the oven to 350˚ and lightly spray two 9x5 loaf pans.
2) In a medium pot, bring lentils and 4 1/2 cups veggie broth to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook uncovered for at least 45 minutes, adding more broth as necessary. You’ll want to slightly overcook the lentils so that they mash easily. Alternatively, you can cook the lentils in a pressure cooker according to the manufacturer settings.
3) Drain any excess water from the pot, mash with a fork or potato masher, and set aside.
4) Combine flax seed and water and set aside. This will be your flax egg
5) In an extra large skillet (or two regular size skillets), over medium heat, sauté the garlic, onion, celery, carrots, apple, and raisins in the remaining half cup of veggie broth for 5 minutes.
6) Add the crushed red pepper, thyme, salt, and pepper, and continue to sauté, stirring occasionally and adding extra broth as necessary, for another 7 to 9 minutes, or until veggies are soft.
7) In a small bowl, stir together oat flour and walnuts.
8) In an extra large bowl, combine the mashed lentils and veggie mixture. Add the flax egg and mix well.
9) Stir in the oat flour mixture until thoroughly combined. Taste and add seasoning, as necessary.
10) Evenly divide the lentil mixture into the loaf pans and with damp hands, firmly press down. Set aside.
11) Whisk all the glaze ingredients into a small bowl, and then spread equal amounts onto each loaf.
12) Bake uncovered 45-50 minutes, or until the edges are lightly browned. Remove from the oven and let rest at least 15 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack. Let rest another 20 minutes. It will firm as it cools and be much easier to slice.

*The volume of chopped veggies and fruit is approximate. As long as you’re in the neighborhood, a little more or a little less will be just fine.

**Stir the ground flax seed into the water and let stand for 3-5 minutes. This ratio will yield two fairly firm flax eggs, which work well in these loaves.

notes: This recipe was adapted from Oh She Glows Apple Walnut Lentil Loaf. I’m a ketchup hating, spice loving kind of gal, though, so I needed a new version. I always make two at a time and either freeze one or give one away since making one destroys my kitchen to the same degree as making two. I always make two at a time and either freeze one or give one away since making one destroys my kitchen to the same degree as making two. It’s arguable that it tastes even better the next day, and it makes an AWESOME sandwich - think meatloaf sandwich, vegan style. That said, if you’re not a leftovers person, it this recipe can easily be halved.