Chickpea Walnut Apple Loaf

This delicious Chickpea Walnut Apple Loaf is the perfect “meatloaf” for Thanksgiving and the holidays. It’s plant-based, vegan, soy-free, and gluten-free. Spiced chickpeas, pair with buttery walnuts and a hint of baked apples, topped with a sweet glaze to create a memorable veggie loaf your family will relish! Easy!

The base for this loaf is cooked with chickpeas, walnuts, veggies, green apples, oats, and tons of herbs. Ketchup (delicious in this sauce) and a drop of molasses, create a bbq effect, along with applesauce and little lemon juice for a hint of sweet tart.

This will make a fantastic entree for the holidays. It’s a delightful complement to this Ginger Sesame Asparagus or my Spiced Cranberry-Mango Sauce, coupled with a Vegan Pumpkin Soup ft. Sweet Plantain. Irresistible. 

It’s not uncommon for me to eat these loaf leftovers (if someone is kind enough not to go for seconds or thirds) cold, straight out of the fridge. It’s also delicious crumbled on top of salad, or in a fresh veggie sandwich drenched in cashew sour cream.

If you enjoy delicious plant-based meat entrées also check out my Ground Walnut Meat!  

If you try this recipe, let us know! Leave a comment and don’t forget to tag a photo #cmhsocial on Instagram. Enjoy, friends!

Flavorful vegan chickpea “meatloaf” with plant-based, whole-food ingredients like walnuts, apples, oats, and herbs! 

Easy, and a hearty entrée for Thanksgiving and the holidays.  

Chickpea Walnut Apple Loaf

Servings: 8 slices
Prep Time: 25 mins
Cook Time: 45 mins
Good For: Lunch, Dinner
Cuisine: Vegan, Gluten-Free, Grain-Free, Soy-Free
Keeps For: 4-5 days in fridge, 1 month in freezer

Ingredients:

FILLING: 
3 cups of chickpeas (cooked) 
½ cup of celery (1 ½ sticks)
4 cloves of garlic
¾ cup of onion (about ½ an onion)
½ cup of green pepper (optional)
¾ cup of walnuts 
1½ tbsp of ground flaxseed (+ 3 tbs of water)
¾ cup of green Apple (about ½ a green apple) 
¾ cup of oats 
4 tbsp of coconut aminos 
2 tbsp of fresh cilantro 
1 tsp of sage
1 tsp of oregano 
1 tsp of cumin 
1 tsp of thyme 
½ tsp of fennel 
¼ tsp of cayenne
¼ tsp of chipotle seasoning 
¾ – 1 tsp of salt  

GLAZE: 
3 tsp of maple syrup 
¼ cup + 3 tbsp of ketchup (I use Organicville Ketchup)
1 tsp of molasses 
4 tbsp of applesauce 
2 tsp of lemon 

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. 
2. Add 3 cups of cooked chickpeas to the baking sheet and bake for 10-15 minutes, just until it’s dry to avoid a mushy loaf. Don’t overbake and forget them in the oven! This will cause the loaf to become too dry.  
3. Heat a large cast-iron or metal skillet over medium heat. Once hot, add 1 Tbsp of oil (or water if oil-free). Sauté for 4-5 minutes stirring frequently until translucent.
4. To a large food processor, add oats and pulse once or twice until they are coarsely ground. Set aside.
5. To the same food processor (without the oats), add 3 cups of cooked, and thoroughly dried chickpeas to a food processor, half of the cooked veggie mixture from the skillet, thyme, sage, cilantro, cumin, oregano, fennel, cayenne, chipotle seasoning, and coconut aminos. Pulse until mixture is half mashed and half coarsely chunked.
6. To a small bowl, add 1.5 Tbsp of ground flaxseed and 3 Tbsp of water, to make flax egg. Mix and set aside.
7. To a small bowl, add maple syrup, ketchup, molasses, apple sauce, and lemon and mix. You’ll use half of the sauce to moisten the inside of your loaf, and half of the sauce to glaze your loaf. 
8. Transfer chickpea mix from food processor to a large mixing bowl, add half of your sauce, flax egg, and coarsely ground oats a little at a time until a thick dough forms. The dough should resemble a veggie burger mix. If too dry and crumbly, add 1 Tbsp of chickpea brine, vegetable stalk, or coconut aminos plus a splash of water, at a time. If for some reason too wet, add more oats. Taste and adjust flavor as needed, adding more salt for saltiness, coconut aminos for depth of flavor, or seasonings to taste.
9. Transfer the mixture to the parchment-lined loaf pan, press and spread into an even layer.
10. To glaze, spread the top of the loaf evenly with the rest of your sauce.
11. Bake uncovered for 45 minutes or until a toothpick from the center comes out clean.
12. Remove from oven and let rest for 15 minutes. Then, remove from pan, and cool a bit more before slicing. Slices best with a bread knife.

Note:

-If you prefer to chop your veggies in a food processor, be my guest! Just make sure not to over-process, keeping them a similar size to chopping them by hand, to avoid them turning into mush. 

-Keeps in the fridge for 5 days, and a month plus in the freezer. 

Did you make this recipe? Tag @cmhsocial on Instagram and hashtag it #cmhsocial

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