lentil loaf

As soon as the weather cools I find myself drawn to the kitchen to make wholesome foods. With all the wonderful fall flavors to experiment with, I generally find myself making sweet desserts: pumpkin loaves and apple pies. This year though, I’ve been fantasizing about savory fare like potato topped, vegetable pies and seitan with gravy.

This weekend was full of projects and hard work which left little time for fun in the kitchen, let alone trips to the grocery store. Instead I cooked up 2 lentil loaves using the dregs of our pantry and leftovers in the fridge. While that might sound unappetizing, that is the simple beauty of a lentil loaf. You can throw nearly anything in there and it can still turn out delicious.

While I often include some veggies in our lentil loaves, this one is pure faux-meaty goodness. It’s moist and a little bit chewy, with a tiny bit of spicy here and there. We had it with some almond gravy, but it would be wonderful with some simple brown gravy as well (in fact, it doesn’t even need the gravy, but I like gravy and will eat it at any opportunity I get).

I made two completely different recipes, so today I’ll share the the first and once we try the second I’ll post it as well.

Vegan Lentil Loaf

• 2 cups cooked lentils
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 3 Tbsp soy sauce
• 1/4 cup ketchup, plus more for topping
• 1/4 cup bbq sauce
• 1 cup breadcrumbs
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tsp dried parsley
• 1 tsp dried sage
• 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
• 1 cup vital wheat gluten
• 1/4 cup vegetable broth

Preheat your oven to 375°

Heat a bit of oil in a small pan and saute the onions and garlic until soft and fragrant.

Mix all ingredients, minus the wheat gluten and veggie broth in a bowl. I like to use potato masher to smoosh (yes, that’s a technical term) some of the lentils. Mix together until you have a consistent mush.

Add in the vital wheat gluten and vegetable broth and knead together until it becomes slightly elastic. Press the dough into a greased loaf pan. Brush the top with ketchup to cover it.

Bake for 45 minutes. Let cool for 10-15 minutes before serving.

fall time

I wanted to share this lovely video from La Sera that a friend showed me last October. It’s simultaneously cute and gross. Not to mention I love the song. Good for the season.

It’s really starting to feel like fall here in LA. We don’t so much get a season but a brisk cold time. Shawn and I have been watching our fair share of horror movies and that strange creepiness is starting to pervade my senses. I love it though. Feeling a little scared when I walk down the hallway in the dark or like something might be out there in the night.

Looking forward to a weekend filled with scary things and perhaps some creations in the kitchen. I promise food here on the blog next week.

Don’t forget, a week from today we’ll be screening Brainwashed Love at the La Femme Film Festival. Be there or be square.

Tim Burton Blog Party

Hey guys you should really check out the Tim Burton Blog Party going on over at Paper Sparrow today and tomorrow. There are tons of Tim Burton inspired posts including a download from me to make  Melancholy Death of Oyster Boy cupcake toppers (right here). Go check it out!

horrorthon

October is our season of horror movie watching. We try to pack in as many films into the month as possible. If you’ve been reading Cute and Delicious for awhile, you hopefully know about some of our past movie marathons. This year will be our fourth annual and we’re already planning what films to show. But I’m getting ahead of myself.

This weekend, we got the month off to a great start by attending the 4th annual Horrorthon at the New Beverly. Six movies, plus a handful of curated trailers, all in one night. The theater was packed but we managed to score some great seats in the center front. Our friend and fellow movie enthusiast, Jennifer, joined us for the evening.

So what did we watch?

Beyond the Door
Creature from the Black Lagoon (in original 3D)
Hell Night
Brain Damage
The Pit and the Pendulum
Horror Planet (aka Inseminoid)

Almost all the films were new to us (except Creature from the Black Lagoon). Beyond the Door was my favorite of the evening by far as it was totally a mash up of The Exorcist and Rosemary’s Baby, but a strange nonsensical version. It was cool to see films I hadn’t even heard of and even better to see them with an excited audience.

By the way I am always looking for horror film recommendations to expand our collection. What are your favorites?

halloween costumes

It’s the last day of September which means I am declaring it officially time to start talking about Halloween. I’ve even changed my header in honor or my favorite holiday.

First order of business is costumes. I always try to plan ahead so I can make my costume but then can’t decide until the last minute where I scramble to make something overly complicated and end up making myself crazy. Yet again, I’m stumped this year.

Looking back at the last few years, I’m really happy with my costumes, in fact, they’ve been some of my favorite.

Last year I was a prairie girl. The coolest thing about this costume was that it was super comfortable and totally re-wearable. I knew I wouldn’t have time to make a costume so I bought a lovely vintage dress on etsy.

In 2009 I had big ambitions that I would make an intricate Marie Antoinette dress, including a corset. I never finished it. It managed to get it to a wearable state but never made the hoop skirt that went along with it. This project nearly broke me. Despite not totally finishing it, I was still really happy to have a fancy and yet really creepy costume.

In 2008 I was a bat. I have wanted to be a bat for many years as I have wings already built in. This costume was a simple, black, shiny dress with an open back. It was easy to make just by draping. I added gloves, thigh highs and mask to finish it off.

Possibly my favorite costume of all time was this dear costume I made in 2007. Knowing in advance that I needed something I could wear on a bike ride, I made a super comfortable cotton jersey dress, spray painted the belly white and added ears and a tail. I also made the cape Shawn wore with his pumpkin head costume. It was one of the best Halloweens ever.

So what’s next? I’d like to go with something traditional and scary. Maybe something with horns? I much prefer things that are creepy than cute or sweet. I also love getting the chance to wear makeup and masks.

What are you going to be for Halloween? Do you make your costume or buy it? Let’s brainstorm ideas together!