This past week I was quite busy: working at my new job (manager at my brother’s outdoor gear shoppe), writing blog articles, and supporting my younger son’s preparations for a weekend-full of violin concerts.  Knowing that there would be little time to cook on the weekend, I planned ahead and prepared a big meal on Thursday, since I got off work earlier that day.

When planning the week’s menu, I created a vegan loaf recipe that calls for cooked black beans and cooked millet. Typically, I would cook those foods the day before cooking the loaf, but this week I only had time for cooking that one day, so the night before I soaked the beans and grains, and the next day I cooked them before making the loaf. While the beans and grains were cooking, I began assembling the loaf ingredients.

Please, please, please buy organic food whenever possible! It is better for the health of our bodies and it is better for our sacred earth.

Millet
Soak 2 cups millet overnight. Add pinch of Himalayan krystal salt, bring to boil, then simmer covered for 20 minutes. You can use the leftover millet for several days: it tastes great heated for breakfast with any combination of nuts, seeds, dried fruit, and maple syrup. For lunch, it is yummy mixed with salad greens, flax oil, apple cider vinegar, and nutritional yeast.

Black Beans
Soak 2 ½ cups black beans overnight. In the morning change the soaking water, and then when ready to cook, drain and add fresh water again. Cook beans with 1 medium yellow onion, chopped; 4 cloves of garlic, chopped; 1 jalapeño pepper, chopped; 1 cup arugula (or other greens) chopped tiny; 2 Tablespoons brown sugar; 1 ½ teaspoons salt. Bring beans to boil, add all ingredients except salt. Cook beans for 1 ½ hours, add salt and cook for 30 more minutes.

Vegan Loaf You’ll Love
2 cups cooked black beans
2 cups cooked millet
½ cup applesauce
4 cups French sourdough bread, torn in small pieces
1 cup parsley, cut tiny
½ cup sunflower seeds
1 ½ Tablespoons soy sauce
1 Tablespoon vegan Worcestershire sauce
2 teaspoons cumin, ground
¼ teaspoon black pepper, ground
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 Tablespoon dried basil
1 ½ teaspoons turmeric, ground

Light a candle, breathe in Love, breathe out Gratitude, then combine all of the above ingredients in a large bowl. Mix well. Pour 1 Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil into a 9x13” glass pan; spread oil with a piece of bread, then enjoy that bite of oily bread! Pour loaf mixture into pan and spread evenly. Top with the rest of the sourdough loaf, torn into small pieces. Cover the bread with 2-3 Tablespoons vegan butter and 10 oz. vegan cheese, grated. Bake 30 minutes uncovered at 375 degrees.

I hope you enjoy these hearty and healthy recipes. If you have any questions, please post them in the comments below this article. After cooking these recipes, please let me know how they turn out for you.

May all beings have food to eat each day.

May all beings know Peace and Happiness.

Om Shanti (Peace),

Yogini Tejaswini

See me live talking about my soup cookbook here: Yogini Bliss on YouTube

Photo of Teja taking the vegan loaf out of the oven by Teja’s son Gabe.