I made beet loaf?

You know how recipes seem to cycle through the blogs, appearing almost simultaneously on the same day. One minute all the blogs have banana bread/banana muffins/banana cupcakes, etc., and the next they're all about peanut stew/peanut soup/peanut pie. Then, every so often, there's a run of beet burgers/beet loaf/beet balls. I've found myself contributing to the surfeit of many such confluences — but never to the ones involving beets. I don't love beets, and I don't hate them. I will eat one or two slices of baked, boiled or pickled beets if they are being served, but I almost never prepare them myself. I like borscht; I like raw beets as part of fresh juice; I like raw grated beets, but sadly, most beets that we bring into the house thinking we might use them, end up in the compost.

Last week I was home alone, and thought it would be a good idea to make a main-dish loaf of some sort that I could eat from all week — just heat and add vegetables — and not have to cook much. As I planned what would go into it, I remembered the beets languishing in the fridge, and decided I   might as well make a beet loaf once and for all. I didn't look up any recipes* because I was afraid that seeing a long list of ingredients that I had to find and measure would make me change my mind, and besides, I had my own list of ingredients that needed to be used up. For example, I had the end of an expired bag of TruRoots sprouted beans, some rather old millet, and the last five remaining mushrooms from a box on the verge of being tossed, as well as a giant jar of mushroom powder that I try to add to as many things as possible. Because I didn't use a recipe, and didn't accurately measure most of the ingredients, you should consider my recipe a guide. The loaf was so good I really couldn't believe it, and I made so much there was plenty left when my husband got home from his travels — he loved it, too. It could easily go into sandwiches or into tacos or nachos or under mashed potatoes for shepherd's pie. Or you could freeze the leftovers for a night when you don't have time to cook. Yesterday I formed some of the leftovers into a burger and sautéed it in a little oil — delicious with sriracha. You could use any beans you want — lentils would be good, and probably any grain, though I recommend trying millet for its taste and texture.

Beet loaf (guidelines) About 12 servings

• 1 cup dry TruRoots sprouted beans, cooked and drained (or lentils or other beans) 
• 1 cup dry millet cooked in 2 cups water for 20 minutes, then allowed to sit, covered for at least 20 minutes, fluffed with a fork
• 1 large onion, chopped 
• 5 large mushrooms, chopped
• 2 carrots, peeled and grated
• 1 smallish beet, peeled and grated
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 piece fresh ginger root, chopped,
• 1 Rapunzel no salt added bouillon cube, mashed into hot beans
• 1 tablespoon cocoa powder
• 2 tablespoons to 1/4 cup ketchup
• 1/2 teaspoon liquid smoke (more if you really like liquid smoke)
• hemp seeds (opt.)
• sunflower seeds (opt. but adds a nice crunch)
• 1/2 to 1 teaspoon mushroom powder (opt.)
• salt and pepper to taste
• herbs and spices as desired (I used crushed red pepper)

1. Sauté onion until almost soft. Add mushrooms and cook until soft. Add carrots and beets and cook until wilted.
2. In a food processor, place beans, bouillon, cocoa, garlic and ginger and buzz until well-combined.
3. Add half the millet and half the sautéed veggies and buzz until well-combined but not puréed.
4. Place the bean mixture into a large bowl with the remaining millet and veggies and mix. 
5. Mix in ketchup, liquid smoke, hemp seeds (if using), sunflower seeds (if using), mushroom powder (if using), salt, pepper, herbs and spices to taste.
6. Press into an oiled 10" x 13" baking dish. Glaze the top with a thin layer of ketchup.
7. Bake at 350˚F for 45 minutes. Allow to sit for 10 to 15 minutes before serving. Serve with gravy.

* If I were going to look for recipes, I'd search here and here and also here. Try searching for beet burgers as well as beet loaf. I know I've seen recipes on all three blogs, though I've never been in the right mood to make note of them because, you know, they contained beets. Well, I was wrong. Yes, I was.