Sorry I’ve been gone for so long. I got a virus that just didn’t want to go away. I’m feeling better, put still making super easy meals. I’ll make something more extravagant next week!

Slow Cooker Beyond Easy Veggie Loaf
Makes a small loaf that serves 2 – 4

Prep time: 15 minutes

Cooking Time: 6 – 8  hours

• 1-15 oz. can of pinto beans
• 2 Dr. Praegers Tex Mex Veggie Burgers (or your favorite mexi burger)
• 1/4 – 1/2 cup oat bran
• 1 Tbl worcester sauce (a vegetarian version of course)
• 1/4 cup ketchup
• veggie broth if needed
• salt and pepper to taste

The night before: Rinse pintos and put in a large bowl. Mash with a potato masher or fork. Cook burger in a skillet and break up with a spatula. Add burger crumbles to the bowl. Add oat bran, ketchup, worcester and mix. Add more oat bran if mixture is too thin to form into a loaf. Add veggie broth if it’s too thick.

A trick I learned from Not Your Mother’s Slow Cooker is to make an aluminum foil ‘cradle’. Tear off a strip of aluminum foil that’s a little longer as the bottom of your slow cooker added to the sides. Fold it in thirds lengthwise. Try fitting it into your slow cooker – it should at least come up to the edge on two sides. Take it out, put it on a cutting board and form your loaf on it in the middle.

In the morning:  Place the loaf and the aluminum foil in the slow cooker. Cook on low 6 –  8 hours. Remove using the cradle.

You could probably use parchment paper instead of the aluminum. If you try it, let me know how it works.