Ingredients:

1/2 cup sunflower seeds
2 TB olive oil
One onion, diced
One large garlic clove, minced
Two celery ribs, diced
2 cups cooked black beans
1 cup uncooked quick oatmeal or oat bran
1/4 to 1/2 cup tomato juice, as needed
1 heaping TB flaxseed meal
1/4 tsp. dried sage
1/2 tsp. dried oregano

1/2 tsp. powdered cumin
1 tsp. salt

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350º. Spray a loaf pan or 8x8 square baking pan with nonstick spray and set aside (an 8x8 pan makes a crisper loaf).

Grind the sunflower seeds into a coarse meal using a food processor or spice/coffee grinder. Place in a large mixing bowl and set aside.

Sauté any vegetables you've chosen in the olive oil until soft. Add to the large mixing bowl along with all the remaining ingredients. Mix and mash together well, adding only as much liquid as needed to create a soft, moist loaf that holds together and is not runny (you may not need to add any liquid if the grains and protein are very moist). Add more binder/carbohydrate as needed if the loaf seems too wet.

Press mixture into the prepared pan and bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour, or until cooked through.

Let the loaf cool in the pan for 10 to 15 minutes, then turn out onto a plate or platter and slice. Serve with potatoes, vegetables, and vegetarian gravy, if desired.

Cold leftover slices of Good Loaf make a great sandwich filling.