Rehabilitating the Millet Loaf

I chickened out and make Mac Uncheese from Compassion Over Killing, mashed winter squash and Oatmeal Walnut Burgers for dinner last night. We finished up with a sweet, but not too sweet, Hot Water Cake. Everyone took leftovers for lunch today, that's how you know its a true hit!

Today I have to make the millet loaf edible. Here's how I attack the problem. First, I check out the original recipe so I know what spices are already in the mix. The recipe in question used tomato juice, garlic, poultry seasoning, sage and basil. The problem with the loaf is its rather dry and vaguely bitter.

So here's my assessment of the problems. I blame the vaguely bitter taste on the raw garlic that was used in the recipe. I know my family prefers their garlic sauteed, making it a little mellower than raw. The dryness is because of how long it cooked.

On the positive side, the spices involved work well in veggie burgers and veggie sausage patties.

Here's my plan. I'm going to mix the millet with the following:

1 cup finely chopped walnuts which will add some moistness as well as a mellow flavor
2 Tbs flaxseed meal to help bind things as well as add some moistness
1/2 cup each oatmeal and cornmeal for texture and binding power
salsa to bind it all together and flavor (ketchup would be another option)
water as needed to bind it all together

The amounts listed above are just to give you an idea of proportions. The actual amounts depend on how much millet there actually is. You want to windup with something that holds its shape. I'm going to cook these on the griddle and see how they turn out. I'll let you know tomorrow.

BTW, its the fat content in the walnuts and flaxseed meal that lends moistness.