1 dl [½ cup] uncooked wild rice
 1 can red kidney beans, rinsed and drained
 1½ dl [2/3 cup] walnuts, chopped
 ½ dl [1/4 cup] raisins, chopped
 ½ dl [1/4 cup] dried cranberries, chopped
 1 medium onion, diced fine
 2 tbsp milled flax seeds (with 3 tbsp hot water)
 1 dl [½ cup] gluten-free bread crumbs
 2 springs of fresh oregano
 ½ tsp ground pepper or more to taste
 1 tsp sea salt or more to taste
 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
 extra warm water

Cook the rice as per directions (the cooking time is about 45 minutes – you can do this the night before or in the morning so the rice is cooked and ready before putting it together, the actual assembly of the loaf is very quick – about 20 minutes). Grease and line a loaf pan with parchment paper and set aside. Preheat the oven to 175C [350F]. Chop the onion very fine, and in small skillet, sautee on olive oil until golden, not burned – set aside. Separately in a small bowl, add the milled flax seeds and hot water, mix and set aside. Chop all raisins, dried cranberries, walnuts into small pieces. :: Larger pieces will give you a rougher texture of the loaf but expect it to be more crumbly also. :: Smaller pieces will give you a smoother texture in the loaf, and if that’s what you’re after, take 2/3 of the cooked wild rice, and give it a bit of a chopping also. In a food processor, grind all the red kidney beans into a paste. In a large bowl, combine the bean paste, sauteed onion, all the dried fruit, nuts, 2/3 of the wild rice (reserve 1/3 for top), and ½ of the flax seed mixture, gluten-free breadcrumbs, spices, salt and pepper plus fresh oregano – mix well. If the mixture is too dry, add a few tablespoons of warm water, mix and add more until it sticks together and isn’t crumbly, but it’s not runny. Taste it and add more seasoning if needed. Tasting it is a very important step to make sure it doesn’t come out bland at the end. In another small bowl, add 1/3 of the wild rice remaining with ½ of the flax seed mixture, season with salt and pepper and mix well to incorporate. This is the wild rice topping. Assemble in the lined loaf pan by adding the rice topping first. Be sure to spread it out evenly. Then add in the other loaf mixture. Press down firmly so it forms well in the pan, smooth out the top. Bake for 35-45 minutes. Let cool for about 10 minutes before serving.

Recipe from this blog.