Nut Roast with pomegranate garnish : Vegan friendly

Now, I enjoy eating meat, but I know there are readers who do not. In fact a friend of mine makes it a rule to go 'meatless' one evening each week! We each have to choose our eating choices, habits etc and which recipes we include in our meal plans.

As regular readers will know this blog does offer a wide variety of recipe ideas, for your consideration, and by doing this it should be pointed out that not all may be suitable for YOU. If you may have any food likes / dislikes, allergies, or underlying health issues these must always be taken into account.

If you are a diabetic and not sure how certain foods may affect your blood sugars, test is best, i.e. use your meter ...

Now, having said that, 'vegan friends' say this is a very tasty dish, perhaps you may want to give it a try!

A nut roast can make a fantastic alternative to a meat main course or traditional Christmas dinner. This delicious vegan nut roast recipe is full of hearty veg – butternut squash, aubergine, red pepper – as well as nuts, herbs and green olives for flavour and texture. Cooked in a round tin, it makes a showstopper main with its bright pomegranate garnish. What’s more, it’s vegan-friendly, too

Ingredients

Serves Eight
1 large butternut squash, peeled, de-seeded and diced
1 head garlic, cloves peeled
4 tbsp olive oil, plus extra for greasing
1 aubergine, diced into 1cm cubes
8 small shallots, diced
1 red pepper, diced into 1cm pieces
400g tin chickpeas, drained
125g blanched almonds, toasted
125g shelled pistachios
15g rosemary, leaves picked
15g thyme, leaves picked, reserving a few sprigs to garnish
15g parsley, leaves picked
100g pitted green olives, roughly chopped
60g fresh breadcrumbs
½ lemon, juiced
40g pomegranate seeds, to serve

Method

1. Preheat the oven to gas 6, 200°C, fan 180°C. Grease a 23cm, round deep tin with a little oil and line the base with baking paper. Toss the diced butternut squash with the garlic cloves and 2 tbsp of the oil in a large bowl. Spread out over a large roasting tin and cook for 15-20 mins, or until soft, turning once halfway through cooking.
2. While the squash is cooking, heat a large, heavy frying pan over a medium heat with 1 tbsp oil. Add the aubergine and cook for 10-15 mins until softened and well browned, then transfer to a large bowl.
3. Add the remaining oil to the frying pan along with the shallots. Cook for 5-10 mins until softened, then add the pepper and cook for further 5 mins. Add to the bowl with the aubergine and set aside.
4. Once cooked, add the squash and roasted garlic cloves to a food processor and pulse until you have a chunky purée, then transfer to the bowl with the aubergine mixture.
5. Add the drained chickpeas, almonds, pistachios (reserving a few to garnish) and herbs to the food processor and pulse until roughly chopped. Add to the bowl along with the chopped olives, breadcrumbs and lemon juice. Season well and mix everything together until thoroughly combined.
6. Spoon the mixture into the prepared tin and smooth over the top. Bake for 50-55 mins, or until the top is golden. Allow to rest for 5 mins in the tin, then loosen the edges with a knife and carefully turn out onto a serving plate.
7. Garnish with the pomegranate seeds, reserved pistachios and thyme sprigs before slicing into wedges to serve.

Tip

As an alternative to butternut squash, sweet potato can be used
Freezing and defrosting guidelines

Once the dish has cooled completely, transfer it to an airtight, freezer-safe container, seal and freeze for up to 1-3 months.

To serve

Defrost thoroughly in the fridge before reheating. To re-heat, loosely cover with foil and bake until dish is thoroughly heated through. Re-heat until piping hot.

Nutrition Per Serving

Fat 26g Protein 12.3g Carbs 29.1g Fibre 5.7g Salt 0.9g

From original idea here

Other Dishes You May Like to try

Green Beans with Garlic and Almonds - see here

Celeriac and Walnut Gratin - see here

Roasted Vegetables Tricolore - see here

Cauliflower Broccoli 'Macaroni' and Cheese - see here

Happy Cooking

Happy Eating

All the best Jan