Here’s my new favourite free-from Nut Roast recipe for you all. It’s based on Jamie Olivers’ Incredible Nut Roast Recipe, but I’ve made a free-from and less sweet version instead.
Ingredients:
40 ml olive oil or 40 g of coconut oil, plus extra for greasing
150 g cooked quinoa
150 g squash
1 large onion
2 cloves of garlic
2 sticks of celery
4 large handfuls of mixed mushrooms
150 g mixed nuts (soaked for 2-3 hours)
200 g chestnuts (cooked and pealed)
2 tsp of dried rosemary
½ tsp of dried chili pepper
½ tsp smoked paprika
1 tsp dried oregano
1 lemon
4 large organic free-range eggs (or egg replacer).
40 g mature Cheddar cheese (Optional)
sea salt and black pepper to taste
The sauce.
2 x 400 g tins of plum or chopped tomatoes
1 small onion
2 cloves of garlic
2 fresh red chillies
1 stick cinnamon
½ tsp of dried thyme
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 180ºC/350ºF/gas 4. Grease a 1 litre bread tin with a little oil and line with grease-proof paper.
Chop the squash into 1cm chunks. Peel and roughly chop the onion and celery and finely slice the garlic.
Heat 2 tbsp of olive oil in a large frying pan over a medium heat, add chopped vegetables and crumble in the chestnuts.
Add the rosemary, chili, paprika and oregano to the pan and season well. Cook for around 15 minutes, or until softened slightly. Roughly chop the mushrooms, then add to the pan for the final 5 minutes of cooking.
Remove the pan from the heat, stir in the olive oil and grate in the zest from half the lemon. Transfer the mixture to a large bowl, then stir in the cooled quinoa and nuts. Crack in the eggs (or egg replacement), then stir well to combine. Place the mixture into the prepared bread tin, then place in the hot oven for approximately 45 minutes.
When there’s about 30 minutes to go, make the sauce. Place a roasting tray on the hob over a medium-low heat. Prick the chilies and add to the tray with a splash of olive oil and the cinnamon stick. Peel and finely slice the garlic, cut the onion into 8 wedges and add these as well as the thyme and tomatoes, plus a little bit of water 100 -200 ml to the tray. Season to taste then bring to the boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for around 20 minutes.
Once the sauce is ready remove the cinnamon stick and chilies. Remove the nut roast from the oven, remove the grease-proof paper and place on top of the sauce in the roasting tray. Place the cinnamon stick, chilies and cheese if you wish to the top of the nut roast and roast for a further 15 minutes.
This recipe makes roughly 10 decent sized portions and is great served hot or cold.
Here’s some relevant links for you:
Authority Nutition: 11 Proven benefits of Quinoa
The Vegan Society – Easy Nut Roast
Healthy Eating – Benefits of eating gluten-free
Food Matters – The Benefits of Soaking Nuts and Seeds