For all of my American friends out there let me educate you on the “British Sunday Roast.” I would dare to say that no meal is more beloved by the Brits than the Sunday Roast!
Originally a roast consisted of a roasts beef with sides of vegetables but then shifted to be roast beef, lamb or chicken with roast potatoes, carrots, parsnips and gravy. It’s a classic British meal you have either for a late lunch or dinner that stuffs you up so much you are couch-bound and filled up until the next morning (or at least that is how it is in my boyfriend’s family’s house). It remains a nostalgic meal that is as common in every pub and restaurant in the UK and is as ubiquitous as the American brunch. In essence, British people have a kind of Thanksgiving dinner every Sunday (or this is the best thing I can compare it to!)
Again, the big factor which makes this meal so anti-veg friendly is the meat and gravy; however, I have found that quite a few pubs offer a “nut roast” version if you aren’t wanting to order half a roast chicken or a big slab of meat. After discovering this delicious veggie-friendly alternative, I was hooked (even before I went fully plant-based)!
This nut roast which I make at home, is rich and savoury, consisting of nuts, lentils and grains and served in slices like meatloaf, doused in thick vegan gravy.
vegan nut roast
Equipment
- food processor
Ingredients
- 200 grams mixed nuts
- 100 grams green lentils raw
- 50 grams yellow onion minced
- 4 grams garlic minced
- 40 grams celery chopped
- 25 grams parsnip
- 75 grams carrots grated
- 30 ml soy sauce
- 20 grams flaxseed
- 45 ml almond milk
- 15 grams tahini
- 1 vegetable stock cube
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C) and line a loaf pan with parchment paper.
- Put the lentils in a saucepan with 355 mls water and cook for 10-15 minutes until lentils are tender but not mushy.
- Chop all vegetables in food processor (grated carrots, grated parsnips, sliced celery, chopped onion) and set aside to cook in pan.
- Utilise one teaspoon olive oil or one tablespoon water to soften vegetables.
- Add raw mixed nuts to the food processor and pulse until finely chopped.
- Add in additional loaf ingredients into food processor and pulse until combined. Do not over pulse so that it gets too mushy but to a desired texture (sometimes I want mine more broken up, whereas other times I look for a more homogenous mixture)
- Pour into prepared pan and bake for 50 minutes, rotating in the oven half way. If you like your nut roast crispier on the edges do not cover for the first 20 minutes, I like mine more crispy so I keep mine uncovered for the entirety of the time.
- Serve with roast side dishes (roast potatoes parsnips, carrots, cabbage or brussel sprouts) and gravy.
