Savory Vegan Nut Roast

[nverland]

Savory Vegan Nut Roast
Prep Time 20 minutes Cook Time 1 hour 15 minutes Total Time 1 hour 35 minutes Servings 6

Ingredients

3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
12 ounces cremini mushrooms, cleaned and sliced
1 medium onion, diced
1 cup diced carrots (about 2 medium carrots)
1 cup diced celery (about medium stalks)
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon rubbed sage
½ teaspoon dried rosemary
¼ cup dry sherry
1 cup panko breadcrumbs
¾ cup chopped walnuts
¼ cup chopped pecans
¼ cup roasted sunflower seeds
2 tablespoons ground flaxseed
¼ teaspoon black pepper
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
Salt, to taste

For Serving

Vegan gravy (optional) (recipe below)


Instructions

Coat the bottom of a large skillet with 2 tablespoons of olive oil and place it over medium heat. When the oil is hot, add the mushrooms in an even layer.
Let the mushrooms cook for about 5 minutes, until browned on the bottoms, then flip and cook them for 5 minutes more. Remove the mushrooms from the skillet and transfer them to a plate.
Add the remaining tablespoon of oil to the skillet. Give it a minute to heat up, then add the onion, carrots and celery.
Cook the veggies for about 5 minutes, stirring frequently, until softened up a bit.
Add the garlic to the skillet. Cook it for about 1 minute, until very fragrant.
Return the mushrooms to the skillet and add the thyme, sage, rosemary, and sherry. Bring the liquid to a boil.
Lower the heat and allow the sherry to simmer for about 4 minutes, until most of it has evaporated. Remove the skillet from the heat and let the mixture cool a bit while you gather the remaining ingredients.
Preheat the oven to 350°F and lightly oil a 9-inch loaf pan.
Transfer the mushroom mixture to the bowl of a food processor fitted with an s-blade. Add the breadcrumbs, walnuts, pecans, sunflower seeds, flaxseed, black pepper, and balsamic vinegar.
Pulse the food processor until the ingredients are finely chopped and well mixed, stopping to scrape down the inside of the bowl as needed.
Taste-test the mixture and season it with salt to taste.
Transfer the mixture to the prepared loaf pan. Smooth out the top with a spoon.
Place the pan into the oven and bake the roast for about 55 minutes. It should have darkened and firmed up when it's done. You can test it by inserting a toothpick into the center. It will come out hot when the roast is done.
Transfer the roast to a cooling rack and let it cool in the pan for at least 15 minutes before carefully removing and slicing it.
Transfer slices to plates. Serve alone, or topped with vegan gravy.

Super Simple Vegan Gravy
Prep Time 5 minutes Cook Time 25 minutes Total Time 30 minutes Servings 4

Ingredients

¼ cup vegan butter
1 medium onion, diced
¼ cup all-purpose flour, or more as needed
3 cups low sodium vegetable broth
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon vegan Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon poultry seasoning
Salt and pepper, to taste

Instructions

Place the vegan butter into a medium saucepan and set it over medium heat.
When the butter has melted and begins to bubble, add the onion.
Sweat the onion for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until soft and translucent.
Begin whisking in the flour, a bit at a time, to form a thick paste coating the onions.
Slowly whisk in the broth, a bit at a time, then the soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, and poultry seasoning.
Whisk until smooth, raise the heat and bring the mixture to a simmer. Lower heat and allow to simmer for 10-15 minutes, until nicely thickened.
Add water if you'd like a thinner gravy. If you'd like a thicker gravy, ladle out some of the gravy into a small bowl or cup and whisk in a bit of flour to form a slurry, then whisk the slurry into the pot.
Taste test and season with salt and pepper to taste. Adjust any other seasonings to your liking. Serve.

Recipe Notes

Feel free to strain out the onions if you'd like a perfectly smooth gravy.
Tamari or liquid aminos can be substituted for the soy sauce.
You can substitute cooking oil (such as canola) for the butter, though the flavor won't be as rich. I haven't tested an oil-free version of the recipe, but I think if you start by whisking the flour together with about a half cup of vegetable broth and then adding it to the pot with all of the other ingredients it would work.