Sunday Nut Roast with a Spiced Tomato Sauce

Nut Roast - Ingredients:

• 3 medium carrots, chopped into small pieces
• 2 medium parsnip, chopped into small pieces
• (Approx 350g of root veg)
• 100g sunflower seeds
• 100g pumpkin seeds
• 100g walnuts
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 Tbsp chopped rosemary
• 1 Tbsp chopped parsley
• 1/2 small leek, finely sliced
• 1 flax egg - 1 Tbsp ground flax + 2.5 Tbsp water
• 1 tin butter beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 Tbsp lemon juice
• 1 Tbsp gram flour (or any gluten-free flour or ground oats)

Nut Roast - Method:

1. Preheat oven to 200ºC.
2. Make the flax egg - mix 1 Tbsp ground flax seeds and 2.5 Tbsp water in a small bowl and set aside.
3. Boil or steam the carrots and parsnips until soft. Drain and mash.
4. Roughly mash the butter beans with a fork or in your food processor. You don't want them pureed, you want to keep some texture.
5. Grind the seeds and walnuts into a meal in your food processor.
6. Lightly fry the leek and garlic in a tsp of oil for a few minutes until the leek begins to soften.
7. Mix the leek and garlic with the seed/nut meal, mashed root veg, mashed beans, flax egg and all remaining ingredients.
8. Once thoroughly mixed together. Firmly press the mixture into a loaf tin lined with parchment paper. Press really firmly to ensure the mixture binds snd holds together once cooked. If you don't press it together very well, it will be crumbly when cut.
9. Bake for approximately 45 minutes until golden on top and firm to touch.
10. Let cool in the tin for 10 minutes to help it firm up.
11. Carefully lift the loaf from the tin using the parchment paper. Place onto a board and slice.
12. This loaf can be prepared a day ahead to give it more time to firm up for smoother slicing.
13. Serve with the spiced tomato sauce topped with Red Hot Firekraut and extra herbs.

Spiced Tomato Sauce - Ingredients:

• 1 tsp olive oil
• 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 2 cups passata or chopped tomatoes
• 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp nutmeg or mixed spice
• Salt and pepper

Spiced Tomato Sauce - Method:

1. Heat the olive oil in a saucepan over medium heat.
2. Add the garlic and fry for 1-2 mins.
3. Add the tomatoes, cinnamon and 1 cup of water.
4. Turn down the heat and simmer for 30 mins until the sauce thickens. You will need to keep the lid on as the sauce will splatter.
5. Season with salt and pepper to taste.