Savory Nut Roast

by Rev. Chef Beth Love

This is a perfect dish for a special occasion. Don’t let the long list of ingredients and the lengthy directions dissuade you from making this roast, as it turns out to be spectacularly delicious!

Yield:

1 large roast, enough for 8–12 servings

Ingredients:

• 1 pound tofu, sliced thickly, frozen, then thawed
• 1 bulb garlic, cloves separated, root ends trimmed off
• 1 onion, diced
• 1 large or 2 small red bell peppers
• 1 pound mixed mushrooms
• ½ cup pecans
• ½ cup almonds
• ½ cup Brazil nuts
• ½ cup walnuts
• 1 cup rolled oats
• ½ cup nutritional yeast
• 2 teaspoons dark miso
• 1 small carrot, sliced
• ½ cup celery, sliced
• 1 small zucchini, sliced
• ½ bunch parsley, minced
• 2 teaspoons fresh rosemary, minced
• 2 teaspoons fresh sage, minced
• 2 teaspoons fresh thyme, minced
• 1 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
• 2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400º F.
2. Place garlic in a small oven-proof dish and cover with another dish or parchment paper covered with foil. Place in oven and roast for 20–40 minutes until soft. You can add other ingredients to the oven as the garlic cooks. When the garlic is ready, remove from oven, cool slightly, then remove skins from roasted garlic.
3. Spread onions and the whole bell pepper(s) on pan and place in oven.
4. Arrange mushrooms on one or more baking pans in a single layer and place in oven.
5. Roast veggies, turning occasionally, until onions are browned, bell pepper skin is blackened, and mushrooms are shriveled and cooked through. Remove from oven and cool.
6. Place nuts in a baking pan, keeping each type separate from the other.
7. Toast nuts in oven until lightly toasted. Each type may take different lengths of time. Walnuts should only be toasted very briefly.
8. Remove nuts as they are ready and let them cool.
9. In a food processor, process nuts, oats, and nutritional yeast until well ground. Dump in a large mixing bowl.
10. Squeeze tofu slices to remove as much liquid as possible. Place in food processor and process until coarsely ground. Dump in bowl with nuts.
11. Place roasted onions, garlic, bell pepper, mushrooms, and miso in the food processor and process until well-chopped but nut mushy. Add to bowl with other ingredients.
12. Process carrots, celery, and zucchini in blender until coarsely minced and add to bowl.
13. Add herbs, pepper, and balsamic vinegar to bowl.
14. Line a deep baking pan with parchment paper. If you have a pan with a cover, use that.
15. Mix all ingredients together well, using a large mixing spoon or your hands.
16. Use your hands to create a roast of whatever shape you like on the parchment paper-lined pan.
17. Place cover on pan. If you do not have a cover for your pan, cover the roast with parchment paper, then put foil over that and seal around the edges of the pan.
18. Place in oven and bake for 1 hour, then remove cover and bake another 10–15 minutes until top is brown.
19. Serve.