SAVVY BLOGMAS! DAY 4 2017....

Helloooooooo and Merry Blogmas!

Day 4

How's December treating you so far? Very good I hope!

At Savvy 'n' Sassy Towers December has brought insomnia! I seem to have reached today in a zombified state! Please someone reassure me that sleep returns at some point through this post 50 journey. Anyway. enough of me let's get on with Day 4 of a Savvy Blogmas..........

So you are probably thinking about what you are going to cook for Christmas dinner by now. You might have the same meal every year, and why not, or thinking about something different to ring the changes. Only trouble is you’ve got a vegan guest turning up and you haven’t got a clue where to start. You want to serve them delicious food and not some tasteless mushy after thought. How about trying the wonderful roasts below? I know you might think it’s a bit cliché but trust me us vegans love them, they are tasty and substantial and the left overs are great cold!  Don’t forget your guest wont want their potatoes/ parsnips cooked in in goose fat, butter or lard so cook  few in a separate dish using sole wonderful olive oil, pinch of salt and some crumbled rosemary and sage.

Recipes

Roast 1

This a nice simple but delicious roast that is easy to put together. Serves 4 to 6 and will give some yummy leftovers.

Simple Nut Roast

Ingredients

• 1 medium sized onion chopped finely,
• 1 fl oz / 30 ml oil,( olive oil always works nicely but use vegetable if you want to),
• 2 tsp / 10 ml yeast extract in 1/4 pint hot water (optional)
• 8 oz / 225g chopped mixed nuts ( I love a combo of cashews, walnuts and brazils),
• 2 tbsp ground almonds,
• 4 oz / 100g wholemeal breadcrumbs, (using stale bread always works best),
• 1 tbsp. dried sage,
• Pinch cayenne pepper,
• Salt and pepper to season to your preference. 

Method

1. Get your oven heated up.Pre-heat to 180C/350F/gas mark 4.
2. Sauté your onion in the oil until soft, not browned. Don't rush it!
3. Mix all the ingredients together; the mixture may be slightly slack. Oil an ovenproof dish  and place your mixture in it. Bake for 30 minutes until golden brown. 
4. Once cooked let it sit for a bit before turning out.

Recipe 2

This comes courtesy of the Circus Gardener. There some mouth watering veggie recipes on their blog. It serves 6 to 8 people and is an elegant dish that carnivores will be trying and enjoying too!
This is the roast I will be serving this year!

Kale, quinoa and nut roast en croute

Ingredients
180 g kale
200 g cooked chestnuts(easy enough to pick up in the supermarket),
60 g quinoa
70 g hazelnuts, ground coarsely
70 g cashew nuts, ground coarsely
70 g vegan cheddar cheese, grated (can be found in Sainsbury's etc. these days),
1 onion, finely chopped
1 stick celery, finely chopped
1 carrot, peeled and finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp sea salt
1 tbsp fresh rosemary leaves, finely chopped
2 tbsp fresh parsley, finely chopped
Vegan Egg ( can pick this up in powder form in Holland & Barret)
250 g puff pastry, (do check its not lard based)
to glaze
Plant milk such as almond.

Method
1. Steam the kale for 5 minutes or until tender. Drain, cool and chop finely. Set to one side.
2. Cook the quinoa according to the packet instructions. Drain, cool and set to one side.
3. Heat the olive oil in a pan over a medium heat. When the oil is hot, add the onion and cook for 5 minutes until soft and translucent. Add the garlic, carrot and celery and cook for a further 5 minutes, stirring every so often, or until the carrot and celery are tender. Remove from the heat and set to one side.
4. Place the chestnuts into a large mixing bowl and crush roughly with a potato masher or a wooden spoon. Add the kale, quinoa, onion and celery and carrot mixture, the sea salt, cashew nuts, hazelnuts, rosemary, parsley and Cheddar. Finally add the egg substitute and mix to combine the ingredients. Place in the fridge for 30 minutes to firm up.
5. Pre-heat the oven to 180°C (350°F, gas mark 4). Roll out the puff pastry into an oblong shape, about 1/4 cm in thickness. Remove the kale and nut roast mixture from the fridge and place lengthways in the centre of the pastry. Cut strips in the pastry every 2 cm, running out from the edge of the filling to the pastry edge. Fold the two ends of the pastry oblong over the filling, then along the length bring the strips of pastry over the top in alternating, overlapping layers. Brush with the plant milk and place in the preheated oven for 25 minutes or until the pastry has become golden brown.

I hope you will try these recipes even if you aren't vegan because they are truly delicious!

Have a fabulous day!
Namaste
Janie S xxx
Founder www.savvynsassy.net