Holiday Roast
Chef Doug McNish
Recipe courtesy: Canadian vegan chef and author Doug McNish.
I think it is so important to have good quality protein for your holiday meal. For a vegan
Christmas meal, a roast that has a base of lentils or chickpeas with nuts is always good. The
best way to make diners believers in veganism is to make the food taste really good.
Makes about 6 portions
Preheat oven to 400°F
Greased loaf pan or shallow baking dish
1 cup millet (see Tips, below)
7 cups water, divided
2 cups green lentils (see Tips, below)
2 to 3 tbsp grape seed oil
½ cup medium dice onion
½ cup medium dice carrot
½ cup medium dice celery
3 to 5 minced garlic cloves
2 tbsp chopped fresh thyme leaves
¼ cup wheat free tamari
¼ cup nutritional yeast
½ cup brown rice flour
¼ cup whole golden flax seeds, ground
2 tbsp of roughly chopped fresh sage
1 tbsp chopped fresh rosemary
In a small pot, add millet and 3 cups water, bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer.
Cook until soft and tender, about 12 to 15 minutes. Set aside to cool.
In another small pot, add lentils and 4 cups water, bring to a boil and reduce to
simmer, cook until tender, about 10 to 12 minutes.
In a medium size sauté pan, heat grape seed oil, add onion, carrot and celery, cook
for about 4 to 5 minutes or until soft and translucent. Add garlic and cook for an
additional 2 minutes or until fragrant. Remove the pan from heat and add tamari
and nutritional yeast.
In a food processor add millet, half of the carrot celery and onion mixture, the fresh
sage and rosemary and half of the cooked lentils, process until smooth.
In a large bowl combine processed millet mixture, vegetables and remaining lentils
with brown rice flour and ground flax seeds until well incorporated.
Transfer mixture to a greased loaf pan, bake at 400°F for about 30 minutes or until
hot in the middle and a light crust has formed on top. Serve immediately or cover
and refrigerate for up to 1 week.
Miso Mushroom Gravy
Chef Doug McNish
One of my favourite dishes is my Lentil Loaf with Miso Mushroom Gravy. It is hearty, dense
but still very healthy.
Makes about 6 portions
2 tbsp vegetable oil
½ cup finely diced onion
3 cups mushrooms, quartered
3 minced garlic cloves
2 tbsp white wine, optional
2 cups water
3 tbsp wheat free tamari
1 tbsp cornstarch
1 tbsp cold water
1 tbsp chopped fresh thyme
1 tbsp miso
In a small pot, heat the oil on medium heat and add the onions, cook until lightly
golden, about 7 to 8 minutes. Add the mushrooms and cook for an additional 10
minutes or until soft and lightly golden.
Add the garlic and cook for 1 to 2 minutes or until fragrant. Deglaze with the white
wine and cook until no liquid remains. Add water and tamari and bring to a boil,
reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes.
In a small bowl, whisk together cornstarch and cold water until no lumps remain.
Add cornstarch slurry to pot and bring to a boil, reduce heat and cook for 2 to 3
minutes.
Turn off heat and stir in fresh thyme and miso paste. Serve immediately or allow to
cool and store covered in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.
Tip
To bring back from cold, put gravy in a small pot with 2 tbsp cold water and heat
gently, do not boil as you will kill healthy bacteria in miso.
