Stuffed Nut Roast

Lizzymommy's Note:

My holiday roast this year (2005), this is vegan, and quite tasty.

• Total Time: 1 hrs 5 mins
• Prep Time: 30 mins
• Cook Time: 35 mins

Ingredients:

Serves: 6-8

Yield: 1.0 roast

The Roast

• olive oil
• wax paper or parchment paper
• 1 1/2 cups ground pecans
• 1 1/2 cups ground raw cashews
• 1 cup breadcrumbs
• 1/2 cup quick-cooking oat
• 2 cups finely chopped celery
• 1 cup finely chopped onion
• 1/2 cup nutritional yeast
• 2 tablespoons poultry seasoning
• 2 -3 dashes soy sauce or 2 -3 dashes Braggs liquid aminos
• black pepper

The Stuffing

• 4 cups whole grain bread, cubes, stale
• 2 cups button mushrooms, chopped small
• 1 carrot, cubed small
• 1 parsnips or 1 turnip, cubed small
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/2 cup fresh parsley, chopped fine
• 1/4 cup fresh basil, chopped fine
• 1/4 cup fresh sage, chopped fine
• 1/3 cup vegetable stock
• 1/4 cup soy sauce or 1/4 cup Braggs liquid aminos
• black pepper

Directions:

1. Prepare a medium-sized stainless steel bowl by first lightly oiling it, then laying down a strip of waxed or parchment paper over this.
2. Oil the paper, then lay another strip of paper perpendicular to the first. Oil this paper and remaining visible bits of steel again, generously. You don't want this roast to stick.
3. Preheat your oven to 375°F.
4. In a large skillet or wok, heat 2 tbsp of olive oil over medium. Add the onions and celery and sauté for about 7 minutes, until the onions are translucent. Add the herbs and spices, the nutritional yeast, the veggie stock and soy sauce, and stir well.
5. Remove from heat and let cool slightly. Then stir in the quick cook oats, bread crumbs, and ground nuts. When this mixture is well combined you want to pack 2/3 of it into the prepared stainless steel bowl evenly up and down the sides and along the bottom. Reserve 1/3 of the mixture for later.
6. Prepare your stuffing.
7. Heat 2 tbsp oil in a large skillet or wok, and add the chopped onions, mushrooms, carrots and parsnips. Sauté until the onions are translucent, then add the fresh herbs and spices and stir over medium heat for a few minutes. Toss in the bread cubes and stir quickly so that they are evenly coated in the flavoured oil.
8. In a large liquid measuring cup, stir together the vegetable stock and soy sauce, and then drizzle this over the bread cubes and vegetables, stirring constantly, until everything is well-combined and thick. Reduce heat to low and cover the pan, allowing the stuffing to steam for a few minutes. Then remove from heat.
9. Pack the stuffing into the bowl on top of the nut mixture, then carefully pat the remaining nut mixture over the stuffing, trying to make a good seal along the sides. If it doesn't all fit, place remaining stuffing in a lightly oiled casserole dish, cover tightly with a lid or foil, and bake alongside the roast.
10. Brush the top lightly with more oil, and bake for 35 - 40 minutes. It should be golden brown. To remove from the bowl, place a serving platter, upside-down, over the top of the bowl, and carefully invert the entire thing so that the bowl is sitting upside down on the plate. Lift the bowl off the roast gently, using a knife to tap at any sections that may be sticking. Then carefully peel off the parchment or waxed paper that is left on the roast. You can brush the roast with a small bit of oil to give it a glistening finish, and surround it with sprigs of fresh parsley, if you desire.