Norwitz Notions

I was looking for a nut loaf recipe that was vegan, high in protein,
gluten-free, and not soy based (I can eat soy just fine, but wanted to have
some non-soy dishes in my repertoire). I only found one that looked adaptable for my needs in a search. http://www.recipenet.org/health/recipes/veggie/nut_roast.htm
Many thanks to Lorraine Picot for a yummy dish.

Recipe:

1/4 lb mushrooms (I use crimimi)
1 1/3 cups hazelnuts
1 large onion
2/3 cup brazil nuts
2/3 cup walnuts
12 oz tomatoes (canned or fresh)
1 tsp dried herbs (original recipe calls for basil and oregano)
or 1 TB fresh herbs (I use rosemary and oregano)
1 tsp sea salt
1 egg or egg equivalent (I use flax goo)
1 TB olive oil, plus some for cooking mushrooms and greasing the pan

In the food processor, chop the mushrooms until they are in small pieces (no more than 1/4″ across). Add them to a pan with some olive oil and cook at low to medium heat with frequent stirring to release some of the water.

Put the hazelnuts on a tray and bake until the skins are loose. I found that 6 minutes at 425*F or 8 minutes at 350*F in a convection toaster oven did the trick. Be careful not to burn them.

When cool enough to handle, rub off the skins. You won’t get them all. I have tried a batch without removing the skins and there doesn’t seem to be much difference (the skins add a slight bitter taste), so feel free to skip this time-consuming step.

Back in the food processor, chop the onion finely then put into a large bowl. Then grind the brazil nuts and walnuts fine and add tomatoes and seasoning. Most of this will be paste-like, which is fine. Transfer to bowl. Add the mushrooms.

Add your egg or egg equivalent to the bowl, along with the oil. To make flax goo for the egg, use 1 tablespoon flaxmeal and 1/3 cup water in a large glass container. Microwave for a minute or so (it will boil over a small container). Let it sit for a few minutes.

Grind the hazelnuts in the food processor. I like to do them separately so I can leave them slightly coarse for texture (like the pieces of nut in crunchy peanut butter). Add to the bowl and mix everything well.

Transfer to a greased bread pan (2 lbs).

Bake for 45 mins at 425*F. Then turn down the oven to 350*F and cook for about another half an hour. Let it cool for at least 10 mins before serving. The loaf is very tasty but soft and delicate. It doesn’t hold together that well but you can slice it, if you’re careful. It’s also good cold the next day and it will hold together better then.

Although it’s moist, the loaf tastes better with a sauce. I’ve served it with both roasted cabbage and with a salad, each with a balsamic vinegar dressing.

Some notes: If you only have white mushrooms available, use more of them and cook them longer, as they have a lot more water in them. I made it once with carrots instead of mushrooms, since I was out, and it was mush. Not bad but not a loaf.