Vegan Red Lentil Nut Roast With Hot Cranberries

Even though we’re officially only half way through Autumn, it’s well and truly feeling like winter this week. With Halloween and Thanksgiving all over and done with and Christmas less than a month away I’m finally very much in the festive spirit!

I’ve already done my fair share of Christmas baking this year, remember my pecan, cranberry and salted caramel brownies, German coconut macarons and caramel apple crumble? And the list goes on…

So I thought it was high time I shared a few festive hearty main and side dish options for a change.

Starting today with my vegan red lentil nut roast!

It’s jam-packed with pulses, vegetables and mixed nuts, seasoned with festive spices and rosemary and topped with sweet but zingy hot cranberries.

It’s perfect for your next cozy Sunday roast, an upcoming holiday party or even Christmas dinner! And it’s really juicy, too, so you can make it the night before and reheat it in the oven just before serving without it going all bone dry and crumbly. It also happens to make exceptionally good leftovers!

If you make this recipe at home be sure to tag your photo #myvibrantkitchen on Instagram. I love seeing all your beautiful recreations. And don’t forget to sign up for My Vibrant Kitchen’s newsletter to get the latest recipes, vegan lifestyle tips and travel diaries straight to your inbox.

Vegan Red Lentil Nut Roast With Hot Cranberries

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Prep time

20 mins

Cook time

75 mins

Total time

1 hour 35 mins

Serves: 1 roast

Ingredients

Roast:
100 g red lentils
100 g chickpeas
2 Tbsp chickpea water aka aquafaba
50 g tomato puree
1 - 2 Tbsp fresh rosemary, finely chopped
1 carrot, grated
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 red onion, diced
¼ tsp ground nutmeg
¼ tsp ground cumin
½ tsp smoked paprika
¼ tsp ground black pepper
2 Tbsp olive oil
3 Tbsp dark soy sauce
1½ tsp vegetables stock
1 Tbsp nutritional yeast flakes (optional)
175 g chestnut mushrooms, finely chopped
200 g mixed nuts
50 g plain white flour
75 g oats
2 Tbsp maple syrup
Cranberry sauce:
150 g dried cranberries
250 ml water
Generous splash of lime
½ tsp maple syrup

Instructions

Cook the red lentils in a saucepan until tender. You want the texture to be on the softer side, take them off the heat when they start to fall apart. Transfer the lentils into a big mixing bowl.
Toast the mixed nuts (I used almonds, pecans, Brazil nuts, hazelnuts and cashews) in a non-stick frying pan without any oil. When they start turning golden brown take them off the heat and roughly chop them into pieces.
Pre-heat the oven to 180˚C (fan oven).
Add the rest of the roast ingredients to the mixing bowl: chickpeas, aquafaba, tomato puree, rosemary, carrot, garlic cloves, onion, nutmeg, cumin, smoked paprika, pepper, olive oil, soy sauce, vegetable stock powder, yeast flakes, mushrooms, nuts, white flour, oats and maple syrup.
Mix everything to combine. I like my roast rather herby which is why I added 2 Tbsp of chopped rosemary. Add less for a more subtle rosemary flavour.
Line a loaf tin with baking paper which makes it easier to remove once baked and grease it with oil.
Transfer the loaf mixture into the tin and press everything firmly down and into the edges.
Pop the loaf in the oven on the lowest shelf for 60 minutes. If the top starts turning quite dark you can cover it with aluminium foil, be careful not to burn yourself and then pop it back in the oven.
Once the loaf is out of the oven, carefully remove it from the tin and transfer it upside down (the way you will serve it) onto a lined baking sheet.
Pop it back in the oven for 20 to 25 minutes or until all the sides are golden brown and crispy. Make sure not to burn it though!
Meanwhile make the cranberry sauce by adding the water, dried cranberries, maple syrup and lime juice to a small saucepan and cook them for 5 to 10 minutes until all the liquid has been absorbed.
Cut the roast into slices and serve with the hot cranberries. Enjoy!