Inspired by an article I read about heart health and the vitamins and minerals most beneficial to the cardiovascular system, I was inspired to make this recipe which is from the Hairy Bikers healthy eating phase. It contains just about all the nutrients recommended in the article, is totally delicious and has the added advantage of being relatively quick to prepare. You can buy a ready mixed and ready chopped pack of nuts if you like, but picking your own selection means you can boost the omega 3 content by including walnuts and the selenium hit by adding in brazils. The nuts only take moments to chop yourself, using a hand wand with the food processor attachment and pulsing for a minute or so (avoiding reducing them to a pulp).
The onion gravy is my suggested addition, as the kids love it and it makes the meal feel much more like a traditional roast. Onions are also an incredibly good diabetic food. As the meal is otherwise pretty virtuous, as far as roast dinners go, I served it with roast potatoes (cooked in sunflower oil, they crisp up just as well as their goose fat cousins) and lots of green vegetables.
- 200 grammes fresh baby spinach
- 275 grammes unsalted mixed nuts if possible include walnuts, cashews and brazils
- 1 large onion finely chopped
- 1 large carrot grated
- 200 grammes tinned chopped tomatoes
- 50 grammes sundried tomatoes in olive oil, drained and chopped
- 100 grammes gruyere cheese grated
- 1 Egg
- 1 tsp fresh mint chopped
- 2 tbsp fresh parsley chopped
- 2 tsp fresh sage chopped
- 1 clove crushed garlic
- 1 tsp vegetable stock concentrate
- salt and pepper to taste
- 3 large onions peeled, quartered and thinly sliced
- 30 grammes Butter
- 30 grammes Plain flour
- 100 mls red wine
- 500 mls vegetable stock made up per instructions
- 1 tsp fresh sage finely chopped
- Preheat the oven to 180°C/gas mark 4. Blanch the spinach in boiling water, then drain it well and squeeze out all the water. Chop the spinach finely and set aside.
- Tip the chopped nuts into a large mixing bowl and add the onion, carrot, tinned and sundried tomatoes, egg, cheese, sage, mint, parsley, spinach, garlic, stock and seasoning, then mix everything together well.
- Spray some frylight all over the inside of a loaf tin and pour in the mixture. Cut a piece of greaseproof paper to fit the loaf tin and lay it over the top to stop it burning. Bake in the preheated oven for about an hour until set. Remove, leave to stand for a few minutes and turn out onto plate.
- While the nut roast cooks, spray a small pan with frylight and sweat the onions for at least 20 minutes until soft and velvety.
- Add the butter and once melted add the flour. Cook the onion roux for a minute or two, stirring all the time.
- Add the red wine and still stirring cook for another minute or so.
- Add the stock, and mix well until smooth: all the onions make this a very forgiving sauce so don't worry too much about lumps. Stir gently while bringing to the boil and once thickened add the sage. Leave on a low simmer until ready to serve the nut roast.