Nut roast with rich tomato and pepper sauce

 Sometimes you want a proper roast dinner, but based purely on plant products - or vegan, even.

So, pulling together some nuts and vegetables I came up with this delicious nut roast dinner.  The sauce is gloriously rich, and there is quite a lot left which I am looking forward to slathered onto some toast.

Nut roast
Leek
Mushrooms
Olive oil
Garlic
Tuscan seasoning
Mustard
Hazelnuts
Pistachio
Walnuts
Roasted red pepper

Red pepper and tomato sauce
Olive oil
onion
garlic
roasted red pepper
cherry tomatoes
sundried tomatoes
white wine

... and also ...
Potatoes
olive oil
broccoli
green beans
carrots

1.  Cut washed potatoes into chunks, roast in olive oil in a roasting tray.
2.  Sautee chopped leeks, crushed garlic and mushrooms until soft, with a teaspoon of Tuscan seasoning and a teaspoon of grainy mustard.
3.  Blend the nuts.  Don't blend them until they are dust, but so that there are some bigger bits and some smaller bits, to give an interesting texture.  I used a handful each of hazelnuts, pistachio and walnuts, but these could be substituted with almost any nut.
4.  Mix the nuts with the leeks and mushrooms.
5.  Into a greased loaf tin, press in half the nut mixture.  Cut roasted red pepper (from a jar) into strips and cover the layer of nuts.  Cover the pepper with the rest of the nuts and press down gently.  Bake for about 30 minutes.
6.  Finely chop an onion and sautee with crushed garlic in olive oil.  Add a few chopped red peppers (from the jar), a handful of chopped cherry tomatoes and a big spoonful of sundried tomatoes.  Simmer in a little white wine until it all goes soft.  Whizz into a sauce.
7.  Steam the prepared vegetables for 10-12 minutes.
8.  Serve, scoff .... proper Sunday dinner time.

Cranberry and seed cookies

These biscuits are very quick, and almost healthy!  Cream 200g softenned butter with 175g light brown sugar - beat in 1 egg and 1/2 tsp vanilla extract.  Add 300g sifted self raising flour and whatever dried fruit, seed and/or nut mix you fancy - about 200g but it's not critical.  This time I used dried cranberries and a seed mix which calls itself "Omega mix".  Shape into sausages and wrap in cling film - leave in fridge to firm up.  Cut into thick "coins" and bake at about 180 degrees for 10-15 mins. Yum.  Victim had gone to bed early, so will have to get verdict tomorrow.