Holiday Roast w/ Apple Walnut Stuffing & Maple Glaze

Difficulty: Medium

Serves 4-6

I’ve had a few store-bought vegan roasts in my time but this year I decided it was time to make my own holiday roast. Glazed with sweet maple and stuffed with my apple walnut stuffing, this dish is sure to impress vegans and non-vegans alike at the Christmas table. The best thing about it is that you can prepare it up to a week in advance and all you’re left to do is glaze and bake it on the day. I doubt you’ll have any leftovers however if you do, chuck a couple of slices on a sambo and you’ve got yourself one heck of a lunch there too. Christmas rules!

Ingredients

Apple Walnut Stuffing

• 3 pieces wholemeal bread, toasted and finely chopped
• 1 small apple, peeled, cored and finely chopped
• 1 tablespoons vegan margarine
• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1/2 cup walnuts, finely chopped
• 1 tablespoon fresh chopped parsley
• 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
• 1 teaspoon fresh chopped rosemary
• 1 teaspoon celery salt
• 1/4-1/2 chicken-style stock (or vegetable)

Roast

• 1/2 cup cooked butter beans
• 1 cup chicken-style stock (or vegetable)
• 2 teaspoons mixed dried herbs
• Pinch of salt
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon vegan Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tablespoon maple syrup
• 1/4 cup tomato sauce
• 2 1/2 cups gluten flour

Maple Glaze

• 1/2 cup maple syrup
• 1 teaspoon dried herbs
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce

Method

1. Start the stuffing by chucking the bread and apple in a medium bowl before melting the vegan margarine in a frypan.
2. Once the vegan margarine has melted, throw in the onion, garlic, walnuts, fresh herbs and celery salt. Fry for about 5 minutes until the onion has softened.
3. Add the contents of the frypan to the bowl of bread and apple, pour in the stock and mix well. Set aside.
4. Put a large pot of water on the boil for steaming and start to prepare your roast.
5. Puree the butter beans and 2 tablespoons of the stock and pop into a large bowl before adding the dried herbs, salt, garlic, Worcestershire sauce, maple syrup and tomato sauce. Combine well.
6. Add the gluten flour and mix with a fork until it all starts to come together. Once a dough has formed, get your hands in there and massage well until the dough becomes stringy.
7. Roll into a ball and make a large dent in the middle. Fill it with the stuffing and close the dough to make a log. Pinch the edges to prevent the stuffing from escaping.
8. Place the log onto a large piece of foil and roll tightly, twisting the ends together to encase the roast.
9. Steam in a basket, covered for an hour and 10 minutes. The roast should be firm but spring back when you press it.
10. At this point you can wrap the roast in foil and store in the fridge until you’re ready to bake.
11. When you’re ready to bake, preheat the oven to 200°C and grease a baking tray.
12. To make the glaze, whisk together the ingredients and brush onto the roast.
13. Pop in the oven for 20 minutes, remove and reglaze then bake for a further 20 minutes.
14. Serve with roasted vegetables and gravy.