Recipe: Could this be the ultimate vegan Christmas dinner?

Passionate about food which is as full of goodness as flavour, Cambridge nutritionist and plant-based chef Melanie Hanspall shares a monthly recipe with Velvet. On the menu for Christmas: nut roast pie

This tasty alternative to the traditional Christmas roast can be enjoyed by everyone! Including nuts and seeds for plant protein and healthy fats as well as fibre, it also contains mushrooms, full of B Vitamins and fibre, and kale, a great source of Vitamin C.

I served my nut roast pie with a mixture of vegetables for maximum nutrient content. Sweet potato mash is a winner; a lighter and more nutritious version of the usual white potato, it’s high in beta carotene, a powerful antioxidant.

Ingredients (to make four individual pies):
1 pack ready-rolled vegan puff pastry
500g flat open mushrooms
1 bag kale
125g bag pumpkin seeds
125g mixed chopped nuts
2 teaspoons vegan/veggie bouillon powder
2 teaspoons thyme
1 onion
1 clove garlic
Olive oil
4 tablespoons nutritional yeast (optional)
Extra virgin olive oil (optional)

Method:

Peel and chop the onion and garlic finely, set aside.

Wash and chop the mushrooms and kale finely.

Add 2-3 tablespoons olive oil to a pan and heat on medium.

Add the onion, garlic, mushrooms and kale and cook until softened - around five minutes.

Add the thyme, stock powder, nuts, seeds and mix well. Leave to cool.

Cut a 1cm piece of the pastry along the longest side for decorating - set aside.

Divide the pastry into four equal square/rectangular pieces.

Lightly oil a non-stick large Yorkshire pudding/tartlet baking tray.

Place the pastry pieces into each hole of the baking tray, lightly pressing the centre in, and fill the centres with the nut and veg mix. Leave at least 1 cm all around free.

Top with the nutritional yeast if using.

Decorate the tops of the pies with the spare pastry and brush lightly with olive oil or milk.

Bake at 180 degrees on the middle shelf for around 15-20 minutes until the pastry is slightly browned.

Serve with your favourite veggies and gravy. Enjoy!

For more information about Melanie’s work as a nutritionist, plus more plant-based recipe inspiration, see lovenutritioncambridge.co.uk