Season’s Eatings!

🙂 It’s the time of year where everywhere you look there are delicious displays of everything seasonal! In the UK it’s traditional to have Turkey with roast potatoes, roast parsnips, loads of vegetables including Brussels Sprouts, all served with gravy, cranberry sauce and bread sauce. Of course, if you are vegetarian or vegan then the traditional turkey is foregone in favour in Nut Roast! We usually make our own just to make sure it is delicious and then of course, we know exactly what is in it! This year you can find ready-made nut roasts everywhere as well as loads of other vegan dishes for mains, sides and desserts!

We already have a few great recipes on here for nut roast – a vegetable nut loaf, a garlic mushroom based version, and a pumpkin based nut roast, we even have a guide to roasted vegetables if you prefer those over (or have them in addition to) boiled vegetables.

What we had forgotten to post a recipe for is stuffing! 🙂 Now, stuffing comes in many forms – obviously it is used as a filling (hence the ‘stuffing’) but we love stuffing made into crunchy balls or even baked in a tray and cut into slices. There are loads of different ways to make stuffing, most involving breadcrumbs, but this version is bread free, grain free and also gluten free! 🙂

We have made the recipe as simple as we can and so it takes up as little time as possible! Hooray! Sharing them over with Angie at Fiesta Friday, this week co-hosted by Jhuls @ The Not So Creative Cook Come and see what everyone else is sharing! 🙂

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Stuffing

An easy to prepare vegan and gluten free stuffing full of flavour for everyone to enjoy!

Serves: 20 stuffing balls

Created by:: Laurena @LifeDietHealth

Gather

• oil of choice
• 1 medium onion diced
• 1/2 medium leek chopped
• 1 medium carrot diced
• 5 medium mushrooms chopped (we used chestnut mushrooms but any are fine)
• 1 teaspoon oregano
• 1 teaspoon rosemary
• 1/2 teaspoon dill
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic granules
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 400 g tin cooked chickpeas
• 60 g cooked chestnuts chopped
• salt to taste

Prepare

1. Oil a large baking tray (or spritz with a spray) then add the onions, leeks, carrots and mushrooms. Sprinkle half of each of the herbs over (oregano, rosemary, dill, garlic, pepper), spritz or drizzle a bit more oil over then put on the middle shelf and roast for 15 minutes at Gas 6 (400f / 200c).

2. While the vegetables are cooking, put the chickpeas in a food processor and blitz until almost smooth (you might need to add a bit of the chickpea liquid). If you don't have a food processor, mash the chickpeas until they are roughly mashed.

3. Put the vegetables into a large bowl, scraping all the bits off the tin for extra flavour. Add the chickpeas, then the remaining spices (oregano, rosemary, dill, garlic, pepper). Mix together then add the chickpea paste. Mix well and do a taste test. Add enough salt to your liking and adjust herbs if necessary.

4. Put a bit more oil on your baking tray (it's fine to use the same one without washing) and make the stuffing mixture into balls. The balls should be roughly ping-pong ball size and you should get about 20 from one batch.

5. Bake the stuffing at Gas Mark 6 (400f / 200c) for 20-30 minutes depending how crispy you like them. They can then be served immediately or cooled and stored for later.

6. The stuffing balls make a great addition to a meal (especially Christmas dinner) but are also great on their own or maybe 'stuffed' into a sandwich. They will store in the fridge for 3-4 days. Enjoy!

Of course, there is more to dinner than just the savoury part… it’s traditional here to finish with Christmas Pudding – a strange concept for many not used to it as many people make them months in advance and allow them to mature! Then of course there are mince pies, gingerbread chocolates and creamy drinks like this one!

Do you have any traditional foods you like to make and eat at this time of year? Join the conversation below and tell us the traditions where you are! 🙂

Send us your stuffing photos! ? If you’re sharing them on social media use #LifeDietHealth and tag us @LifeDietHealth We love to see what you do with our recipes, so please share! ?

Have a fabulous weekend, if you’ve finished now for work until after Christmas (or even until next year) have a great holiday and get some relaxation in amongst all the hustle and bustle!

Have a very Merry Christmas ??⛄

Speak soon

Laurena x

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