Today please welcome Johanna from Green Gourmet Giraffe!
I’m so thrilled to have Johanna guest posting on my blog today! Johanna is one of the first bloggers I met when I started blogging, and also one of the very first people who ever commented on my blog (I can still remember the excitement of that moment, seeing an actual comment on the blog! You know, that thrill never wanes. . . so keep ’em coming, readers!). Of course, I’ve been following Johanna’s blog since then, too, and over the years our “blog friendship” has evolved into an “off-blog friendship” as well. Johanna hails from Melbourne, Australia, and with my documented infatuation with that country, it’s no wonder I still dream of the day we’ll meet up in person (preferably over there!).
I’ve always admired Johanna’s ability to produce a prolific output on her blog, maintaining not only quantity but also quality, even through the years when her daughter, Sylvia, was a baby. Johanna’s recipes are varied and interesting, from her fabulous nut roasts (in fact, it was because of Johanna that I first discovered nut roast, which I adore to her many novelty birthday cakes, ways with vegetarian haggis and egg-free breakfast recipes. She also has an incredibly rich selection of Reflections and Reviews on the blog, with several fascinating posts outlining the history of various interests, from reflections on colors to cookbook collections to food-TV connections and even “Why Does Food History Matter?“.
And today, she brings you this fantastic looking nut roast. I can’t wait to try it, Johanna!
I have followed Ricki’s blog since 2007 when I was bowled over by her humour, her warmth and her brilliant recipe ideas. So when she asked me to write a guest post for her, I was delighted. After some thought on what to make, I decided to make my signature dish. A nut roast.
I am particularly fond of nut roasts. When I first became vegetarian over 20 years ago, I found that they filled the space left by meat. I grew up with a mother who regularly roasted a lump of meat surrounded by roast vegetables. Nut roasts became the lump of protein surrounded by vegetables on my plate. They are now my comfort food.
I had some buckwheat groats in my pantry which seemed perfect for a gluten free nut roast. When I first tried a buckwheat nut roast a few years back, it was a particularly soft one. Easier to spread than slice. This one was firmer but still on the soft end of nut roasts. I had some hemp seeds and added them in with some other seeds. They added both texture and nutrients. One thing I love about nut roasts is that anything goes. Substitutions are easy. If you haven’t yet encountered them I encourage you to give them a try. More ideas can be found on my nut roast page.
What really struck me about this nut roast was that it reminded me of something. Nut roast usually reminds me of meatloaf and rissoles and burgers. This nut roast reminded me of a pasta bake with tomato sauce. Nut roasts continue to surprise and delight me even after years of making them.
Tomato Nut Roast with Buckwheat and Seeds
This soft nut roast is tasty enough to eat without a sauce. It is lovely for dinner with a simple salad or steamed vegetables.
1 Tbsp (15 ml) olive oil
1 large onion, finely chopped
3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 carrot, grated
125g cherry tomatoes, roughly chopped
1/2 cup (120 ml) ground almonds
2 Tbsp (30 ml) hemp seeds
2 Tbsp (30 ml) sesame seeds
1 Tbsp (15 ml) chia seeds
1 tsp (5 ml) smoked paprika
1/2 teaspoon (2.5 ml) mustard
1/2 teaspoon (2.5 ml) sea salt flakes
1 cup (240 ml) cooked buckwheat groats (I used these cooking instructions)
Preheat oven to 350 F (180 C). Grease and line a medium loaf pan (8 x 4″ or 20 x 10cm).
Heat the olive oil in a large frypan over medium heat. Fry onions for about 5 minutes or until translucent and starting to soften. Add garlic and carrot and cook another 5 minutes. Stir in tomatoes for a minutes or two until they start to soften. Remove from heat.
Add almonds, seeds, spices and salt into the frypan. Stir well. Finally add the buckwheat groats and stir in. Spoon into prepared tin and bake for about 35 minutes or until golden brown and slightly crispy on top.
Rest for 10 minutes before turning out of the pan and slicing. Makes 2 servings.
Suitable for: ACD All Stages, sugar-free, gluten-free, grain-free, dairy-free, egg free, soy-free, vegan, low glycemic.
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Johanna lives in Melbourne, Australia and has been vegetarian for over 20 years. She loves to cook and bake for family and friends. She started the Green Gourmet Giraffe blog in 2007 as a way to record and reflect on recipes. Since then she has discovered her inability to follow a recipe, that smoked paprika makes everything better, and that food history is endlessly fascinating. You can find her at www.gggiraffe.blogspot.com and follow her on pinterest.com/johannaggg.
Hi! I'm Ricki, cookbook author, professional recipe developer, holistic nutritionist and anti-candida crusader. Let me show you how easy it is to eat plant-based, sugar-free, gluten free food that tastes great! 
Another fab recipe from Johanna! I’ll be making it this week for sure 😀
I agree! Doesn’t it look amazing?! 😀
I’ve made all sorts of vegan nut meats, but never a roast or loaf. I look forward to trying this! Thanks for a great recipe.
You will LOVE it, Heather!! I’m a huge fan of nutroasts now. Such a great main dish. 😀
Yum! It’s been far too long since I’ve had a nut roast….
For me, too, Bianca! This is definitely the next one I’m going to try. 🙂
This looks absolutely gorgeous! Oh my goodness. Thank you for introducing us to Johanna! Lovely recipe and love that buckwheat is grain free!!
–Amber
I agree, Amber, this looks incredible (and I can’t wait to try it!). And yes, buckwheat is actually a seed, so grain-free! 😀
Johanna introduced me to nut roasts, so it seems fitting that she is guest posting here with one 🙂 It looks great, too!
She introduced them to me, too, Kari. And I love them now! 😀
Though I finally recently tried my hand at a lentil and grain loaf (which was delicious—perfect for Thanksgiving), I’ve never yet tried a nut roast, even though they always sound so good and comforting. I’m a big fan of buckwheat groats, so this one is going straight onto the “to try” nut roast list! I’m going to check out Johanna’s blog now too.
So great to hear that, Molly! I think you’ll find lots to love on Johanna’s blog, too. 🙂
This looks superb! I’ve been following Green Gourmet Giraffe for quite some time and would love to meet Johanna in person too. I’ll have to crash your meet up!
Please do! What a party that would be. 🙂
I second that Ricki – would love to have Emma join us.
Thanks for featuring this recipe on your blog and thanks to everyone who has commented so positively about my nut roast.
I count myself very lucky to have had multiple meals with both of you xo
Amen to that Hannah!
😀
Wow! This really looks healthy! Lots of omega 3s. I was wondering if the buckwheat taste is strong in the recipe. I am not too fond of buckwheat. If so, could I substitute rice or quinoa?
Jacqueline, I’m guessing that quinoa would work as well, but I’ll ask Johanna to pop over and answer for you! 🙂
Hi Jacqueline, I haven’t tried this with rice or quinoa but I guess they would both work well here – the flavour woudl be slightly different because, as you note, buckwheat has its own flavour, but I have found that rice and quinoa both work well in nut roasts.
Hi Rikki,
I have a big request. We would like to reprint the beautiful image of the grain loaf on the green plate that appears on your website. It would illustrate a similar recipe created by one of our guest chefs, but we have no photos of it! Yours is so beautiful and so similar to what we are printing… if we listed your website and contact info and noted that the photo was by you… could we please use it? Thank you so much, just let me know!
Lori Lively
Editor, Sound Outlook
253 472 4080
Hi Lori,
Thanks so much for your note–and I’m so glad you like the photo! That image is actually by the guest blogger for this post, Johanna of Green Gourmet Giraffe. So she’s the one you need to ask for permission. 🙂 I love this photo (and recipe), too–I’m sure Johanna will be delighted to hear from you! She can be reached via her blog, http://gggiraffe.blogspot.com . 🙂