‘Tis the season for checking weather forecasts; not to see if it’ll snow like it nearly did in Tasmania at Christmas time but to check how hot Christmas Day will be. Maybe, if we’re lucky, it’ll be in the high 20’C with a gentle breeze. I hope we won’t have to swelter in a heat wave, a ‘scorcher’ as Australians call it. The weather app forecasts 18’C and a little windy, so fingers crossed, maybe I can ignite the fire for a cosy Christmas morning around the tree.

But I’m in hope it’ll warm up in the afternoon because island temperatures usually do, and maybe we can eat under the shady tree in the courtyard. Either way, I’ll make a vegetable roast and my mum’s seitan mushroom roulade with stuffing, a tray of roasted potatoes and a few summery salads. And maybe it’ll be cool enough to light the fire and we’ll eat pudding puddled with creamy cashew custard on the couches. Maybe I should make a frozen cheesecake just in case Mother Nature turns on that ‘scorcher’, she’s a fickle mistress here on the island.

I cannot stress how easy this roast is to make. The only stress point is making sure to apply a lot of pressure on the mixture after spooning it into the loaf tin so the mixture doesn’t fall apart after baking. The gravy has a touch of sweetness from the quince jam which adds a festive hint; you could substitute cranberry Jam if that’s your preference.

Health benefits:

·       The most important health benefits of parsnips include their ability to lower the chances of developing diabetes, reduce cholesterol levels, and improve digestive processes.

·       Parsnips also prevent depression, promote proper growth and development, strengthen the immune system, and lower blood pressure to protect the cardiovascular health.

·       Quinoa is one of the world's most popular health foods. It’s gluten-free, high in protein and one of the few plant foods that contain all nine essential amino acids. It is also high in fibre, magnesium, B-vitamins, iron, potassium, calcium, phosphorus, vitamin E and various beneficial antioxidants.

VEGETABLE QUINOA ROAST

Use a 15 cm x 25 cm loaf tin (6 x 10 inches)

PB, V, DF, GF

½ cup (90 g) quinoa

1 onion, finely chpd

1 garlic clove, finely chpd

1 celery stick, finely diced

1 sweet potato, finely diced

1 parsnip, finely diced

2 tbsp (21 g) nutritional yeast

1 tbsp (15 g) coconut aminos/ tamari

4 fresh sage leaves, roughly chopped

½ cup (70 g) walnuts

400 g tin organic cannellini beans

2 tbsp (20 g) flaxseed meal

½ cup (125 g) runny nut butter

pinch of sea salt

Wash the quinoa and rinse. Bring the quinoa and 1¾ cups of water to boil, reduce to simmer for 15-20 minutes until the water is absorbed. Take the saucepan off the heat and sit with the lid on for 5 minutes. Fluff the grains with a fork and allow to cool.

Preheat oven to 180’C/350’F/Gas Mark 4. On a medium heat in a large frypan, sauté the finely chopped onions for about 8-10 minutes until translucent. Add the garlic, celery, sweet potato and parsnip, and continue to cook until the celery is translucent. Turn off the heat and mix in the nutritional yeast, coconut aminos/ tamari and sage, walnuts. Slightly mash the cannellini beans. Combine the vegetable nut mixture with quinoa, mashed cannellini beans and stir to combine. Mix in well the flaxseed meal and runny nut butter. Season with sea salt. Spoon the mixture into a loaf tin greased with coconut oil and press the mixture down very firmly into the tin with the back of a spoon. Cover with foil and bake for 35 minutes. Remove the foil and bake a further 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool. To serve, gently remove from the tin and place on a platter. Serve with onion and quince gravy.

ONION & APRICOT GRAVY

1 onion, finely diced

1 garlic clove, finely diced

3 tsp (9 g) cornflour

1 tbsp (15 g) tamari

2 tsp (7 g) SF apricot jam

1 cup (240 ml.) vegetable stock

Saute onions until translucent and add the garlic. Reduce to low heat, add flour and stir to combine while cooking. Add the tamari, sage, apricot jam and vegetable stock. Gently simmer to reduce and thicken for up to 15 minutes or longer. Remove from heat, strain through a colander. Serve immediately.