For the past few Thanksgivings, we have been swapping our Turkey feast for a vegetarian-style meal. The first year we went vegetarian, we still made a turkey for friends and family members, but we made a nut loaf for ourselves. It included tomato sauce, a few nuts, 9 slices of bread, and who knows what else. It was dense, not so healthy, and tasted ok. It was also loaded with gluten, which I soon discovered upsets my stomach, and it wasn’t quite what I wanted to make again the next year.
The next year I went with a lentil walnut loaf, which was delicious, but the combination of bread, nuts, and lentils was a bit heavy.
Last year we loaded up our plates with a nut loaf that cooked in the crock pot. And while it was a delicious hit, even amongst the non veg-heads, but very heavy on the nuts (over 3 cups of different nuts!). It also took a lot of prep to make. While it cooked on its own, you had to remember to start it early, using the plethora of ingredients that went along with it.
This year, I wanted to simplify things a little more. I cut the nuts down a bit, switched the “binder” (eggs folks, which can always be switched out with flax or chia seeds), and simplified the process, as well as the ingredient list.
I also used a 3 ingredient cranberry sauce for the top – perfect for Thanksgiving and even more perfect if made in a big batch for a side dish. 
Here’s to a very happy and healthy holiday for you and your family. Whether you go vegetarian or full-turkey 😉
- 1 cup cashews, raw
- 1 cup almonds, raw
- 1 cup gluten-free oat flour (gluten free oats in a blender)
- ¼ cup chia seed flour (blended chia seeds in blender)
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup water
- 3 large carrots, chopped
- ¼ onion, chopped
- ¼ yellow bell pepper, chopped
- 1 tbsp garlic puree
- 2 tsp rosemary
- 2 tsp oregano
- 2 tsp thyme
- 2 tsp sage
- 1 tsp sea salt
- *optional ½ cup veggie beef crumbles (I used Beyond Meat)
- Sauce:
- 1 cup cranberries
- 1 tbsp maple syrup
- 1 tsp balsamic vinegar
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a bread pan or line it with parchment paper.
- In a large pan, toast nuts over medium heat for 5 minutes, until toasted but not burnt. Make sure to stir a few times to prevent burning and sticking.
- Once toasted, transfer to a blender and blend until chopped and almost flour-like. You do want a few chunks to keep the texture.
- In a large bowl, combine nuts, flour, veggies, spices, "meat", and salt. Stir together. Add water and eggs to combine and stick together.
- Press into your pan and pop into the oven for 35 minutes.
- While cooking, prepare your cranberry sauce for the top. Place cranberries, maple syrup, and balsamic vinegar in pot over high heat.
- Once cranberries start to pop, stir all the ingredients together. Keep stirring until the cranberries have melted.
- Spread on top of the nut loaf.
- Pop nut loaf back into the oven for 15 minutes.
What are you cooking up this year?
Peace and Love,
Jessi
PS Holiday recipes just like this will be included in 21 Days to Flourish bonus recipe guide. Make sure to sign up today before the holidays kick into full-swing!
