Mixed-nut vegan loaf

Why become a vegan? Well, for a start, cutting out all animal products can mean virtually eliminating the risk of high cholesterol, high blood pressure, heart disease and possibly some types of cancer. And then there is the feel-good factor - your energy shoots up and your weight is likely to drop.

Ingredients

250 g	Mixed nuts, such as hazelnuts and walnuts (Main)
1	Onion
1	Red pepper, or green pepper
1	Carrot
2	Button mushrooms, large
2 Tbsp	Olive oil
2 Tbsp	Wholemeal flour
⅓ cup	Breadcrumbs
⅓ cup	Vegetable stock
2 tsp	Dry mixed herbs

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 190C. Lightly oil a 20cm x 10cm loaf pan. Place the nuts in a roasting pan. Bake for 5-10 minutes, until lightly golden. Rub the skins of the hazelnuts, if using. Finely chop the nuts.
2. Chop the onion and pepper. Grate the carrot. Dice the mushrooms. Heat the oil in a frying pan. Sauté the onion for a few minutes. Add the pepper and mushrooms and cook for 2 minutes. Add the grated carrot and cook for another minute.
3. Remove from the heat. Stir in the flour. Add the breadcrumbs, vegetable stock, nuts, mixed herbs and salt and pepper to taste.
4. Pack into the loaf pan, pressing down with a spoon. Bake for around 35 minutes. Great served with mashed potatoes and a gravy prepared from vegetable stock.