“Que Sera Sera”. As a small child these were the first non English words I learnt – thanks to a song my mother sang in her rocking chair to entice me to sleep. The phrase means ‘whatever will be will be’ and it came to mind this week when I was thinking about the new year. Looking at the song’s lyrics they suggest going with the flow of life – ‘the future’s not ours to see’. Something that captures nicely my approach to 2018.
With a 12 month break from work on the horizon 2018 is the perfect year for me to go with the flow. In the absence of any major travel plans for my upcoming ‘career break’ I’m going to enjoy the simple things in life – with no time restrictions attached. I’m talking doing more yoga, reading, walking my dogs, spending time at the beach and of course feasting on lots of home cooked food. Beyond that? Who knows – hence Que Sera Sera as my motto for 2018 – whatever will be will be.
I’ll be extending a little Que Sera Sera into my blog too – posting when writing is flowing and fun rather than adhering to a self-imposed posting frequency. So you may see a little less (or a little more) of me.
Anyway onto a healthy feast to start 2018. Over a month has passed since my last post – and here inspired by Feast Wisely’s 4th birthday is a vegetarian roast. I made this mushroom loaf twice in December, once on Christmas Day and once as a trial run a week prior. I really wanted a vegetarian hero dish for Christmas Day that would stand up against any traditional roast and this recipe is a winner. It comes thanks to BBC Good Food – they call it a Nut Roast. I replaced the nuts with extra mushrooms and so changed the name to a Mushroom Loaf.
Mushroom goodness
Mushrooms are a fantastic ingredient if you’re adopting more of a plant based diet. Not only can the texture mimic meat (hence the craze for mushroom burgers) but they’re packed with health benefits. As well as high doses of B vitamins, potassium and Vitamin E mushrooms contain selenium. In the fruit and vegetable world the mineral selenium is only be found in mushrooms and spinach – it’s an anti-oxidant that gives mushrooms anti-aging properties. The nutritional benefits don’t end there – mushrooms are said to be the only vegan source of vitamin D, a vitamin that’s protective against all kinds of health conditions including cancer.
Mushroom Loaf
Apart from switching out the nuts for extra mushrooms I pretty much followed the BBC Good Food recipe to a tee. I say pretty much because I did throw in a little psyllium husk for added fibre and omitted the red pepper. Also because my loaf was part of a Christmas Day roast it was served with gravy rather than with the tomato sauce that features in the recipe.
My two tips for the recipe both help with the binding of the loaf – the first is to use enough breadcrumbs (ideally good quality sourdough) and the second is to allow the loaf time to rest once it’s removed from the oven. Vegan? the recipe can easily be adapted to be vegan by using coconut oil in place of the butter, vegan cheese and by adding an egg substitute like chia seeds.
More mushroom goodness
For a couple of other ideas on how to get more mushrooms into your diet check out my other vegetarian posts for mushroom pâté and mushroom meatballs.
Happy New Year!
Laura
This looks really amazing ! Wishing you & your family a happy healthy New Year !!
Thanks so much Megala – I’m already thinking about when I can make it again but this time with nuts included. Happy New Year too….
Thank you !
Ahh I love how easily this can be veganised! Would love to try it for sure:) Happy new year!! ❤
Thank you Maria and yes totally simple to veganise too – if you give it a try let me know how a vegan version turns out. And Happy New Year too!
I’ve been giggling reading this post. This was the kind of dish that every hippy I knew made back when I was in college in the 70’s. Oftentimes with buckwheat groats or quinoa – which didn’t become popular for many many years later. I think nut/mushroom loaves also gave vegetarian or “healthy” food a negative reputation, because people thought that those nut loaves were the only way to eat healthily! They were delicious, just maybe not the most attractive food. Would this work as a side dish, much like a mushroom bread pudding? Your post is great, bringing memories of being a hippy in Southern California! Enjoy your time off! As a retired person, I know you’ll still be busy, but happier!
Thanks so much Chef Mimi for stopping by – so interesting to hear your story from the 70s….I thought such recipes were much more of a recent craze. And yes absolutely this would work as a side dish – much like a ‘stuffing’ or gratin – I’m sure you’d put your own twist on it to….
Well food trends are cyclic, but no, these nut loaves were around in mid-70’s – authors like Mollie Katzen, Deborah Madison, and the commune behind the Tassajara books… I’ll have to pull some of these old cookbooks out for fun!
Please do Chef Mimi – I would love to see a version from before my time!
I love mushrooms and your mushroom loaf looks delicious!
It sounds like you have some lovely time off and I hope you will enjoy it! I am looking forward to hearing about your 2018! 🙂
Thank you Petra – more to come on how 2018 unfolds…..
Looks too tasty……..loved it 🙂
Thank you!
This sounds like a wonderful plan! With this attitude, you are in for an amazing 2018! And this loaf is just so mouth watering!
Thank you Annika – and yes I’m very much looking forwards to seeing how 2018 unfolds!
Happy New Year Laura 😀
Your 2018 plan is awesome 👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼. And so is the dish 💕💕
Thanks Ramya and Happy New Year to you as well!
This looks delicious!
Thank you!
The loaf looks absolutely delicious! x
Thank you!
Interesting recipe! Definitely will try this.
This looks so good, Laura! x
I really want to try a vegetarian loaf and mushrooms sounds perfect. I use mushrooms and walnuts for my vegan chorizo and it’s a hit. Now to form something into a loaf. I’ll try this.
Thanks,
Tracey
Hi Tracey – I’m sure you’ll like this recipe – the mushrooms work so well with the cheese! Let me know how you go 😄