Eggplant, Chestnut, and Mushroom Vegan Holiday Loaf
Around the holidays, most festive gatherings tend to center around a large piece of meat (often a turkey, ham or lamb). It can be hard to get as excited about Thanksgiving when it’s so often called “turkey day” (although if you’re looking for a vegan way to celebrate turkeys, you could try adopting a turkey through the farm sanctuary). But there are vegan alternatives to grace the center of your table! There are several you can purchase, from Gardein, Field Roast, or Trader Joe’s, but if you’re less inclined for a faux-turkey, and more interested in a stunning, simple, homemade vegan centerpiece, this eggplant, chestnut and mushroom vegan holiday loaf is for you! Not only is it a beautiful show-stopper, but it is made with less than 10 ingredients, is very hearty, and perfect for a celebratory meal.
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For Christmas, my family has always done make your own pizza (I have no idea how that tradition started), so it is by it’s “make your own” nature very vegetarian and vegan inclusive. However, Thanksgiving has not always been so friendly. Don’t get me wrong, there has always been plenty of food I could eat- mashed potatoes, squash, vegan gravy, brussel sprouts, and of course plenty of dessert cakes and pies, but my Thanksgivings have always lacked a certain centerpiece, or focus of the meal. Last year, for the first time, I roasted my favorite brand of seitan (Sheffield Seitian) and we ate that with dinner. This year, I decided to get creative, and make my own centerpiece. My vegan holiday loaf is stuffed with warm, spiced eggplant, a savory mix of mushrooms (I used shiitake and oyster mushrooms), and punctuated by sweet notes of rich chestnuts. It’s all held together with the simplest of doughs- a premade pizza dough, to save you a lot of time- and beautifully braided. A quick brush with soy milk (or whatever plant milk you prefer) gives your dough a glossy, shiny, professional looking finish.
I actually started this process with raw, still-in-the-shell chestnuts, which definitely added a little time to the cooking. If you’re going to do that, I wrote in this soup recipe about the process of freeing the nuts from their casings (essentially, it involves roasting them to make it possible to separate the meat from the shells). The eggplant is also pre-roasted, and the mushrooms cooked, both so you’ll be sure that they’re pleasantly cooked while you can see them, but primarily so that you cook out some of the moisture (otherwise you’ll be left with a soggy, watery filling that will make it hard to get the crust to bake). Speaking of crust, I decided to keep it simple and go with a store-bought dough for my deliciously simple vegan holiday loaf (note I said “dough” not crust- you don’t want anything pre-cooked or rolled). Now pizza dough isn’t really that hard to make, but the one I used was from Trader Joe’s, and it only cost about $1.20 (you can see it here) so it seemed a worth-while cheat. If you don’t have access to pre-made dough, or you’re just a do-it-yourself type person, you can find a simple recipe like this one and whip up your own crust in no time.
The real show stopping element to this piece is the braid. It’s actually a very simple technique, but the results make you look like a professional baker. Roll the dough out nice and large (about 10×20 inches) and lay the filling in a mound down the center, leaving a generous border. Slice the edges into strips, angling the last couple so you’re left with a “V” shape on each end (like shown in the picture above). Fold both ends over, and start with the strips. Pull one over and towards the other end of the loaf, until it touches the other side, and repeat with the first strip on the other side. Continue down the loaf until the last two, that you braid before neatly tucking in to finish the vegan holiday loaf. Gently transfer to your baking sheet, brush with milk (or even vegan butter), and bake. Just like that- you’re a bread artist.
While you’re thinking about Thanksgiving, check out these other Thanksgiving Posts!
- If you want to read my long-winded rant about Thanksgiving, and recipes native to the Americas, check out my Thanksgiving Menu
- Looking for a more millennial-friendly version of mashed potatoes? Try these Avocado Mashed Potatoes with Porcini Gravy
- Savory Pumpkin Muffins are a nice, simple way to start Thanksgiving day
- Pie played out? Try this Pineapple, Pumpkin and Pecan Upside-Down Cake instead!
- Cranberry belongs in more than just sauce. Try this Cranberry Lima Bean Salad or this Vegan Cranberry Banana Bread, or even these Chocolate Coated Cranberry Wood Ear Mushrooms if you’re feeling whimsical.
Now onto the vegan holiday loaf recipe!
Eggplant, Mushroom and Chestnut Vegan Holiday Loaf
Ingredients
- One large eggplant
- Oil, for cooking
- 8 ounces of mixed mushrooms (mix some of these- shiitake, oyster, crimini, button, portobella, porcini, etc.)
- One onion, diced
- 4-5 cloves of garlic, minced
- ½ cup chestnuts
- ½ tsp. rosemary
- 1 tsp. thyme
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- One pre-made 1 lb. pizza dough
- 1 tbps. soy milk
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C). Slice and skin the eggplant, and layer onto a lined baking sheet and sprinkle with salt. Cook for 20-30 minutes, or until soft.
- In a skillet on the stove, heat a small amount of olive oil. Add the garlic and onions, and sauté until fragrant. Next add the mushrooms, and cook for a few minutes until they have released their moisture.
- Add all the ingredients (eggplant, mushroom mixture, nuts, and herbs) to your food processor, and around 30 times, or until it is minced (but not pureed). Set aside.
- Preheat the oven to 425°F (220°C), and prepare a baking tray with a silicone mat. On a clean, floured surface, roll out your pizza dough until it is roughly 10 x 20 inches. Add the filling to the center of the dough, making sure to keep about 2 inches clear round the edges. Make cuts down the sides of the dough, making sure you create an equal number on each side. Fold over the top and bottom edges, and then start braiding at the end furthest from you by pulling down one strip, and pulling the strip across from it over the first piece. Continue until you’ve reached the end of the loaf. Use a brush to gently coat wash the dough with vegan milk, and place on the prepared baking sheet.
- Put in the oven, and cook for 25 minutes, or until golden brown.
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Let’s hear from you…
- Do you like the idea of a vegan holiday roast, or are you more of a tons of sides type of vegan?
- What other vegan centerpieces have you tried?
- Do you have any Thanksgiving traditions?
Share your thoughts with us in the comments below!
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Yum!
Thanks Roudi!
I am searching for a wonderful taste I experienced in the 80’s at a vegetarian restaurent in Sydney, Aust, headed by a French chef. I think it had a combination of flavours something like this. (I’m not familiar with making or preparing pizza dough, though, so am thinking how else I might make a dish from your wonderful recipe.
Interesting- I wonder how similar the two dishes are! This filling would be a great in all sorts of pasteries or pies, or you could even try making a mock “meat”loaf with it. Tell us how it works out!