Stuffed Mushroom Pecan Loaf with Savoury Tofu and Vegan Gravy

In my opinion, cooking is one of the best things about a holiday. This year for Easter, we were far removed from family and recipe books at a remote cottage in the hills. With barbecued lamb on my boyfriend's dinner menu, the task fell upon me to create a vegan equivalent. Although there was room for quite a few things to go wrong, starting with the fact that I didn't have all the ingredients at my fingertips, I knew I had to try anyway. And, if it turned out to be a dry, crumbled pile of mushrooms and nuts- at least I would have something resembling gravy to put on top. And lots of wine to drink.

Despite not having any binding ingredients and very little flour, the shape and moisture from the tofu and mushrooms all held together for me. And with a distinct note of impatience in the air from my partner behind me when we were finally ready to eat and I took my camera out, I captured a little edible Easter miracle.

Stuffed Mushroom Pecan Loaf with Savoury Tofu and Vegan Gravy  

Ingredients

For the stuffing:
3/4 block of medium-firm tofu
2 cloves garlic, crushed and minced
1 tbsp fresh savoury, chopped
1 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
1 small white onion, finely chopped
1 tbsp GF soy sauce

For the loaf:
2 cups cremini mushrooms, finely chopped  (about 6 mushrooms)
1/2 cup pecans, chopped
1/2 cup walnuts, chopped
1/2 cup oat flour (aka, large or medium flaked GF oats ground fine into a powder)
1/4 cup vegetable broth (GF, TF, CF)
1/4 cup dry white wine
1 clove garlic, crushed and minced
1/2 white onion, finely chopped
1/8 tsp coarse-ground sea salt
1 tsp dried oregano

For the gravy:
1/2 tbsp vegetable oil (any kind)
1 cup vegetable broth
1 cup chopped cremini mushrooms
1 tbsp GF flour (I used chickpea)
1/2 onion, chopped
Pinch of salt, to taste

Directions

Pre-heat the oven to 300 degrees Farhenheit. Mix together all ingredients for the stuffing in a bowl, pressing the moisture from the tofu out into the mixture as you do. On a lightly greased pan, form a loaf shape out of the tofu, as pictured above. Roast in the oven until golden on the outside - approximately 40 minutes. Remove from the oven and set aside. Turn the oven up to 425.

If you have a hand blender or food processor on hand, this could come in handy to make a more blended version of the loaf, but I was without both and simply finely chopped everything. Cover the loaf of tofu in the mixture evenly, pressing it well to shape. Return the loaf to the oven at 425, roasting for another 30 - 40 minutes, checking often, until the outside is a deep brown and firm to touch (we used a confectionary oven, so the time may vary depending on your settings).

While the loaf is cooking, in a medium sauce pan on low-medium heat, fry the onions and mushrooms for approximately 5 minutes, until the mushrooms have cooked down. Add 3/4 cup vegetable broth, and stir the other 1/4 in a separate bowl with the GF flour. Bring the saucepan with the mushrooms to a simmer, then stir in the flour and broth and reduce the heat. Let simmer until thickened, about 5 - 10 minutes. Taste and add salt in small quantities to your desired taste. Drizzle over the sliced loaf- serves 4-5.