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Jump to RecipeThis vegan recipe is a perfect winter holiday recipe! Serve this Chickpea loaf with balsamic glaze as your plant based Christmas dinner option with a side of smashed potatoes or cauliflower for a perfect holiday meal.
What is a Vegan Chickpea Loaf?
This loaf could also be called a nut ‘roast’ as it is filled not only with chickpeas but also with chestnuts and almonds. Combined with savory spices such as thyme and tangy balsamic, this vegan roast bakes up perfectly in a loaf for a hearty dinner option.
Full of both nuts and vegetables, this vegan loaf will fill you up with good for you ingredients! Carrots, onion, mushrooms and celery add additional specks of color and taste. I could not find chestnuts at my local grocery store in West Michigan, so I substitute hazelnuts, but am already planning to order roasted and recipe ready chestnuts for the next time I make this!
The balsamic glaze tastes like a tangy ketchup but with more depth of taste; it comes together quickly in a small saucepan. Ingredients include balsamic vinegar, vegetable broth, tomato sauce (passata) and molasses. It is a must for topping this chickpea loaf.
Vegan Holiday Cooking
For those following a vegan lifestyle, holiday get togethers with non vegan family members or friends, can often bring up feelings of anxiety. With this new cookbook, though, you can offer to bring a festive dinner dish or dessert, to any holiday table and be met with raving reviews!
I love how this new vegan cookbook by Kirsten Kaminski of The Tasty K, focuses on keeping festive traditions alive by replacing traditional animal-based dishes with mouth-watering vegan alternatives! From Christmas cookies to Easter brunch ideas, there is a vegan dish that you can share on major holidays.
From Christmas feast ideas such as this Chickpea Nut Loaf to classic Thanksgiving eats to colorful Easter table fare, this cookbook is one that I will reach to for not only holiday food ideas but for anytime I feel like putting a little extra love into the dinner dish I want to serve with friends!
There are even festive appetizers such as roasted pesto mushrooms and drinks such as vegan eggnog. I love that gluten free recipes in the book are clearly marked and if they are not, the author has took care to carefully consider a substitute! That is such great news for vegan and gluten free diet followers.
If you make this Chickpea loaf with balsamic glaze, we would love to know! Tag @badtothebowl on social media. Let’s get ‘nutty’ roasted together!
Chickpea Loaf with Balsamic Glaze
Ingredients
Chickpea Loaf
- 1 cup cooked chickpeas, drained and rinsed.
- 1 cup raw almonds
- 2 Tbsp flaxseeds
- 1/2 rolled oats (gluten free if necessary)
- 1 cup cooked chestnuts, finely chopped*
- 1 tsp fresh thyme leaves, finely chopped
- pinch of ground nutmeg
- 1 Tblsp balsamic vinegar
- salt to taste
- black pepper to taste
- 2 Tbsp olive oil**
- 1 medium red onion, finely chopped
- 2 medium ribs, celery, finely chopped
- 1 medium carrot, finely chopped
- 2 cups finely chopped portobello mushrooms
- 1/3 cup vegetable broth
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
Balsamic Glaze
- 2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
- 1 Tbsp cornstarch
- 1/2 cup vegetable broth
- 1/4 cup tomato passata
- 2 – 3 Tblsp date syrup or molasses
Instructions
- To make the chickpea loaf, place the chickpeas in a large bowl and mash them with a potato masher, leaving only a few chunks.
- Combine the almonds, flaxseed and oats in a food processor and pulse a few times until the ingredients resemble a flour like consistency.
- Add the almond mixture to the chickpeas. Add the chestnuts, thyme, nutmeg, vinegar, salt and black pepper. Combine.
- Heat olive oil (or water) in large saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and celery and sauté for 3 minutes until translucent. Add the carrot, mushrooms, broth and garlic and cook for 6 – 8 minutes, until vegetables are soft. Add the vegetables to the chickpeas and combine.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees, line a 9×5 inch loaf pan with parchment paper. Spoon the chickpea mixture into the loaf pan and press down evenly with a spoon. Set chickpea loaf aside.
- Make Glaze. Top loaf with small portion of glaze.
- Bake for 60 minutes. Let the loaf rest for 10 minutes before removing from pan and slicing.
Balsamic Glaze
- Combine vinegar and cornstarch in small saucepan and mix well. Add the broth, tomato passata and syrup (or molasses) and bring the mixture to a boil over medium heat. Let the glaze simmer for 3 – 4 minutes until it has thickened, then take saucepan off of the heat. Brush loaf with glaze, reserving the remaining for serving.
