Vegan Land: Vegan Christmas Roast: You Can Replace Turkey with Lentil

I am enthusiastic about the Christmas Dinner, although I can’t quite understand why we eat, on this occasion, animals that are not part of our diet on the other 364 days of the year.

Peru. Chester Tend. By the way, has anyone ever seen a tender in nature? A chester? Spiked carnations, peaches in syrup, strings of eggs: I always found the decor a little morbid. Like the flowers at wakes.

Shall we speak the truth? The most delicious meal is the farofa. And the mayonnaise. The animal is a mere accompaniment, it’s what’s always left over, it takes up space in the refrigerator for days, it reduces the useful area for cooling the beer, even.

Buckets dot the living room, laundry area and kitchen. It’s a whole lot of logistics to meet the demand for ice, salt and ground cloth. The most expensive square meter of the house is occupied by platters wrapped in plastic, filled with food that nobody wants, but feels obliged to eat, after all, it’s Christmas.

The 26th, the 27th, the 28th arrive, no one can stand to eat turkey anymore, but it’s there, freezing cold, as if to say “if you see, humans, I’m not leaving here alone”.

I bring good news: you can substitute turkey for lentils, and prepare a succulent Christmas roast. Your pocket, your health, the animals, the environment, everyone is grateful. Plus, there’s the bonus of the free fridge, because, unlike turkey, the vegan Christmas roast can be portioned more accurately according to the family group.

You can’t roast half a turkey, but you can prepare half of the recipe for roasting lentils and spices, served with potatoes and orange sauce. And, if you still have it, just slice the non-human remains and freeze them for consumption within three months.

CHRISTMAS ROAST OF LENTIL AND SPICES WITH POTATOES AND ORANGE SAUCE

Serves 6 to 8 people.

Preparation time: 30 minutes + 1 hour in the oven.

ROASTING INGREDIENTS

1 cup of lentils (raw).

1 ½ cup of oatmeal.

¾ cup of tapioca.

½ cup of manioc flour.

2 onions, cut into cubes.

2 carrots cut into rustic slices.

2 tomatoes, cut into cubes, without the pulp.

2 cups of vegetable broth.

4 cloves of garlic cut into cubes.

¼ cup of extra virgin olive oil.

1 tablespoon of smoked paprika.

4 blackheads.

½ teaspoon of cinnamon.

2 bay leaves.

1 ½ teaspoon of salt.

INGREDIENTS FOR POTATOES

600 g of small potatoes.

Olive oil, salt and rosemary to taste.

INGREDIENTS FOR ORANGE SAUCE

1 cup of vegetable broth.

¼ cup of orange juice + zest of an orange.

1 tablespoon of soy sauce (soy sauce).

1 tablespoon of demerara sugar.

2 tablespoons of cornstarch.

PREPARATION

1. Preheat the oven to 200º C, grease a loaf of bread with oil and set aside.
2. Cook the lentils until softened, drain and set aside.
3. Saute the vegetables with oil and seasoning, until golden. Cover the pan and cook over medium heat until the water is dry.
4. Turn off the heat and remove the carnations and bay leaf. Transfer to a food processor, add the lentils and beat until smooth. Add the flours and beat to mix. Add the oil and push for a few more seconds.
5. Transfer to baking sheet and spread well. Cover with aluminum foil. Cut the potatoes and place in a refractory. Season. Bake everything for 45 minutes, or until golden.
6. Prepare the sauce: bring the orange juice, zest, vegetable stock, sugar and soy sauce to the fire. When the sugar dissolves, transfer ¼ cup of the mixture to a cup, add the cornstarch and mix well with a fork. When the sauce starts to boil, add it to the pan, stirring until it thickens.
7. When serving, cover the ovenproof dish with orange slices and turn the roast over. Decorate with the potatoes and return to the oven for 15 minutes. Drizzle with the sauce, and you’re done!