Three veggie crowd-pleasers to wow

Mini nut roasts with candied carrots

Prefer to make one large nut roast? Bake in a 900g loaf tin at 200C/180C fan/gas 6 for 1 hr.

QMakes 6

QPrep 35 mins plus resting

QCook 40 mins

250g thin baby carrots, trimmed, cut in

half lengthways (or quartered if large) 3 tbsp olive oil, plus extra for the tin 5 tbsp maple syrup

2 tbsp milled flaxseed

1 large onion, finely chopped

1 celery stick, finely chopped

2 garlic cloves, chopped

350g mixed mushrooms, finely chopped 3 rosemary sprigs, leaves finely chopped 1 tsp tomato purée

2 tsp tamari or dark soy sauce

1 tbsp smoked paprika

100g pecans

50g hazelnuts

400g can green lentils, drained and rinsed 400g can chickpeas, drained and rinsed 40g ground almonds handful of sage and thyme leaves

YOU WILL NEED

6 mini loaf tins (silicone ones work well)

1 Heat the oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Toss the carrots with 1 tbsp oil and 2 tbsp maple syrup. Season. Roast on a tray for 20-25 mins until tender and just caramelised. 2 Meanwhile, mix the flaxseed with 4 tbsp water and leave to thicken. Heat 1 tbsp oil in

a frying pan, and fry the onion and celery until soft, about 10 mins. Stir in the garlic, mushrooms, rosemary, tomato purée, tamari and paprika, and fry for 10 mins more until the mushrooms are tender. Transfer to a bowl and leave to cool slightly.

3 Blitz the pecans and hazelnuts in a food processor until chopped. Add the lentils and chickpeas and blend to a thick, dry paste.

4 Combine the nuts and pulses with the mushroom mixture, almonds, 2 tbsp maple syrup and the soaked flaxseed. Season

5 Oil six mini loaf tins and line each with a strip of baking parchment. Trim the roasted carrots to fit the bases in a snug layer. Roughly chop any remaining carrots and mix with the nut roast mixture. Pack firmly into the prepared tins and smooth the tops. Bake, uncovered, for 20 mins, then leave to rest for 10 mins before inverting onto plates. Fry the sage and thyme in the remaining oil until crisp, then stir through the remaining maple syrup. Spoon over the roasts to serve. PER SERVING 460 kcals, fat 30g, saturates 3g,

carbs 30g, sugars 16g, fibre 10g, protein 13g, salt 0.5g