Vegetable Pâté – it’s kind of a funny story. I first tried veggie pâté at one of our stops while on the road. We had planned for Mexican, but seeing as I read the ‘hours’ wrong, we ended up eating at this generic looking cafe instead. I have to admit, I was slightly disappointed I wouldn’t be chowing down on a platter of guac + roasted yam tacos, but we really didn’t have any other options for food that day. Once seated in the cafe, we were informed that the fridge had broken down the night prior so much of the menu was unavailable – oy. The only plant based option, a wrap with vegetable pâté. Say whaaa?…pâté?!? Made purely from vegetables, or so I was told. I really didn’t know what I was in store for. Well…it was pretty delicious! The waitress was somewhat vague regarding the ingredients…”vegetables”, so I winged it when making it at home. It’s mild in flavour, light in texture, and grills up in a skillet like a pro (crispy – just how I like it). Seeing as the pâté itself really isn’t that photogenic, I left it up to the other goodies in my wrap to bring their ‘A Game’.
This vegetable pâté is mild in flavour, light in texture, and grills up in a skillet like a pro. It's the perfect compliment to a wrap-full of additional goodies - avocado, grated carrot + beet, pickled onions, red leafy lettuce, and golden aioli...yum. Use it as a spread or grill it to get those flavours to really pop!
- 1 large waxy potato, cut into cubes
- 1 large carrot, grated *(1cup)
- 2 shallots, chopped
- 3/4 cup cremini mushrooms, grated
- 6 large fresh basil leaves, chopped
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1/2 tsp white pepper
- 1&1/2 tsp sea salt
- 1/2 tsp dry mustard
- 1/2 tsp ground thyme
- 1/2 tsp poultry seasoning
- 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 cup water or vegetable broth
- 1/2 cup grape seed oil
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 cup raw sunflower seeds
- 1/2 cup almond flour
- 1/3 cup nutritional yeast
- 3/4 tbsp tapioca starch
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Preheat the oven to 350*F. Line a 4x8inch baking pan with parchment paper.
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In a food processor, add the prepared potato, carrot, shallots, mushrooms, basil, garlic, spices & seasonings. Pulse until combined - the potato cubes should be broken down to about pea size.
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Add the water, grape seed oil, lemon juice, sunflower seeds, almond flour, and nutritional yeast. Pulse again to blend.
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Lastly, slowly sprinkle in the tapioca starch and blend until everything is evenly broken down - but not totally smooth. *There should be some vegetable and seed debris still visible in the mixture.
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Pour the pâté mixture into the prepared baking pan.
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Bake for about 1&1/2-2hrs, or until the edges and top have browned.
~ There's a lot of moisture in the pâté, so there's the potential to bake it longer if you wish to change the consistency (less=lighter, more=denser). Also, if you stick with the 1&1/2-2hr bake time, the consistency should be spreadable.
~ I like to add a slab of the pâté to a lightly oiled hot skillet to get the edges crispy - or crumble it for a 'ground' effect. You can cut a piece right off the loaf, or cut smaller bite size pieces which toss well in the skillet.
~ Another tasty option...lightly roast the raw sunflower seeds, cool, and then grind them into a flour. It will bring a little finer texture and nutty flavour to the pâté.