Christmas Nut Loaf

Description
This nut loaf can be served hot or cold with a Spicy Cranberry Sauce for a vegetarian Christmas.

Ingredients

 * 2 cups of nuts - any variety - try a mixture of walnuts, macademias, and cashews
 * 1/4 cup sunflower seeds
 * 1 loaf of bread (for crumbing)
 * 2 tablespoons butter
 * 5 eggs
 * Vegetables
 * 5 carrots (or 3 cups when chopped)
 * 2 onions
 * 2 cups of mushrooms - any variety - try a mixture of two different types such as portobello and shitake
 * 1/4 cup capsicum (green pepper)
 * one bunch of celery (or 1 1/2 cups when chopped)
 * Herbs and seasoning
 * 1/2 teaspoon salt
 * 1 teaspoon dried basil
 * 1 teaspoon dried oregano
 * 1/2 teaspoon pepper

Preparation
A food processor is strongly recommended as a lot of chopping is involved!


 * Chop the mushrooms and celery.
 * Finely chop the onion and green pepper.
 * Chop the nuts
 * Peel and grate the carrots.
 * Beat the eggs

Create the breadcrumbs by adding torn up slices of wholemeal bread to the food processor. You can use stale bread or you can dry the bread out a little in a low temperature oven.

Grease 2 loaf tins and line them with baking paper.

Cooking directions

 * 1) Saute onions, mushrooms and green pepper in butter for 5 minutes.
 * 2) In a very large bowl, add to this all of the remaining ingredients other than the bread (nuts, seeds, eggs, carrots, celery, basil, oregano, salt & pepper).
 * 3) Finally stir in 3 cups of bread crumbs.
 * 4) Fill the prepared loaf tins with the mixture.
 * 5) Bake at 180°C (350°F) for at least one hour. Check the bottom of the loaf. If it is still liquidy, return to the over. It may take 90 minutes to complete cooking.

Freezing
Can be prepared in advance and frozen. Defrost for 24 hours in the refrigerator. Reheat or eat cold.