Pre-heat the oven to gas 6 / 200C / 400°F and lightly oil a baking tray. Put the parsnips in a pan of boiling salted water for 5 minutes then drain. Lay them on the greased baking tray and give them a drizzle of oil and honey or agave and bake for 20 minutes until just softening. Leave the oven on when done for baking the finished loaf
Meanwhile, bring the swede, sweet potato and potato to boil in salted water, then simmer until slightly softened and drain
Also fry off the onion and garlic in some oil until the onion is translucent, then add to the pan with the swede and potato
Cook off the spinach in some salted water for 5 minutes until wilted then drain and add to the swede pan
When the parsnips are done, add them to the swede pan with the spinach, parsley, lemon juice, nuts and grated carrot, salt & pepper to taste
(If you need to roast the peanuts and hazelnuts yourself do so before roasting the parsnip etc at gas 4 / 180C / 350°F until they turn a shade darker and the skins split. The skins will be easily rubbed off)
Mash everything together well. You should be able to form a moist ball in your hand with the mixture. If it's too wet, add some breadcrumbs or porridge oats to the mixture. Season to taste, you may wish to add more honey/agave
Lightly oil an ovenproof dish or line with foil. Spoon the mixture in, pat down and cover with some more oiled foil and bake for 30 minutes then remove foil and continue baking for a further 15-20 minutes until the top starts to turn golden brown
Let stand 10 minutes before slicing and serve hot with a nice salad, green veg or with some boiled potatoes and vegetable gravy
You can also bake in a loaf tin or it's nice to put into individual ramekins or madeline moulds. Adjust the cooking time to 45 minutes covered and 15 uncovered if you use a loaf tin and reduce to 35 minutes total time if using individual mini loaf moulds
This is a bit 'all about the timing' but it's worth it. It's a great alternative to meatloaf
