Easy Vegan Pâté with Mushrooms and Sunflower Seeds

Make this simple, delicious and sustainable vegan pâté with mushroom and sunflower seeds in only a few steps. Great on toast, or in a vegan Báhn Mì sandwich.

Pâté is a savory spread most traditionally made with chicken liver, pork or fish, but that doesn’t mean that the vegans and vegetarians of the world should be missing out on anything. Pâté can be made of many different things, but here we have chosen two healthy, sustainable and easy-to-find-locally ingredients: mushrooms and sunflower seeds.

Sunflower seed production uses minimal fertilizers, making it a low emitter of greenhouse gases, and provides the areas in which they are grown with multiple eco-systems. The sunflower is native to North America, and the seeds are an excellent source of fiber and vitamin E. Mushrooms are one of the most sustainable foods out there. They require little space, can be grown year-round and need little water in their production. It takes only two gallons of water to grow, harvest, and process a pound of mushrooms. You can even grown your own.

Mushroom Pâté Recipe

This vegan mushroom pâté is delicious served on toasted bread or crackers, or could make for a tasty appetizer at your next dinner party. It is also easy to customize.

Makes 8 servings

Ingredients:

• ¾ cup dried shiitake or porcini mushrooms
• 2 tbsp. vegan butter
• 2 tbsp. olive oil
• 1 small onion, diced
• 3 cups sliced mushrooms of your choice
• 2 sprigs of thyme
• salt and pepper
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 cup sunflower seeds
• 2 tbsp. homemade oat milk

Instructions:

1. First, re-hydrate the dried mushrooms by soaking them in a little boiled water for 5 minutes, then drain.
2. Heat the butter and olive oil in a large frying pan on medium heat, add the onions, and fry. After 5 minutes, add the garlic and a little salt and pepper. Scoop out the mixture on to a plate, and set aside.
3. In the same pan, add a little more oil and vegan butter and fry the fresh and soaked mushrooms with the thyme. Cook until they brown. The mushrooms should shrink down, and you want all the water to evaporate off. Add the cooked mushrooms to the plate with the fried onions. Discard the thyme.
4. In the same pan, add the sunflower seeds and toast until fragrant. Remove from the heat.
5. Place everything into a blender or food processor with the oat milk and blend. Taste and add more seasoning if desired. Blend again until medium smooth.
6. Transfer to a container with a lid, and chill before serving.

This will keep in the fridge for up to 3 days.

Other Flavor Ideas

The above recipe is delicious as it is, and really celebrates the humble and sustainable mushroom, but there are a few optional ingredients that would also be a great addition:

• Mix up the mushrooms – try different types and add in some dried porcini for an extra mushroom kick.
• Add some fresh, chopped tarragon when frying the mushrooms. Tarragon and mushrooms complement each other nicely.
• Traditional pâté usually has a drop of sherry, brandy, or Marsala wine added to it. This recipe could easily handle a little booze, and you could add a tablespoon or two just before the mushrooms have finished cooking.
• Replace the sunflower seeds with walnuts.
• Pâté usually has a layer of solid oil or butter on the top to keep it moist. Try melting a large chunk of vegan butter in a pot along with some crushed garlic, rosemary, thyme, whole peppercorns and a little lemon zest. Let it sit for a little bit so the flavors can infuse. Once cooled but still liquid, strain and pour over the finished pâté and set in the fridge for at least 2 hours.

Read more:

• Do Nuts Go Bad? Tips and Tricks for Proper Storage
• Vegan Mushroom Risotto: Easy & Creamy Recipe
• Vegan Calamari Recipe: Make it Taste Like the Real Thing

Tags: Guide recipe Vegan