I accidentally overcooked a sweet potato and bought a bag of discounted mushrooms that were still pretty fresh and decided to make a quick mushroom sweet potato pate that only used a few nuts (A bunch of recipes often use quite a large ratio of walnuts/almonds/sunflower seeds etc). Nuts and seeds are definitely healthy, but I just wanted a lighter dish. I think vegan pate's are so delicious, and this one is no exception. It is so versatile. Here are some ideas for what you can use it with:

• Wraps/Burritos/Rice Paper Rolls - Try using wraps made out of rice flour for a nice gluten-free option
• Mixed into salads/coleslaw 
• As a spread on sandwiches, on top of veggie burgers
• With crackers - Some healthy cracker ideas are unsalted rice crackers or Mary's Gone Crackers
• As a dip for veggies - I like dipping raw zucchini slices into the pate
• As a condiment
• Mixed into quinoa, rice, millet...
• As a topping for pizzas - I like making healthy "pizzas" from small gluten-free tortillas

What is a Pâté?

In case you are unsure as to what a Pâté is, it is traditionally a mixture of ground meat that is made into a spreadable dip or paste. You can made some delicious vegan variations, like the one in this recipe. I will link to some other recipes at the end of this post in case you'd like to try some others out/

Ingredients

• 1 cooked sweet potato
• 10-15 small mushrooms
• 1 small onion
• 2-3 tbs almonds (or walnuts, sunflower seeds...)
• 1 tbs rice vinegar
• salt and pepper, to taste
• 1 tbs nutritional yeast, optional

Ideas

• For some heat, add in some sriracha, cayenne or hot pepper flakes.
• Add in a small handful of parsley
• Add in a couple of garlic cloves
• Add in some sun-dried tomato

Directions

1. Simply blend all of the ingredients until smooth (little bits here and there are fine, and sometimes nice for texture). Eat straight away or allow to set for a bit in the fridge.

Some other vegan Pate recipes:

1. Lentil Walnut Yam Pate - http://www.wholeheartedeats.com/2013/12/pates-lentil-walnut-sage-yam.html
2. Country Pate - http://www.rickiheller.com/2011/02/sugar-free-gluten-free-dairy-free-egg-free-nut-free-anti-candida-country-pate-recipe/
3. Herb-Crusted Lentil Nut Pate - http://kblog.lunchboxbunch.com/2013/03/herb-crusted-peppercorn-lentil-nut-pate.html