Get spoilt for choice this Christmas Eve because there’s something for everyone. Choose from scrumptious vegan appetizers, hearty main courses, delicious sides, and sinful desserts for a special vegan Christmas dinner!
These vegan recipes for Christmas are easy, made with fresh and easily procured ingredients, and are guaranteed to wow your guests!
Appetizers
Opt for classic sourdough bruschetta with baby artichokes, garlic, and lots of extra virgin olive oil. Also try an aubergine dip with parsley, lemon, and olive oil and serve with crackers.
You can also try a mashed butternut squash with toasted pine nuts, chestnuts, red chilies, sage, and olive oil. If mashed isn’t your style, opt for baked squash, stuffed with long-grain basmati rice flavored with cranberries, chestnuts, garlic, and a hint of allspice and baked until the soft.
For classic minced meat pies, make the pastry with gluten-free flour and use sweetened vegetarian stuffing for a delicious filling. For simple ones, make cranberry-chili jam using cranberries, onions, garlic, red chilies, and vinegar and cook until soft.
Main Course
Rub a whole cauliflower with garlic, pepper, olive oil and herbs and slow cook it. Serve the roasted spiced cauliflower with a tomato, almond, and sherry sauce.
For a vegetarian laksa, flavor coconut milk with a paste of ginger, garlic, lemon grass, chilies, and soy. Also, try cooking beansprouts and veggies and serve over steamed rice.
A tart made with gluten-free flour and paired with a stuffing of cooked carrots, garlic, mushrooms with herbs makes for a hearty main course option. Serve with red currant sauce and roast potatoes.
Lastly, make the simplest oysters using only salt, lemon, black pepper and Tabasco sauce for a classic Christmas 2016 treat.
Salads and Side Dishes
Nothing beats classic roast potatoes with carrots, parsnips, garlic, and olive oil. Or take kale and bake it with sesame and olive oils, and sprinkle some sesame seeds on top for a nutty flavor.
A jar of spicy pickled cucumbers go with just about anything! Soak thinly sliced fresh cucumbers in vinegar, sugar, mustard seeds and turmeric and use star anise to flavor.
You can also combine cooked wild rice with Brussels sprouts, radish, raisins and olive oil for a super-healthy salad. Simple roast potatoes with sage and oranges are also easy and delicious as a side dish.
Desserts
Finish your vegan food journey with the perfect vegan dessert! Go for simple ginger cupcakes using gluten-free flour and organic soya yogurt and frost with dairy-free cream cheese.
Nothing beats a classic bread and butter pudding. Make it vegan by using dairy-free margarine and soya milk custard. Flavor it with fresh cinnamon and vanilla.
For a fruit fix, opt for saffron poached pears, blueberry pancakes with maple syrup or a cooling pomegranate and clementine sorbet.
For chocolate lovers, combine melted dairy-free dark chocolate with silken tofu, vanilla, rum, sea salt, and lemon. Let it set and serve.
Drinks
Make mulled wine by heating good red wine with whole spices and sugar. Or make a Limoncello with vodka, fresh lemons, and sugar.
Alternatively, make Christmas Negroni with gin, martini bitters, martini bianco and oranges.
Sources:
“Vegan Christmas Recipes,” Jamie Oliver web site; http://www.jamieoliver.com/christmas/collection/vegan/
