2011 Vegan Christmas Or Winter Holiday Menu

Happy Holidays!

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Happy Holidays!
It's hard to believe that 2011 is coming to an end. Before I put my full attention to celebrating the holidays with the family, I will leave you with some ideas for a vegan holiday menu. All recipes, except for the celebration roast, are gluten free.


For the appetizer, try the roasted garlic and kalamata olive hummus. Hummus is perhaps the easiest appetizer to make from scratch. The basic ingredients include garbanzo beans, tahini, garlic, lemon juice and salt. But you can add many different ingredients to change it around. Besides roasted garlic and kalamata olives, try adding roasted red peppers, artichoke hearts, avocado or spice it up with a jalapeño or cayenne. Top with chopped parsley or a drizzle of some good extra virgin olive oil. You can even substitute the garbanzos with different beans, such as Great northern or cannellini. Don't have time? Pick some up at the store, chop up some olives and mix them in. Almost every good market offers ready made hummus.

Hummus is versatile and easy to prepare.

Now for the soup! I posted this creamy vegan mushroom and artichoke soup with 3 types of delicious mushrooms the other day and I've made it 4 times since then! I brought it to a potluck, made it for my book club dinner, and prepared it for some other friends. Everyone's really enjoyed it so I don't think you can go wrong with this one. Stir in a touch of vermouth or sherry to give it some added complexity. You can make it ahead of time but don't add the coconut milk creamer and fresh parsley until you are ready to serve it.

Mushroom and artichoke soup - perfect for the holidays!

For the main course this year I've chosen a simple celebration roast from Field Roast. Just rub with some herbs and pop it in the oven and you're done. Field roast products have the texture of meat unlike some of the other faux meat products. This "grain meat" roast is stuffed with Field Roast vegan sausage, butternut squash, mushrooms and granny smith apples. It is made from vital wheat gluten so it's not appropriate for those on a gluten free diet. Also, don't add salt to the roast until you taste it as it is already well seasoned. Find a store near you or buy online.

Rub with herbs and a touch of olive oil and bake according to directions.

For a few tasty sides, try collard greens with julienned carrots and twice baked potatoes. These can both be made earlier in the day. The greens can be heated and the potatoes can go in the oven right before dinner. 

Collards and carrots are colorful and festive looking! 

Make ahead and bake right before dinner

If you have an ice cream maker, try creamy vegan pumpkin pecan ice cream for dessert. You can blend all of the ingredients a few hours before dinner, store in the refrigerator and put in the ice cream maker 30 minutes before you are ready to serve it. You can either add the pecans to the ice cream maker a few minutes before it is complete or just serve them at the table as a topping. For added yumminess, select glazed pecans! 

Creamy vegan pumpkin ice cream

Whatever you serve, have a wonderful holiday and I'll be back soon!

Favorite Vegan Thanksgiving Recipes - Sweet Potato Casserole, Creamy Mashed Potatoes, Cornbread Stuffing, Brussels Sprouts, Green Beans And More!

Everyone loves this simple sweet potato casserole recipe!

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Old Favorites
There's something about Thanksgiving that makes you crave old favorites. Today I'm going to take you back to some of the most popular vegan Thanksgiving recipes that I've posted over the past 3 years. Just hit the links to get to the complete recipes. For those of you who are preparing turkeys and are having a mixed crowd of meat eaters, vegetarian and vegans, you'll please the most people if all of your delicious side dishes are vegan. And I guarantee you, no one will notice the difference!


Potatoes
I've often asked myself how Thanksgiving became the "celebration of starch" with so many forms of potato dishes in addition to a bread stuffing. That said, I would never omit a single one!
Let's start with my absolute favorite, Sweet Potato Casserole. I assure you, everyone will love this dish! It has no added sugar because baked sweet potatoes are naturally sweet!  Although the recipe calls for baking the sweet potatoes or yams, feel free to peel and steam them if that saves you time. However, I do think baking them in their skins makes them a bit sweeter.

Combine mashed sweet potatoes, crushed pineapple, Earth Balance, cinnamon and salt. Top with chopped pecans.

The next thing I'm serving is this year is Creamy Vegan Mashed Potatoes and Mushroom Gravy. Soft, silken tofu replaces the heavy cream in this light, low fat, mashed potato recipe. 

This low fat version of creamy mashed potatoes only has 109 calories per serving and just a few grams of fat!

Stuffing
I've always favored cornbread for my stuffing. Here's a simple recipe for vegan cornbread and a Cornbread Stuffing Recipe that has a secret ingredient! You can start with store bought cornbread or cornbread stuffing cubes to save time.

Make the cornbread a few days early so the cut cubes have time to dry out

Shredded sweet potatoes add a sweet touch to this stuffing!

Now for the Veggies
Brussels sprouts are my all time favorite holiday veggie but I alway make green beans too for those who don't share my enthusiasm for the petite cabbage.
For a spicy, roasted vegetable, try my recently posted Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Crushed Red Chili Flakes. Another way to make them that is very simple and delicious and gives them a creamy texture is Brussels Sprouts with Garlic. For a light and festive salad, you can make Raw Vegan Brussels Sprouts with Orange Chia Seed Vinaigrette and Cranberries.

Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Crushed Red Chili Flakes.
By steaming before roasting, you can use less oil.

Brussels Sprouts with Garlic.
These garlicky Brussels sprouts have a creamy texture.

Brussels Sprouts Salad with Orange Chia Seed Vinaigrette and Cranberries.
This colorful raw salad is light and festive.

Growing up in an Italian home, our green beans were always tossed in olive oil, lemon juice, fresh garlic and some seasonings. I've been making them that way every since! Here's a simple recipe for Fresh Green Beans with Garlic, Lemon and Dill. They can be served warm or at room temperature.

Dried dill tastes just as good as fresh in this Green Bean recipe so don't worry if you can't find fresh dill at this time of year

Though not a Thanksgiving classic, this cauliflower recipe is very elegant and it slices well for individual servings. If your guests are cauliflower fans, try this Lemon Tahini Encrusted Baked Cauliflower.

This elegant cauliflower dish slices beautifully 

Hope you enjoy these classic Thanksgiving recipes!