Delicious And Healthy Vegan Christmas

Christmas is in the air! And I am super excited because it is definitely my favorite time of the year. Perhaps this will be your first Christmas as a Vegan or you might want to try to be a little different and see what is like to enjoy a full, healthy and delicious Christmas lunch/dinner cruelty-free!

So yes, you get the potato salad every year (using Vegan mayo), the usual rice dishes (bo-ring), and dairy-free mashed potatoes etc. But what about creating a menu that is also a little different than what you are used to eat every year? After all, it is Christmas!

Let’s fancy up a little bit. Shall we? 😉

APPETIZERS

To be very honest, I am the kind of woman who goes straight to main course (hahaha) why waste any time? But perhaps you have guests for lunch/dinner so we want to do things nice and proper.

VEGGIES WITH HUMMUS

One idea is to have a nice platter full of veggies such as cucumbers, baby carrots, etc. with a gorgeous hummus on the center. It is so easy to prepare!  If you have never made hummus at home, you could try the following:

Ingredients:

• 2 cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• Juice of 1 lemon
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1⁄2 teaspoon paprika
• Water (around 1⁄4 – 1⁄2 cup, depending on how thick you want it to be)
• Salt to taste.

Add all ingredients minus the water to a food processor. Blend until super smooth. Then little by little add water, approximately a tablespoon at a time until it reaches the consistency you are looking for.

WALDORF SALAD

Another great idea for an appetizer as well as a side dish is a Waldorf salad. Super delicious! I used to eat this salad very often when I used to live in Argentina. It is very simple to make and I am quite sure you will love it, don’t think too much in the combo just give it a try!

Ingredients:

• 2 medium-large apples, cored and diced
• Juice of 1/2 lemon
• 2 large celery stalks, diced
• 1/2 cup dark raisins
• 1/2 cup finely chopped walnuts (I know they are pricey but it is a once a year treat!)
• 1/3 cup vegan mayonnaise
• Pinch of nutmeg
• 3 to 4 of greens such as lettuce or baby spinach

In a bowl, mix the apples and lemon and toss together. Add the rest of ingredients except the greens, and toss well.

Then line up your salad plates and add the greens. Then add the mixture of the apples, raisings etc on top of the greens and serve immediately.

MAIN DISHES

For the main menu, it has to be something healthy and super comforting. What about a mouth-watering Shepherd’s pie? My goodness, just thinking about it makes me hungry hahaha.

SHEPHERD’S PIE

Ingredients:

FILLING:

• 1 medium onion, diced finely
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 1/2 cups uncooked, rinsed and drained
• 4 cups vegetable stock (or water if you prefer)
• 1 tsp dried thyme
• 1 can of corn
• 2 cans of peas and carrots

MASHED POTATOES

• 3 pounds of potatoes, thoroughly washed and cooked
• vegan butter
• Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

1. Once potatoes are cooked and drained transfer them to a mixing bowl. Just mash them like if you are making mashed potatoes (well, that’s what you are doing lol) Add a little bit of vegan butter and season with salt and pepper to taste.
2. In a large saucepan over medium heat, sauté onions and garlic, you don’t even have to  use oil, you can do it using a couple of tablespoons of water (same effect!) until lightly browned and caramelized – about 5 minutes.
3. Add a pinch each salt and pepper. Then add lentils, stock/water, and thyme and stir. Bring to a low boil. Then reduce heat to simmer. Then let the lentils continue cooking until tender (35-40 minutes).
4. In the last 5 minutes of cooking, add the peas and carrots/corn, stir, and cover to meld the flavors together.
5. If you want the mixture to be thick, make sure to let it cook for long or thicken the mixture adding 2-3 Tbsp of mashed potatoes and stir.
6. Taking a Pyrex dish put a little mashed potato as a base. Then add the mixture and very carefully top with mashed potatoes. It can be tricky so take your time. Smooth down with a spoon or fork. You can add a little black pepper again.
7. Place on a baking sheet so your oven doesn’t mess up and bake for 15 minutes or until the top is lightly browned.

LASAGNA

I must admit, I am a serious pastaholic. I absolutely love ALL kinds of pastas. It is in my blood! So yes, another great idea as a main dish has to be lasagna! This one guys is one of my favorite dishes ever. I shared this recipe before but I will share it again for those who didn’t see it:

Ingredients and Preparation:

Start by cooking your lasagna noodles until they are very tender. Drain and set aside until they are very cool and manageable to the touch.

In a pot, put boy choy leaves only (I regularly use two bundles) and cook them until they are super soft. When they are done, drain until they are completely cool.

Squeeze all the water from the spinach/bok choy and chopped very finely. In a pan, add a little water and put a chopped onion to sauté, when the onion starts to get a little brown, add one small grated carrot, mix everything up and add your chopped spinach.

Mix thoroughly and set aside. In a medium pan, we will make a béchamel sauce that will go perfectly with these veggies. The key for a perfect béchamel sauce is to use a whisk instead of a spoon and don’t let your sauce unattended.

In a medium low heat, add three tablespoons of vegan margarine until completely melted, then add three tablespoons of flour and mix with your whisk until you form a paste.

Then add your plant-based milk slowly and keep mixing until you have a nice sauce, not to runny not to thick. When you reach the desire consistency, turn off.

Add all your vegetables to the sauce and mix. Season with salt and pepper.

In a square dish pan, put a little pasta sauce and spread. Then add your lasagna noodles, spread some pasta sauce and then add your spinach and sauce mixture. Keep doing this until it finishes. The top has to be the filling. Bake until golden brown. You can serve it with a nice salad.

DESSERT

I eat so much during Christmas that I hardly have “room” for dessert. I also don’t have a sweet tooth so dessert at home will normally be chocolate cake (using any recipe, just substituting the eggs for egg replacement) as well as brownies. Also, you can buy already made apple pie which it is delicious and affordable.

So I hope you like these ideas and you can have a safe, enjoyable Christmas with your family. And most of all cruelty-free!

Oh and don’t forget… Santa is coming to town and he is Vegan (don’t be fooled by the belly, too many cookies! hahaha)…so don’t forget the soy milk, Vegan cookies and the carrot for the reindeer of course. 😉

Have a fantastic Vegan Christmas everyone! 🙂

Please let me know some of your Vegan ideas! Post your ideas below.

Author: Trini Vegan

I am an easy-going, empowered Vegan with a keen interest in health, wellness and happy living. I am also an Animal Rights Advocate. I blog and speak out against animal cruelty and other forms of animal exploitation. Please check my "About Me" page for more info. View all posts by Trini Vegan