Vegan Christmas

Vegan Christmas

By Steve O

Being vegan, and before that vegetarian, I would always get the question around the holidays: What do you eat for Thanksgiving/Christmas? You know, like you can’t eat because the holiday meal has to have some meat as a base. (Those poor, horribly disfigured turkeys.) Well I’m going to show you how you can have a full, five-course Christmas dinner without harming (or eating) any animals. Hungry yet? Get cooking!

Butternut Squash Ravioli with Pine Nuts

Ingredients: a package of butternut squash ravioli (I buy Rising Moon brand); 2 cups of frozen butternut squash (you could use fresh too), diced; 3 tablespoons olive oil; 1/3 cup pine nuts; 1-1½ teaspoons sage. Makes enough for 4.

Directions: Cook the ravioli and squash following the package directions. In a large sauté pan, heat the olive oil. Add the pine nuts and sage for a short time, until the pine nuts just start to brown, then remove from heat. Add the ravioli and squash in the pan, and toss it around to get them covered with the oil, pine nuts, and sage. If you’d like you can drizzle more olive oil on top, along with some salt and pepper. Eat and enjoy.

Spinach, Orange, and Cabbage Salad

Ingredients: 6 ounces baby spinach; 2 cups thinly shredded red cabbage; 3 clementines, peeled and divided into sections; 1/2 cucumber, thinly sliced; 1/4 cup toasted slivered almonds; 2 tablespoons olive oil; 2 tablespoons white balsamic vinegar. Makes enough for 6 to 8.

Directions: Combine the spinach, cabbage, oranges, cucumber, and almonds together in a bowl. Mix the oil and vinegar together, and coat the salad as you wish. Eat and enjoy.

Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes

Ingredients: 1 whole head of garlic; 6 large russet potatoes, peeled and diced; 2 tablespoons of Earth Balance (or other vegan butter) or olive oil; 1/4 to 1/2 cup rice milk; salt and pepper, and thinly sliced scallion or minced chives for garnish. Makes enough for 6.

Directions: Remove some of the outer layers from the garlic, but keep each clove intact. Place on a baking sheet and bake for 40 to 45 minutes at 350° or until the cloves are soft. When the cloves are cooled, separate them and squeeze the garlic out of each clove, discarding the outer skin. Place the diced potatoes in a large saucepan with water and bring to a simmer. Cover the pan and simmer for 20-25 minutes, or until the potatoes are very tender, then drain the pan. In a large bowl, combine the cooked potatoes with the Earth Balance and stir until it is melted. Add 1/2 cup of rice milk and the garlic, and mash the potatoes until they’re smooth and fluffy. If you need to, add more rice milk to loosen the consistency. Season with salt and pepper, and sprinkle some scallion or chives on top. Eat and enjoy.

Sweet Potato and Macadamia Nut Soup

Ingredients: 2 tablespoons olive oil; 1 onion, chopped; 2 stalks celery, chopped; 2 tablespoons minced fresh ginger; 3 cloves garlic, minced; 2 tablespoons lemon zest; 3 sweet potatoes, peeled and chopped; 1 cup macadamia nuts, ground in a food processor; 6 cups of vegetable broth; 3 tablespoons parsley, finely chopped; salt and pepper, and some chopped macadamia nuts for garnish. Makes enough for 6.

Directions: Heat oil in a large pot. Cook the onion and celery until they’re soft, stirring often. Then add the ginger, garlic, and lemon zest and keep stirring. Add the sweet potatoes, your group up macadamia nuts, and the vegetable broth, and bring to a boil. Then let the pot simmer until the potatoes are very soft. Stir in the parsley, then remove from the heat. Let the soup cool for a bit, the puree it with an immersion blender or food processor. Season with salt and pepper, and chopped macadamia nuts, if you want. Eat and enjoy.

Gingerbread Cookies

Ingredients: 1/3 cup canola oil; 3/4 cup sugar; 1/4 cup molasses; 1/4 cup soy milk; 2 cups flour; 1/2 teaspoon baking soda, 1/2 teaspoon baking powder, 1/2 teaspoon salt. Spice blend is 1/2 teaspoon of ground nutmeg, 1/2 teaspoon cloves, 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, 1 ½ teaspoons ground ginger. Makes about 16 cookies.

Directions: In a large bowl, whisk together the oil and sugar for about 3 minutes, then add the molasses and soy milk. Sift in all the dry ingredients, mixing them up about halfway through. When all the dry ingredients are in, mix until a stiff dough is made. Flatten that into a disc, wrap it in plastic wrap, and let it chill for at least an hour. (If you let the dough chill for much longer than an hour, let it warm up for about 10 minutes, it makes the rest easier.) Preheat the oven to 350° and lightly grease two baking sheets. Spread out a light layer of flour and roll the dough out on this to a little less than 1/4 inch thick. Cut out the cookies with whatever cookie cutter shape you want, and then place the cookies on the baking sheets. Bake for 8 minutes. Eat and enjoy.