Vegan Christmas dinner with all the trimmings
As the snow settles on window ledges, holly wreaths hang in doorways and fairy lights twinkle in the moonlight, Christmas is here once again. During this wonderful time of year, big traditional meals full of meat dominate the menu but as a recently turned vegan, what are you suppose to do?
No need to worry as a vegan Christmas can be just as good as a traditional one and the one discussed here will make all your meat-eater friends envious.
My vegan Christmas dinner includes:
hearty vegetable puff pastry pie
creamy sweet potato mash
parsley infused roasted potatoes
agave nectar soaked carrots and parsnips
maple Brussels sprouts
broccoli
homemade stuffing balls
all topped off with a delicious homemade vegan gravy
boozy chocolate pots for dessert!
Hearty Vegetable Puff Pastry Pie
Ingredients:
½ onion, peeled and chopped
2 garlic cloves
½ pint vegetable stock
100ml unsweetened almond milk
80g plain flour
2 bay leaves
salt & pepper
1 puff pastry sheet
To start with, please prep the pies so you can pop them in the oven 30 minutes before everything is ready to be served. These pies can even be made the day before or cooked from frozen, so there is no need to panic about the centre dish. You can always make this in a large serving dish and top with the whole sheet of puff pastry to make a larger portion, but I opted for mini ones for that dinner party vibe.
Start by browning your onions and garlic, this should only take about 5-7 minutes and try swapping your ordinary oil for hemp or nutmeg oil for a healthier option. Once browned, slowly sieve in the flour and whisk, all whilst adding in the vegetable stock a little at a time. Add your almond milk and bay leaves and then leave to simmer until the broth has thickened. Add in your peas, sweetcorn, carrots and bean sprouts and season with salt and pepper.
Whilst your pie filling is simmering on the heat, roll out your pastry to a half a centimetre thickness and use a circle cutter to cut out individual sized pie toppers.
Leave your pastry lids on greaseproof paper and top with a dairy free milk by brushing it on lightly, this is to replace the egg wash that is so often used on pastry. Whilst your lids are soaking, take your pie filling off the heat and transfer into your dishes and make sure to discard the bay leaves!
Top your pies with the pastry lids and pop into the over for 30 minutes at 200 degrees. As these pastry lids are quite thick, they take a lot longer to rise, so be patient! I promise they are worth the wait.
Gravy
Ingredients:
80g plain flour
1tbsp vegan butter
1 pint vegetable stock
2tbsp miso paste
2 tbsp soy sauce
1tsp garlic powder
Whilst your pies are cooking, make a start on your gravy. This recipe is really simple and the best I have tried to date. Melt the butter in a pan and add the flour – and keep whisking to avoid lumps! Add your miso paste, soy sauce and dried garlic and keep stirring until your gravy is as thick as you like it. I’d like to say that there was some left, but I used the rest of it for dunking in my roast potatoes.
Stuffing Balls
Ingredients:
1 onion, peeled and chopped
2 fresh sage leaves
3 slices of white bread, blended into breadcrumbs
salt & pepper
2 egg replacers
Stuffing is naturally vegan anyway, so you can always use a pre mix if you want to, but I find that making a Christmas dinner from scratch is what makes it so truly special. These stuffing balls are incredibly easy to make and are fun to do with the little ones. Just simply sweat the onion and then mix in the fresh sage and breadcrumbs. Season and then take off the heat. Add in the egg replacer and bind, then use your hands to form small balls. Bake these for 30 minutes and drizzle with agave nectar for a sweeter tang.
Other side dishes include:
Roast Potatoes
Ingredients:
2 potatoes, peeled and chopped into halves
2tbsp vegan butter
3tbsp fresh parsley
Sweet Potato Mash
Ingredients:
3 sweet potatoes, peeled and chopped
50ml hemp milk
4 tbsp vegan butter
salt & pepper
Carrots & Parsnip
Ingredients:
3 carrots, peeled and chopped
5 parsnips, peeled and chopped
5tbsp agave nectar
Sprouts
Ingredients:
1 bag of sprouts
5tbsp maple syrup
Broccoli
1 broccoli
You can do so many different things with these recipes. Add lentils to your pie and serve in a shortcrust pastry instead. Roast pumpkin seeds and add them to your stuffing balls or add nutmeg to your sweet potato mash. You can even choose to leave your vegetables plain or top them with sesame seeds.
Christmas is a time for everyone to enjoy and you can make all these recipes for the whole family without telling them it’s all vegan! They won’t notice and I can guarantee there won’t be a carrot nor sprout leftover. If you want to get some practice in before the big day, make a different side dish each day to accompany your usual dinner and make the pies and freeze as back ups.
Boozy Chocolate Pots
Ingredients:
200 g dairy-free dark chocolate
700 g silken tofu
160 g maple syrup
1 lime , zest of
1 tbsp vanilla bean paste
1 tbsp dark rum
1 large pinch of dried chilli flakes
1 large pinch of sea salt
Now, Christmas isn’t complete without a boozy dessert and there really is nothing I love more than a chocolate pot. Something for the adults, these dainty, rich desserts are sure to be a hit with everyone from your teenage cousin to your grandma and grandpa.
Not only do these chocolate pots look pretty on the dinner table, but you can switch up the toppings to suit everyone’s palette. Try crushing pistachios, grating chocolate or simply sticking with a classic ginger nut like I did.
So go set your table, lay your plates and fill the kitchen with the warm homely smell of Christmas…I think we can all start looking forward to Christmas dinners now just as much as we used to!
Merry Christmas!