Plant-Based Christmas Dinner For A Healthy Family Evening!
Christmas is a time to get together with your loved ones and share wonderful moments. Enjoying delicious meals together is one part of our favourite time, as not only do we get to enjoy some great home cooked food, but it is also a time where no one is distracted by the outside noise. The world shuts down and gives us the opportunity to gift each other full quality attention.
For us enjoying a Holiday meal is also a time when we can share some of our favourite plant-based recipes with our families. Which is always a fun experience, especially with our non-plant based family members. Watching their expressions when you tell them this incredible food they’re enjoying is ‘plant based’…well we get a kick out of it. As we’re always met with that excited expression of…”really?! this is plant based?”
So if you’re planning a plant-based holiday meal or looking to add some healthy plant based additions to your dinner table, below are some delicious meals we will be cooking and enjoying this Holiday Season with our family!
Oven Roasted Veggies
Roasting a variety of veggies will not only fuel you with tons of nutrients but it will also bring some color to the table. We love to roast pumpkin, cauliflower, brussel sprouts, and asparagus. The dish we’re super excited to make this year is our favourite…
Roasted Brussel Sprouts With Cranberries
Ingredients:
- 1/2 lb brussels sprouts, washed with stems cut off and halved
- 4 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1/4 cup fresh cranberries
- 1 tsp sea salt
- 1 tsp black pepper
Instructions:
- Preheat oven to 400 F.
- Lay washed and halved brussels srouts, cranberries, and chopped garlic on baking sheet,
- Drizzle with olive oil and toss to mix well.
- Sprinkle salt and pepper over dish, mix well.
- Bake until brussels sprouts are slightly browned and are tender, about 15-20 minutes.
- Remove from oven and serve.
- Serve warm.
Plant Based Mashed Potatoes
The plant based version of our all time favourite. We love to use cashew or oat milk as a liquid to add some creamy texture. We always add a pinch of sea salt, and 1 tbsp of Earth Balance Vegan Butter to get the mashed potatoes nice and fluffy!
*Another delicious version is to use sweet potato instead of regular ones.
Kale Greek Salad (serves 4-6)
This is one of our all time favourite salads to make for the family, because everyone is very familiar with it. However, by adding fresh kale and some purple cabbage, it creates a really nice variation of the typical Greek salad and adds a greater nutritional value to the salad as well. For special events we also love using the Scheese Brand Vegan feta cheese that we find here on the island. It is an incredible plant based cheese that takes exactly like dairy feta cheese!
Ingredients:
- 1 bunch Kale Leafs (finely chopped and massaged)
- 1/4 cucumber (diced)
- 9-10 cherry tomatoes (halved)
- 1/4 red onion (thinly sliced)
- 1 cup purple cabbage (chopped)
- 2 tsp pumpkin seeds
- 1/2 cup crumbled vegan feta cheese
Greek Dressing:
- 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1/4 cup lemon juice
- 1 garlic clove (minced)
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- pinch salt & pepper
Christmas Chickpea-Lentil Loaf
*Note: This recipe was found and borrowed from The Colourful Kitchen. We absolutely love going to her website and getting new healthy and exciting plant based recipes to re-create in at home.
Click the link to see this recipe on her website!
This is a delicious, protein filled dish that will get you full but not cause that “post dinner coma” that many people experience after a heavy holiday dinner. Healthy, delicious, and easy to make! Mark loves to get his Tofurky as well but I love to make sure we have at least something non-processed as a protein component on the dinner table.
Ingredients:
Saute:
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 medium onion (diced)
- 4 cloves garlic (minced)
- 1 cup carrot (diced)
Blend:
- 2 cups cooked lentils
- 1.5 cups cooked chickpeas
- 6 tbsp water
- 2 tbsp ground flaxseed
Everything Else:
- 3/4 cup rolled oats
- 2 tbsp tamari
- 2 tbsp nutritional yeast
- 1 tsp dried thyme
- pinch salt & pepper
Instructions:
- Preheat oven to 375 F & grease a 9”x 5” loaf pan
- In medium pan, heat olive oil and add onion, garlic, carrot, and sauce for 10 minutes.
- Combine the lentils, chickpeas, water, and ground flaxseed in a blender or food processor. Pulse until somewhat smooth but textured.
- Transfer mixture to a large bowl.
- Add the onion mixture from the pan to the bowl. Stir in the oats, tamarin, nutritional yeast, dried thyme, salt and pepper.
- Using a spatula, transfer the mixture to the loaf pan.
- Bake for 50-60 minutes, until the top is crisp.
- Serve with mashed potatoes and vegan gravy.
Homemade Plant Based Cheesecake with Coconut Ice Cream
Cheesecake has been one of our favourite desserts and once we figured out that it’s actually not that hard to make, well it’s now become almost a regular part of our family holiday feast! I usually like to make this the night before so that when dinner rolls around, I defrost it for 30 minutes and it’s good to go.
Ingredients:
Crust:
- 1.5 cups rolled oats
- 1/4 cup almond meal
- 1 cup medjool dates (pitted)
- 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
- pinch sea salt
Filling:
- 1.5 cups raw cashews (soaked in warm water overnight or at least for 3 or 4 hours)
- 1 cup coconut butter
- 1/3 cup vanilla non-dairy yogurt (unsweetened applesauce would work as well)
- 1/4 cup lemon juice
- 1/3 cup maple syrup
- 1/4 tsp sea salt
Instructions:
Crust:
- Add all ingredients to a food processor. Pulse to get moving, and then process until the mixture will hold when pressed between your fingers.
- Transfer mixture to a lightly oiled (with coconut oil) spring form pan and press around the bottom of the pan.
Filling:
- Add all ingredients to a blender (Vitamix is best).
- Puree until very, very smooth (stop to scrape down blender a couple of times)
- Pour mixture over crust and tip pan back and forth to evenly distribute.
- Cover pan with foil and pop in freezer to set (overnight, or at least 3-4 hours).
Serve:
Once ready to enjoy, remove from freezer to let the cheesecake soften at room temperature. (30 minuets or so)
Slice, and serve with some delicious vegan ice cream and fresh fruit!
Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!!
Love & Light,
Juliana and Mark