The holiday season is around the corner and with it the desire to have fun and make something special we have prepared a delicious - easy, and healthy Christmas Menu.
This year, we are not choosing foie gras, oysters, or the big game, but we want to introduce healthy and conscious cooking to all of you.
For this, we have prepared a Vegan Christmas Menu ... That's also greedy of course!
The recipes are easy to make, good for the planet, and good for your health.
A menu that gives you all the energy to listen to the stories of cousin Bernard and to dance all night long on auntie Claudine's favorite playlist.
To remain conscious, we paid attention to minimizing our waste and preferred, as much as possible, a zero-waste kitchen.
--- We invite you to play the game with us!

We did our grocery shopping at The Barn Bio Market, our partner & who we would like to thank for its fresh, organic, in bulk & quality products.

Let's go, put on your apron!
On the menu for 4 people
Appetizer Gluten-free bread with walnuts & faux grass
Starter Cream of parsnip soup sprinkled with salty granola
Main Course
Celeriac mousse and baked vegetables, vegan lentils "meatloaf" & champagne sauce
Dessert
Salted caramel - chocolate tartlets & coconut nice cream

APPETIZER
Gluten-free bread with walnuts
What you need:
1 cup of buckwheat flour
1 cup of oatmeal
2 tablespoons chia seeds or linseeds
3 tablespoons of psyllium
1 teaspoon of baking soda
1/2 juice of a lemon
1 cup of filtered water
1 hand full of hazelnuts chopped into small & big pieces
2 teaspoon sunflower seeds
Dried figs cut into small pieces (alternative: raisins)
Salt/ Pepper
Aromas of your choice; thyme, fennel seeds, etc.
Sesame seeds.
How to:
Preheat your oven to 200 ° C.
Take 2 large bowls
Mix on one side the liquid foods; water, lemon, and baking soda.
On the other side all the remaining dry ingredients.
Add the liquid to the solid in small doses while mixing your dough.
The final texture should not be too wet or too dry. Add more water if needed.
Form different rolls (let the artist who is dormant in you!) and cut the top of the bread to air it.
Add some sesame seeds on top of your loaves.
Place your loaves on the plate of your oven and let it cook + - 40 min at 180 ° C.
Let your bread cool before serving.
-- Call your best friend and proclaim him your new baking skills ;)!
Faux foie gras
What you need :
1tbl Olive Oil
1 onion
Pinch of Himalayan salt
1teaspoon cinnamon
1teaspoon turmeric
Pepper
10cl vegetable cream
80g coconut oil
200g chickpeas cooked and drained
100g Mushrooms
15cl filtered water
Agar Agar
Topping as fake fat:
15g coconut oil
1 pinch of turmeric
How to :
Sauté the chopped onion in a small skillet with the olive oil
Place this in your robot (blender or whatever you have to mix everything smooth), along with chickpeas, mushrooms, spices, liquid cream, and coconut oil
Blend until smooth and creamy
Boil some water in a saucepan with agar agar for a few seconds. Then pour the liquid into your robot with the previous mixture and mix everything to incorporate all ingredients.
Pour this base into a small container of your choice; small silicone pastry molds (typical size of a portion of foie gras) or small jars. Let cool for 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, melt the coconut oil in a saucepan and add a pinch of turmeric. Pour your "fat" on the faux foie gras and let cool down and frize in the fridge for several hours before use.
-- To serve with the bread and a glass of champagne (or two, or three ... it's not Christmas every day!)



STARTER
Cream of parsnip soup sprinkled with salty granola
What you need:
400g of parsnip
20cl vegetable cream
1 tablespoon of vegetable broth Morga (You can find this in an organic store)
70 cl spring water
2 tablespoon olive oil
1 white onion
1 hand full of almonds
Himalayan salt
Black pepper
Topping :
1 young onion
1 hand full of salted Granola (you should test the new « Glory » granola of the Belgian brand Great Granola) or 1 hand full of almonds & 1 ts of coconut oil
How to :
For 4 people
Wash, peel, and cut parsnips into cubes, and set aside.
Slice the white onion over medium heat in a saucepan with 2 tablespoons olive oil.
Add the parsnip and the 70cl of spring water and the spoon of Morga broth, and mix the mixture so that the broth dissolves.
Cover everything and cook for +-25 min until parsnips are tender.
Meanwhile, prepare your toppings;
Wash and cut your young onion in a small washer
Sauté the chopped almonds for 2-3 min in a pan with a teaspoon of coconut oil (or prepare your salted granola).
Once the parsnip is soft, add the vegetable cream and mix everything (hand blender or blender) until a velvety smooth. Taste your preparation and add salt and pepper accordingly.
Serve your hot soup in your best party service and sprinkle your toppings; salty granola / roasted almonds and young onions.
-- Attention to finish your bowl until the last drop, on this day of celebration the licking of the dish is allowed!


MAIN COURSE
Serve the dish with good red wine, In vino veritas
Celeriac mousse
What you need :
1 celeriac
2 potatoes
200 ml vegetable cream
Pinch of Himalayan salt
Black pepper
1 small pinch of nutmeg
How to :
Peel and cut the vegetable into pieces of the same size & steam for + -40 min.
Once cooked, put them in your blender with the cooking water, and spicy spices, and lengthen everything with some cream.
Mix everything until obtaining a mashed potato puree. Taste and add spices and cream if needed
Baked vegetables
What you need :
2 sweet potatoes
1 beetroot
2 turnip
2 small cloves of garlic
1 big red onion
1 branch of thyme
Rosemary
1teaspoon of turmeric
Olive oil
Himalayan salt
Black pepper
How to :
Preheat your oven to 200 ° C.
Wash and cut your vegetables into pieces of random shapes but of more or less similar sizes. Example: sweet potatoes in fries. Turnips in small quarters. Beets in cubes.
Peel and cut your onion into slices. Peel and finely chop your garlic cloves.
Spread the whole thing on a sheet of baking paper directly on your plate in the oven (on one level), pouring over a good drizzle of olive oil, salt, pepper, turmeric, and rosemary.
Cover the vegetables with the oil and spices.
Spread some thyme over the vegetables and bake everything in the oven at 180 ° C for + - 30min. Mix halfway through cooking.
Serve your roasted vegetables as an accompaniment.
-- Congratulations, you have arrived at your daily ration of 5 vegetables! Grandma is proud of you!!

Vegan Lentils "Meatloaf"
What you need :
100g of green lentils
1 white onion
1 carrot (80 g)
1 stalk of celery (30-50 g)
100g oatmeal
50g of nuts
2 tablespoons pine nuts
2 tablespoons of tamari sauce
1 tablespoon of malted yeast
1 count of flax seeds
1 tbsp of agave syrup
1 teaspoon of cider vinegar
1 teaspoon dried thyme, oregano, and basil
1 pinch of Cayenne pepper
Pepper
Olive oil
How to :
Put the lentils in a saucepan and add twice the amount of water (1 cup of lentils = 2 cups of water).
Boil everything and salt slightly. Cook covered for about 20 minutes and until no more water.
Preheat the oven to 180 ° C.
Meanwhile, peel and slice onion, carrot, and cut celery.
Fry the vegetables in a saucepan with a little olive oil until tender.
Put the lentils and vegetables in the bowl of your mixer/blender. Add remaining ingredients.
Mix quickly until becoming a thick paste but still with some pieces in it.
Add pine nuts and mix by hand to keep the pine nuts whole.
Pour and spread the dough in a rectangular silicone mold + - 20cm long.
Bake for about 25 minutes. Remove from the oven and wait 10 minutes before unmolding.
-- Cut your sliced "meatloaf" with love. You are getting ready to live a culinary experience!


Champagne sauce
What you need:
2 shallots
200 g of vegetable cream.
40 cl of champagne
Salt, pepper & olive oil
How to :
In a small saucepan, sauté the shallots in olive oil until translucent.
Add the champagne and cook over low heat until the liquid has reduced to almost dry (about 30 minutes).
Filter the preparation. (Remove the shallots from your sauce, and keep them for another preparation.)
Put the liquid back in the pan, and add the 200 g of vegetable cream. Whip vigorously. Do not boil.
Serve warm and without moderation, as an accompaniment to your "meatloaf"
-- Again wake up the artist inside of you & dress to impress!