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!
DESSERT
Salted caramel - chocolate tartlets & coconut nice cream
What you need :
For the dough:
200g of rice flour
50g of almond puree
50ml of sunflower oil
About 80 ml of water
For chocolate:
150ml soya milk
4 cardamom pods
4 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon cornflour
250g dark vegan chocolate (70%)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
For the caramel:
3/4 cup coconut cane gold organic brown sugar
1 cup full-fat coconut milk - from the thick white
1/4 teaspoon coarse sea salt
How to :
Preheat your oven to 180 ° C. Pour the rice flour into a bowl.
Add the almond puree and the oil.
Mix with your fingertips to obtain a dough-like crumble. Add water and form a ball.
Oil and flour your small tartlets and spread the dough.
Stir the bottom and cook for 12 minutes at 180 ° C.
While the pie shell is baking, prepare your caramel filling. Place the soy milk in a small pan with 200ml water, crush and add the cardamom pods, and the sugar, then warm over low heat.
Put the cornflour in a small bowl with a few tablespoons of the warm soya mixture and stir till smooth, then return to the pan, stirring to combine, and bring back to a boil. Remove the cardamom pods.
Snap the chocolate into a bowl and over the hot soy. Stir to combine. Add the vanilla extract and a pinch of sea salt. Remove tartlets from the oven and let them cool down. Pour the chocolate into the tartlets, leaving half a centimeter on top for the caramel. Put in the fridge for time to prepare the caramel.
Heat a pot over medium-high heat.
Add the sugar and stir the pot for about 1 minute to heat through.
Add the coconut milk and sea salt & stir to combine.
Bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer at low medium heat and let simmer for about 15 minutes, until caramel has thickened, stirring occasionally. It should be sticking to the back of your spatula or spoon.
You can stir in sea salt at this point if you want salted caramel.
Remove pan from heat. Allow to cool slightly for 10 minutes and then place a layer of caramel on top of your tarts. Put everything in the fridge for 4 hours.
-- Like Marie, DO NOT FORGET TO LICK THE CHOCOLATE remaining before washing the dishes --
Make a beautiful table worthy of the greatest nights; glitter, candles, party favors and all the tralalala!
Take out your Smartphone and capture your most beautiful shot of this king's feast, post it on Instagram, likes insured! (Don't forget to tag us ;-) @MuseofGreens & @FionaCapp)
Enjoy your Christmas Vegan Dinner & have a wonderful quality time with your lovely family!
Lots of kisses,
