Plant-Friendly Holiday Eats & Treats
Since we are in the middle of some pretty foodie holidays, it seems appropriate to share information on cooking for the holidays! Holidays do not have to throw health goals to the wind, or sacrifice taste or tradition. You can leave animals off your plate and experience a different sense of gratitude with a no harm, “no fowl” holiday season.
Following are some ideas for books that make it easy to please even a meat-loving crowd and easy vegan substitutions. To this day, I have never missed the turkey or ham "centerpiece," or favorite holiday treat thanks to awesome resources such as these. The holidays are about so much more than the food, but you can still make magical culinary memories.
The Superfun Times Vegan Holiday Cookbook by Isa Chandra Moskowitz (vegan)
The Superfun Times Vegan Holiday Cookbook by Isa Chandra Moskowitz sings an awesome plant-based tune for holidays throughout the year. This is my main go-to holiday cookbook and it veganizes dozens of holiday favorites. Aside from helping me create healthier versions of my faves, that everyone can enjoy, this may just be one of my most favorite cookbooks of all time. The book totally lives up to its title. There are cool takes on old classics and rich, creamy options, and insanely good desserts that will carry you through Thanksgiving, Hanukkah and Christmas, straight through New Years (and beyond!).
The most seemingly daunting part of planning a vegan (or any) holiday meal can be the centerpiece dish. Many sides are generally plant-centric to start so those transitions feel a little less far off when you're a newbie (in my experience) and Isa Chandra has sooooo many delicious options to take your favorites vegan. So what do you do for a main course? Check out some of these gems from Superfun Times!
Stuffing - There is no shame in making one of the most beloved staples of holiday tables the main course. Isa Chandra has two delicious options - Cornbread Stuffing with Goji Berries & Fennel and the Super Traditional Stuffing. She even has a recipe to turn your stuffing into a holiday burger!
Winter Squash Cups with Wild Rice, Hazelnuts & Cherries
Double Batch Chickpea Cutlets
Roast Stuffed with Leeks & Shiitakes
Lattkes! Isa Chandra has an assortment of Hanukkah Lattkes in a variety of flavors from Classic to Samosa Spiced.
Green Falafels
Cholent with Porcinis & Kidney Beans
Lentil Tamales with Mole Rojo
Bean Bourguignon
Sorta Classic Pot Pie
Epic Eggplant Lasagna
Spinach & Pinenut Cheesy Roast
Blood Orange Glazed Tofu
Many of Isa Chandra’s recipes use oil in cooking - I tend to cook without oil and I definitely found ways to adjust recipes to be oil-free. It really depends on the recipe how you adjust it. Here are some ideas:
When sautéing, replace oil with a couple splashes of water or vegetable broth in a nonstick pan (and keep a bit close for quick replenishing!).
When baking or roasting in the oven, you can omit the oil all together.
An air fryer (no oil) is another great way to get more of a deep fried texture with no oil, when appropriate.
In cooking (versus baking), when oil is called for within the recipe, you can often omit it without missing it or replace it with water or vegetable broth, or bit of nut butter for a creamier substitution (like cashew or almond), to keep up the moisture.
In baking there are soooo many great options – applesauce, mushed bananas, canned pumpkin or squash, nut butters, or you can increase a bit of non-dairy milk and liquid sweetener (like maple syrup).
(Why would I cook without oil? We'll explore this more in future posts, but I prefer to get healthy fats from whole food sources like nuts, seeds, beans, avocados and olives directly, where you get the benefit of the whole food, not just a concentrated, isolated portion. Oils may come from plant foods, but it doesn't quite mean they are an everyday health food.)
The more you work with new ingredients, the easier it will be to eye which tastes replace well and how much to use. You may not want to experiment for the first time on your holiday meals, so consider doing some testing in advance. Last holiday season I made a number of these recipes no oil and they were still crazy delicious. Following the recipe to a T will also surely satisfy your holiday taste buds or check out the next book that is entirely whole food plant-based (no oil and all).
(One more quick note - if you're interested, be sure to check the Apple iBooks and Amazon Kindle prices to get it quicker and at the time of posting both had great prices!)
Happy Herbivore Holidays & Gatherings by Lindsay S. Nixon (whole food, plant-based)
Happy Herbivore Lindsay Nixon is the queen of simple, delicious, wholesome, affordable whole food, plant-based recipes. I was ecstatic when this holiday cookbook came out as Lindsay makes any dish easy to prepare without worrying about the animal products or oil, and she's great about making it easy to follow with super common ingredients and early preparation tips for a smooth holiday. HH Holidays & Gatherings has a quick icon key to help you recognize which recipes will take less than 30 minutes, which are or can be gluten or soy free, those you can prep for or make ahead, and which travel well. Awesomeness. This book will help you cover the winter holidays in a simple, delicious, budget-friendly way and keep on reading to check out ideas for other special occasions throughout the year such as casual parties, brunch, romantic and kid-approved occasions, Easter and Passover.
Happy Herbivore also has you covered for holiday main course magic. Dishes to check out -
Thanksgiving Loaf
Stuffed Acorn Squash
Portabello Pot Roast
Swedish "Meatballs"
West African Peanut Stew
Lasagna
These first two books aren't all main courses - make sure to check out their ideas for sides and desserts! MMM! :)
Vegan Chocolate: Unapologetically Luscious and Decadent Dairy-Free Desserts
by Fran Costigan (vegan)
If you want to go whole next level with your vegan (holiday and any day) desserts, Fran Costigan can take you there. Vegan Chocolate has a huge assortment of recipes for chocolate cakes, truffles, cookies, frozen desserts, pies, tarts, puddings and beyond. Vegan dreams are made of these desserts;). Fran's recipes generally take more ingredients and perhaps more effort than generally needed for the earlier two books but if you're more of a dessert foodie and like a challenge with a big reward, Vegan Chocolate can bring you some serious holiday joy.
Ok, now that we have dessert out of our system, back to the centerpiece. One of my favorite plant-based chefs, Dreena Burton of Plant-Powered Kitchen, posted some mouth-watering recipes for the holiday season main courses this year. If you're not ready to purchase a book, here's a quick click to check out Dreena and a few plant-centered holiday recipes - Instead of Turkey by Plant-Powered Kitchen. [Also if you're looking for an oil free pie crust, this was my go to for all pies last year (regardless of the filling author!) - Dreena's The Great Pumpkin Pie! I've never made anything from Dreena's recipe file that I haven't loved!]
While I always have preferred some of the heartier bean/veggie/nut/grain based main courses for the holidays, there are still some great options that more closely resemble a traditional turkey or ham if that's your preference. Almost any local major grocery or health food store will have options, including Trader Joe's and, of course, Whole Foods is a great one to shop for many of the vegan meat products on the market. Keep an eye out for products from Field Roast and Tofurky for particularly holiday centered offerings like faux turkey, ham, or sausages. Although if you're gluten-free or soy-free or have any allergy or sensitivity, be sure to check ingredients before you purchase. Many of these types of products are made with wheat or soy.
One more note! If you aren't quite ready to make a full plant-based meal yourself, Whole Foods has started making entire vegan feasts that you can order. They sold out early for Thanksgiving, so be sure to visit their website or call soon if you're interested in the whole holiday package! The meal includes: Mustard-Glazed Cauliflower, Lentil-Mushroom Stuffing, "Cheesy" Rutabaga and Potato Mash, Sauerkraut-Roasted Rainbow Carrots, Chocolate Toffee Mini Cake. The following link will take you to the online order form, you may need to make sure your page is set to your local Santa Barbara Whole Foods, however, before you order.
Wishing you a hearty, healthy, yummy, veggie-filled end to 2017! Enjoy!