The holiday season is upon us. Thanksgiving and Christmas are the perfect times to plan and try out new menus and dishes. With many people being focused on healthy meals now, vegan meals are all the rave.
So start some new traditions for your family by including vegan holiday meals! Let’s talk about some of the things you can serve and what makes a dish vegan.
What makes a dish vegan?
One of the questions that we may be reluctant to ask about is: “What makes a dish vegan?”
A dish becomes “vegan” when animal-based ingredients are replaced by more vegetables or any other ingredient that is not animal-based. This includes dairy products.
So, for example, some recipes replace eggs, butter, and heavy cream with other ingredients, which already makes the dish vegan. A dish can become creamy by using non-dairy milk, sour cream, and cream cheese, or by blending in coconut milk or even well-cooked potatoes.
The Best Sources
If you are ready to make your recipe vegan, you should keep in mind that many different sources can help you find the right recipes.
Internet
The internet is full of marvelous vegan ideas. While finding one that works based on your specific budget or available ingredients can take time, you can always Google a recipe by adding the word “vegan” and a variety of options will pop out.
eCookbooks
Previously, our mothers had these bulky printed cookbooks that they often had to follow. While we have the internet now, it is still better to have a dedicated cookbook for the feel of it. If you are looking to have vegan holiday meals, you can more quickly access vegan eCookbooks for your benefit.
Hearty Holiday Pleasers eCookbook
One of the eCookbooks that people have found easy and delicious is the Hearty Holiday Pleasers eCookbook.
This eCookbook has 56 pages of delicious mouth-watering recipes that are vegan. Based on its description, it aims to create new holiday traditions for the family. It has more than 40 detailed recipes that are in full color as well as dazzling food preparation and decoration ideas that you can use to make your holiday meals even more delightful. You can even get the children involved in helping with the decorations and place settings!
You and your family can also experiment to explore brand-new recipes and create new traditions for the Holidays. Resources like Creation Illustrated magazine encourage readers to be creative, which is an important part of our character and the development of children who can become involved and appreciated for their contributions to your Holiday meals. In fact, every edition has a Genesis Cuisine vegan recipe section with unique and tasty dishes like: Vegetable Satay Appetizers (Winter 2022), Mushroom-Walnut Spinach Raviolis, and even dessert options like Pumpkin-Pecan Baked Raviolis (Fall 2021) — perfect for a unique family holiday treat!
If you want to know more about some of these tasty vegan recipes, let us share some with you.
Cranberry – Lemon Relish
One of the best relishes that you can find in the cookbook is the Cranberry-Lemon Relish. You can find it in the vegan eCookbook, but for now, all you need is:
1 can whole cranberry sauce
1 Fuji apple, coarsely grated
3 tb. lemon juice
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1/4 c. lemon zest
Variety of crackers and crispy flatbread
tofu cream cheese
- Grate an apple and mix it with lemon juice immediately to avoid the apple turning brown.
- Fold in the remaining ingredients (except crackers and non-dairy cream cheese).
- Refrigerate mixture overnight to let spices fully blend.
- Spread a layer of tofu cream cheese on crackers and spoon the mixture on top. Garnish with additional lemon zest.
Children will love this spread while watching their favorite Christmas movie.
In John 6:51, the Bible shares this “I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eats of this bread, he shall live forever: and the bread that I will give is My flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.”
When trying this recipe for a relish, you can always have some Bible reading. Share with your children the miracle of Creation, and see to it that life becomes a joy for them with some verses that you think would fit their current situations and interests.
Olive-Stuffed Mushrooms
For holiday appetizers, you can also try the Olive-Stuffed Mushrooms. You can find the perfect measurements of the recipe on the Hearty Holiday Pleasers eCookbook.
For the preparation, you simply need to do the following:
- Clean the large white button mushrooms and remove the stems.
- Place mushrooms in boiling water for 1 minute to blanch.
- Drain and pat dry.
- Mix the olives, basil, onion, garlic, and tofu cheese with tofu cream cheese.
- Spoon this mixture into the mushroom caps.
- Sprinkle with seasoned bread crumbs and place in the oven at 400 degrees for 10 minutes or until lightly browned.
This is a recipe that calls for it to be served immediately
There are a lot of other recipes in the Hearty Holiday Pleasers eCookbook, like the ones below:
- Cranberry Pecan Bread Pudding
- East Indian Curry Stuffed Eggplant
- Hazelnut Mushroom Loaf
- Almond Cranberry Upside Down Cake
- Apricot-Apple Kuchen
- Carob-dipped Fruit Truffles
- Cranberry Lemon Tarts
- Hazelnut-Carob Spread
Get the Hearty Holiday Pleasers eCookbook available in Creation Illustrated. You will see what we mean when we say that going vegan can be fun, creative, and delicious. The holiday season can be the best time to start exploring these dishes.
Going Vegan Can Be Gradual
One of the things that we notice about people is that they try to go cold turkey with totally vegan recipes. Instead of easing into the recipes and still having some non-vegan recipes, some families choose to have all vegan dishes. This may not help in the success of your vegan journey.
Do not automatically go one hundred per cent vegan. You should see to it that you still have some non-vegan options that guests can enjoy with your family so that the transition is easy. Of course, vegan recipes are delicious, but this kind of diet could be a challenge if you do not ease yourself into it.
So good luck on your vegan journey, try out the recipes in the Hearty Holiday Pleasers eCookbook and you will learn more. We hope you will enjoy your meal preparations this holiday season. Happy holidays!
