The author of the text is a dietitian Martyna Przybyłko
Beetroot cream
Vegan Christmas Eve differs significantly from traditional dishes. So why not go a step further and replace classic dishes with something more innovative? My proposal for this year’s holidays is beetroot cream, replacing the traditional, clear, red borscht. This nutritious soup can start our Christmas Eve dinner.
Ingredients:
– 2 medium-sized beets
– 3 potatoes
– carrot
— ½ taste
– medium-sized red onion
– 2 cloves of garlic
– ½ apples
– a teaspoon of freshly grated ginger
– a teaspoon of lemon juice
– a teaspoon of balsamic vinegar
– spices: cumin, chilli, oregano, allspice, salt, pepper
A method of preparing:
Finely chop the onion and fry it. Add diced beets, potatoes, carrots, celery, apple and garlic to the glazed onion. Add a teaspoon of cumin and sauté for a moment. Pour it all over with water to cover all vegetables. Cook for about 30 minutes, until all vegetables are tender. Finally, season and blend everything.
Sell the carp
An interesting alternative to fish is celery wrapped in seaweed. The equivalent of traditional carp is easy and quick to prepare. Properly prepared celery with its consistency resembles a fish, while the fishy aftertaste is provided by nori seaweed.
Ingredients:
– 3 large celery
– 6 sheets of nori
– 1 liter of vegetable broth
– 3 tablespoons of soy sauce
– wheat flour
– spices: allspice, bay leaves, salt, pepper
– 2 tablespoons of olive oil
A method of preparing:
Peel the celery and cut into slices about 2 cm thick. Pour the broth into a large pot, add 1 sheet of nori, soy sauce, bay leaf and allspice. Bring to a boil and add the sliced celery. After about 20 minutes, remove the soft celery and wait for it to cool. Season with salt, pepper and wrap in nori sheets. Soak it in water for a while so that the seaweed sticks to the celery better and coat it in flour. Fry the celery prepared in this way in hot oil for about 3 minutes on each side.
Russian dumplings in a vegan version
On the Christmas Eve table, apart from borscht dumplings, there must be dumplings in various editions. Dumplings with cabbage and mushrooms are usually vegan, but how can you replace Russian dumplings dominated by cottage cheese? Just replace it by adding tofu to the stuffing.
Ingredients:
– dough: 2 cups of wheat flour, 1 cup of hot water
– stuffing: 0,5 kg of potatoes, 1 medium onion, 400 g of natural tofu, ½ lemon juice, 4 teaspoons of soy sauce, salt, pepper
A method of preparing:
Cake: Put the flour into a bowl and gradually pour a glass of hot water into it. Knead the dough slowly to form a ball. Set the dough aside. Preparation of the stuffing: Fry the onion in hot oil. Peel the potatoes and cook in salted water. Set aside to cool. Remove the tofu from the package, put it in a colander. Use a paper towel to drain the excess water. In a separate dish, mash the tofu with a fork, add lemon juice and soy sauce to give it a sour aftertaste. Mash the potatoes with a pestle, add the fried onion and tofu. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Mix everything with a spoon.
Compote of dried fruits
In addition to delicious Christmas Eve dishes, it is good to quench your thirst. For this purpose, I recommend a delicious dried compote. The drink, characteristic for Christmas, in addition to its taste, provides plenty of vitamins.
Ingredients:
– 1 pear
– ½ apples
– 100 g of plums
– 70 g of honey
– 6 pieces of carnations
– 1 orange
– cinnamon to taste
A method of preparing:
Put the fruit in a pot, pour water over it, and then cook it for about half an hour. Add honey and spices. Take the pot off the burner. Wash the orange thoroughly, cut into slices and add to the compote. All set aside to cool.
Vegan Christmas Eve dishes are an interesting proposition not only for vegans. You can add variety to standard meals prepared for Christmas. Who knows, maybe they will also make a sensation at your Christmas Eve dinner.
Photo from: KFoodaddict via Foter.com / CC BY