Examples Of Vegan Holiday Recipes

By Larry Allen


The holidays are a time for families to get together to love, fun, and good meals with each other. For people who are vegans, however, this time of year can pose a unique challenge to what they can and cannot eat. When you want to include everyone in the merriment, you might wonder what you can cook or prepare so the vegans in your family do not feel left out. These vegan holiday recipes are relatively simple to prepare and can be served at any Christmas, Thanksgiving, or Easter meal to your family.

When you think about the time of year when the most popular holidays arrive, you may turn your attention to produce that comes into season. In particular, gourds and squash are harvested during the fall and winter months. Everything from acorn squash to spaghetti squash and pumpkins are available for low prices. These examples are also things that vegans can eat without the fear of consuming animal products.

If you have never before prepared squash or gourds, you might wonder how to go about it. In fact, it is relatively simple to make this produce into delicious dishes. The most common way to prepare them involves cutting them in half and then scooping out the seeds and insides. After that step, you then can add olive oil or margarine before peppering and salting and then baking them.

When the flesh is soft, you may then scoop it out into a dish and mash it like you would potatoes. Another way to serve them is to slice the flesh thinly and then add more margarine or oil to it. Squash can be a side item or a main dish.

Mushrooms are another option for replacing meat for these individuals. In particular, portabella mushrooms are large and meaty. They have a lot of flavor and can satisfy anyone's appetite because of how large and filling they are. They also can be found in grocery stores year round and do not cost a lot of money.

Once you bake them until they are soft, you can slice them into strips and serve them with more melted margarine or olive oil. You also can roll them in breading and fry them in oil. They are a good substitute for meat and can be just as filling as a plateful of ham, chicken, or turkey during a big meal.

Finally, you have the option of serving a meat replacement called tofurkey. Tofurkey is made from tofu and is shaped to look like a turkey. However, there is no meat in this dish. Tofurkey is ideal for roasting or frying. It has a texture that is similar to meat. You could add seasonings like onion, salt, pepper, sage, and others to make it more palatable and also to infuse some of the seasonal flavors that come with the holidays.

These are some of the ideas available to you when you want to make a vegan friendly holiday meal. The people who avoid eating meat do not have to feel left out at mealtime. Instead, they may welcome your efforts to make things they can eat and will find enjoyable. Other people at the dinner table also might be surprised at how good these dishes taste.




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