The holiday season is filled with festive meals and dishes. As you look at the table, you'll typically see turkey or ham, pumpkin pie, and only a couple vegan options. This year you can change it up with our favorite vegan dishes. Trust me, your hunger and vegan relatives will thank you!
Easy Vegan Pot Pies
These easy pot pies are hearty, warm, and down-right delicious! They're the perfect comfort food for the winter weather and take less than an hour to make!
Ingredients
2 Tbsp vegan butter
1 small onion
2 cups sliced carrots
4 stalks celery (finely chopped)
2 cups sliced mushrooms
4 cloves garlic minced
1-2 stalks fresh thyme
¼ cup flour or gluten free flour
3 cups vegetable broth
salt & pepper to taste
1/2 cup frozen peas
Phyllo dough or Gluten free Fillo dough
Instructions
Preheat oven to 375°F/190°C. Set aside 3 ramekins.
In a pan over medium heat, melt vegan butter.
Add the onion, carrots, celery, mushrooms, garlic and thyme and stir. Allow to sauté until onions are translucent and carrots have softened a bit about 8 minutes.
Add in the flour and mix to coat veggies. I like to set mine set about 2 minutes to brown a bit.
Add the vegetable broth and salt and pepper to taste (just a pinch, taste test later on).
Bring to a boil then lower to a simmer for about 5 minutes to soften the rest of the vegetables. Add in the frozen peas, stir and remove from heat. Taste test and add more salt and pepper if necessary.
Pour mixture into medium sized ramekins and top with filo or dough.
Bake for 30 minutes, watching tops to see if burning. If starting to brown, cover with foil.
Broil on low for a few minutes to brown topping. Remove, allow to cool slightly, serve and enjoy!
Vegan Latkes
These latkes were made to taste as close to the classic version as possible. They're easy, crispy, and perfect for the holidays!
Ingredients
4 medium russet potatoes
1 onion
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
Potato starch from potatoes- see instructions
1 Tbsp ground flax seed
3 Tbsp almond milk
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp dried parsley
salt & pepper to taste
Vegetable oil for frying
Instructions
First, make the flax egg by mixing the flaxseed and almond milk. Let sit for 5 minutes.
Next, grate the onions and potatoes into a large bowl. Add to a cheesecloth and strain the potatoes over the bowl. Don't discard the potato liquid yet as you will want to use the starch that settles to the bottom of the bowl.
Add the strained grated potatoes and onions to a separate bowl. Then, add in the flax egg, all-purpose flour, and spices.
Dump out the water from the bowl containing the potato liquid. At the bottom there should be a layer of potato starch. Add this to the bowl with the rest of the latke ingredients and stir until well mixed. The potato pancake batter should be slightly sticky, but not too wet. If it's too dry, add in 1-2 Tbsp of almond milk and mix.
Next, fill up your frying pan until it is ¼ inch high in oil. Once the oil is hot, scoop out the latke batter and add it to the pan. Use a spatula to immediately press down and flatten each latke so it is not too thick. Make sure not to overcrowd the pan.
Fry each latke for 2-3 minutes on each side or until browned and crispy. Once the latkes are done, remove and place onto a paper towel lined plate to soak up any excess oil.
Serve the latkes while still warm with your choice of toppings. Enjoy!
Sugar Cookies
By Nora Cooks
These cookies are as fun to decorate as they are to eat. Try making these with friends or family as a holiday activity. Or, make them to trick Santa into eating some vegan goodies.
Ingredients
3/4 cup vegan butter (slightly softened)
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 Tbsp unsweetened almond milk
1 Tbsp cornstarch
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp almond extract
2 to 2 1/4 cups all purpose flour (divided)
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
Instructions
In a large bowl using a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the vegan butter for about 1 minute until creamy and smooth. Add the sugar and beat on high speed for 2-3 minutes until fluffy and light.
Add in the almond milk, cornstarch, vanilla and almond extract. Beat on high fully combined (about 1 minute). Scrape the sides of the bowl as needed.
Add 1 cup of the flour to the wet mixture. Sprinkle the baking powder and salt on top of the flour. Mix on low speed, until just combined.
Add 1 more cup of the flour and continue to mix on low until just combined; don't over mix. The dough should feel similar to play dough when you work it in your hands, but it will look crumbly in the bowl. If it seems too wet for rolling, add another 1/4 cup of flour.
Using a spatula, scoop all of the dough out of the bowl; use your hands if needed to push it all together. Divide the dough in half and roll into two balls.
On a flat surface, add a sheet of parchment paper. Sprinkle a little flour on it, then add half the dough. Sprinkle a little flour on top of the dough, and roll it out to about 1/4 inch thickness. Place a sheet of parchment paper on top. Repeat for the second ball of dough, and then stack them with parchment paper. Chill in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour or overnight.
Once the dough has been chilled, set it on the counter while the oven is preheating to 350 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Cut into desired shapes using a cookie cutter and place them on the prepared baking sheets. Continue re-rolling the dough until it is all used.
Bake for 8-10 minutes, in the middle rack of the oven, until very lightly colored on top and around the edges. Let them cool for 5 minutes, and then transfer to a wire rack to let cool completely before icing.
Easy Sweet Potato Pie
This southern classic is an incredible dessert to finish any meal. It's creamy, sweet, and full of flavor!
Ingredients
2 lb garnet sweet potatoes (3 cups of cooked sweet potato puree)
¾ cup coconut milk (canned, creamy white portion only)
¼ cup melted vegan butter
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp ground ginger
½ tsp allspice
¼ cup maple syrup
½ cup cane sugar
½ tsp sea salt
¼ cup cornstarch
½ tsp vanilla extract
1 vegan pie crust
Instructions
Pie crust:
Preheat the oven to 350°F/180°C.
Prepare pie crust. Prick the bottom with a fork lightly, then add pie weights into a parchment paper onto pie crust. Pre-bake pie crust for 10 minutes.
Remove from the oven and let cool fully. Set aside.
Sweet Potato Filling:
Preheat the oven to 400°F/200°C.
Place the sweet potatoes on foil or parchment or silicone lined baking sheet, stab them all over with a fork and lightly oil the sweet potatoes. Bake for 50-60 minutes until fully cooked. Remove from the oven and allow to cool slightly.
Remove the skin from the sweet potatoes (it should easily come off) and place the sweet potatoes into a food processor. Blend until fully smooth and a puree.
In a large bowl, add the pureed sweet potato and add all the pie ingredients. Alternatively, you can add the pie ingredients over the sweet potato puree in the food processor (to avoid another bowl).
Mix/blend everything together well until cornstarch is completely whisked out.
Leave this to set for 15-30 minutes on the counter with a kitchen towel covering the container to allow ingredients to completely meld together. To me, it tastes even better when ingredients are left to sit a bit.
Lower the temperature to 350°F/180°C. Pour the batter into the cooled and pre-baked pie crust. Tap lightly on the counter to remove any air bubbles. Bake for 60 minutes in the oven on the lower shelf or highest shelf depending on your oven (furthest away from heat). The center should be slightly wobbly.
Remove from the oven carefully and let set and cool completely on a wire rack.
Move the pie to your fridge and let it finish setting in the fridge for at least 4 to 6 hours, ideally overnight. Remove and cut the pie and serve. Dollop each slice with delicious vegan coconut whipped cream. Enjoy!