Recipes for a Vegan Christmas

Maybe you have a vegan coming to Christmas lunch this year, or perhaps you have decided, with all the new possibilities, that a vegan Xmas is something you fancy trying. Perhaps you have been converted already and are full of lovely ideas to make all your edibles animal-free.

We’ve come up with a little selection of recipes that might help your lunch feel a little bit more special, without any animals having to die.

 

Christmas Wreath

Ingredients:

 

250g spinach

250g silken tofu

2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, plus extra for brushing

50g pine nuts, toasted

generous grating nutmeg

2 large crushed garlic cloves,

2 lemons, zested

1 small pack dill, ¾ leaves chopped, ¼ fronds reserved for decorating

1 tbsp sour cherries

½ tbsp dried cranberries, plus a few extra

flour, for rolling

500g block shortcrust pastry. Jus-Rol does a vegan version

almond milk, for brushing

 

Method

 

1

Put the spinach in a colander, then pour over a kettle of boiling water and leave to wilt. Once cool, wring out the excess moisture using a clean tea towel, then chop the spinach and put in a large bowl. Stir in the tofu, oil, pine nuts, nutmeg, garlic, lemon zest, chopped dill and fruit until well combined, season generously and set aside.

 

2

On a well-floured surface, roll the pastry out into a 60 x 20cm rectangle. Leaving a 1cm border, spoon the spinach mixture along the length of the pastry, leaving a 2cm gap at both short ends. Fold in the two short ends to stop any of the filling coming out, then roll the pastry away from you to enclose the filling and create a long sausage shape. Join the two ends together to create a wreath shape and stick together with a little almond milk. Transfer the wreath to a baking tray lined with baking parchment and chill for 20 mins. Can be made up to this point a day in advance and kept covered in the fridge.

3

Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Using a sharp knife, cut slashes across the top of the wreath. Mix a little almond milk with some olive oil and brush all over the wreath. Bake for 40-45 mins until golden brown. Leave to cool for 5 mins, then transfer to a board and decorate with the reserved dill fronds and some dried cranberries.

 

AND FOR DESSERT:

Vegan yule log

 

Ingredients

50g dairy-free margarine, melted, plus extra for the tin

250ml soya milk

2 tsp cider vinegar

250g self-raising flour

50g caster sugar, plus 2 tbsp

1 tsp baking powder

1 tbsp cocoa powder

For the icing

90g dairy-free margarine

200g icing sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

For the ganache

200g dark chocolate

1½ tbsp brown sugar

130g silken tofu

mixed berries, holly or icing sugar, to decorate

 

Method

 

1

First, make the ganache. Melt the chocolate and sugar together in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of gently simmering water, ensuring the bottom of the bowl doesn’t touch the water. Leave to cool slightly. Beat the tofu in a medium bowl with an electric whisk until smooth. Add the melted chocolate mixture and beat for 1-2 mins more until thickened and smooth. Set aside in a cool place.

 

2

Heat the oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Butter and line a 33 x 23cm Swiss roll tin with baking parchment. Mix the milk and vinegar together in a jug, then set aside to thicken slightly. Whisk the flour, 50g sugar, baking powder and cocoa powder together until combined. Whisk the melted margarine into the milk mixture and gradually pour this into the dry ingredients, whisking continuously until smooth. Pour into the tin, smooth the surface and bake for 20 mins. Leave to cool in the tin for 5 mins.

 

3

Sprinkle the 2 tbsp sugar over a large sheet of baking parchment. Turn the warm sponge out onto the sugared parchment, then peel off the parchment used to line the tin. Roll up the sponge from one of the short ends, using the sugared parchment to help you. While it’s rolled up, cover with a tea towel and leave to cool completely (rolling the sponge while warm helps prevent large cracks). Don’t worry if there are small cracks – they’ll be hidden by the ganache.

 

4

Make the icing by whisking the margarine, icing sugar and vanilla together until pale and fluffy. Unroll the cooled sponge carefully, then spread the icing over using a palette knife, keeping a roughly 5cm border on the short end of the roll. Roll the sponge up again.

 

5

Stir the ganache to loosen it, then spread over the yule log with a palette knife. Drag a fork down the length of the log several times to create a bark-like pattern. Chill for 30 mins. Will keep in the fridge for up to three days. Decorate with berries and holly, or dust with icing sugar.

 

Are you inspired? Let us know how they turn out.