The festive season is just around the corner and we are fast moving into a beautifully Christmassy atmosphere. I am so thrilled to share these recipes with you, in hope that these will make this time of the even more magical. The intention was to stick to basic recipes, and turn them into a vegan version while also exploring traditional side dishes giving them my own little twist. These are all wonderful ideas to add to your Vegan Christmas Roast or your Christmas or Boxing Day Buffet table – filling and delicious!

More About Mia and her Soulful Food...

Hi, I'm Mia, veg and fruit lover extraordinaire. My plant-based journey started with a love for this planet and everyone who's living on it. Through travel, experimenting, and a lot of curiosity, I have discovered just how easy, accessible, and simple (yet diverse, tasty and nutritious!) vegan food can be. It is very important to me that my diet supports all my nutritional needs, and so my recipes focus on finding ways to this whilst also tasting scrumptious!

What I love the most about cooking is the community aspect of it. The joy and comfort of gathering and sharing – how it brings everyone together. My regular recipes and posts are to do just this! I will be sharing my favourite tasty and healthy vegan meals and treats with you. And I hope that you will enjoy looking after yourself by eating them, and of course sharing them with your own tribe, large or small. 

Wishing you lots of love, health and happiness, Mia xx 

I wish everyone Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!

All recipes are built around nutrient-dense vegetables, which have benefits that are worth mentioning:

Potatoes

• Harmonizes the stomach
• Rich in potassium
• Rich source of vitamin C, enzymes and minerals which helps to establish beneficial intestinal flora.
• An abundance of healthy carbohydrates, already in the form of ‘good’ sugars

Mushrooms

• Sweet flavour; decreases the fat level in the blood
• Antibiotic properties

Brussels Sprouts

• One of the highest protein containing vegetables
• High in vitamin K, which is necessary for bone health
• High in vitamin C, an antioxidant promoting iron absorption, healthy immunity, and tissue repair
• Good source of omega-3 fatty acids, which can reduce cognitive decline and reduce inflammation 

All recipes serve 4 hungry herbivores

Vegan Mashed Potatoes and Mushroom Gravy

These creamy and heavenly mashed potatoes are a delightful side to any main dish. It wouldn’t be a full-on mashed potato without a mushroom gravy. This combination is a must have for holiday dinners. Store bought can’t even compare! Aside from flavour differences, the homemade version only takes about 15min to make.

Ingredients

• 8 medium sized gold potatoes
• ½ tsp. nutmeg
• 1 tbsp sea salt
• 1 tsp. ground black pepper
• 3 cloves garlic
• 3 tbsp. melted vegan butter
• ½ cup hot unsweetened plant milk
• Fresh rosemary (optional)

Preparation

• Bring potatoes to a boil. Cover and cook for 25-30min until very tender. They should effortlessly slide off when pierced with a knife.
• Drain potatoes and transfer to a large mixing bowl. Mash potatoes using a potato masher or hand mixer. Add cut up rosemary, vegan butter, garlic, salt, black pepper, nutmeg and stir to combine.
• Finally, pour in the plant-based milk a little at a time until it’s fully incorporated. Use more or less milk, depending on the consistency you’re looking for.
• Top with lashing of lovely Mushroom Gravy (see below).
• Tip: For this recipe, starchy potatoes are great to get a fluffier outcome but use what you have on hand.

For the Vegan Mushroom gravy…

Ingredients 

• 400 gr. mushrooms
• 1 medium sized onion – finely sliced or diced
• 4 cups veg stock/broth
• 1 stalk fresh thyme
• ¼ cup spelt flour
• 2 tbsp. olive oil
• 1 tbsp. soy sauce

Preparation

• In a large pan over medium heat, add olive oil and a pinch of salt. Sauté the chopped onion until lightly browned.
• Add mushrooms and sauté until browned, about 5-7 minutes. Stir in remaining salt & pepper.
• Add flour and combine well until absorbed. Add 1 cup of veg stock/broth, and stir continuously until thickened and no lumps are visible. Slowly stir in the remaining vegetable broth and bring to a simmer on medium-low.
• Add soy sauce and fresh thyme.  
• Lightly simmer on a very low heat for about 5-7 minutes until gravy thickens up.
• Add salt and pepper to taste, as needed.

Glazed Brussels Sprouts

Roasting the Brussels Sprouts gives them a nutty flavour and besides them being healthy, they are super tasty with a touch of sweetness from the cranberries. When caramelized with maple they are even more irresistible.

Ingredients

• 800g Brussels sprouts
• ½ cup dried cranberries
• 1 tbsp. maple syrup
• Zest of 1/2 orange
• 5 fresh sage leaves
• Pinch of salt & pepper

• Trim and cut your Brussel sprouts by removing outer layers and cutting off the woody areas of the stem. Parboil your sprouts for 3min. Drain and remove from pot. They should be a lovely vibrant green colour.
• Preheat a pan to medium heat. Cut sage leaves and slightly toast, add Brussel sprouts. Start pan roasting.
• Add the cranberries and maple syrup a little at a time. Followed by the orange zest. Because we are not using any oil, feel free to add a splash of water especially if the pan becomes dry.
• Add salt and pepper to taste, as needed.

Not-so Traditional German Blaukraut (luscious Red Cabbage!)

In my homeland of Germany, Christmas dinners are lacking without a juicy and divine serving of classic German apple-red cabbage. Make it more exciting by adding roasted coconut which brings a whole other dimension of smoky flavours.

Ingredients

• 1 head of red cabbage
• 1 onion
• 2 tbsp. vegan ghee/ butter
• 6 tbsp apple cider vinegar
• 200ml apple juice
• 2 apples
• 4 cloves
• 1 cup Coconut flakes
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• ½ tbsp maple syrup
• ½ tbsp coconut oil
• 1 tbsp soy sauce 

Preparation

• Dice your onion, but keep one quarter whole, and stick in cloves into it. Cut the apples into thin slices. Remove outer layers of red cabbage and remove stalk, cut into thin slices.
• In a large saucepan, heat up the vegan butter, adding both the onions and the cabbage and allowing them to steam for a few moments.  
• Then add the apple cider vinegar, apple juice and salt. At this point, you also need to add your ‘1/4 clove-onion’. Then let everything come to the boil. Once it has reached boiling, turn down the heat to very low, put the lid on the pan, and allow it to simmer gently for approx. 50 mins, stirring occasionally.
• Whilst the ‘Kraut’ is cooking, start preparing smoky coconut flakes. To your regular flakes add 1 tbsp melted coconut oil, ½ tbsp maple syrup and 1 tsp smoked paprika. Give it a good stir until well coated. Spread out on a baking tray and roast in a preheated oven at 180°C for 8min. They have a tendency to catch colour fast so keep checking!
• Once the cabbage is cooked, remove from the heat, and don’t forget to remove ‘clove onion’. Then you can simply stir through some of the coconut flakes, and use some to sprinkle on top. Lovely!

If you love this, then you will love my other Soulful Vegan Recipes from around the world… Just click for my Beautiful Buddha Bowl, Perfect Vegan Cacao Pancakes, Delicious Vegan Dahl, Vegan Carrot Cake, Beetroot with Lentils & Polenta, Tropical Thunder Green Smoothie, Fabulous Fried Rice Recipe, Fennel And Chickpea Salad With Zesty Dressing, Warming Winter Ginger Granola (Vegan, of course!) & Sassy Veg and Coconut Super Stew.

Until next time, sending lots of love, health and wellness to you. Mia xx