Three delicious recipes to help you pull off a vegan-friendly Christmas dinner

From pressandjournal.co.uk

Pigless blankets, meatless hotdogs and a Christmas curry could become part of your new festive dinner if you're vegan

With large numbers of people choosing veganism and Veganuary just around the corner, meatless and vegan-friendly recipes are proving more popular. A recent UK poll showed that 20% of Brits will be making an entirely vegan Christmas dinner this year.

As a “traditional” Christmas dinner consists of many foods vegans are unable to have – such as turkey and pigs in blankets – just how do we make Christmas dinner taste just as good?

Here are a few recipes from Meatless Farm to inspire you and help you pull off a successful vegan-friendly Christmas dinner.

Puff pastry, roast chestnut and sage pigless blankets

(Makes 12) 

© Supplied

Pigless blankets

Ingredients

• 1 pack of meatless sausages cut in half (you might need to roll them between your hands to make a chipolata shape)
• 4 chestnuts
• 4 sage leaves, shredded
• Half a pack of puff pastry

Method

1. Roll out the pastry, into a 30cm x 15cm rectangle.
2. Cut the pastry into 5cm strips down the long side of the pastry, giving you 6 x 15cm x 5cm long strips. Cut each of these in half on a diagonal from one corner to the other.
3. Separate the triangles of pastry and lay them out in front of you with the 5cm wide end closest to you. Place the a sausage on the widest section and roll away from you. Brush the pastry with egg and milk or with coconut oil (if keeping it vegan). Top each one with chopped chestnuts and a sprinkle of sage, a pinch of sea salt and a twist of pepper.
4. Leave in the fridge until needed. When you’re ready for them back in an oven at 180.c for 12 to 15 minutes or until the pastry is golden brown.

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Merry Meatless hot dog

(Makes 2) 

Ingredients

• 4 meatless sausages
• 2 hot dog buns
• ½ pack of cooked chestnuts
• Smoked paprika
• Sea salt
• Cranberry sauce (you can spice this up a bit by adding some chilli flakes)
• A few leaves of flat leaf parsley for garnish (we fried ours in a non-stick pan with a drizzle of oil until crispy)

Method

1. For the smokey chestnuts – preheat your oven to gas mark 6 or 180C. Slice the chestnuts into small slices then tip them into a bowl and drizzle with olive oil. Season liberally with sea salt and two good pinches of smoked paprika.
2. Mix well and then tip on to a baking tray. Roast in the oven for 10 minutes until nicely coloured then set to one side.
3. Cook the sausages as per pack instructions.
4. To serve the hot dogs, place two sausages in the bun, scatter with the smokey chestnuts and top with a good dollop of the cranberry sauce.
5. We also finished ours with a little fried parsley.

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Meatless Christmas Curry

Maple & soy glazed meatballs with sweet potato & ginger curry

For the meatballs:

• 1 pack of Meatless Farm mince
• 1 tbsp tamarind
• ½ tsp garlic powder
• 40g Vegetable Oil
• 1 tablespoon light soy sauce (use tamari to keep it gluten free)

Method

1. For the meatballs mix all the ingredients together, shape them into the size of table tennis balls (about 20g each).
2. Place on a baking tray and cook in the oven at 180c for 10 minutes. Leave to rest.

For the curry:

• 1 tbsp vegetable oil
• 1 large white onion, diced
• 40g ginger, finely chopped
• 5 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 50g fresh turmeric, peeled and finely chopped
• 1 red chilli, sliced
• 1kg sweet potato, peeled and chopped into 1 inch pieces
• 400ml water
• 400ml coconut milk
• 5ml soy sauce

Method

1. Heat the vegetable oil in a pan over a low heat. Add the onion, garlic, turmeric, chilli and ginger and gently sweat for 10 minutes, stirring regularly.
2. Add the sweet potato, stir well and cover the pan and cook for 15 minutes. Stir frequently.
3. When the sweet potato is starting to soften add the coconut milk and water, stir well and leave to simmer for 20 minutes until the potato is tender.
4. Remove from the heat and season with the soy sauce. Leave to one side whilst you glaze the meatballs

For the meatball glaze:

• 120ml maple syrup
• 120ml soy sauce
• 40ml rice wine vinegar
• 2tsp sesame seeds

Method

1. Place all the glaze ingredients (except for the sesame) in a pan that’s big enough to hold all of the meatballs and place over a medium heat.
2. Heat until the sauce is bubbling and has reduced by a third then add the meatballs and cook for a few minutes stirring regularly until the meatballs and nicely coated with the glaze, add the sesame and mix well.
3. Serve the meatballs and curry with steamed rice and a scattering of pomegranate seeds.

https://www.pressandjournal.co.uk/fp/lifestyle/food-and-drink/2724163/vegan-christmas-recipes/