Thinking of whipping up a feast for Christmas but you have loved ones with various dietary requirements? It might be quite a pain to plan what to cook for Christmas gatherings…but, why not prepare some vegan Christmas dishes that even the meatarian in your family will enjoy? Enjoy with a glass of red or mulled wine to complete the feast!

Vegan Wellington

From BBC Good Food

Ingredients:

90g dried porcini mushrooms
2 tbsp olive oil
1 large onion, finely chopped
250g chestnut mushrooms, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, crushed
500g sweet potatoes (about 2 large), peeled and cut into 2cm chunks
1 tbsp finely chopped rosemary
1 tbsp finely chopped sage, plus 4 whole leaves
100g soft white breadcrumbs
2 tbsp pomegranate molasses (see tip below)
40g chopped walnuts or pecans
40g dried cranberries
grating of nutmeg
2 x 320g sheets dairy-free puff pastry
plain flour, to dust
3 tbsp plant-based milk
1 tbsp English mustard or Dijon mustard with a pinch of turmeric

Method:

Difficulty: Easy
Preparation: 45 min
Cooking: 1 hour 15 min (including cooling and chilling)
Serves 6

Put the dried mushrooms in a heatproof bowl and pour over 500ml boiling water from the kettle. Stir and press them down so they’re well covered, then leave to soak.
Heat the olive oil in a wide frying pan over a medium heat, and fry the onion and chestnut mushrooms until the veg is very soft and the mushrooms look wilted and reduced, about 20 mins.
Stir in the garlic and sweet potatoes, then the rehydrated mushrooms and their soaking liquid, leaving the last dregs of the liquid in the bowl (this may contain grit from the mushrooms). Cover and cook for 15 mins until the sweet potatoes are just softened, and most of the liquid has evaporated. Add a splash more water halfway through if the liquid evaporates too quickly.
Remove the lid and stir in the chopped herbs, breadcrumbs, molasses, nuts and cranberries. Season well and sprinkle in the nutmeg. The mixture should be stiff enough to resemble stuffing, but not dry – all the breadcrumbs should be coated and have absorbed some of the liquid. Remove from the heat and leave to cool in the pan.
Once cool, unroll one of the puff pastry sheets onto a lightly floured non-stick baking sheet or baking tray lined with baking parchment. Whisk the milk and mustard together with a pinch of salt and set aside.
Spoon the cooled filling down the middle of the pastry sheet in a neat line, leaving a 5cm border around the edges. Use the mustard-milk mix to brush the borders, then top with the second pastry sheet. Press the pastry around the filling to remove any air pockets, then crimp to seal the sides. Trim off any excess pastry with a sharp knife and use a fork or your fingers to make a pattern around the edge of the wellington.
Cut a small steam hole in the top of the middle, then brush the top with the mustard-milk mix. Chill on the sheet or tray for 30 mins. Will keep in the fridge for up to two days.
Heat the oven to 200°C/180°C fan/gas 6. Remove the wellington from the fridge and brush with more of the mustard-milk mix. Score a pattern into the top of the pastry with a cutlery knife or fork, if you like, then bake for 35-40 mins until golden, puffed up and crisp – cover with foil if it’s browning too quickly. Arrange the whole sage leaves on top of the wellington and stick them down with the mustard-milk mix, then return to the oven for 10 mins more.
Leave to rest on a board or platter for 10 mins before cutting into chunky slices to serve.

Vegan Vegetable Pie

From Food and Living Vegan

Ingredients:

For baking:

red peppers, seeded and quartered lengthways
25 medium potatoes, thinly sliced
oIive oil, as needed
salt and pepper, to taste
25 tbsp rosemary
525g shortcrust pastry (homemade or storebought)
flour, for dusting

For sautéing:

75 large brown onion, sliced
garlic cloves, crushed
45g packed spinach or kale
50g firm tofu
25 tbsp nutritional yeast
38 tsp ground nutmeg
50g mushrooms, thinly sliced

To assemble:

50 tbsp olive oil or vegan butter, melted

Method:

Difficulty: Medium
Preparation: 1 hour
Cooking: 1 hour 30 min
Serves 6

Preheat the oven to 180°C/Gas Mark 4.
Place the red peppers on a lined baking tray. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper.
Arrange the potato slices on another lined baking tray. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt, pepper and rosemary.
Bake the peppers and potato in the oven for about 20 minutes or until they are both tender. Set aside.
On a floured surface, roll out 500g of the pastry to about 5mm (2/5in) thick. Transfer the pastry to a 20cm (8in) deep cake tin. Press the pastry against the bottom and sides to form a crust. Cut off any overhang. Use a fork to prick the bottom.
Bake the pie crust in the oven for 10 minutes and set aside.
Meanwhile, sauté the onion and garlic with a little olive oil until soft and fragrant. Set aside half the mixture.
Add the greens to the saucepan with half of the onion and garlic mixture and cook until wilted. Set aside in a food processor.
Add the mushrooms and remaining onion and garlic mixture to the saucepan. Cook until soft and fragrant. Season with salt and pepper and set aside.
Add the firm tofu, nutritional yeast and nutmeg to the spinach or kale mixture. Pulse until the mixture forms coarse crumbs. Season with salt and pepper and set aside.
To assemble the pie, press the spinach or kale and tofu mixture into the bottom of the pie. Layer with the peppers, then potatoes then the mushroom mixture.
Roll out the remaining pastry on a floured surface in a circular shape. Transfer the pastry to cover the pie and cut off the overhang. Press the edges together. Use any excess pastry to make shapes for decoration.
Brush the top of the pie with melted butter or olive oil and bake for 30 minutes or until the top is golden brown. Leave the pie to cool in the tin for 20 minutes, then take it out to cool.