What’s a typical Christmas dinner where you’re from? We’re thinking of trying something new this year and are looking for ideas from all over the globe.
Here in the UK, it’s usually a roast meat with veggies, gravy, and the like. We’re kind of tired of that, even when we make it vegan.
I’m a huge fan of Finnish Christmas dishes that my mother-in-law makes. There’s a bunch of casseroles made from potatoes, carrots, or rutabaga (they’re called perunalaatikko, porkkanalaatikko, and lanttulaatikko). My favorite is the potato one, it’s super soft and sweet like mashed potatoes but better. Plus, there are puff pastries in the shape of stars with plum filling (joulutorttu) that are super easy to make.
@Zephyr
Thanks, I’ll check out some Finnish recipes on that blog. I love finding a proper recipe with references!
Have you ever tried rahkapulla? We made them in the summer and they turned out amazing with a few blueberries or raspberries baked inside. Here’s a recipe: Vegan Polish sweet cheese rolls - Lazy Cat Kitchen
How about a Mexican Christmas dinner? Mushroom and squash tamales in mole or red enchilada sauce, jackfruit posole. You could also try a nopales salad with red cabbage and pickled red onions. Don’t forget guacamole! For dessert, how about a chocolate cinnamon chili tofu mousse with pomegranate seeds?
Han said: @Tatum
That sounds incredible! I’ll see if we can get the ingredients, especially the corn husks—they’re not easy to find around here.
I forgot you’re in the UK, yes, I understand Latino ingredients might be harder to get. If you can’t find corn masa or husks but can get tortillas (corn or wheat), then enchiladas are a good alternative and easier than tamales. There are so many vegan fillings to choose from! If you can find dried chilies, making the sauce from scratch is easy… though I understand it might be hard to find.
You could also consider a German Christmas: roast mock duck with spaetzle, potatoes, braised red cabbage, and pumpernickel rolls. Here’s a great vegan German recipe blog: https://www.eat-this.org/selbst-gemachte-mock-duck/. They even have a great mock duck recipe that you can make from scratch (or buy it canned at Asian groceries). They also have pffereneuse and other German cookies. It’s like a British roast dinner, but with a very German twist (I grew up eating this for Christmas, and it’s sooooo good!).
My family has a lot of picky eaters, so every year we make sure everyone gets their favorite meal, but we try to make it festive. For example, my brother’s famous Christmas-tree-shaped pizza.
You can have a lot of fun with this approach, and it really helps reduce the stress of cooking on Christmas Day.
We like to do a fusion dinner when we’re feeling up to it: tourtière, cranberry sauce, roasted veggies with a little maple syrup, mashed potatoes, and some Balkan classics like sarmale, vegan sausages, and a cheese board. For dessert, we have chocolate cozonac (it’s like a babka).
Historically, my family made the same meal for Christmas as we did for Thanksgiving, except we added ham. But a few years ago, I was living abroad, and I guess I’m the ‘matriarch’ now (even though my mom is still around, she doesn’t handle the family stuff anymore). So, those lazy family members decided to just make whatever they felt like! Haha. Last year, we had chili, and this year, I think we’re having pasta. I’m cool with that, though, since I’d rather focus on making desserts and cinnamon rolls for Christmas morning.
I love a Mexican Christmas meal! Red and green enchiladas are festive and delicious. I like to pair them with some vegan elote corn dip, rice, and a big bowl of guacamole.
It’s warm here in New Zealand, so we’re having a vegan roast with lots of different salads, sweet potatoes (called kumara here ), and for dessert, we’re having hokey pokey-flavored vegan ice cream (coconut cream base) with my daughter’s amazing warm caramel sauce, and also her silky smooth chocolate sauce. After presents, we’ll have chocolates, candies, cookies, and some savory biscuits with vegan cheese and fresh fruit. And everyone gets leftovers for a few days to enjoy.
In Eastern Europe, it’s popular to have 12 meatless dishes (on Christmas Eve, but why not on Christmas Day too?). Many of these dishes can easily be made vegan—cabbage rolls, soup, salad, steamed veggies, and sauerkraut. You can also find vegan versions of other popular dishes like pierogies (my family makes different kinds, including a sweet dessert version with berries), mushroom crepes, and stuffed buns. There’s also a dessert made with wheat that can be sweetened with maple syrup instead of honey.
This is my first time spending the holidays with my boyfriend. We’re making food we love, not necessarily traditional stuff, so we’ll have pierogi (sauerkraut + mushrooms, potatoes + tofu + onion), and maybe some sushi, along with KFC-style oyster mushrooms. No grandma around to complain. Plus, we can start with cakes and gifts! It’s so nice being a grown-up—finally, we can just be kids again!
I’m making a vegan lasagna bolognese and garlic bread. My husband, his dad, and our friend are all Italian-American, so having lasagna on the holidays is a big tradition for them.