So Vegan’s Easy Christmas Dinner

Method

Beetroot Wellington

1. Preheat the oven to 200°C fan / 425°F.
2. Peel and roughly chop the beetroot, then transfer it to a baking tray. Season with a pinch of salt and drizzle with olive oil, then roast in the oven for 30 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, add the walnuts to a food processor and process them until they’ve completely broken down. Then add the mushrooms and rosemary to the food processor and process everything together until the mixture turns into a smooth paste.
4. Transfer the mushroom mixture to a frying pan on a medium heat. Fry for 12-15 minutes until most of the moisture has evaporated, stirring occasionally to prevent the mixture sticking to the pan (add a splash of olive oil if necessary). When it’s done, transfer the mushroom mixture to a large mixing bowl and leave it to one side.
5. Add the beetroot to the food processor and process until the beetroot chunks have broken down into small pieces. Then transfer the processed beetroot to the mixing bowl with the mushroom mixture. Add 1 tbsp of apple cider vinegar and season generously with salt and pepper (give the mixture a taste to make sure you’ve seasoned it to perfection). Stir everything well to combine, then leave the mixture to cool completely (we leave it outside during the winter to cool down quickly).
6. Meanwhile, line a baking tray with baking paper and unroll the sheet of puff pastry on top of the baking paper. When the wellington mixture has cooled, use a spoon to transfer it down one side of the pastry, stacking it approximately 5cm (2 inches) wide and tall. You’ll need to leave approximately 3cm (1 inch) on one side, as well as above and below the mixture.
7. Next, carefully lift one side of the pastry and cover the mixture, pressing down around the edges to enclose the wellington tightly. It’s important the pastry is tight around the mixture to prevent the wellington collapsing when it’s in the oven.
8. Trim any leftover pastry, then brush the wellington with olive oil. Use a sharp knife to cut slices along the top of the pastry to allow the moisture to escape, then bake the wellington in the oven at 200°C fan / 425°F for 35-40 minutes until golden brown.
9. Enjoy!

Crispy Roast Potatoes

1. Peel the potatoes discarding the skins and cut any large potatoes in half. Add the potatoes to a saucepan, cover with cold water and bring to the boil and boil for 10 minutes.
2. Drain the potatoes and leave to cool for at least 20 minutes. The cooler the potatoes are the crispier they'll become.
3. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 200°C fan / 425°F.
4. Return the potatoes to the saucepan and season with the semolina, 1 tsp of salt, 1 tsp of pepper, and 2 tbsp of  olive oil. Cover the saucepan with a lid or plate and shake the potatoes in the pan so that their edges break and become fluffy.  Transfer the potatoes to a roasting tray and roast in the oven for 35 minutes..
5. Pick the leaves off the rosemary and thyme sprigs and add them to a small bowl. Then peel and dice the garlic cloves and add them to the bowl along with 1/2 tbsp of olive oil and stir everything together.
6. Remove the potatoes from the oven and pour the bowl of garlic and herbs all over them, carefully mixing together, then roast for a further 15 minutes, until golden and crispy!

Orange-Glazed Veggies

1. Preheat the oven to 200°C fan / 425°F and line a large baking tray with baking paper.
2. Trim the ends off the carrots and parsnips and peel the parsnips. Cut the veggies into approx 1 cm thick strips and add them to a large mixing bowl. Pick the leaves off the thyme and add them to the bowl along with the maple syrup, 2 tbsp orange juice, 2 tbsp olive oil and generous pinches of salt and pepper. Stir until all the veggies are fully coated then transfer them to the lined baking tray and bake for 30-40 minutes, turning halfway.
3. Remove the veggies from the oven and transfer them to a serving plate and top with some zest from the orange and a couple of thyme leaves.

Vegan BBQ Meatloaf:

1. If you’re using frozen vegan sausages, leave them out for a few hours to defrost or zap them in a microwave for a minute or two until soft.
2. Preheat the oven to 200°C fan / 425°F and line an approx 20cm x 10cm loaf tin with baking paper.
3. Add the mixed nuts to a food processor and process until they’ve mostly all broken down.
4. Drain and rinse the lentils, then add them to the food processor. Break the vegan sausages in half and add them to the food processor along with the sage leaves, 2 tbsp of the BBQ sauce, 2 tbsp of water and a generous pinch of salt and pepper. Process for 10-20 seconds until all the ingredients have combined.
5. Transfer the mixture to the pre-lined loaf tin and use a spatula to push the mixture down into the tin, while levelling the top.
6. Pour the remaining 4 tbsp of BBQ sauce over the top and use the spatula to spread it out evenly.
7. Transfer the loaf to the oven and roast for 20 - 30 minutes until the top becomes crispy and dark brown around the edges.
8. Leave the loaf to cool for 10 minutes before removing it from the tin. Then slice into 6-8 pieces and serve with gravy, along with all your favourite thanksgiving and Christmas veggies!

Balsamic Brussels Sprouts

1. Preheat the oven to 200°C fan / 425°F and line a baking tray with baking paper.
2. Trim the ends off the Brussels sprouts and peel away any old leaves. Then cut the sprouts in half and add to a mixing bowl along with a drizzle of olive oil and pinches of salt and pepper.
3. Transfer the sprouts to the lined tray and roast for 15 minutes.
4. Remove the sprouts from the oven and them back into the bowl along with the balsamic vinegar and maple syrup. Stir to combine then transfer to a serving bowl and top with the pomegranate seeds and crispy onions.
5. Done!

For the Yorkshire Puddings

1. Preheat the oven to 200°C fan / 450°F. Then pour 1/2 tsp vegetable oil into each hole of a 12 tin muffin tray and place the tray in the oven so that the oil heats up for around 10 minutes.
2. In a small bowl combine the coconut milk with the egg replacer and 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar and stir to combine.
3. In a separate bowl stir together the flour, bicarbonate of soda and a pinch of salt. Then pour the wet ingredients into the dry and stir until fully combined.
4. Once the oil in the muffin tray is hot, remove the tray from the oven and fill each muffin hole to the top with the batter. The batter should sizzle when it touches the hot oil. If it doesn't then the oil is not hot enough and the tray needs to go back in the oven for a little longer.
5. Bake in preheated oven for 15-20 minutes until golden brown and cooked throughout.

For the Red Wine Gravy

1. Drizzle a little oil in a frying pan on a medium heat.  Thinly slice the onion and add it to the pan and fry for 10 minutes stirring frequently.  Then transfer the onion to a small bowl while you use the pan for the remainder of the gravy.
2. Pour the red wine into the frying pan and simmer for 2 minutes. Then add the vegetable stock, miso paste and stir to combine.
3. Combine the flour with 6 tbsp of water to create a thick paste then add the paste to the frying pan.  Bring the gravy to the boil and simmer for 10 minutes stirring frequently to remove any lumps.
4. Stir the fried onion into the gravy and serve the gravy in a gravy boat.