A Tasty Vegan Christmas Dinner
Can you create a surprising, wonderful, and truly tasty Christmas dinner using only vegetables?
Yes — absolutely.
Just like a traditional Christmas dinner, preparing a plant-based feast takes time, care, and attention. The difference is simple but meaningful: instead of a table filled with dishes that come at the cost of animal lives, we chose a Christmas guided by peaceful thoughts, respect for animals, and love for the planet.
This is how we surprised ourselves — and our guests — with a generous table full of delicious, colourful, and comforting dishes.
Appetizers
We started the evening with a selection of small dishes to share:
Black olive & capers tapenade
Sun-dried tomato & cashew nut tapenade
Egg salad (made with eggs from our own chickens, who enjoy a very good life roaming freely in our garden)
Fresh bread, baked from wheat grown at our local community farm by one of its members, served with good olive oil
Olives (yes, from the supermarket — compromises sometimes have to be made… just like in projects)
First Course
A fresh and colourful start to the meal:
White cabbage salad with carrot, raisins, cashew nuts, red onion, and tomato, dressed with vegan mayo, ketchup, mustard, white balsamic vinegar, pepper, and lemon juice
Mixed bean salad (white, black, kidney, and pinto beans) with tomato and parsley, dressed with olive oil, white balsamic vinegar, mustard, pepper, and lemon juice
Vegan balls served in a sweet-and-sour plum sauce
Main Course
Comfort food at its best — warm, rich, and full of flavour:
Creamy potato–celeriac mash, made with vegan butter and soy cream, seasoned with pepper, nutmeg, and mustard
Oven-baked potatoes, lightly sprinkled with paprika powder
Homemade red cabbage and sauerkraut
Brussels sprouts, spicy home-fermented green beans, and home-fermented carrots baked in the oven
Fungi gravy, made with a variety of mushrooms:
Fry onion and garlic, add some of the mushrooms, fresh herbs (rosemary, thyme, sage), and a splash of soy sauce. Fry briefly, then add a bottle of wine and reduce by about 70%. Remove the herbs, add vegetable bouillon, blend into a smooth sauce, and finish with a few pieces of vegan chocolate, the remaining mushrooms, and some bay leaves.
Dessert
To finish on a sweet note:
Vegan chocolate mousse, made with vegan chocolate and soy cream, served with homemade pumpkin marmalade
(Best prepared the day before and kept in the refrigerator overnight. Decorate the top however you like.)
To Drink
We served excellent wines to complement the dishes. Are all wines vegan? Unfortunately not — and once again, sometimes compromises are necessary to achieve the goal of a truly enjoyable Christmas dinner.
A Final Thought
As you can see, it’s not that difficult to make a change — and to do something good for the planet and for animals — while still celebrating Christmas in abundance and joy.
Didn’t manage it this time? Your next opportunity is just around the corner with the New Year.