Hi everyone!
This year for Christmas I made an all vegan feast for my family with the help of my younger brothers. My family isn't vegan so it was really exciting to get the opportunity to share some delicious meals that were all cruelty free with them. Keeping in mind that it's Summer here in Melbourne, I opted for lighter and fresher recipes for the festive season.
Here are three recipes I trialled before Christmas day - Mango salad, Sweet potato salad and 'Cheesy' vegan pasta. On Christmas day I used the two salad recipes and replaced the Cheesy pasta with a vegan lasagna instead. There will be more details of our actual Christmas meal in my next post but for now please enjoy these delicious recipes.
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Fresh Mango Salad
Ingredients:
3 cups of cilantro (coriander) leaves washed and chopped
3 cups of spinach leaves washed
1 red capsicum
1 can of black beans
2 roma tomatos
2 cups fresh mango
Method:
1. Combine the greens in a large bowl and mix lightly with your hands, if you aren't a fan of coriander you can double the spinach quantity or use another green leaf instead.
2. Cut the red capsicum into chunky cubes and add to the greens.
3. Wash and drain the black beans and add to the salad. Toss the salad.
- If you are preparing this the night before: cover and keep in the fridge, follow steps 4 the next day. -
4. Cube the mango and chop the tomatoes then lightly mix into the salad before serving.
5. Serve with a vegan lasagna or roast.
Sweet Potato Salad
Ingredients:
1 - 1.5 kg of sweet potato (2 large potatos)
3 tbsp of hummus
1 tbsp of hulled tahini
1 lemon
2 tbsp of veganaise (vegan mayo)
2 tbsp of Mingle Sally (ranch style) seasoning
Method:
1. Wash, Peel and cut sweet potato to desired sizes - I prefer a chunky potato salad.
2. Boil the sweet potatoes until a fork can pierce the potato easily but not too soft that the potato falls apart.
3. Let the sweet potatoes cool - you can prepare these the day before and then make the dressing on the day of.
3. In a bowl combine the hummus, tahini, lemon juice, veganaise and ranch seasoning.
4. Mix in the sweet potato and serve.
'Cheesy' Vegan Pasta
Ingredients:
3 cups of white potatoes
1 cup of carrots
1/2 cup of almond milk (maybe more depending on desired consistancy)
2 tbsp of chilli flakes (optional)
1 tbsp of paprika
1 tbsp of tumeric
6 tbsp of nutritional yeast
2 tbsp of nuttelex (or any other vegan butter)
salt and pepper to taste
1 pack of pasta
Method:
1. Boil the potatoes and carrots until a fork can pierce them easily but not too soft that they fall apart. Set aside to cool.
2. Once cooled, chop the potatoes and carrot and then add to a food processor or blender.
3. Add all the other ingredients except nuttelex, salt and pepper to the blender and combine. You may need to add more almond milk to help the mixture blend more smoothly. You can now store the mixture in the fridge for the next day.
4. Cook the pasta as per the instructions. Meanwhile heat up the sauce in a pot with the nuttelex. Add salt and pepper to taste.
5. Drain the pasta and combine with the sauce. Serve hot as is or with vegan cheese on top.
I hope you enjoyed making these recipes as much as I did! Let me know how they turn out if you try them. Have a beautiful day!
xx