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Holiday Feast Raw Vegan Style

 

My first Raw Vegan Christmas was a great success (if I do say so myself).  We enjoyed a beautiful, comforting and delicious feast that left us feeling wonderfully nourished and uplifted.  Here's a peek at our all raw vegan menu:

 

Christmas Dinner 2014

 

Appetizers: Herbed "Goat" Cheese with Sesame-flax Crackers & fresh Peruvian Olives

~

First Course:  Cream of "Roasted" Red Bell Pepper Soup

Dinner:

Marinated Portobello & Wild Mushrooms 

Creamy Root Vegetable Mash & Gravy

Savory Stuffing

Wilted Garlicky Greens

Sweet-tart Cranberry Jelly

Dessert:  French Hazelnut Pumpkin Pie with Whipped "Cream"

 ~

Organic Wine Pairing:  Equilateral Cabernet Sauvignon 2009 by Gabrielle Collection in Napa

  

 

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Herbed "Goat" Cheese with Sesame-flax Crackers.  Creamy, fresh & tangy – just like goat cheese – you'd probably not know the difference were you not aware it's actually raw vegan!  Recipe coming soon – including recipe for the amaze crackers too.

 

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Cream of "Roasted" Red Bell Pepper Soup – and yes it had that smoky, roasted flavor – Secret to be revealed in upcoming recipe post…

 

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Once again, the incredible First Course, Cream of "Roasted" Red Bell Pepper Soup… So velvety and delicious.

 

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Creamy Root Vegetable Mash & Gravy - omg, how luxuriously decadent are these… with fantastic gravy to boot.  So.  Good.  Recipes coming soon… Meantime, don't forget about my Raw Creamy Cauliflower Mashed "Potatoes"

 

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We could not get over this amazing Savory Stuffing.  Just like traditional – wait, take that back – Better than traditional.

 

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The house smelled just like it does every Christmas, all the flavors of each dish mingled together perfectly just like they do in the traditional versions.  We found ourselves exclaiming repeatedly each dish was our favorite – all so yummy.

 

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Marinated Portobell0 and Wild mushrooms – meaty, unctuous perfection alongside a dreamy root vegetable mash…

 

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This sweet-tart cranberry jelly is delish right out of the jar… Perfect as a jam on toast too! Also, don't forget about my delish older non-raw recipes for  Cranberry Hot-Pepper Jelly & Easy Cranberry Sauce.

 

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The Pièce de résistance… I figured out how to raw veganize my favorite French Hazelnut Pumpkin Pie with dreamy whipped cream! Oh my gooodness, I'm seriously making myself so hungry right now 🙂

 

I'll share ALL the recipes with you over the next several posts.  So stay tuned!  How are you doing?  We're having a lovely holiday season… lots of huge, cozy fires in the fireplace, old movies, long walks, beautiful music and, of course, delicious raw vegan yumminess.  

 

How are you spending the holidays? 

All Love 

&
a 2014 filled with Happiness, Joy & Laughter!

 

~Juliane

 

 

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Marinated Mushroom Tapenade + Bonus Recipe

IMG_5034Mushroom Tapenade- Admittadly, I over-processed mine a bit & recommend leaving yours a bit chunkier:-)

 

This Mushroom Tapenade, inspired from the gorgeous, (I'm not kidding, see for yourself by clicking by clicking her name) Mimi Kirk's, beautiful cookbook, Live Raw, is one easy way to get the health benefits of a-mushroom-a-day into your diet.  Or, if you're like me, you'll have a hard time eating less than half the recipe in one sitting.  Not that it would matter, as this delicious twist on the Provencal original is incredibly light as well.

 Anytime I've served this to guests as an appetizer presented with fresh vegetables, bread sticks or crackers, it's gone in the first hour.  Of course it's a wonderful snack too – and makes a delicious spread for wraps and sandwiches.

Plus there's a Bonus!  Simplifying the tapenade creates a fabulous marinated mushroom recipe, an addiction I've had since childhood when Mom made her amazing marinated mushrooms for potlucks at least once a year.  For some reason she never served them at home, and there they'd be, tempting me from the fridge as they marinated away a day prior to her event.  To this day, I still don't have Mom's recipe, but this one tastes just as I remember hers.  However, mine are ready after an hour and take less than two minutes to prep.  Jackpot!!

Please enjoy!

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Marinated Mushrooms

Mushroom Tapenade

Ingredients:

  • 2 large portobello mushrooms or 15 baby bella or white button or a combo
  • 1/2 cup walnuts
  • 1 clove garlic
  • 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • 2 tablespoons tamari, Bragg's or nama shoyu
  • freshly cracked black pepper

Method:

  1. Clean mushrooms with a dampened kitchen towel. Chop coarsly. Marinate with the olive oil and nama shoyu for 30 minutes turning occasionally.
  2. Pulse walnuts in food processor until broken down. 
  3. Add garlic and marinated mushrooms. Pulse until mixture is incorporated and slightly chunky mine pictured above could have been left a tad chunkier- so process yours a little less:-)
  4. Taste for seasonings and adjust to taste.

 

Marinated Mushrooms (servings: makes 15 mushrooms)

Ingredients

  • 15 baby bella or 15 white button mushrooms, wiped clean with a damp towel. Wild mushrooms are delicious too!
  • 1 clove garlic, minced or garlic powder to taste
  • 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • 2 tablespoons tamari, Bragg's, Coconut Aminos or nama shoyu
  • freshly cracked black pepper
  • a few dried red pepper flakes for an extra pop of color & spice (optional)

**For Marinated Portobello"Steaks" Use 2 Portobello Mushrooms, wiped clean, stems trimmed of soiled portions. Slice tops into nice, thick 1/2" strips, and do the same with the remainder of stem. Adjust quantities of above ingredients as needed (you may need a bit more depending on size of your portobello, they really soak up the ingredients beautifully. (Serves 2)

Method

  1. Marinate all the ingredients for an hour or up to 4 hours. 
  2. Check seasonings.
  3. Serve in a beautiful bowl with party pics alongside for picking up.

 

Do you have a favorite family recipe you'd love to recreate?

You may also enjoy: 

Cream of Mushroom Soup

or

Cheesy Gnocchi with Swiss Chard & Cannellini Beans

 

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