Merry Christmas to all our readers, the time has come where we all endulge in our desires of eating our heart’s content without guilt, presents are opened and the table is laid with our dearest loved ones around us. But the time is just as festive for our Vegan friends too, and for those of you out there we have put together 5 great tasting vegan friendly meals to keep your festive spirits in check during such a wonderful time of the year. So lets crack on:

Breakfast 

Fluffy Vegan Pancakes

Given Christmas is a very busy day, we thought it would be best to suggest a breakfast option which takes minimal time to prepare yet tastes like a decadent breakfast fueled for a king and queen.

INGREDIENTS

  • 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
  • 1 1/4 cup oat flour rolled oats ground in a blender
  • 1/2 cup non-dairy milk
  • 2 tsps lemon juice
  • 2 tbsps maple syrup
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract

INSTRUCTIONS

  1. Combine all ingredients together in a blender.
  2. Blend till combined. Avoid over blending.
  3. Heat a non-stick skillet pan over medium-high heat.
  4. Pour about 1/3 cup of batter into the pan. Spread/smooth into a circle.
  5. Cook for 2-3 minutes on the each side and remove from pan.
  6. Top with maple syrup, hemp seeds and optional cinnamon.

Lunch

Vegan Christmas wreath

For our second meal, we’ve included a festive vegan lunch alternative to keep in tune with the theme of Christmas, we hope you enjoy:

INGREDIENTS

  • 250g spinach
  • 250g silken tofu
  • 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, plus extra for brushing
  • 50g pine nuts, toasted
  • generous grating nutmeg
  • 2 fat garlic cloves, crushed
  • 2 lemons, zested
  • 1 small pack dill, ¾ leaves chopped, ¼ fronds reserved for decorating
  • 1 tbsp sour cherries
  • ½ tbsp dried cranberries, plus a few extra
  • flour, for rolling
  • 500g block shortcrust pastry (we used vegan Jus-Rol)
  • almond milk, for brushing

INTRUCTIONS

  1. Put the spinach in a colander, then pour over a kettle of boiling water and leave to wilt. Once cool, wring out the excess moisture using a clean tea towel, then chop the spinach and put in a large bowl. Stir in the tofu, oil, pine nuts, nutmeg, garlic, lemon zest, chopped dill and fruit until well combined, season generously and set aside.
  2. On a well-floured surface, roll the pastry out into a 60 x 20cm rectangle. Leaving a 1cm border, spoon the spinach mixture along the length of the pastry, leaving a 2cm gap at both short ends. Fold in the two short ends to stop any of the filling coming out, then roll the pastry away from you to enclose the filling and create a long sausage shape. Join the two ends together to create a wreath shape and stick together with a little almond milk. Transfer the wreath to a baking tray lined with baking parchment and chill for 20 mins. Can be made up to this point a day in advance and kept covered in the fridge.
  3. Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Using a sharp knife, cut slashes across the top of the wreath. Mix a little almond milk with some olive oil (this will help the pastry colour) and brush all over the wreath. Bake for 40-45 mins until golden brown. Leave to cool for 5 mins, then transfer to a board and decorate with the reserved dill fronds and some dried cranberries.

vegan

Dinner

The time has arrived, the moment of the day, the concluding meal (well before dessert of course). We’ve selected a popular vegan dish for dinner suggested by some of our vegan friends for you to bake to express the joy of veganism even during Christmas!

INGREDIENTS

  • Cooking spray
  • 1 1/2 c. grated Gruyere
  • 1/2 c. panko breadcrumbs
  • 2 tbsp. chopped parsley
  • extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1/4 c. unsalted butter, melted
  • 3 garlic cloves, grated
  • 2 tsp. chopped fresh thyme
  • kosher salt
  • Freshly ground black pepper
  • 2 1/2 lb. sweet potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced

INSTRUCTIONS

  1. Preheat 375 degrees F. Spray large skillet with cooking spray.
  2. In a small bowl mix together 1 cup Gruyere, breadcrumbs, parsley and 3 to 4 tbsp olive oil. Set aside.
  3. In a large bowl combine butter, garlic, thyme, remaining Gruyere, 1 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp black pepper. Fold in sweet potatoes until well coated. Arrange sweet potatoes with slight overlap in the skillet. Pour stock into bowl to collect any remaining bits and pour over potatoes.
  4. Sprinkle Gruyere breadcrumb mixture in an even layer over the potatoes. Cover tightly with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove foil and bake until bubbling and golden brown, about 20 minutes. For deeper golden color, broil for last few minutes. Let it rest for 5 minutes before serving.

Happy Fitmas everyone, we hope you have a wonderful time with your dearest and loved ones. Please remember to check out some of our previous posts at Focus Fitness UK and be sure to check out some of our courses available if you are interested in becoming a qualified personal trainer next year.

Written by Daniyal Siddiqui.