One week.
And I am yet to decide what I am making for Christmas lunch.
This isn't quite as catastrophic as you might think. My family has a standard Christmas lunch that will be continuing this year with minimal effort needed from me. My mother has things in a nice routine, involving some traditional Christmas dishes that I wrote about last year. I do, however, need to figure out what I will be eating while the rest of the family tucks into turkey.
Last year was the first Christmas that I was vegetarian; prior to that I didn't eat red meat but did eat seafood and poultry. I added to our traditional Christmas dinner with purple nut roast, cinnamon sweet potato chickpea salad, and mandarin and maple spice quinoa salad with cranberries, apricots and almonds. My family was delightfully accommodating of my additions, and my Dad even ventured to try the quinoa salad. Given that he isn't even very fond of rice, and wouldn't voluntarily put dried fruit in savoury dishes, this was a touching gesture.
This year, I am having trouble making up my mind. I do, however, have a shortlist. It's currently more of a longlist, but I am working on it.
If you are like me and have yet to finalise your Christmas day menu, here are some ideas for main meals and sides - all vegan or easily veganised.
Christmas dinner ideas from around the blogosphere
(see Johanna's blog for many more Christmas recipes, including a great collection of nut roasts)
Red rice, white bean and vegetable salad with toasted almonds and dried cranberries from Notes from the Vegan Kitchen
Christmas dinner ideas from bite-sized thoughts
plus
My 2011 round up of Christmas meal ideas can be found here
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| A gift package with punch! |
In other news, I was fortunate enough to return from work today to a package from the lovely Lou of Fridge Scrapings. I was the lucky winner of Lou's Christmas give away and she put together a gorgeous package - thank you again Lou :-) I feel like Christmas has started already.
What are you planning to serve this Christmas? Are you taking a traditional or non-traditional route?
Hi Kari, I'm so sorry for my absence. Your family sounds amazingly accommodating and the range of dishes you have supplied is outstanding. No one in our family is vegan or vegetarian but we have a few GF so this year we're stuffing the turkey with quinoa based stuffing instead of bread - an no one seems to mind. Love you table setting xx
ReplyDeleteThank you Charlie, and there is no need to apologise! A quinoa stuffing sounds like something I would like even if I did skip over the turkey :-)
DeleteIt sounds like you have some great ideas for next week. I am still in shock that Christmas is a week away. Where did the month go?! Luckily we will be at my parent's house and my mom is an amazing cook. She put together her menu months ago and it sounds really awesome! Can't wait!
ReplyDeleteI know, December has just disappeared! It sounds like you have a great Christmas lined up :)
DeleteNon-traditional! Too hot to have the oven on all day cooking roasts!
ReplyDeleteWe're just having a bbq with a heap of side salads - which also makes it rather easy for me! yay!
Lovely Christmas table :-)
It sounds like it is going to be really hot here :( I only heard the forecast today and it is suddenly being factored into my food choices!
Deleteooooh have fun! I am sure whatever you serve it will be DELICIOUS!
ReplyDeleteThank you Lisa :)
DeleteAh, just make it all. Leftovers are good.
ReplyDeleteI think you may have slightly grandiose ideas about my cooking abilities ;) However, I think you will like my next post, with that stance in mind...
DeleteI really have no idea what we will be eating as we will be at my partner's parents house. They do the traditional roast turkey but aside from that I have no idea. It is very strange to be so out of the loop on the preparations.
ReplyDeleteThat must be odd - hopefully also relaxing, if nothing else?!
DeleteEven if you don't have a firm plan, I'm impressed with your (long) shortlist! As per usual I'm so unorganised for Christmas, we have had family birthdays for the last 4 weekends which makes the lead up to Christmas an incredibly busy time of year. I've been steering away from traditional foods the last couple of years and have enjoyed mixing it up.
ReplyDeleteBirthdays do throw chaos into pre-Christmas time...we have had a few this month but most of my family's come in January-March. Those weekends just disappear so I can relate to your December feeling busy!
DeleteSo happy you liked the goodies!!
ReplyDeleteI loved them :-)
DeleteWow, that's quite a list! You have lots of choices. My mother hosts Christmas and makes all the choices, and I happily leave it to her.
ReplyDeleteThat sounds like a very good system!
DeleteGreat recipes!! My mom usually makes the traditional items such as; ham, cornbread dressing, sweet potato casserole, green bean casserole. At Thanksgiving we always have turkey, so at Christmas we do ham. My brother gets them both free where he works every year! :) My contribution is always some sort of veggie.
ReplyDeleteYou know, I don't think I have ever had ham at Christmas! Because we don't have Thanksgiving in Australia, we always had turkey and my family isn't big enough to justify turkey and ham :-)
DeleteI haven't decided what I'm making yet either but I LOVE these suggestions! Thanks so much for including my bake!
ReplyDeleteI could have included lots of your recipes actually :-)
Deleteso many great ideas!!!
ReplyDeleteThanks!
DeleteLove all of these. To be honest, I make a veggie gravy and just tuck into the roast veggies and salad. My family are really good about my choice to not support killing animals for taste. YAY!. Merry Christmas :)
ReplyDeleteMerry Christmas to you too Cass! And it sounds like you have a great Christmas system sorted out :-)
Deletethanks for all the great ideas here - I keep meaning to bookmark a few but am so far behind I might never catch up - thanks for the shout out - hope the decision making is coming along - what I have for christmas day depends on what I can make tomorrow and the weather but there will be nut roast
ReplyDeleteOur weather is so hot I had to just leave it out of the decision making - 39'C which is really only appropriate for cold salad, and that isn't Christmassy at all! I have decided on your pumpkin, pomegranate and spiced walnut salad as a cooler option though, and am really looking forward to eating it :-)
Deletehot weather makes the decision about eating harder - so hard to eat celebration in hot weather - but I just thought I would suggest that nut roasts are great sliced up cold like cold cuts of meat - have been enjoying our leftover nut roast on rice cakes today
DeleteThat is a great point / idea - thanks!
Delete