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I get asked about holiday recipes all of the time, so it only makes sense that I put together a full-on, Ultimate Vegan Holiday Dinner for y’all! This time, I’ve worked with Bragg Live Food Products on this fabulous menu.
Firstly, I just want to talk about how stoked I am for this collaboration. When I hosted this dinner, my friends and I were joking that when you first go vegan, Bragg products are like the starter kit. A little vegan angel comes down and hands you a container each of Apple Cider Vinegar, Nutritional Yeast, and Liquid Aminos. I’ve been using all of these ingredients for nearly 9 years now!
But, 9 years is nothing compared to how long Bragg has been around; care to take a guess? SINCE 1912!! As you can see from this ultimate vegan holiday dinner spread, their products are extreme versatile and offer a host of nutritional benefits. Like, their apple cider vinegar (ACV for those in the know) still has the raw mother in it, which helps with gut bacteria. And if you’re a bit of a nerd like I am, you know that the body’s microbiome affects MANY aspects of your health.
Pistachio Rosemary Vegan Cheeseball
The first thing I used ACV in was this Pistachio-Rosemary Cheeseball, which ended up being quite the star. Paired with Bragg’s Nutritional Yeast and rich nuts, you get a dairy-free app that still has a great tang and savoriness. A friend or two weren’t super familiar with the classic Cheeseball. So, it was really fun to see their reactions to it, which were very positive!
Pistachio-Rosemary Vegan Cheese Ball
Have you been missing this quirky app from your pre-vegan days? This Pistachio-Rosemary Vegan Cheese Ball fills that void in the BEST way!
Ingredients
Cheese ball base
- 1 1/2 cups (194 g) raw cashews
- 1/4 cup (28 g) roasted salted pistachios without shells
- 1/2 -2/3 cup (120-158 ml) water enough to get your blender going
- 3 tablespoons (45 ml) melted refined cocont oil
- 1 1/2 tablespoons (13 g) Bragg Nutritional Yeast
- 1 tablespoon (5 g) tapioca starch/flour
- 1 tablespoon (15 ml) Bragg Apple Cider Vinegar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon fresh rosemary leaves
Crust
- 1/3 cup (38 g) finely chopped, roasted salted pistachios without shells
- 1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh rosemary
- 1/4 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
Instructions
- For the cheese ball, place cashews and pistachios in a bowl and cover with boiling water; soak for 15 minutes, then drain water and place nuts in a blender. Add water, coconut oil, nutritional yeast, tapioca starch, apple cider vinegar, salt, and onion powder to the pitcher. Puree until smooth, let sit for 3 minutes, then blender again until very smooth. Add rosemary to mixture and pulse until it is broken up into small pieces.
- Transfer mixture to a sauce pan, warmed over medium heat, whisking often. After the starch is activated (once simmering starts), the "cheese" will become goopy and stretchy. Stir it until you're able to form a loose ball in the pan, then take it off heat.
- For the crust, place pistachios, rosemary, and pepper in a bowl, mixing until evenly combined. Then, have ready a small bowl, lined with plastic wrap or cheesecloth, to the side. Transfer cheese ball to the nut-mix bowl and roll it around to coat the outside evenly (the ball is still pretty soft at this point). Sprinkle leftover nuts into lined bowl, then place cheese ball on top, covering top with the wrap/cloth, twisting it and tieing to shape it into a sphere. Chill ball in freezer for roughly two hours, then serve with 8 ounces (225 g) or more crackers.
Persimmon Apple Kale Salad
Next, I experimented with Bragg’s Apple Cider Vinaigrette for a delicious seasonal salad. If you follow me, you know that I’m pretty obsessed with persimmons! I loved using them in this non-dessert application, which went wonderfully with apples, citrus, walnuts, and kale. If you’ve never tried this dressing, it’s not as tart as you might think, and is very balanced in flavor. Even a bit on the garlicky side!
The colors in this salad really brought the holiday dinner some vibrancy. It was the perfect side to accompany some of the more comforting dishes. And because the dressing uses that raw ACV, it boosts the nutrition even more.
Persimmon Apple Kale Salad
This Persimmon Apple Kale Salad is SO easy-to-make, healthy, and perfectly seasonal with its fresh ingredients. Made even better with Bragg Apple Cider Vinaigrette!
Ingredients
- 12 ounces (340 g) lacinato kale stems removed, leaves chopped
- 2 teaspoons Bragg Extra-Virgin Olive Oil
- Pinch of salt
- 1 Gala apple cored and thinly sliced halves
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice optional
- 2 Fuyu persimmons peeled and thinly sliced halves
- 1 cup peeled and seeded tangerine pieces
- 1/4 cup (60 ml) Bragg Apple Cider Vinaigrette
- 1/2 cup toasted walnuts
- Coarse pepper to taste
Instructions
- Place kale in a large mixing bowl and drizzle olive oil over it, then add salt and using your hands "massage" the kale until it is tender, about 30 seconds. Set aside, and toss your apple slices with lemon juice to prevent browning before serving.
- Transfer half of the kale to a large serving bowl, then top with half of the apples, persimmons, tangerine, dressing and walnuts. Then repeat with the other half of the ingredients (this makes it easier to distribute toppings), and top with black pepper. Serve right away or store in refrigerator for up to several hours before serving.
Pressure-Cooker Seitan Wellington
Y’all know I love a good centerpiece, and this homemade Seitan Wellington really fit the role. And honestly? It really wasn’t complicated! As with most of my other seitan recipes, I used the nutritional yeast and liquid aminos to get some nice savory flavors. Plus, because it’s made in a pressure cooker, you’re not waiting too long for your seitan to be cooked-through!
Alternatively, you can simmer the seitan in a pot on the stove, though it will take closer to 50-60 minutes instead of 25. Then, you just wrap it up in store-bought pastry, surround it with veggies and roast away! While I used potatoes and green beans dressing in olive oil, Brussels and carrots are also a solid option.
Pressure-Cooker Seitan Wellington
No need to buy a pricey roast from the store when you can make this high-quality, Pressure Cooker Seitan Wellington! Making the seitan in a cooker before putting it in the oven cuts your time down significantly, and the results are next-level.
Ingredients
For seitan roast
- 1 1/2 cups (172 g) vital wheat gluten
- 1/3 cup (37 g) tapioca starch/flour
- 3 tablespoons (15 g) Bragg Nutritional Yeast
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon salt-free poultry seasoning
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon paprika
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 7 ounces (207 ml) vegetable broth
- 2 tablespoons (30 g) tomato paste
- 2 tablespoons (30 ml) Bragg Liquid Aminos
- 1 tablespoon (15 ml) Bragg Extra-Virgin Olive Oil
Simmer broth
- 3 cups (710 ml) vegetable broth
- 2 cups (473 ml) water
- 1/4 cup (120 ml) Bragg Liquid Aminos
- 2 cloves garlic, crushed
Assembly
- Cooking oil spray
- 1 sheet vegan puff pastry, thawed
- 4 cups quartered baby potatoes
- 2 cups chopped green beans
- 1 teaspoon Bragg Extra-Virgin Olive Oil
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- For the seitan: in a mixing bowl, whisk together vital wheat gluten, tapioca flour, nutritional yeast, garlic powder, poultry seasoning, paprika, and black pepper. In a smaller bowl, combine vegetable broth, liquid aminos, tomato paste, and olive oil, whisking until smooth. Add wet mixture to dry and knead for 3 minutes, or until seitan is springy and slightly firm.
- Form the seitan into a “roast” shape – oblong and roughly 3 inches (7.5 cm) in diameter. Wrap it in cheesecloth, tying the ends with cooking twine, to create a candy wrapper effect. Place seitan in a pressure cooker, and add 3 cups (710 ml) vegetable broth, 2 cups (473 ml) water, 1/4 cup (60 ml) liquid aminos, and garlic cloves to the pot.
- Secure lid and bring up to high pressure over medium-high heat. Once pressure is reached, adjust heat to medium-low and set timer for 25 minutes. After the timer goes off, release the pressure, and remove the lid, once safe. Take the seitan round and place it in a container to cool enough to touch, while you prep for assembly. (you can save the simmering broth for a soup base, in the freezer)
- To assemble, preheat oven to 425F, and lightly flour a flat surface, rolling puff pastry out to about 1/8-inch thick. Place seitan roast diagonally in the center of the square, then fold the corners in and over the roast until taut. If there seems to be excessive overlap, trim some off, but leave enough to dampen with water and overlap edges and adhere it.
- Spray a baking sheet with a light coating of cooking oil spray. Set roast, seam-side down, in the center of it. Score a criss-cross pattern, lightly, into the puff pastry then give it a light spray of oil.
- In a mixing bowl, combine potatoes, green beans, oil, salt, and pepper, tossing until evenly coated. Spread the veggies into a single layer around the roast, and place in oven to bake for 30 minutes, flipping potatoes half-way through. Once the puff pastry is golden brown on top, take it out and either serve on baking sheet, or transfer it to a dinner platter with vegetables. Enjoy!
Notes
*You can simmer the seitan in a pot on the stove, at low-medium, though it will take closer to 50-60 minutes instead of 25. Poke the seitan with tongs or your finger, to see if it has firmed up while cooking.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
6Serving Size:
1 gramsAmount Per Serving: Unsaturated Fat: 0g
Vegan Peppermint Cloud Cake
Lastly, we have our last course: Dessert! (My personal favorite 😉 ) This cake is a riff on another, more involved, cake that I made last year. But, this time, I switched up the size AND the frosting! Inspired by Cooking On Caffeine’s American Meringue Frosting, I added some aquafaba to my staple peppermint frosting. I also added a bit more powdered sugar and took out the non-dairy milk.
A tip here, is that if you’re using vegan butter, the frosting will be slightly salted. That profile worked REALLY well with this cake, and gave it a Christmas cookie-vibe. But, if you want it sweeter, use vegetable shortening instead! And you may be wondering what ACV has to do with cake? In this case, it works with baking soda to help it rise. Science!
Vegan Peppermint Cloud Cake
Light, minty cake layers enveloped in a meringue buttercream make this vegan Peppermint Cloud Cake a truly great treat! It's a wonderful dessert to end your holiday dinner.
Ingredients
For the cake:
- 1 1/2 cups (213 g) unbleached all-purpose flour
- 3/4 cup (169 g) sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 cup (177 ml) unsweetened non-dairy milk
- 1/2 cup (120 ml) olive oil
- 1 tablespoon (15 ml) Bragg Apple Cider Vinegar
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon peppermint extract
For the peppermint meringue buttercream:
- 1 cup (221 g) vegan butter or vegetable shortening
- 3 cups (308 g) powdered sugar, sifted
- 1/4 cup (60 ml) aquafaba, (liquid from a can of chickpeas)
- 1/2 teaspoon peppermint extract
- 2 tablespoons chopped peppermint candies, plus whole peppermints for garnish
Instructions
- For the cake, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease two 7-inch cake pans with vegan butter or cooking oil spray, and lightly dust with flour.
- In a large mixing bowl, sift together flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt. In another mixing bowl, combine milk, oil, apple cider vinegar, vanilla and peppermint extracts. Add wet mixture to dry, and whisk until smooth. Divide cake batter among two cake pans, tapping against countertop to release bubbles.
- Bake cakes for 28 to 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into center comes out dry. Transfer to cooling rack and allow to reach room temperature. Once cooled, place in refrigerator until ready to assemble.
- For the peppermint meringue buttercream, using a hand or stand mixer with whisk attachment at medium speed, add butter/shortening and whip until fluffy. Slowly add ½ cup sifted powdered sugar at a time to mixer while it runs, until all is incorporated. Add aquafaba and peppermint extract, whipping on medium-high until light and fluffy (about 5 minutes). Be careful not to get it too fluffy or it wont be firm enough for layering.
- Onto a cake stand or large plate, place strips of parchment paper along edges of stand. Place 1 cake layer on stand, adjusting parchment paper along edges of cake (which will make frosting the cake easier and look cleaner). Pipe a ¾-inch-thick layer of white buttercream along top of first cake round, making sure there are no air pockets. Place next cake layer rounded side down on top of frosting. Using an offset spatula, spread a thin coat over any bare cake edges, carefully remove parchment paper, then refrigerate cake for 15 minutes.
- Lightly dip a pastry scraper into warm water, then rotate cake while holding scraper straight with its edges, gently remove and even out excess frosting to give it a naked-cake look. Dip scraper back in water to clean as necessary. Once smooth, use offset spatula to place extra frosting on top of the cake, then decorate the outer edge with crushed and whole peppermint candies, as pictured. Carefully remove parchment and chill until ready to serve!
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
6Serving Size:
1 gramsAmount Per Serving: Unsaturated Fat: 0g
After all of that, you’re definitely set to host the ultimate vegan holiday dinner! Plus, you can always send this post to a couple of friends and tell each one to pick a dish to make. See? I’ve already made your life easier in a few ways! And if you need to save these recipes for later, check out the Holiday Dinner Pinterest Board. I hope that you all enjoy your winter breaks (if you have them) and I’ll see you next week!
This post is in partnership with Bragg Live Food Products, all words and opinions are my own. Posts like these help me to keep this blog going and more recipes coming your way!
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ANN MONERASINGHE
Friday 20th of December 2019
Can the roast be made without a pressure cooker
Jackie @ Vegan Yack Attack!
Friday 20th of December 2019
Yup! As mentioned in the post: "Alternatively, you can simmer the seitan in a pot on the stove, though it will take closer to 50-60 minutes instead of 25. Then, you just wrap it up in store-bought pastry, surround it with veggies and roast away!" I'll add it to the recipe notes