A Vegetarian Christmas Dinner!

This Christmas dinner menu is vegetarian, the cheeses I suggest are not dairy, but if you would prefer dairy, then substitute. Some of these recipes will seem vaguely familiar; they are a few of my favorite foods from family recipes and modified to feed me, the vegetarian.

Christmas Dinner

Appetizers

Vegetable/Fruit platters ( I like using broccoli, cauliflower, tomatoes, olives, celery, carrots, cut them into bite size pieces that will be easy to skewer. Add sliced apples, strawberries, grapes, oranges, mangoes, pineapple, do not forget to get creative.)

Dips: ½ cup Canola Oil Mayonnaise, crushed garlic, a small pinch of dill, blend well and serve in a cute cup. Crème cheese blended with onion soup mix. For the fruit blend crème cheese with a bit of honey, cinnamon and a small pinch of nutmeg.

Bamboo skewers with small bows tied to one end, plates and napkins.

Squash casserole:

1 cup each chopped: zucchini squash, butternut squash, yellow squash

1 pkg Falafel

1 small box or can mushroom soup

Dead Sea Salt to taste

½ tsp Italian seasoning

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Blend 1 cup mushroom soup, salt and seasoning, chop the vegetables, and prepare the falafel mix according to directions. Use extra virgin olive oil to coat the 2-qt. baking dish, layer vegetables alternating. Pour mushroom soup mix over the vegetables, top with falafel mix. Bake 30 minutes, or until vegetables are firm but tender.

Tomato soup with diced cilantro sprinkled over the top after serving

Cheesy biscuits

Use any favorite biscuit mix, grate Almond Cheese (found with vegetarian cheeses), mix well, spoon onto baking sheet and bake according to the mix directions.

Sweet Potato Pie

2 cups sweet potatoes (optional: canned sweet potatoes)

¼ soy milk (adjust accordingly)

½ cup brown sugar

1 tsp maple flavoring

½ tsp cinnamon

¼ tsp nutmeg

1 tblsp extra virgin olive oil

Pie crust of your choice

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

If you have opted to cook the sweet potatoes, wash, then cut into small pieces, leaving the peal, cook until tender. Mash the potatoes well; adding the soy milk to create a smooth texture, not to thin, should fold smoothly from the spoon. Add sugar, flavoring, cinnamon, nutmeg and olive oil, blending well. Poor into the pie crust(s) of your choice, bake until crust is brown and potatoes are firm. (You will want to sneak a taste of the potatoes as you are mixing them, adjust sweetness to your taste. I do not make it that sweet, otherwise it is overpowering to me.)

This you can serve at room temperature or warmer, right out of the oven with Vanilla Ice

Cream or whipped cream.

This is a simple menu, one that keeps the preparation time down and leaves more time to visit and not be tied to the kitchen. It is enough to feed six to seven people and no leftovers.