Christmas Dinner

Merry Christmas Everyone.  Our Christmas Dinner was GREAT. All the dishes worked together sooooo well.

CRANBERRY SAUCE
(makes a lot)
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
1/3 cup earth balance
2 tsp vinegar
2 large sweet onions, chopped
4 cups fresh cranberries
1/2 cup raisins
1/4 cup apple juice or apple cider
1/4 tsp ground allspice
1/4 tsp ground cloves
3 1/2 cups sugar
1 cup toasted pecans, broken into pieces

Cook and stir brown sugar, earth balance, and vinegar in a large skillet over medium heat for 2 minutes. Add onions, cook, uncovered, over low heat for 12 minutes or until onions are tender, stirring often. Set aside.
Combine cranberries, raisins, apple juice, allspice, and cloves in a dutch oven. Bring to boiling over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Continue to cook, uncovered, over medium heat for 5 minutes.
Stir in onion mixture and sugar. Return to boiling. Cook, uncovered 15 minutes more, stirring frequently. Remove for heat, add nuts.
When cooled down, refrigerate until needed or ladle mixture into half-pint containers, seal, label, and freeze up to 1 year.
I also used this sauce for an appy topped on a cracker with vegan cream cheeze. VERY GOOD.

OVEN BAKED STUFFING
10 pieces of bread (I used ancient grains with quinoa, kamut, barley etc)
1 cup carrots chopped
1 1/2 cups celery chopped
1/2 cup shallots chopped
1 medium onion chopped
2 cloves garlic chopped
2 cups veggie broth
1 tbs soy sauce
1 1/2 tbs thyme
1/2 tbs oregano
2 1/2 tsp sage
1 1/2 tsp rosemary

- Saute shallots, onions, and garlic till translucent
-Add carrots & celery and soy sauce and cook till almost tender
- Remove from heat and add bread cubes, herbs and veggie broth
-Fold everything together until bread is soft and moist
-If not serving immediately put in a 8x8 casserole dish, cover with foil and cook for 30-35 minutes. If you want a crispy top remove foil for the last 5-10 minutes
I used fresh herbs and this stuffing was amazing!  Everyone (including omnivores) loved it.

SWEET POTATO AND APPLE GRATIN
1 cup water
3 tbsp vegan margarine
2 lbs yams, peeled and grated
1 large granny smith apple, peeled and cored, and grated
1 1/2 tbsp light brown sugar
1 tsp ground all spice
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground pepper
2 tbsp coarsely ground pecans
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Lightly oil a large gratin dish or 10 inch square baking pan and set aside.
In a large saucepan, bring the water to a boil over high heat. Add 2 tbsp of the margarine, stirring to melt. Add the yams, apple, sugar, allspice, cinnamon, salt and pepper. Mix thoroughly, then spoon the mixture into the gratin dish.
Dot with the remaining margarine. Bake until firm and crisp around the edges, 50 - 60 minutes. During the last 10 minutes of baking, sprinkle with pecans. Serve immediately.
This recipe is a real hit and goes perfect with holiday dinners.

MASHED POTATOES WITH BROWN SAUCE 
I boil russet potatoes then mash with just a splash of almond milk seasoned with a little salt and pepper THEN topped with the Brown Sauce which is AMAZING.
 
2 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 cup chopped yellow onion
1/2 cup finely chopped carrots
1/2 cup finely chopped celery
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 cup all purpose flour
2 cups veggy broth
1/4 cup dry red wine
2 tbsp tomato paste
1/2 tsp dried basil
1/2 tsp dried thyme
2 tbsp soy sauce
In a large sauce pan, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onion, carrots, celery,and garlic. Cook, stirring, until softened and lightly browned, about 10 minutes.
Add the flour and stir constantly until the four is absorbed into the oil. Cook for another minute and add 1 cup of the broth.
When the mixture thickens, stir in the remaining 1 cup broth; the wine, tomato paste, basil, thyme, and soy sauce. Stir until the mixture becomes smooth. Cover and simmer over low heat for 10 minutes.
Puree the sauce in the saucepan with an immersion blender. Serve hot.
This is one of my favourite sauces.
 
CREAMY CAULIFLOWER
I medium head of cauliflower, cut into florets
1/4 cup almond milk
2 tbsp Earth Balance
3/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground cayenne
1/8 tsp ground nutmeg
2 tbsp minced fresh chives
1/4 tsp smoked paprika
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly oil a casserole and set aside. Steam the cauliflower until tender, 12 to 15 minutes. Rinse the cauliflower under cold water and drain well. Transfer the steamed cauliflower to a food processor. Add the almond milk and margarine and process until smooth. Add the salt, cayenne, nutmeg, and chives and puree until blended. Transfer the mixture to the prepared casserole and sprinkle with paprika. Bake until hot, about 20 minutes. Serve immediately
I love this dish, the cayenne pepper gives it a nice kick.

I also served steamed mixed veggies and brussel sprouts. For dessert I served Coconut Cream Cheeze Cake, the recipe is in past posts. It must of tasted great because there are hardly any leftovers!!  I don't have any pictures on the food I was too busy enjoying it.