A PLANT-BASED HOLIDAY MEAL

Celebrate the season like never before with these impressive, healthy (and plant-based!) recipes

RECIPES | Amie Watson

PHOTOS | Scott Yavis

FOOD STYLING | Irene McGuinness

It’s time for a holiday feast! While you’re busy being grateful for more time with family or enjoying some mulled wine with friends, why not also highlight the joys that elegant meat-free meals can bring?

If you’re thinking the holidays just wouldn’t be the same without your family’s traditional turkey, roast, or ham, these wow-worthy plant-based recipes won’t disappoint. From a crunchy-on-the-outside, soft-on-the-inside, gluten-free vegan stuffing to an airy pear mousse that reaches skyward with aquafaba instead of egg whites, this plant-based holiday menu looks beyond processed meat replacements. A Mediterranean touch peeks in with an antipasti platter of roasted vegetables. And the pièce de résistance? Tantalizing balsamic-glazed oyster mushrooms on a bed of rich-tasting (but surprisingly light!) caramelized parsnip purée.

Not All Olive Oils And Balsamics Are Created Equal

Use your good, fruity, cold-pressed extra-virgin olive oil to accompany this appetizer platter, since the quality and flavour will shine through. You can use a more neutral and affordable olive oil for roasting the vegetables if you prefer.

As for the balsamic vinegar, use either an aged one that’s thick and sweet, or reduce a young balsamic in a small saucepan until thick, optionally adding a pinch of sugar to sweeten it (see the oyster mushrooms with caramelized parsnips recipe for helpful directions). A store-bought balsamic glaze that has already been thickened works as well, but check the ingredients for unwanted preservatives and sweeteners.

Roasted Vegetable Antipasti with Balsamic and Olive Oil

Don’t be fooled by the simplicity of this roasted vegetable appetizer platter. High quality ingredients, a variety of textures and colours, fresh herbs, and a flash of lemon make it shine.

Ingredients

1 zucchini, in 1/2 in (1.25 mL) slices

1 red or orange pepper, cored and chopped

1 small Italian eggplant, cubed

1 fennel bulb, trimmed and sliced

2 garlic cloves, peeled

3 Tbsp (45 mL) extra-virgin olive oil, divided

3/4 tsp (4 mL) salt

1 Tbsp (15 mL) fresh lemon juice

6 Tbsp (90 mL) aged balsamic vinegar, or reduced balsamic vinegar or balsamic glaze

1/4 cup (60 mL) packed fresh basil leaves

STEPS

1. Preheat oven to 400 F (200 C).

2. Chop zucchini, pepper, eggplant, and fennel into similarly sized pieces. In large bowl or baking sheet, toss vegetables and garlic cloves with 1 Tbsp (15 mL) oil, salt, and lemon juice. Spread in single layer on 2 baking sheets and roast in preheated oven for 15 minutes.

3. Turn vegetables to brown the opposite side, then rotate trays from top to bottom in oven and roast for 10 minutes more, or until eggplant and fennel are tender.

4. Meanwhile, prepare a small dish of 2 Tbsp (30 mL) extra-virgin olive oil and another of aged balsamic vinegar. Stack basil leaves, roll into a cigar shape, and slice into thin strands.

5. Once vegetables are roasted, in large bowl or directly on baking sheets, immediately toss with sliced basil. Transfer to serving platter and serve with bowls of olive oil and balsamic for dipping or spooning onto vegetables.

Serves 6

EACH OF 6 SERVINGS CONTAINS: 115 calories; 2 g protein; 5 g total fat (1 g sat. fat); 17 g total carbohydrates (8 g sugars, 5 g fibre); 316 mg sodium