THE PLANT-BASED FESTIVE MENU

SACHA VAN NIEKERK

CHRISTMAS PAVLOVA

By @natalie.naturally

After a heavy lunch and an evening of sampling leftovers, a light, summer dessert is the perfect end to a day of celebrations. Airy meringue with fluffy dollops of coconut cream and juicy berries or sharp granadilla pulp dusted with snowy powdered sugar – can dessert get any more indulgent than that?

Whipped into glossy peaks, aquafaba is the liquid surrounding legume seeds when canned. When baked it has a crunchy sugary crust and an airy interior that’s taken to the next level with the addition of complimentary toppings. For an added flavour burst, grate shards of dark chocolate over top.

INGREDIENTS:

100ml chickpea juice chilled

120g caster sugar

1 tsp vanilla bean paste

METHOD:

Preheat the oven to 120°C. Whip aquafaba for 15 minutes. Add sugar 1 tbsp at a time and leave to mix a good minute or two before adding the next.

Dollop onto a lined baking tray and place in the oven for 2 hours. Turn the oven off and leave for a further hour. Top with coconut yoghurt or cream, berry coulis, fresh fruit and a dusting of powdered sugar.

VEGAN CHEESE BOARD

By @foodivert

Every party begins with a good cheese board. Roasted nuts, hummus, preserves, marinated olives, dried fruit, berries, veggies, potato chips and so much more can be added to a cheese or charcuterie board that are both scrumptious and vegan. As for the cheese, you can make your very own at home with just a few ingredients. For an added Chrismassy feel, press dried cranberries and pecan nuts into your cheese ball for the perfect finish.

INGREDIENTS:

1 cup raw cashews, soaked overnight

1 cup raw macadamia nuts, soaked overnight

⅓ cup water 1 tsp vegan probiotic powder (or 1 vegan probiotic capsules)

3 garlic cloves, minced

42 tbsp lemon juice

1 tsp apple cider vinegar (optional)

⅓ cup fresh chives, chopped

1 tsp sea salt

INSTRUCTIONS

Soak the nuts in water overnight and then drain and rinse. Add the nuts and water to a blender and blend until smooth. Add the probiotic powder to a tiny amount of water so it dissolves a bit and add to the blender. Blend until combined.

Place the nut mixture into a cheesecloth, gather the ends and squeeze out any excess liquid. Place an elastic band around the cloth to close it and place it inside a bowl in a warm spot for 24 hours to let it ferment.

Open the cloth and transfer to a medium sized bowl. Stir in the lemon juice, garlic, salt, apple cider vinegar and chives.

Place the mixture onto parchment paper, fold one side over and form a log. Gather the ends of both sides and close each side with an elastic band. Transfer to the fridge and let chill overnight. Before serving, open the parchment paper and coat the log with pepper, salt and chives.

MEATY MUSHROOM WELLINGTON

By @beautifuelfitness

Ingredients:

7 garlic cloves

5 sprigs fresh rosemary

6 sprigs fresh thyme

4 portobello mushrooms

1 tsp + 1 tbs olive oil

1 tsp salt (plus a little extra)

2 tsp plack pepper (plus a little extra)

1 large red onion

2 tsp light brown sugar

300g chestnut mushrooms

125 ml white wine

200g vacuum packed chestnuts

250g pecans

2 slices of seeded bread

2 sheets ready rolled shortcrust pastry (vegan)

4 tbs plant-based milk

Instructions:

Peel four of the garlic cloves. Remove the leaves from full rosemary sprigs and times breaks and then finely chop. Lay the portobello mushrooms on one of the lined baking trays, stems up and drizzle with olive oil, salt and pepper. Divide the chopped rosemary thyme and garlic between the mushrooms, pop in the oven and cook for 15 minutes. Remove and set aside.

Meanwhile, peel and finely chop the red onion. Add a full spoon of oil to the frying pan, add the onion to the pan and cook for 10 minutes until softened.

While the onions are cooking, peel and mince the remaining three garlic cloves. Remove the leaves from the remaining rosemary and thyme and finely chop. Add 1 tbs of salt, pepper and sugar to a small bowl, add the garlic and rosemary and stir into the pan with the onions and cook for one minute.

Put the chestnut mushrooms into a food processor and blend until very finely chopped. Put into pan, increase heat to high and cook until softened, about 5 to 7 minutes.

Pour the white wine into a pan and stir for three minutes, or until all of the liquid has cooked off. Tip the mixture into a large mixing bowl and leave to cool for five minutes.

Put the chestnuts, pecans and bread into the processor and blitz until they are fine crumbs. Add to the ball with the onions and mix everything together.

Lay one pastry sheet on the other, line a baking tray, spread half the chestnut mixture lengthways down the middle of the pastry sheet. Use your hands to mould it into a rectangular shape with a flat top, leaving at least an 8 centimetre gap on all four sides.

Place portobello mushrooms neatly on top of chestnut mixture, stems facing up. Layer the chestnut mixture over the mushrooms in casing then smooth and shape into a neat long rectangular mound.

Using your fingers brush a little of the milk around the exposed pastry age. Lay the second pastry sheet over the mushroom filling and press it all down well, ensuring there are no air bubbles. Trim any extra pastry from the edges, leaving a 1,5cm edge around the base of your Wellington. Set the excess pastry aside for later. Use a fork to crimp around the edges of the pastry to firmly seal it. Roll out the offcuts with a rolling pin and use cookie cutters to create shapes. Brush the Wellington lightly with milk and decorate the top of the pastry shapes. Make some slits on the top with a fork or sharp knife. Put the Wellington in the oven and bake for 40 minutes checking after 30 minutes at 200°C.

MOLASSES GINGER SQUARES

Ingredients:

unsalted butter for greasing

150ml light beer (pale ale or lager)

175g molasses sugar

1 tsp bicarbonate of soda

200g self-raising flour

2 tsp ground ginger

3 large eggs

100g golden castor sugar

125ml groundnut or sunflower oil

3 tbsp ginger syrup from a jar of stem ginger plus 2-3 knobs of stem ginger finely sliced

Method:

Preheat the oven to 180°. Butter a 23cm square brownie tin, 4cm deep or equivalent.

Place the beer and molasses sugar in a small saucepan and slowly bring to the boil, working out any lumps in the sugar with the back of a spoon.

Remove from the heat, stir in the bicarbonate of soda and set aside to cool for about 30 minutes.

Sift the flour and ginger into a large bowl.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, caster sugar and oil and then slowly add to the flour mixture, stirring to combine. Add the beer mixture in two goes, gently mixing it in.

Pour the cake mixture into the prepared tin and bake for 30-35 minutes until just firm to the touch – avoid opening the oven door during this time. Remove from the oven, run a knife around the edge of the cake and, using the back of a spoon, drizzle over the ginger syrup to evenly coat the surface.

Decorate with slivers of stem ginger. Cover with clingwrap and set aside to cool.

This gets stickier overnight.