Vegan Christmas Mini Sampler

Introduction Christmas is traditionally a time of celebration and indulgence. It is a time when people go all out and take time to go that extra mile to prepare delicious food to share with family and friends. I grew up on a pretty typical westernised version of a West Indian diet, but I have been vegetarian for the last 20 years and vegan for periods of that time.

I come from a family who have always made the eort to ensure that I had options during festive occasions, but I have noticed over the years that this is not always typical. Often people don’t know what to prepare and provide for themselves or vegan family and friends.

These recipes are some truly delicious choices that do not make their vegan and vegetarian guests feel they have been overlooked.

Vegan Christmas is an opportunity to share some family recipes that I have adapted and new recipes that I have created for a range of dierent dietary requirements to be enjoyed by everyone. Even if you simply want some healthier options for you and your family during the festivities I hope the recipes in this book will inspire you to try something new.

Parsnip and Parsley Soup

Serves 4 as a starter or 2 very hungry people as a main 1 medium onion roughly diced Generous drizzle of garlic oil 3 medium sized parsnips (250 g) peeled and roughly cubed 2 medium potatoes (200 g) peeled and roughly cubed 1 large sprig of thyme 1 teaspoon of sea salt 1/4 teaspoon of ground white pepper (black is fine too, you will just see it in the soup)

750 ml of water Large handful of flat leaf parsley finely chopped

In a large saucepan gently cook the onion in the garlic oil until it begins to soften. Add all the remaining ingredients and bring to the boil, then cover the pan and simmer for a further 8 - 10 minutes until the potatoes and parsnips are soft to the touch. Remove the sprig of thyme, adjust seasoning to suit your taste and blend the soup until smooth.

Serve the soup with plenty of the chopped parsley on the top and a swirl of garlic oil.

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Sesame Brussel Sprouts

I have a love hate relationship with brussel sprouts. For years I hated them and now I love them. I could literally eat bowls and bowls of them at a time. For me Christmas dinner has always been about the trimmings and what is Christmas dinner without a brussel sprout?

Traditionally mom used lots of butter and toasted almonds but I have adapted this to be vegan friendly and to pair ginger and garlic together to add some tasty heat.

Serves 4

500 g brussel sprouts peeled and trimmed 1/2 thumb size piece of ginger peeled and grated 2 garlic cloves ďŹ nely chopped or minced 1 teaspoon of agave 1 teaspoon wheat free tamari a few dashes of lemon or lime juice sea salt and pepper to season 1 tablespoon of sesame seeds drizzle of sesame oil

Rinse, dry and halve the brussel sprouts then put them to gently cook face down in a covered heavy based frying pan for about 5-7 minutes until the golden brown with a drizzle of olive oil. Turn the sprouts over and allow the backs to colour up a little.

Once the sprouts are soft and golden add the ginger, garlic, tamari, lemon or lime juice and season generously with salt and pepper.

Stir the mixture round a few times to ensure all the avours are distributed and the garlic and ginger cook through a little.

In a separate pan toast the sesame seeds on a medium heat until you hear a popping sound, giving the pan a shake every now and again so the seeds do not burn.

Serve the brussel sprouts with a sprinkle of the sesame seeds and a drizzle of sesame oil.

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Chocolate Truffles

I love, love, loved boxing day as I grew up as a kid. This was the day that our “not cousin” cousins would come over or we would go to their house. There would be more gifts, more merriment and more eating. Mom would pack all the Christmas goodies up to take and together with my Godmother and Norman they would whip up a second Christmas feast. Norman would always make boozy chocolate truffles and filled with melted chocolate, nuts, cream, cake crumbs and soaked fruits. The booze option is totally up to you but I think this simplified adaptation is full of Christmas cheer.

Makes 10 big truffles or 20 mini

100 ml of coconut milk 100 g of 70% sugar free dark chocolate (I used Plamil’s no added sugar chocolate) 2 teaspoons of dark agave or a teaspoon of xylitol 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract 2 pinches cayenne pepper cocoa powder for dusting

Heat the coconut milk gently in a small saucepan until just before boiling point. Add all the remaining ingredients and stir will until everything has been well incorporated into the mixture and it becomes a glossy chocolate brown in colour. Leave to cool and then refrigerate the whole saucepan until the chocolate mix is really firm.

Using a melon baller dipped in hot water form the truffles according to your size preference and roll in a little cocoa powder. Keep the truffles in the fridge until you are ready to serve.

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For more information and recipes please check: www.thelivity.com You can also connect with Nicola here: nicola@thelivity.com info@thelivity.com www.thelivity.com twitter.com/thelivity http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Livity/159411337466899 © Nicola Griffiths | The Livity www.thelivity.com Vegan Christmas © Copyright Nicola Griffiths, The Livity.

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The right of Nicola Griffiths to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the Copyright, Designs & Patent Act 1988 CONDITIONS OF SALE This book is sold subject to the condition that it shall not, by way of trade of otherwise, be lent, resold, hired out, or otherwise circulated without the publisher’s prior consent in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is published and without a similar condition, including this condition, being imposed on the subsequent purchaser.

First Published by Nicola Grifiths, The Livity, in Great Britain in 2011 This (first) edition published in November 2011 by Nicola Griffiths nicola@thelivity.com www.thelivity.com

DISCLAIMER: Nicola Griffiths, TheLivity and TheLivity.com makes no claims to diagnose, treat, prevent, mitigate, or cure diseases with any advice or product(s). Any health related information in this book is for educational purposes only. None of the information should be misconstrued as medical advice. The information in this book is not medical advice nor intended to propose a cure for any disease or condition. We strongly recommend consulting your health care professional for any medical advice or prior to starting any medical treatment. Nicola Griffiths, TheLivity.com shall have no liability whatsoever for any direct, indirect, special, or consequential damages relating in any way to the use of any information presented in this book or any site we link to. Any links to outside sites do not constitute our endorsement of products or services found on those sites. All graphics in this book were self-created, used with permission, or taken from royalty-free web design sites. © 2011 TheLivity.com All Rights Reserved.

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