Traditionally, a lot of meat ends up on the plate at most Christmas dinners – for example beef roulades or roasts. The meat usually comes from animals that have been kept in fattening facilities and have often never seen daylight in their entire lives.
In addition, beef is a real climate sinner. According to the Institute for Energy and Environmental Research, one kilogram produces 13.6 kilograms of CO2 equivalent. For one kilogram of soy granules, however, there is only one kilogram of CO equivalent per kilo. So for the sake of the environment, how about a purely plant-based menu this Christmas? Four vegan chefs give us ideas:
Chloe Coscarelli is a well-known, award-winning vegan chef from the USA. She shares colorful, plant-based recipes on her blog, on social media and in her book “Viva Italia Vegana”. Chloe Coscarelli loves apple pie and shortbread cookies at the holidays. She simply combined the two for her favorite Christmas recipe.
Tip: The bars are best if you chill them in the fridge for a few hours or overnight before serving.
Ingredients:
For the shortbread:
240 g wheat flour type 550; 225g vegan margarine; 115 g organic cane sugar; ½ tsp sea salt
For the apple filling:
5 apples, peeled and thinly sliced; 115g vegan margarine; 170 g cane sugar; 1 ½ tsp cinnamon; 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Also: Vegan ice cream for serving (optional)
Preparation:
Shortbread:
Apple Filling:
Tip: The recipe can also be baked with gluten-free flour.
Note: The original recipe uses the cup measurement unit, we have converted this. You can find a conversion table here, for example.
Recipe idea from: Chloe Coscarelli, video instructions on Instagram.
For nutrition expert Niko Rittenau, Christmas can be hearty. On his social media channels, he provides his followers with tips about a balanced vegan diet. Together with the vegan chef Sebastian Copien, Niko Rittenau has already published several books, including “Vegan Nutrition for Beginners”.
This festive recipe, developed by Sebastian Copien, is suitable for beginners to plant-based cuisine. For Niko Rittenau, it is his favorite recipe for Christmas because: “This dish delivers hearty, meaty flavors without the ethical and ecological problems of animal husbandry associated with meat production and also impresses non-vegans across the board.”
Ingredients (for 2 servings):
For the roulades:
2 large soy big steaks; Salt; freshly ground pepper; 2 tbsp coconut oil (flavorless); 1 small carrot, peeled; 2 pickles; 100 g smoked tofu; 2 tbsp medium hot mustard
For the sauce:
1 small leek, cleaned; 100 g carrot, peeled; 150 g celeriac, cleaned; 1 large onion, peeled; 1 organic potato (100 g); 100 g coconut oil (flavorless); 1 sprig of rosemary; 2 tbsp seasoning yeast flakes (see tip on page 119); 25 g beluga lentils (or other lentils); 300 ml dry red wine (or 250 ml mild broth mixed with 50 ml aronia juice); 2 tbsp tomato paste; 1 l mild vegetable broth, plus a little broth to deglaze; 2 tbsp soy sauce; 2 tbsp pickle stock; 1 tsp mustard
For the red cabbage:
1 small head (500 g) red cabbage; 1 large apple (Boskop); 1 small onion, peeled; 3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar; 1 tsp salt; 1 tsp sugar; freshly ground pepper; 1 tbsp coconut oil
For the potato dumplings:
300 g floury potatoes, peeled; Salt; 300 g dumpling dough half
Preparation:
Modification:
The dumplings require significantly less effort than making them from scratch, and they are worlds better than dumplings made from 100 percent ready-made dough. If you want to make dumplings from scratch, you have to boil 300 g of peeled potatoes, let them evaporate well and press them through the press. Allow the mixture to cool to lukewarm, then knead and season with the squeezed potato shavings and 2 teaspoons of potato starch. Cover and let rest for 20 minutes, shape and cook as described. It is advisable to make a test dumpling. If it falls apart, incorporate more starch into the dough.
Recipe idea from: Niko Rittenau, Sebastian Copien: “Vegan diet for beginners. The most important basic knowledge and quick recipes.” DK-Verlag, 272 pages, 19.95 euros.
The author and chef Sophia Hoffmann from Berlin relies on regional and seasonal products in her recipes. Anyone who wants to try her vegan cuisine will probably be able to taste the Berliner’s dishes in the future in her restaurant “Happa”, which is currently being planned.
She shows how you can conjure up a winter menu from regional and seasonal ingredients even at Christmas: “I love reinterpreting well-known, seasonal ingredients and achieving delicious results with a few simple preparation tricks. A salad becomes creamy Soup, slowly melted onions provide umami in winter risotto and braising something in red wine and rosemary is always a good idea. All recipes require little effort, are easy to prepare and leave you full and happy.” The following recipe ideas come from your book “Zero Waste Kitchen”.
Ingredients (for 2 servings):
½ or 1 small head of lettuce or 2-3 handfuls of lettuce / leaf spinach; ½ onion or 1 small piece of leek or 1-2 spring onions (optional); 3 tablespoons frying oil or olive oil; a few coarsely chopped stalks of parsley or some coarsely chopped fresh basil (optional); 3-4 tbsp tahini (sesame paste); Salt; 1 dash of acid (vinegar or lemon juice); 1 pinch of sugar or 1 teaspoon of syrup as needed
Preparation:
Tips:
Garnish: Croûtons made from stale bread or seeds or nuts roasted in a pan (e.g. pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds, sunflower seeds) work well as a garnish.
Zero-waste variant: With leftovers, such as: B. a pre-cooked potato or a few spoonfuls of cooked legumes, pureed, the soup becomes thicker and more filling.
Simple and delicious: Apples and onions are regional and ensure a varied consistency and variety of tastes: sweet-sour-umami-crunchy-sourly-creamy-soft-delicious!
Ingredients:
6 tablespoons vinegar; 2 tablespoons sugar or syrup; Salt; 1-2 apples (depending on size), diced, 6 tablespoons frying oil or olive oil; 4 medium-sized onions, ½ onion diced, the rest cut into fine strips; 300 g pearl barley or whole grain (e.g. wheat, barley, spelt, soaked overnight); 1 liter vegetable broth; pepper
Preparation:
Ingredients:
200 g stone fruit (e.g. apricots, mirabelle plums, plums); depending on size, 1-2 red onions; optional 2 cloves of garlic; 200 ml red wine; 4-5 sprigs fresh rosemary or 3 teaspoons dried rosemary; 1 tsp salt
Stone fruits such as apricots, mirabelle plums, damsons or plums taste delicious and are suitable as a sweet and savory accompaniment to cooked rice/grains or vegetable dishes. It can also be kept super cold in the fridge for a few days. You can also leave out the wine or replace it with grape, plum or apple juice.
Preparation:
Recipe ideas from: Sophia Hoffmann: “Zero Waste Kitchen.”, ZS, 248 pages, 24.99 euros and Sophia Hoffmann: “Little Hoffmann: Simply learn to cook intuitively.”, ZS, 240 pages, 22.99 euros.
Jérôme Eckmeier has already cooked in restaurants in France, Austria and England. He cooks with regional organic products in his dishes. If you want to cook like a professional, you can learn from him in cooking courses. For the holidays, Eckmeier likes it classic and prefers to cook what reminds him of his childhood. The following recipe ideas come from his book “Vegan. Does good – tastes good.”
Ingredients (for 4 servings):
For the salad:
1 kg waxy potatoes; 1 red onion; 2 sour apples; 200 g smoked tofu; 4 beets (pre-cooked and vacuum packed); 1 small jar of pickles (370 ml); 2 nori sheets
For the dressing:
250 g oat cream; 2 tbsp cucumber water (glass); ½ tsp Dijon mustard; 1–2 tsp agave syrup; 1 teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice; 1 tbsp white wine vinegar; 1 pinch ground caraway; salt, freshly ground; black pepper; 2 tablespoons freshly chopped dill, more for sprinkling; Lemon wedges for garnish
Preparation:
Ingredients (for 4 servings):
For the baked apples:
2 tbsp raisins; 3 tbsp rum; 4 apples (Boskop); 4 speculoos; 8 vegan dominoes; 2 tsp chopped almonds; finely grated peel of ½ organic orange; 1 pinch of speculoos spice; 2 tablespoons margarine, a little more for greasing the mold; 2 tbsp dark raw cane sugar
For the vanilla sauce:
500 ml oat or soy drink; 1-2 teaspoons liquid vanilla extract (depending on concentration and preference); 2 tablespoons sugar; 1 pinch of salt; 2 tsp cornstarch
Preparation:
Recipe ideas from: Jérôme Eckmeier: “Vegan. Does good – tastes good.”, DK Verlag, 192 pages, 19.95 euros.
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