Christmas as a Vegetarian trying to be healthy!
As my regular readers will know, I have been a vegetarian since I was 10 years old. If you are not trying to lose weight there are so many options available to you. Usually, it is only eating out which can prove difficult with often few choices.
Here I thought I would share with you some of my favourite choices for Christmas if you are vegetarian or maybe you are cooking for a vegetarian.
The above is my vegetarian pretend Christmas dinner I had the other day when I was cooking turkey and the trimmings for Ben and Stuart for a review! I made myself a Curry Loaf with vegetables. Probably not the most Christmassy food out there but I love it.
10 Christmas foods that are not vegetarian that might surprise you
- Mince Pies
These days, most are fruit-filled, but some still sneak in suet (a type of animal fat) in the pastry or mincemeat.
- Stuffing
It might look innocent nestled beside your roast, but many stuffing recipes include sausage meat or bacon bits to amp up the flavour.
- Pigs in Blankets
These sausages wrapped in bacon are definitely not for vegetarians, though they might be mistaken for veggie sausages at first glance.
- Brussels Sprouts with Bacon
Brussels sprouts are a vegetable, right? Yes, until they’re sautéed with bacon or even just bacon fat, to appease the non-sprout enthusiasts at the table.
- Gravy
A crucial condiment that often contains meat stock or drippings from the roast. Watch out for this one, even if it looks just like a simple sauce.
- Yorkshire Puddings
Often a staple of the Christmas roast, these can sometimes contain beef drippings in the batter, which gives them their characteristic rich flavour.
- Cheese Board
While cheese itself isn’t meat, certain types like Parmesan and some other hard cheeses use animal rennet in their production. Not exactly what you’d expect in a veggie-friendly platter!
- Gelatin-Based Desserts
Those jellied cranberry sauces, trifles, or panna cottas? Gelatine is derived from animal collagen, making these treats non-vegetarian.
- Caesar Salad
Often served as a starter, Caesar salad dressing can contain anchovies. It’s a fishy surprise waiting for the unsuspecting vegetarian.
- Eggnog
Traditionally made with milk and cream, some recipes also call for gelatine or other animal-based thickeners, and let’s not forget the egg—a no-go for strict vegetarians.
Wellington or Nut Roast?
The guys over at Cauldron (you may have heard of them for Tofu and other vegetarian and vegan yummy foods) have done a survey of the most popular Christmas foods for us veggies and vegans.
I was surprised to discover that 25% said Veggie Wellington, I love a good wellington but have never made one. I must try though as they are so good! Does anyone have a good recipe?
Nut roast is a close second at 23% and one I think many people resort to buying if they have a veggie or vegan visitor. They are generally quite easy to make too.
I would usually make a mixture quite similar to my curry loaf above but with nuts and cranberries in and rosemary etc rather than curry powder.
In general, I tend to make up recipes like that as I go along. This year I am tempted to try this Vegan Nut Roast which uses Tofu on the Cauldron website as I hadn’t thought of making it that way before but can imagine it would be yummy.
A Veggie or Vegan Visitor…
Soup can often be popular too when trying to please vegan or vegetarian guests but to be honest I prefer to predominantly fit in with what others have with only a few tweaks.
No one wants to feel like they are the odd one out do they? If you can avoid something like a vegetarian lasagne as this just makes us feel not really part of the meal!
A few things to remember
Here are a few things to remember when cooking for a vegan or vegetarian guest.
- Check what oil or fat you cook potatoes in.
- Some pastry items are made using animal fats.
- Gelatine is often in desserts such as cheesecakes.
- Unless we say otherwise please don’t cook our food touching your meat or the juices from it.
- Some vegetarians or vegans are stricter than others if you are not sure check what you need to avoid. For example, some wines are not vegetarian due to the way they are made.
Making Christmas Healthy
Apparently, most people gain weight over Christmas and New Year, who knew? I cant understand how with all those chocolates, wines, nuts and liqueur coffees!
It isn’t compulsory to gain weight though. I have had years where I have maintained my weight or even lost over Christmas. It doesn’t have to spoil the fun either, here are a few tips!
- Only cook in oil if you really have to, use water, stock or spray oil where you can.
- Don’t have chocolate tubs lying around the house. Get them out and then put them away to save constantly picking.
- Eat when you are hungry not just because there are leftovers!
- Choose a day to draw the line and give unopened treats to the local food bank.
Hope you all have a truly wonderful Christmas and New Year!
