HOW TO SURVIVE THE HOLIDAYS AS A VEGAN

Being a Vegan is easy when I'm cooking for myself, but what about the holidays? For Thanksgiving and Christmas this year, I decided to make a couple vegan-friendly dishes. This way my non-vegan family members can try something Vegan and realize I don't only eat salads for every meal and that vegan food is actually delicious. However, I will be the first to admit that the past two months have been the hardest months for me being a vegan. I have messed up and not stuck to my diet. In 2018 I'm starting completely over and getting back to my ways 100!!!

For Thanksgiving, I made a STUFFED BUTTERNUT SQUASH WITH QUINOA SALAD, BALSAMIC-ROASTED POTATOES WITH ASPARAGUS, and CRANBERRY STUFFED SWEET POTATOES. I found the recipes on Pinterest and they were a HUGE hit with my family members!!! They were surprised at how good everything tasted.

STUFFED BUTTERNUT SQUASH WITH QUINOA SALAD

INGREDIENTS

-½ cup uncooked quinoa, rinsed and drained -1 cup vegetable broth -1 large butternut squash -1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling sea salt and pepper, to taste -3 cloves garlic, minced -2 shallots, sliced -2 celery stalks, finely chopped -3 cups chopped kale -1 cup cooked chickpeas, rinsed and drained -1 small bunch parsley, chopped juice from 1 lemon -1½ tablespoons pure maple syrup generous pinch red pepper flakes -⅓ cup pomegranate seeds -¼ cup roasted pecans, chopped

HOW TO:

1.Preheat the oven to 425°F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. 2.Cut the squash lengthwise down the middle. Scoop out and discard the seeds, and brush each piece with olive oil. Sprinkle with a few generous pinches of salt and pepper. Place the squash cut side down on the baking sheet. Roast until tender when pierced with a fork, about 35-40 minutes depending on the size of the squash. At the 20 minute mark, turn the squash over so that it's facing cut side up. Remove from the oven and set aside. 3.While the squash bakes, place the quinoa and vegetable broth in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil uncovered, then reduce the heat and let simmer covered for 15 minutes. Turn off the heat and allow the quinoa to sit for 5 more minutes, or until the broth is absorbed. Remove from the heat and set aside. 4.In a skillet over medium heat, sauté the garlic and shallots in 1 tablespoon of olive oil until soft, about 2 minutes. Add the celery and sauté 2 minutes longer. Add the kale and chickpeas to the pan and sauté until the kale is wilted and the chickpeas are heated through. Add the cooked quinoa, parsley, lemon juice, maple syrup, and red pepper flakes. Stir to combine and season with salt and pepper. 5.Scoop out the roasted squash leaving about ¾-inch of squash plus shell. Fill the squash with the quinoa salad mixture, allowing it to overflow generously. Top with pomegranate seeds and pecans, then slice and serve.

BASALMIC-ROASTED POTATOES WITH ASPARAGUS

INGREDIENTS -new potatoes (such as Jersey Royal or another small waxy variety) cut into quarters -asparagus tips cut into 2 inch pieces or halved -2 tbsp garlic-infused olive oil -4 tbsp balsamic vinegar -A generous pinch of salt and pepper

HOW TO: 1.Preheat oven to 390F. 2.In a large roasting tin, add the olive oil, balsamic vinegar and salt. Add the potatoes and toss to coat fully before roasting for 20 minutes. 3.After 20 minutes, add the asparagus with a little extra olive oil, if needed. Toss to coat and cook for a further 15 minutes. 4.Season with extra balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper. 5.Serve and enjoy!

CRANBERRY STUFFED SWEET POTOATOES

INGREDIENTS

-4 Large Sweet Potatoes, cleaned -1 Tsp Olive Oil -2 Tablespoons Shallots, minced -2 Cup Cranberries, rinsed -⅓ Cup Pure Maple Syrup -¼ Cup Apple Cider -½ Tsp Sea Salt, or to taste -¼ Tsp Pepper -½ Cup Pecans, chopped

INSTRUCTIONS 1.Preheat the oven to 400 F. 2.Poke each sweet potato with a fork a few times. Place on a parchment lined cookie sheet and bake 1 hour, or until tender. 3.Meanwhile, make the cranberry sauce. In a medium saucepan, heat the oil over medium high heat. Add the shallot and cook 2 minutes, stirring occasionally. 4.Add in the cranberries, maple syrup, apple cider, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer; cook for 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally. 5.Set aside until needed. 6. When the sweet potatoes are cool enough to handle, cut each potato lengthwise in half. I think to take a fork and slightly mash the top of the potato. Top each half with some of the cranberry mixture. 7.Garnish with the chopped pecans.

For CHRISTMAS I made a LASAGNA WITH TOFU RICCOTA, POMEGRANATE & BASIL WITH VEGAN CREME CHEESE BRUSCHETTA and GRINCH KABOBS.

LASAGNA WITH TOFU RICCOTA-

SIDE NOTE: When this first came out of the oven, I was skeptical because it didn't look like it would taste good. It looked runny, however, it tasted amazing and there wasn't any left overs. This was a HUGE hit with the family!!!!

INGREDIENTS

For the lasagna: 12 whole grain lasagna noodles 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil 1 medium zucchini, chopped (optional) 8oz pkg sliced mushrooms 12oz pkg frozen spinach, thawed 1 cup frozen peas, thawed (optional) 5 cups marinara sauce For the tofu ricotta: 2-14oz pkg extra firm tofu, drained and pressed 10oz tub roasted garlic hummus (1 heaping cup) ½ cup nutritional yeast ¼ cup fresh basil, finely chopped (optional) 1 tsp salt 1 tsp garlic powder

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 350F. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add noodles and cook just until al dente. Drain and rinse with cold water. 2.Meanwhile, heat oil over medium heat in a large skillet. Once hot, add zucchini, mushrooms, and a pinch of salt and pepper. Sauté for 5 minutes or until softened. Add spinach and peas and sauté for another 5 minutes. Remove pan from heat. 3.Place drained tofu in a large bowl. Crumble with hands. Add hummus, nutritional yeast, basil, salt, and garlic powder. Stir together with a fork until it's semi-smooth and resembles ricotta. 4.Place about a cup of marinara in the bottom of a 9x13in baking dish. Top with 4 noodles (3 lengthwise and 1 widthwise to cover the gap at the end). Next add half of the ricotta mixture and half of the vegetable mixture. Top with a heaping cup (or more) of sauce. Repeat with more noodles, tofu mixture, and veggies. Then top with one last layer of noodles and another cup and a half of sauce; I went heavy on the sauce because I love sauce! Top with a sprinkle of nutritional yeast. 5.Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes.

POMEGRANATE & BASIL WITH VEGAN CREME CHEESE BRUSCHETTA

INGREDIENTS

1 large french baguette cut into 1"" slices 8 ounces vegan cream cheese 1 cup pomegranate arils 1/4 cup fresh basil minced juice and zest from 1 orange balsamic reduction recipe below Balsamic Reduction 1 cup high quality balsamic vinegar 3 tablespoons agave nectar

INSTRUCTIONS

1.Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Slice the baguette into 1"" slices and lay flat on a baking sheet. Bake for about 10 minutes until crispy and slightly brown around the edges. Remove from oven and let cool. 2.Stir together balsamic vinegar and agave nectar in a sauce pot over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil and boil for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until balsamic has reduced to about 1/3 cup. Remove from heat and let cool while assembling the bruschetta. 3.In a small bowl combine pomegranate arils, basil, and orange zest and juice. Spread a layer of vegan cream cheese on toasted baguette, drizzle with balsamic reduction, and top with pomegranate/basil mixture. Serve immediately.

GRINCH KABOBS

These are super easy all you need is grapes, bananas, strawberries and mini marshmallows.