Ways to Make Being Vegan over the Holidays Easier
Nov 15, 2018
A vegan twist on a classic holiday staple, Mac and Cheese! It’s a very simple and healthy alternative to regular Mac and Cheese.
It’s holiday time, your family is gathered around the dinner table. You can smell delicious food being cooked at every corner. Extravagant desserts are displayed and everyone is sipping on that eggnog.
Being vegan during this time, around all of the holiday dishes, can be especially challenging. Luckily, it’s easy to stay on track with your plant-based eating plan when you come prepared.
Making alternative foods that contain the same savory palate is simple. If you have a favorite holiday dish, chances are there’s a scrumptious healthier version. There is a continuous surplus of recipes that can be found by an easy google search.
Some holiday classics with easy vegan alternatives include:
- Vegan mashed potatoes
- Roasted brussel sprouts
- Rosemary roasted potatoes
- Vegan mac and cheese
- Tofurkey
- Stuffing
And many more!
Being vegan during this time might seem like a hassle, but it’s really not as bad as its thought to be. Although it takes alternate planning, in the long run, it’s more healthy to be plant-based.
A remake of a vegan sugar cookie recipe found on a plant-based cooking blog. The soft and sweet cookies were decorated with frosting and red and green sprinkles to get you in the Christmas spirit.
The same idea of struggle for vegan holiday food applies to desserts. However, you can still indulge in sweet, delightful desserts that are more than satisfying. Some holiday desserts that can easily be made vegan are:
- Vegan eggnog
- Chocolate fudge
- Chocolate peppermint donuts
- Pumpkin pie
- Pumpkin Spice Shakes
- Chocolate cream pie
- Christmas frosted sugar cookies
Being vegan over the holidays really isn’t the struggle it’s made out to be. Even though it requires additional work, creating the alternate, plant-based versions of your favorite holiday dishes are well worth it.
Ingredients
- 10 ounces dried macaroni (or about 2 2/3 cups)
- 1 cup peeled/diced yellow potatoes (or russets)
- 1/4 cup peeled/diced carrots
- 1/3 cup chopped onion
- 3/4 cup water (preferably use the liquid from the pot of boiled veggies)
- 1/2 cup raw cashews
- 1/4 cup coconut milk
- 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast flakes
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 3/4 to 1 teaspoon salt (or more to taste)
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 pinch cayenne pepper (optional)
- 1 pinch paprika
A vegan and healthy twist on a pumpkin pie shake! Made with a banana and almond milk base, this recipe is far healthier than nonvegan recipes.
Ingredients
- 1 cup vegan butter slightly softened
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 flax egg (1 tbsp ground flaxseed + 3 tbsp water)
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 2.5 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 small pinch of salt
- 2-3 tablespoons sprinkles (optional)
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup almond milk or fav nut milk
- 7 almond milk ice cubes
- 3 frozen ripe bananas
- ¾ cup 100% pure pumpkin puree
- 1 tablespoon pure maple syrup
- 1 tablespoon coconut sugar or maple syrup ( add more to taste)
- 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
- ¼ teaspoon pure vanilla extract or 1/2 vanilla bean
Tass Tassinari ◊ Nov 28, 2018 at 1:13 pm
First off, thank you, Sophie, for writing this article for those of us who do not use real eggs, milk, or other animal products for whatever reason.
Second off, I’m confused as to why people not eating meat bothers others enough for them to comment on this. Like, they’re literally just NOT eating animal byproducts. How does this hurt you? What are they gonna do, steal your bacon? They do not want to eat meat regardless of their reason and your comment isn’t gonna change that. If anything, it’s rather insensitive considering that many people are vegan because their digestive system is weak, and cannot process meat. They cannot simply eat meat, They will die. Others, like myself, have enjoyed vegan recipes for a while simply because they are always lactose free.
So yeah uh stop telling vegans to eat meat. Thanks.
Thanks for the article, too, The Sage. I’ll be making some of these!
Zach Stansell ◊ Nov 28, 2018 at 7:58 am
Nobody said anything negative, Mary. Just stating their opinion that people should eat meat.
Btw, humans have sharp teeth to eat meat so biologically we should eat meat to have a perfectly balanced and healthy diet. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion, even though veganism is a meme. And I totally get the religion thing, even if I don’t agree with it.
Aman Nemani ◊ Nov 16, 2018 at 12:20 pm
Being a vegan or a vegetarian isn’t always about the whole “saving animals” gig. It is dependent on many other things such as religion, ethnicity, and family preferences. I really appreciate this article since it branches out to a new audience.
Mary Deyo ◊ Nov 16, 2018 at 10:36 am
I hate how most of these comments on this article are very negative. This is a very helpful guide for vegans, such as myself. Thanks for the post. I would reply to most of these comments, but alas, I won’t because there is no reply option. I will address some of the concerns that my fellow classmates have about my lifestyle. For my friend Bryce, supply and demand is a wonderful thing to learn about, I recommend really looking into it. Most meats actually are unhealthy as stated by the WHO (world health organization), the biggest collection of medical professionals. Processed meats like sausage, deli slices, bacon, etc. are class one carcinogens along with cigarettes and arsenic and for sure cause cancer. Red meat such as beef, pork, lamb, etc are class two carcinogens, meaning there is proof that it causes cancer, mechanically its proven, but they haven’t come to a concise conclusion. The food chain is irrelevant. In today’s age everything is for humans. If you remove any species (minus maybe mosquitos) the whole food chain would collapse, you remove humans, everything else prospers. And for my friend Gavin Newsom (I have some doubts that this name is legitimate.) Most vegans cook for themselves. I dont force my parents to cook anything for me.
Bryce Hinrichs ◊ Nov 16, 2018 at 8:51 am
Not eating meat isn’t going to stop the slaughter of animals like most vegans are against. They’re still going to be slaughtered and sold. You’re just torturing yourself by not making use of our spot on the top of the food chain. I get if you want to be more healthy, but many foods vegans are against aren’t unhealthy such as most meats. Meats provide protein, and surely a lot more than tofu. I’m not a nutritionist so if I said something incorrectly please feel free to correct me, but that’s my stance on it.
Nikita Ovchinnikov ◊ Nov 15, 2018 at 12:26 pm
Just eat meat, it’s delicious.