First Christmas as vegan.

Xcellor

I've been on a primarily plant based diet since summer. I am doing christmas dinner this year only for my parents and brother. My parents are mostly vegan too but my brother isn't.

I'd like to just cook vegan but I'd like the food to be indulgent as possible so it's not sh*t for my brother.

I'm a guy and my partner is going back to her parents for xmas so I'd really like to keep it easy (if there are any Marks and Spencer like vegan options I'm totally fine with that..)

Suggestions for starter/main/dessert (i can handle the booze just about...)

Cheers,

ElKavo

Where are you based?

ElKavo

Would something like this float your boat?
Cracklin and everything...

frag420

Perhaps talk to your brother first...if it was the other way around and you were going to his place and you found out he would like to just cook a traditional Xmas dinner how would you feel?

Xcellor wrote: »

I've been on a primarily plant based diet since summer. I am doing christmas dinner this year only for my parents and brother. My parents are mostly vegan too but my brother isn't.

I'd like to just cook vegan but I'd like the food to be indulgent as possible so it's not sh*t for my brother.

I'm a guy and my partner is going back to her parents for xmas so I'd really like to keep it easy (if there are any Marks and Spencer like vegan options I'm totally fine with that..)

Suggestions for starter/main/dessert (i can handle the booze just about...)

Cheers,

Xcellor

ElKavo wrote: »

Where are you based?

Longford but no issues travelling to Dublin if needed.

Xcellor

ElKavo wrote: »

Would something like this float your boat?
Cracklin and everything...

Yeah if it tastes OK!

ElKavo

Xcellor wrote: »

Longford but no issues travelling to Dublin if needed.

There are a good few roast type products. There is the moodleys one, the tofurkey to name just 2. the tofurkey can be bought in nourish and plenty of others I presume.

They are close to omni Christmas dinner so wouldn't be too much of a shock for the bro. We had the tofurkey last year and I made a fam in the picture with was finished with mustard and brown sugar, I used a rice paper "Skin" to get the cracklin. Some of my in-laws tried it and said they preferred it to the other ham that was on the table. I just the rest of the standard veg, Roast spuds roast carrots , stuffing etc.

Went down a real treat.

Tar.Aldarion

Cracklin' recipe please! Also the Moodley roast is great. 30e but it's 1kg so it's big.

jcd5971

frag420 wrote:

Perhaps talk to your brother first...if it was the other way around and you were going to his place and you found out he would like to just cook a traditional Xmas dinner how would you feel?

frag420 wrote:

Perhaps talk to your brother first...if it was the other way around and you were going to his place and you found out he would like to just cook a traditional Xmas dinner how would you feel?

My sister is vegan, I'm glad she can have her choice of food, I'm not and if she wanted to not have any meat for Xmas dinner that's fine, but tell me first as I don't want to have an argument at Christmas but I'm having turkey for 1 day a year don't ruin it by trying to force your life choices on me without any warning

Slaphead07

Dee is doing a vegan roast and stuffing this year. It's by order only, no retail (as yet). I'll be buying one or two!
https://veganroast.com/

Xcellor

jcd5971 wrote: »

My sister is vegan, I'm glad she can have her choice of food, I'm not and if she wanted to not have any meat for Xmas dinner that's fine, but tell me first as I don't want to have an argument at Christmas but I'm having turkey for 1 day a year don't ruin it by trying to force your life choices on me without any warning

Well it was my brother who actually promoted veganism to my parents and said to watch "What the health" they converted, i decided to give it a go but he is still eating meat which is funny...

I went over to his place for xmas once, just the two of us, we were up the mountains snowboarding. He was convinced it was Spain so something would be open. Our Xmas dinner consisted of monster munch, we had some tinned pies but they don't work well in a microwave . I'll let him know my plans for Xmas but if he has some problems with it I'll remind him of the above.

Xcellor

Slaphead07 wrote: »

Dee is doing a vegan roast and stuffing this year. It's by order only, no retail (as yet). I'll be buying one or two!
https://veganroast.com/

I'd like some pictures of what it looks like when it's cooked. The site doesn't have a contact link though.

Xcellor

ElKavo wrote: »

There are a good few roast type products. There is the moodleys one, the tofurkey to name just 2. the tofurkey can be bought in nourish and plenty of others I presume.

They are close to omni Christmas dinner so wouldn't be too much of a shock for the bro. We had the tofurkey last year and I made a fam in the picture with was finished with mustard and brown sugar, I used a rice paper "Skin" to get the cracklin. Some of my in-laws tried it and said they preferred it to the other ham that was on the table. I just the rest of the standard veg, Roast spuds roast carrots , stuffing etc.

Went down a real treat.

I think Ill go with the moodleys. 4 people would 1 be enough?

ElKavo

Tar.Aldarion wrote: »

Cracklin' recipe please! Also the Moodley roast is great. 30e but it's 1kg so it's big.

So essentially this is it. Rice paper, mustard ( We used the mild for the little ones but a colemans etc would give a deeper flavour.) Brown sugar as dark as you can get salt, pepper and some cloves if you are that way inclined.

Method:
1. Wet your Fam or what ever you want your cracklin on.
2. Coat in mustard.
3. Roll the Fam in the brown sugar mix.
4. Soften the rice paper and wrap the Fam with 1 sheet.
5. Repeat steps 2 and 3, then repeat step 4 with 2 sheets of rice paper.
6. Coat again in steps 2 and 3 and if you are using cloves pin the rice paper to the fam with these.

The rice paper will crisp up after about 20 - 30 min in the oven at 180 Deg C.
You can go as thick as you like but the thicker you go the longer it will take to crisp up.

You might want to take out half way through to baste the roast and again near the end, the more the merrier.

You can get the Fam in the asian market (drury street or ballymount) or on veggi shop 24 if they have them instock...


I use the rice paper whenever I want to replicate a skin per-say. In this one I used it to make the fish skin with sushi wraps. Not everyone's cup of tea but man its seriously close to a fish skin.

ElKavo

Xcellor wrote: »

I think Ill go with the moodleys. 4 people would 1 be enough?

It's a kilo so I would imagine it would do you comfortably. You should have some left over for for stephens day sambos.

Tar.Aldarion

Awesome thank you, starving now.

L1011

Need to get a vegan Christmas pudding for someone. Lidl ones contain milk. Any suggestions?

ElKavo

L1011 wrote: »

Need to get a vegan Christmas pudding for someone. Lidl ones contain milk. Any suggestions?

I had a look around too as my folks are coming down, not really having any joy with the store bought ones. I did hear something about the Dunnes ones. Maybe have a look there? No info online. What about cornucopia if your in Dublin? Or might be worth trying the quay co op in cork if your around there...

henryporter

ElKavo wrote: »

I had a look around too as my folks are coming down, not really having any joy with the store bought ones. I did hear something about the Dunnes ones. Maybe have a look there? No info online. What about cornucopia if your in Dublin? Or might be worth trying the quay co op in cork if your around there...

I'll be making my own as usual, although the vegan versions are tricky, so I'm still trying to perfect the recipe (and given that it's once a year it's hard to do a re-try :-D). I'm going with an aquafaba attempt this year, so hopefully it will hold better than flax eggs.

MissMayo

L1011 wrote: »

Need to get a vegan Christmas pudding for someone. Lidl ones contain milk. Any suggestions?

The Dunnes one is, assuming no isinglass, etc. has been used to filter the alcohol.

ElKavo

Had a root while in Aldi too and looks like there 18 month one is safe.
There are plenty of others that have cream or egg so this one is the only one I'd go for.