What I Ate Over the Holidays

Written by on in Blog, Recipes

Check out this week’s video to see what I ate on Christmas. I cover breakfast, lunch, and dinner. You’ll see my family’s whole food plant-based holiday menu, and you can find the recipes below:

Sweet Potato Casserole

rectangle casserole dish with mashed sweet potatoes and topped with an oat nut crumble

The amounts for this casserole are approximate and depend on how large a casserole you want. For the topping we mix just enough to cover the top with a thin layer

Ingredients

  • 3 or 4 large baked sweet potatoes (see notes)
  • 3 parts rolled oats
  • 1 part chopped nuts (walnuts and pecans)
  • Cinnamon to taste
  • Optional: Maple syrup or date syrup

Directions

  1. Remove the skins from the baked sweet potatoes and then mash in a casserole dish. Mix in about 1 teaspoon of cinnamon. If you need a little extra sweetness, you can add a little date syrup or maple syrup to taste. We usually only add the cinnamon.
  2. Add the nuts and oats to a food processor and pulse a few times.
  3. Transfer the oat nut mixture to a small bowl and stir in a little maple syrup or date syrup. Then spread the mixture evenly over your mashed sweet potatoes. This will be messy!
  4. Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit about 20 or 30 minutes.

Notes

  • Bake the whole sweet potatoes on a parchment lined baking sheet at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for 40 minutes to an hour or until soft.

Creamy Mashed Potato Casserole

oval casserole dish full of mashed potatoes

Ingredients

  • 2 or 3 pounds yukon gold potatoes, peeled and quartered
  • 2 cups roughly chopped cauliflower (about half to a whole head)
  • 1 heaping teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1 heaping teaspoon onion powder
  • 1 tablespoon dried chives
  • 1 tablespoon salt substitute such as “Stardust” from Well Your World
  • ½ to 1 cup soymilk (or other plant-based milk)
  • Optional: rosemary or Italian seasoning to taste
  • Optional: 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast

Directions

  1. Place the trivet in the bottom of a 6 quart Instant Pot with ¾ cup water. Add the potatoes and cauliflower and cook at high pressure for 17 minutes with a natural release.
  2. Carefully remove the trivet from the Instant Pot. Add all the spices and start blending the potatoes using an immersion blender.
  3. Add soymilk as needed to blend the potatoes until smooth.
  4. Serve immediately with gravy, or transfer to a casserole dish and cover with foil for easy prep at holiday meal time. Before your holiday meal, reheat the potatoes covered at 350 degrees Fahrenheit until warmed through, about 30 to 40 minutes.

Chocolate Pistachio Pie – Two Ways

pie plate of chocolate pie topped with pistachios and a date syrup drizzle

Ingredients

  • 1 prepared chocolate pie crust (see notes)
  • 24 ounces (2 boxes) silken tofu (we use soft silken tofu, but any silken tofu should work)
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla powder
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 2 or 3 tablespoons carob powder or cocoa powder
  • 3 tablespoons date sugar
  • Optional Toppings: chopped raw pistachios, date syrup

Directions

  1. Prepare crust per notes below.
  2. Carefully remove the tofu from the package, draining the water, then gently pat dry with a tea towel or paper towel. You can also, gently press the tofu by wrapping it in a tea towel for 10 to 20 minutes for a firmer texture if desired, but it is not necessary.
  3. Add tofu along with the vanilla, cinnamon, carob powder, and date sugar to a food processor. Blend until smooth, stopping to scrape down the sides as needed until everything is fully incorporated.
  4. Spread the tofu mixture over the pre-baked crust.
  5. There are two options to finish this pie:
    • For a cold cream pie: Chill in the refrigerator and top with chopped pistachios and a drizzle of date syrup on top just before serving.
    • For a “cheesecake” type pie: Top with pistachios and then bake the pie at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 30 to 40 minutes, or until the tofu is set. Allow to cool and refrigerate until ready to serve. Add a drizzle of date syrup on top just before serving.

Notes

  • We use Cathy Fisher’s Pecan-Date Pie Crust with a few changes:
    • 1. Instead of pecans, we use walnuts.
    • 2. And for this chocolate pie, we add 1 tablespoon of carob powder (or you could use cocoa powder). Otherwise, prepare the crust per her directions.

Looking for more holiday meal ideas? Check out my other Thanksgiving and Christmas meal posts.