Christmas Dinner [vegan & last minute]

“Christmas is a season not only of rejoicing but of reflection.” – Winston Churchill

And I made a huge reflection, concluding: I’m not even trying to apologise. I didn’t upload and I have no excuse. I just didn’t feel like it.
My life changed a lot in the last three months. I moved, I started my new job, I fell in love with my new job and many other things changed.
So, is this a “comeback”? Probably not. The old me would be like, I’m going to be better, I’ll stick to my upload schedule. But I right now, won’t. I love cooking and I love taking pictures. But it takes a lot of time and effort and sometimes I just prefer to spend my Sunday doing nothing or to go for a long run.
However, I love Christmas and I love cooking big meals for loved ones. So, I really wanted to spend a day in the kitchen creating a Christmas dinner. Because after all, it’s one of the greatest times of the year. And because I have no cool story to tell or motivational saying to say: Let’s get started with this year’s Christmas dinner!

Today's pieces of happiness:

All you need: (serves approx. 6 people)

Starter: Roasted pumpkin soup with beetroot crème and caramelised walnuts

Pumpkin Soup
1 Hokkaido pumpkin
3 carrots
1,5 vegetable broth
Salt and pepper to taste
Some olive oil
Beetroot crème
6 beetroots (peeled and cooked)
100 ml water
1 tbsp. horseradish
Salt and pepper to taste
Walnuts
200 gr. walnuts
1 tbsp. brown sugar
1 tbsp. margarine

1. Step: Pumpkin time
Preheat the oven to 200°C (grill). Half the pumpkin and remove the seeds, then chop into wedges. Place the pumpkin a baking tray and drizzle with some olive oil, salt and pepper. Roast the pumpkin for 20 minutes, or until slightly caramelised at the edges.

Meanwhile, slice the carrots into chunks. Heat up some olive oil in a large saucepan and add the carrots. Toast them for about five minutes, until slightly coloured. When the pumpkin is ready, add to the pan with the stock. Then carry on cooking for 15-20 minutes, or until the carrots and pumpkin are very soft. Blend with a stick blender, adding a little more water if you like a thinner consistency.

2. Step: Beetroot crème
Place the beetroots in a pan, add the water and the horseradish and let it simmer for 10 minutes. Blend with a stick blender, adding a little more water if you like a thinner consistency.

3. Step: Walnut time
Melt the margarine in a saucepan, add the sugar and add the walnuts when the sugar starts melting. Toast the nuts for three to four minutes or until slightly coloured and covered with sugar.

Main: Mushroom Stroganoff with red cabbage and crispy potato cubes

Mushroom Stroganoff
200 gr. king oyster mushroom
200 gr. oyster mushroom
400 gr. mushrooms
300 gr. pickles/ gherkins
1 tbsp. margarine
1 tbsp. flour
4 tsp. Dijon mustard
2 tsp. tomato purée
150 ml unsweetened plant milk (I used almond milk)
50 ml white wine
Salt and pepper to taste
Crispy Potato Cubes
1 kg potatoes
1 tbsp. olive oil
2 tsp. salt
2 tsp. pepper
1 tsp. paprika
Red cabbage
Try out this recipe from last year’s Christmas dinner: Christmas Dinner 2016 or be a lazy Christmas elf and treat yourself to some store-bought cabbage

1. Step: Potato time
Preheat the oven to fan 200 °C. Wash the potatoes but don’t peel them. Cut them into more or less even-sized cubes. Put the cubes into a roasting tin and add the spices and olive oil. Mix well and spread the potatoes making sure they have plenty of room. Roast the potatoes for 25-30 minutes, stirring them half-way through, until they are really golden and crisp.

2. Step: Stroganoff time
Slice all the mushrooms and the pickles into stripes.
Melt the margarine in a deep pan over medium-low heat. Stir in the flour. Whisk in a little of the milk at a time, stirring continuously until you have a smooth, slightly thick sauce. Add white wine, mustard and tomato puree. Season with salt and pepper.
Add the mushrooms and pickles and cook for around 15 mins until completely softened. Adjust seasoning when needed and scatter with fresh parsley right before serving it.

3. Step: Serving time
Heat up the cabbage and place everything on a plate.
Wow, that step was definitely worth writing.

Dessert: Baked Apple Tiramisu

Baked Apples
3 big apples
1 tbsp. margarine
50 gr. brown sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. mixed spices

Vegan Mascarpone Crème
500 gr. vegan yoghurt (I used almond yoghurt)
200 ml. vegan whipping cream (I used sweetened cream and no other sugar, if you use unsweetened cream, you might want to add some sugar)

Speculaas biscuits (Spiced biscuit)
Cacao powder
Optional: 1 Espresso

1. Step: Apple time
Wash the apples and slices them into little pieces.
Melt the margarine in a pan, add the sugar and let it melt. Add the spices and apples and let it cook for 10 minutes or until the apples are soft. Set aside and let cool.
2. Step: Crème time
Whip the cream to stiff peaks. Now slowly fold in the yoghurt and maybe a tad of sugar in case you used unsweetened cream.
3. Step: Show-time
Line up the biscuits in your serving bowl. Drizzle with coffee. Layer crème, apples, another layer of biscuits drizzled with coffee, another layer of crème and top it off with cacao powder. Put it in the fridge and let it sit for a couple of hours, maybe even overnight (that is absolutely not necessary but trust me, letting it set intensives the taste and will make the dessert even better!).
Here we go, I'm delighted to tell you: you have done it! Now go on and enjoy your self-made piece of happiness ♥
Merry Christmas to you and your loved ones!
& a Happy New Year. May Santa bring you lots of love and luck!
I’ll see you next year! Until then, do not forget: Happiness can be delicious, so go on and spread some feliciousness ❤️

Love, Miss Felicious XXX