5 Healthy Vegetarian Recipes For Christmas

Dress up your Christmas table with these 5 healthy vegetarian recipes for Christmas. You can enjoy a healthy vegetarian Christmas with just a little planning and some time in the kitchen. Even meat eaters will enjoy these recipes.

1. Vegetarian Garlic Soup

• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 1 red onion, diced
• 6 green onions, chopped
• 11 garlic cloves, minced
• 6 thick slices of toasted French bread, ground into crumbs
• 2/3 cup milk
• 5 cups vegetable stock
• 1 tsp miso
• 1 tsp salt
• 12 oz. evaporated milk

1. Heat olive oil in large saucepan. Add onions and ten cloves of garlic. Saute until soft.
2. Combine bread crumbs and milk. Mix well. Add to garlic along with stock and miso. Lower heat and simmer for 15 minutes.
3. Add salt and remaining garlic. Simmer fifteen more minutes.
4. Transfer to blender and puree.
5. Return to pot, stir in evaporated milk. Heat through.

2. Healthy Vegetarian Cauliflower Gratin

• 1 lb cauliflower florets
• 2 tsp olive oil
• 3/4 cup chopped onion
• 2 cloves minced garlic
• 1 14.5 oz can chopped tomatoes
• 2 tbsp drained capers
• 1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese
• 1 1/2 tbsp chopped fresh dill

1. Steam cauliflower for four to six minutes, until tender
2. Preheat broiler. Heat oil in saucepan over medium low heat. Add onion and garlic. Cook five minutes.
3. Add tomatoes and capers. Increase heat to medium high and cook seven minutes.
4. Spread tomato mixture in 2 quart gratin dish. Top with cauliflower, and sprinkle with feta.
5. Broil until slightly browned on top.

3. Vegetarian Spanakopita For Christmas

• 1/2 cup olilve oil
• 2 cups onion, minced
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 tsp basil
• 1 tsp oregano
• 2 1/2 lbs fresh spinach, with stems off
• 5 cloves garlic, minced
• 3 tbsp flour
• 1 lb feta cheese, crumbled
• 1 cup ricoota cheese
• 1 tbsp black pepper
• 1 lb filo dough

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees
2. Saute onion, salt, basil and oregano in 2 tbsp oil for five minutes
3. Add spinach and cook over high heat until limp. Turn heat down to medium, stir in garlic and flour. Cook for two to three minutes.
4. Remove from heat and stir in cheese and pepper.
5. Lay out a sheet of filo in a baking dish. Brush with oil, and layer and other filo sheet on top. Repeat for eight layers.
6. Spread 1/2 of spinach mixture over dough. Lay out another eight layers of filo as above. Spread rest of spinach mixture. Lay out rest of filo.
7. Brush top with oil, and tuck all filo into dish.
8. Bake uncovered for 45 minutes.

4. Healthy Vegetarian Stuffed Sweet Potatoes for Christmas

• 4 large sweet potatoes
• 1 1/2 tbsp butter
• 1/2 cup onion, minced
• 4 tbsp crystallized ginger, minced
• 2 tbsp golden raisins
• 2 tbsp prunes, chopped
• 1/2 tsp salt and pepper

1. Bake sweet potatoes at 450 for 45 minutes, until soft. Remove from oven and let cool for ten minutes.
2. Melt butter, add onion and saute until clear. eight to ten minutes.
3. Cut each potato in half lengthwise, scoop out most of the flesh.
4. Combine flesh with onion, ginger, raisins, prunes, salt and pepper. Spoon into sweet potatoes.
5. Bake until very hot, about five minutes.

5. Vegetarian Gravy for Christmas

• 2 tbsp butter
• 3 tbsp flour
• 2 cups vegetalbe stock
• 1 cup ground toasted nuts
• salt and pepper to taste

1. Heat butter in a saucepan until melted. Whisk in flour and stir continuously for one minute.
2. Remove from heat for two to three minutes.
3. Return to heat and whisk in vegetable stock and nuts. Simmer, stirring constantly until thickened.
4. Season with salt and pepper.