How To Cook A Vegan Christmas Dinner

If you're vegan or are having vegans over for Christmas, you'll need to know how to cook a vegan Christmas dinner. A vegan diet includes no meat, dairy, eggs, honey or other animal products. Some ingredients appear to be vegan, but really aren't: for example, some sugar is filtered with bone char and some margarine contains dairy. Take care to make sure your ingredients are all vegan, or some poor vegan won't be having a merry Christmas!

Tofu turkey

You will need:

• four pounds crumbled extra firm tofu
• four chopped celery stalks
• one diced onion
• 1/2 pound chopped mushrooms
• two tablespoons sesame oil
• one teaspoon chopped fresh sage
• one tablespoon each chopped fresh rosemary and thyme
• two crushed garlic cloves
• salt and pepper
• 1 1/4 pound bread crumbs
• two tablespoons miso paste
• one teaspoon mustard
• six tablespoons each sesame oil and soy sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon orange zest
• three fresh rosemary sprigs

1. Line a colander with a clean tea towel and place in a larger bowl. Add the tofu, another towel and a weight to press it down. Refrigerate at least two hours.
2. Sautee celery, onion and mushrooms in sesame oil. Add garlic, herbs, salt and pepper and cook for five minutes. Remove from heat ad stir in bread crumbs.
3. Remove half the tofu, then mold the remaining tofu around the sides of the colander. Add the bread crumb mixture and top with the rest of the tofu. Carefully invert the colander onto a baking sheet.
4. Whisk together the miso paste, mustard, sesame oil, soy sauce and orange zest.  Brush the tofu with half the sauce and top with rosemary sprigs. Cover with aluminum foil.
5. Bake at 400 for one hour. Baste with all but 1/4 cup of the sauce and bake another hour without foil, until golden brown. Brush with remaining sauce before serving.

Vegan turkey gravy

You will need:

• three tablespoons vegan margarine
• six tablespoons flour
• 1 1/2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
• 1/2 teaspoon each paprika and garlic powder
• one teaspoon each poultry seasoning and onion powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• three cups water
• 1/8 teaspoon liquid smoke

1. Melt the margarine over medium heat. Whisk in the flour and cook two to three minutes.
2. Add the nutritional yeast and spices. Cook one more minute.
3. Whisk in the water and liquid smoke. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for five to ten minutes or until thickened.

Pumpkin risotto

You will need:

• 3 1/2 cups vegetable broth
• 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
• one chopped onion
• one minced garlic clove
• one cup each Arborio rice, white wine and pumpkin puree
• one tablespoon brown sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon each cinnamon and salt
• 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
• white pepper, to taste

1. Bring the broth to a simmer in a covered pot.
2. Sautee the onions and garlic in the olive oil until soft. Add the rice and stir to coat in oil.
3. Add the white wine. Ladle in the hot broth 1/2 cup at a time and cook, stirring constantly, until the rice absorbs all the liquid.
4. Stir in the pumpkin, sugar and spices.

Green bean casserole

You will need:

• 1 1/2 pounds fresh green beans, trimmed and cut in quarters
• two teaspoons olive oil
• ten ounces mushrooms button mushrooms
• three cloves minced garlic
• dash each of cayenne pepper, black pepper and salt
• two tablespoons flour
• 3/4 cup each vegetable broth and unsweetened soymilk
• one tablespoon dry sherry
• one cup French fried onions
• 1 1/2 slices bread
• one tablespoon vegan margarine

1. Cook the green beans in boiling, salted water for six minutes. Drain and shock in ice water.
2. Sautee the mushrooms, garlic and spices in olive oil. Stir in the flour and cook for one minute.
3. Whisk in vegetable broth. Simmer until thickened, then stir in sherry and soymilk.
4. Process bread and margarine in food processor, along with a dash of salt and pepper. Stir in onions.
5. Combine green beans with mushroom sauce and top with bread crumbs. Bake at 425 for fifteen minutes.