Holiday Meal Ideas

Holiday meals do not have to be lots of work and take hours or even DAYS to prepare. It's important to make a special meal and one that tastes delicious so that you can enjoy the meal as much as everyone else at your holiday table! And it's all possible!

For Thanksgiving, I made my first ever Cauliflower Roast, which was absolutely delicious, and it helped make my meal feel super fancy ;) and it was super easy!

Win-win.

I also made vegan, oil-free mashed potatoes with parsley and green onion as well as roasted acorn squash (sliced in 1/2 inch pieces for that extra fancy look of course).

The Cauliflower Roast recipe was inspired by Karissa's Vegan Kitchen, but I altered it to make it oil-free, soy-free and salt-free.

In fact, all of these recipes are Medical Medium appropriate! All of these recipes are overt fat-free (aka no oil, nuts, seeds), but if you'd like to add coconut oil on top of your veggies or into the mashed potatoes, please go ahead :) suit to your tastes.

Cauliflower Roast with Veggies

The glaze:

2-3 tablespoons tomato paste

2-3 tablespoons maple syrup

1-2 teaspoons lemon juice

1 teaspoon cumin

2 teaspoons paprika

2 teaspoons onion powder

1-2 teaspoons garlic powder

dash of curry powder

splash of water (for the consistency you prefer)

*depending on the size of your cauliflower, you may need more or less of the glaze

The roast:

1 medium to large cauliflower, leaves removed

3-4 large carrots, chopped

1 red onion, chopped

10-12 Brussel sprouts, cut in half

Preheat the oven to 400F.
Toss the cut up veggies in lemon juice and water (as much as you'd like).
Place the cauliflower in the middle of a large edged baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicon mat with the veggies around it.
Combine the glaze ingredients in a small bowl and stir to combine.
Turn the cauliflower over and pour some of the glaze (about 2 tablespoons) around the underside. Shake the cauliflower around a bit to evenly distribute the glaze into all the crevices.
Spoon the glaze over the top of the cauliflower and brush the glaze until the cauliflower is covered. *You may need to add more water and lemon juice if your glaze is thick, like mine was
Roast for 30 mins then add any leftover glaze and turn the veggies. Roast for another 30 mins, checking for doneness. A fork should slide in easily to the cauliflower.
Cut into wedges and serve with chopped fresh parsley.

Note: if you don't like onions, carrots and brussel sprouts, use any other veggie combo that you love!

Mashed Potatoes with Mushroom Gravy

This recipe was inspired by two others: one from Medical Medium and the other from Kate Flowers.

Potatoes:

6-8 medium to large Yukon Gold potatoes, cut into bite size pieces

3 garlic cloves

parsley + green onion, chopped (as much as you'd like!)

Gravy:

6 cups mushrooms, chopped

1 onion, diced

4 garlic cloves, minced

1-2 tsp tomato paste

1/4 cup mashed potatoes

1 tsp fresh rosemary, thyme + sage (or 1/2 tsp dried)

Place the potatoes and garlic in a large pot with enough water to cover. Bring to a boil and cook for 20-30 mins or until potatoes are fork tender.
Drain almost all of the water, saving a bit to use for mashing the potatoes. (This keeps them moist without using oil, butter or plant-based milk)
Mash the garlic with the potatoes. Set aside 1/4 cup for the gravy.
Add the chopped parsley and green onion. Stir to combine.
For the gravy: In a large pot, water sauté the onion until translucent, about 5-7 minutes.
Add the garlic and mushrooms. Cook until mushrooms are soft and tender.
Add the tomato paste and herbs.
Cook for 3-5 minutes, allowing the flavors to mingle, then add the mashed potatoes. Stir well.
Serve gravy on top of mashed potatoes and enjoy!

Depending on the consistency you prefer for your gravy, you can add more or less water. Mushrooms lose a lot of their water content when sautéed so you may not need much!

Roasted Acorn Squash

This recipe is so simple! Simply cut the acorn squash in half lengthwise, then in 1/2 inch slices. Roast as is (400F for 20-30 mins or until tender) or sprinkle with cinnamon for a fun twist!

...and last but not least, a simple holiday salad.

Leafy greens

Diced apples

Pomegranate seeds

Orange juice (with a splash of lemon)