Holly (how appropriate is that!) is discussing Veggie options for Christmas live on the Richard Spur Show today, Thursday 9th December, 2010 on Radio Nottingham.

Listen live at http://news.bbc.co.uk/local/nottingham/hi/tv_and_radio/ between 2pm & 4pm on thursday (probably closer to 2pm)

Call in with your comments on 0115 934 3434

or ‘listen again’ to the program for 09/12/2010 for 7-days at http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p002v948

Go Vegan for Christmas

With the Vegan Society’s top tips for a cruelty-free Christmas, it really is the season to be jolly!

And they have loads of recipe ideas too.

Vegetarian Christmas: mushroom wellington

This is a fantastic vegetarian main course & it goes excellently with the rest of the traditional dinner. It does take a while to make, & the recipe makes 2 enormous wellingtons, but I make it beforehand, freeze it, then just take it out of the freezer on Christmas eve. Then you only need to put it in the oven on Christmas Day!

Mushroom Wellington
Makes 2

This dish is time-consuming, but you can prepare it up to the baking stage and freeze it weeks in advance. Before serving, remove the wellington from the freezer and, after thawing, glaze the pastry with beaten egg and put it in a hot oven to bake for 45 minutes at 220C/425F/gas mark 7 until puffed and golden.

600g puff pastry
50ml sunflower oil
675g chopped onions
450g whole chestnut mushrooms
2 tbsp fresh tarragon
4 garlic cloves, crushed
4 tbsp soya sauce or tamari, or replace one with marsala or sherry
320g broken cashew pieces
320g ground almonds
175g fine freshly made breadcrumbs, white or wholemeal
Sunflower oil for glazing
salt and pepper to taste

Roll out the pastry into two rectangles, 23×30.5cm each, cover and place in the fridge. To make the filling, heat the oil in a large pan and fry the onion with half the crushed garlic for at least 20 minutes or until it turns a deep golden colour. This is crucial, as pale onions will give an insipid mix. Remove onions from the pan and set aside, then add the mushrooms to the same pan with the rest of the garlic and half the tarragon and cook on a fairly high heat. Halfway through cooking, add the soya sauce or tamari and the alcohol, if you are using it. Continue until the mushrooms are cooked through; there should be no white centre left when you cut one open. Season with salt and pepper. Set aside, reserving all the mushroom liquor (the intensely flavoured liquid given out by the mushrooms). In a food processor or blender, blend the cashews with the reserved mushroom liquor to a fine, smooth purée, adding a little water or even more of whichever alcohol you are using, until you have a smooth, sweet paste or pate.

See the recipe at iVillage

As a Christmas Starter try this Vegetarian/Vegan Mushroom & Chestnut Pate

Animal Aid at Christmas

Spare the turkey this year and give yourself a real gourmet treat!

Veggie recipes are great for Christmas, birthdays, Sunday lunch or just a special treat.

For more ideas for a cruelty-free Christmas see Animal Aid’s Christmas Recipes and download their FREE Compassionate Christmas guide.

Viva! Veggie Christmas

Viva!’s Veggie Christmas Pages 2010

Vegetarian Society Christmas

More ‘Meat free Christmas recipes with a twist’, can be found at the Vegetarian Society and Cordon Vert Cookery School’s 2010 Christmas recipe collection.

Vegan Family Christmas or Yule

The Vegan Family loves Christmas time or Yule – lights, colour, celebration, sharing, eating and drinking special things with friends and family. See their recipe and gift ideas at http://www.veganfamily.co.uk/yule.html