Vegan News Daily super cooking instructor and innovator, Elspeth (The Speedy Vegan) Feldman has two recipes to light up any Christmas Dinner — 1. Chestnut and Mushroom Roast and 2. Spinach Arugula Salad with Candied Walnuts, Pears, Pomegranates & Citrus Dressing.
Even better, the recipes and list of ingredients are right here!
Chestnut and Mushroom Roast
Ingredients
2 cups red onions, diced
2 cups carrots, diced
2 cups celery, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
16 ounces mushrooms, diced
1 tablespoon herbes de Provence or Poultry seasoning
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 cup brown rice, cooked
1 cup wild rice, cooked
1 1⁄2 tablespoons coconut aminos or salt free seasoning
1 7.4 ounce jar roasted chestnuts*, diced
3 ounces fresh baby spinach or Swiss chard
*I use La Forestiere brand
For the Garnish
6-8 small radishes
2 cups Brussels sprouts, halved and steamed
Fresh rosemary sprigs
Fresh thyme sprigs
1 zucchini or red pepper (optional to make a bow)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Add the onion, carrots, celery, garlic and mushrooms to a large
sauté pan and cook for 5-6 minutes or until all the vegetables
have softened. - Add the herbes de Provence, tomato paste, brown rice, wild
rice, coconut aminos, chestnuts and spinach and cook for 3-4
minutes stirring regularly. Cook until the spinach has wilted
down and most of the liquid has cooked off. Adjust the
seasoning if needed. - Add one cup of the mixture to a small blender and blend it into
a paste. Add the paste back into the pan and stir it all together until well combined. You can skip this step but it does help bind the mixture together. - Add the mixture to a non-stick or silicone bundt pan and press it into the pan. You can also use a loaf pan for a rectangular shaped roast.
- Cover with foil and bake for 60 minutes.
- Remove the foil and cook for 15 minutes more and then turn off the oven but leave the pan in the oven for another 15 minutes. Run a knife around the edge of the roast to loosen it from the pan. Place a serving platter or cake stand upside down on top of the pan and very carefully flip it over. If any of the mixture gets stuck in the pan, spoon it out and gently press it back in place.
- Arrange the Brussels sprouts and radishes around the roast and decorate the top with sprigs of fresh rosemary and thyme.
- Peel the zucchini or red pepper very thinly using a vegetable peeler and make a bow using the green or red peel.
- Note: You can prepare this in advance and freeze the wreath in the Bundt pan before roasting in the oven. If you want to free up your bundt pan for another use, once it has frozen remove it from the pan, wrap with plastic wrap and store in the freezer until you are ready to roast. To cook from frozen return the wreath to the bundt pan, cover with foil and roast for 75 minutes and then remove the foil and cook for another 15 minutes and then turn off the oven but leave the pan in the oven for another 15 minutes.
Spinach Arugula Salad with Candied Walnuts, Pears, Pomegranates & Citrus Dressing
Ingredients for the Salad
4 ounces baby spinach
2 ounces arugula
2 pears, unpeeled cored and sliced
1 cup candied walnuts*
1 cup pomegranate seeds
Ingredients for the Candied Walnuts*
1 cup raw walnut halves
2 tablespoons date syrup
1 teaspoon cinnamon
Ingredients for the Dressing
2 tablespoons orange zest (from 1 orange)
1 cup fresh squeezed orange juice
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon date syrup
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons shallot, minced
1⁄2 teaspoon cinnamon
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and line a baking sheet with
parchment paper. - Toss together the walnuts, dates syrup and cinnamon in a small
bowl and then spread them in a single layer on the baking
sheet. Roast for 7-8 minutes. Watch closely to make sure they
don’t burn. - Make the dressing by mixing all the ingredients together in a
jar. - Assemble the salads by adding the baby spinach and arugula
to a large bowl and then adding 1⁄2 cup of the dressing to the
greens and tossing it together. Divide the dressed greens
between serving plates and then top the greens with the pear
slices, candied walnuts and pomegranate seeds. - Spoon a little extra dressing over the top of each salad and
serve.
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