Nov 2019 – ROOTING ABOOT: Voyage to Veganism

Christmas Food: Round 2

Ready for the next round of Christmas food? Then let us begin…

We’ve already covered the Christmas Day centrepiece and dessert in Round 1 so let’s move on to the sweet little somethings that can accompany a glass of wine or cup of tea when friends and relatives pop by. I like a bit of panettone (us being Europeans and all that).

If you’re ordering online then Mindful Bites offer chocolate, mixed berries or classic versions. They would also make lovely Christmas gifts (hint, hint).

https://www.notonthehighstreet.com/search?term=vegan%20panettone&filter%5Bcategory_id%5D=15000

But where’s all the pies you might ask? Well, there’s no shortage of vegan mince pies to munch on, I’m pleased to say.

https://groceries.asda.com/product/food-to-order/asda-mince-pies/1000173202382

https://www.waitrose.com/ecom/products/waitrose-2-gluten-free-mince-pies/425808-677779-677780

https://www.coop.co.uk/products/co-op-free-from-4-mince-pies

These are laced with brandy no less:
https://www.sainsburys.co.uk/shop/gb/groceries/oggs-luxury-handmade-mince-pies-x4-184g

Christmas wouldn’t be Christmas without a few pieces of chocolate…or even a hamper. Just remember to share with other people or you’ll be the size of a hoose by New Year.

https://www.hotelchocolat.com/uk/the-all-dark-collection.html

Maybe just a few truffles then from Booja-Booja.

https://boojabooja.com/pages/booja-booja-chocolate-truffles

Fancy a wee bit of iced fruit cake with your beverage?

https://www.waitrose.com/ecom/products/waitrose-christmas-vegan-iced-fruit-cake/491592-704873-704874

Rooting Aboot has sampled these Co-op spiced fruit cakes and mighty fine they were too.

As you can see from the above, there’s no need for any vegan to miss out.

South Indian Sambar Curry with Green Beans and Roast Cauliflower

I tried this sambar recipe for the first time this week and would happily have paid money for it in a restaurant. The green beans and cauliflower are roasted in vegetable oil, black onion seeds and turmeric and only added to the sambar at the end. We ate it with basmati rice and chapatis with every last bit scraped off the plate.

My tips for this recipe:

The green beans and cauliflower needed a bit longer than ten minutes to roast (about twenty-five minutes). Check the cauliflower by jabbing with a knife to test if it’s soft.

I personally recommend using 200g of Yellow Mung Dal (Morrison’s and Sainsbury’s sell it) because it breaks up pretty easily to give a smooth sambar without needing to use a blender. To prepare, first rinse it in a sieve under the cold tap until the water runs clean and then cook in 1.5 Litres of boiling water (with half the turmeric) for 30-35 minutes. Keep topping up with boiling water to ensure it doesn’t stick or get too thick.

When you get to Instruction 5. Don’t drain this mixture – use it all as the base. Add the spicy fried onion mixture, tomato puree, creamed coconut and tamarind paste to the dal pan. There’s no need to add any additional water. Cook for a few minutes then add the roasted green beans and cauliflower.

Most supermarkets sell creamed coconut in the Indian or Chinese food sections.

Christmas Food: Round 1

Rooting Aboot has been doing a bit of snooping to see what’s on offer food wise this Christmas season and it’s good news on the vegan front. If you’re not into slaving over a hot cooker this year and would rather be slurping on some mulled wine and the like, have a gander at the links below for ideas.

Please direct any relatives to this blog before you plan to visit them so you don’t end up gnawing only on carrot sticks and hummus during the festive period…just saying.

Begin December with an Advent Calendar (or two):