A Different Christmas Menu: 100% Vegetable
An opportunity to be creative
For those of us who enjoy cooking, the Christmas holidays are a golden opportunity to unleash our creativity and the perfect excuse to design attractive dishes that taste great.
The expectations of the guests are usually high and we do not always have the time that we would like. But it doesn’t have to be a problem since, if we know how to organize ourselves, we can prepare a festive menu in a simple way, without having to spend more time than necessary between the stoves.
When we cook, our attitude is transmitted to the food, as if it were just another condiment, so that a simple dish made with love will always be better than a sophisticated recipe devoid of feeling and intention.
Some of the typical delicacies of these dates come from a tradition that connects us with the past. There are symbolic recipes, such as the roscón de Reyes, that remind us of the importance of the astrological period that we are living.
However, with some exceptions, vegetable ingredients have not had much prominence in the Christmas recipe book, probably because during these holidays they were used to sink their teeth into products that were scarce or luxury for the lower classes, such as meat or seafood. .
But customs change and a healthier and more responsible way of eating is imposed. Now we can dress the classic Christmas menu with other aromas and flavors.
Traditional dishes sometimes have ingredients that do not fit our ideal of food. But it is becoming easier to get hold of foods that help to version these recipes to make them more our own, more ethical and healthy: an egg-free nougat, low-glycemic sweeteners, vegetable protein, etc.
To create the best environment
The important thing – whether you follow the tradition with variations or if you prefer something new – is to offer a festive table that reflects a homey and cheerful atmosphere, and this is easy to achieve with fresh food, with lots of color and taking care of the details so that they are pleasant in sight.
A Christmas meal or dinner can be light and leave diners satisfied. The trick is to make it varied, with enough vegetable fiber, and to prepare attractive starters in which there are different alternatives to choose from.
This time of year is ripe for reconciliation and gratitude. And the cook, with the foods he chooses and the way he cooks them, can help to bring out these feelings. To achieve this, you have to choose foods that have a yang energy condition (whole grains, seitan, legumes, algae, nuts) and forms of cooking that generate internal heat, such as baking, stewing or long stir-fries.
The best ingredients are seasonal, and now we have excellent: endive, escarole, beet, cabbage, turnip, apple, grape, cherimoya … And the best spice s are now cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg. Enjoy!
