2020 Holidays: Vegetarian Meals Recap

Ever wondered what vegetarians eat during winter Holidays? Here's what we did this year.

Painting above: The Fruit and Vegetable Costermonger (c. 1631) by Louise Moillon

January sees a lot of people getting curious about introducing vegetarianism into their diet. Being vegetarian around the holidays can be tough for people who are starting out, so I thought it might be helpful to share what my spouse and myself actually ate this holiday season.

NOTE: Despite having been a vegetarian for over a decade, I'm no evangelist, it's just a habit.  Also, none of this is sponsored.


Christmas Eve

Dinner
Deluxe veggie burger bar! Since it was just the two of us per COVID guidelines, we made veggie burgers, but went all-out with the toppings including fried halloumi, baby spinach, quick pickled onions, banh mi pickles, two different types of home-made burger sauce, store-bought burger sauce, etc. It was amazing and worth taking like 20 bottles out of the fridge.
Just served this with store-bought buns, veg patties, and fries

Christmas Day

Breakfast - Baked French Toast with Caramelized Pears by Canadian Living
  • was delicious and easy. I made it on the 24th, then just popped it in the oven on the 25th and voila fancy, delish breakfast
  • only suggestion -  next time I will dip each slice of bread in the egg mixture before laying it in the dish (the recipe advises to pour it over top), to ensure more even coverage
Dinner
  • Roasted Potatoes and Grapes with Rosemary via Canadian Living
  • Stuffed mushrooms - I made just the cheese part of this warm goat cheese and cherry tomato dip, put in mushroom caps, then topped with half a cherry tomato each 
  • Loaded Spinach Salad - no recipe really, I just made an intense spinach salad and loaded the toppings with red onions, pomegranate seeds, feta, sliced apple, candied nuts, some sliced mushrooms, a few sliced radishes, and a really good dressing

New Year's Eve

My spouse looooves cheese (we are lazy vegetarians) and felt this was amazing. I shook some Everything Bagel Spice from Spice World in Winnipeg on top of the pastry before baking which was perfecto.

Toast Cups from Canadian Living
This was so easy and a great way to try different flavours! Here are the combos I did which were all successful:
  • Dried apricot + goat cheese + Sweet Heat Chili honey from East Van Bees
  • Cubed sharp cheddar + Saltspring Kitchen Jam (I used their cranberry + sour cherry + port jam in particular, but honestly all their jams are amazing) + parsley sprigs
  • pan fried Gardein beefless tips + mayo and prepared horseradish + slivered green onions (chives would also have been great
  • The Good Butcher pan fried pepperoni + cubes of mozza + slices of bell pepper
In between we had a lot of holiday baking that my inlaws sent, and we did a bunch of veg charcuterie plates - grown up cheese n crackers! Easy, filling, etc.

Useful links for vegetarian holiday food elsewhere

50+ best vegan holiday meals over at The First Mess
  • I haven't personally made any of these, however, I have cooked many of her other recipes and they are solid
Mashed Potato Holiday Bowls over at The Full Helping
  • A++!! Made this like three times over the holidays, it is an excellent veg adaptation of holiday favourites, and easy, too!
Holiday Salad Marathon over at Recipe Tin Eats
  • I made a variation of the pomegranate salad and the crispy noodle salad, both were excellent sides

More about adapting to a vegetarian diet on the yak occidental here.

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