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vegan christmas

Last Minute Gift Guide | Vegan & Eco & Minimalist

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Welcome to the vegan gift guide for the conscious consumer (perfect for you and I and any one who simply doesn’t have their sh*t together in time)!

How does it feel like Christmas just happened? It rolls up so quickly, and then it be like… AH no time! Or is that just me?

Are any of you organized for Christmas morning in November? If so, I bow down to you.

Christmas can be stress-inducing, when really it should be the opposite.

This word ‘Holidays’ should really mean quality time spent with the ones you’re incredibly fond of, giving to those who need it the most, and eating delicious plants in the form of comfort food surrounded by Charlie Brown Christmas tunes and the smell of:

But, it’s not always that simple, is it?

If the scramble for presents is taking away from the simplicity of what the Holidays are really about, then you have come to the right place.

PLUS, in the attempt for achieving a sustainable and minimalistic holiday, I’ve added in eco-friendly gift wrapping ideas, at the bottom for you.

Merry Christmas!

THE GIFT OF EXPERIENCE:

What goes on in your town? Make it a gift of experience this year by getting tickets for a concert, festival or play…or maybe a ski ticket, or something like Vallea Lumina… or a staycation itinerary, farm sanctuary visits, or maybe even a mini close-by vacation. Just a few ideas to get the creative juices flowing. Create memories for a gift this year.

KITCHEN + HOME:

SUPERFOODS/SUPPLEMENTS:

  • Stay Wyld Organics Medicinal Mushrooms (Reishi, Cordyceps, Lion’s Mane, Chaga, Turkey Tail)
  • Complement Protein Powder + Complement Plus ‘3 in 1 supplement’ (B12 + Vitamin D3 + Micro Algae Epa/Dha)
    • Go here and use Discount Code: ‘HOOKEDONPLANTS’ for 10% off
  • Pranin whole food iron + vitamin C (use code ‘hooked’ for a discount)

EAT!:

FOODIE GIFT CARDS:

This is your opportunity to show your friends and fam something new, and support a biz you love (PLUS, it’s the ultimate last minute gift idea).

DONATIONS

We mostly think about our close ones when it comes to gift-giving, but there are so many businesses, animals, and people that could really use our help during the holidays. To donate money in the name of someone else, and hand over a card saying you did so, is incredibly meaningful.

Farm Sanctuaries and Animal Shelters:

Vancouver/Whistler/Victoria:

Toronto:

Global:

World Hunger & Shelter & Environmental Protection: 

  • A Well Fed World: Plants 4 Hunger helps feeds hungry children without harming animals!

EXPERIENCES

ONLINE GOODIES

COOKBOOKS

CRUELTY FREE CLOTHING | JEWELLERY | ACCESSORIES 

These may not work as last minute, but they’re great ideas for future gift-giving!

ECO-FRIENDLY GIFT WRAPPING

Can you imagine what a pile of thrown away wrapping paper would look like after Christmas is over?

Apparently it would cover 5000 football fields!!!

Plus, this stuff is died, and laminated, making it difficult to recycle.

So, let’s opt out and go for these natural looking, enviro-friendly ideas instead.

  • Scarves from your local Thrift Store or Re-Use-It Centre
  • Newspaper
  • Brown paper and twine (both can be found at Staples, Michael’s, or your local farts n’ craps’ store;)  for an organic look.
  • Jars, cans or boxes you have around the house. Just tie twine around it and, voila!
  • Grocery bag totes that they can re-use
  • Paper bags
  • Any kind of fabric you have kickin’ around! Time to get creative.

Apricot Butternut Squash Lentil Loaf | Vegan | Oil-Free | Salt-Free

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With Christmas is just around the corner, the best way to show your love to your family and friends is through their taste buds.

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Welcome, lentil loaf.

It’s sweet and savoury, packed with plant nutrients, and a mouth-watering replacement for the usual meaty main on the plate.

Roasted butternut squash, nutritional yeast, flax meal and oat flour hold this baby together, and a maple-y, molasses glaze tops it right off!

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Who says Christmas has to be about guilty indulgence? This lentil loaf will benefit your bod, yet taste comforting and decadent.

Impress your family with a vegan main for Christmas dinner. Be a rebel and switch up the tradition 😉

You can make this ahead of time and throw it into the freezer once it’s cooled. Just de-thaw by letting it sit in room temperature for at least 1 hour (or in a pool of warm water in the sink for 30 minutes), then bake again at 350 degrees F for 20 minutes or so.

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Benefits:

–Lentils are one of the most healthy ingredients in the world. They’re packed with antioxidants, lower cholesterol and have anti-inflammatory effects. Eating these morsels and any other plant foods help protect the skin and ward off wrinkles too.

–Butternut squash is low in fat, high in fibre and high in beneficial plant carbohydrates. Plus it does wonders for immunity, and bone health.

–Apricots protect against free radical damage and inflammation. They also help your eyesight with all that vitamin A.

–Salt-free and Oil-free! Salt leads to water retention, which leads to bloating, a puffy face, and water weight. Go without it for a week and see if you notice a difference! Oil is a fat, packed with calories, and zero fibre. Even if it is said to be ‘health promoting’, it is still a processed ingredient that will aid in weight gain.

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Serves: 8-10

Time: 1 hour 30 minutes

Ingredients:

Loaf:

  • 1 cup green lentils uncooked
  • 1/2 cup pumpkin seeds
  • 1/2 cup walnuts chopped
  • 1 cup butternut squash, chopped in 1 cm cubes
  • 1 cup carrot, grated
  • 1 cup apple, grated
  • 1 sweet onion, diced
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1/4 cup vegetable broth (or water)
  • 8 dried apricots, diced
  • 3 tbsp flax meal
  • 1/2 cup oat flour
  • 1/2 cup nutritional yeast
  • 6 sprigs-worth of fresh thyme, de-stemmed
  • 1 tbsp oregano
  • 1 tsp tarragon
  • Dash of pepper

Glaze:

  • 1/4 cup molasses
  • 1/2 cup  ketchup
  • 2 tbsp dijon mustard

Directions:

  1. Pre-heat oven to 325 degrees F
  2. Cook lentils according to package
  3. Spread pumpkin seeds and walnuts on cookie sheet, then toast in the oven for 8 minutes
  4. Turn oven up to 350 degrees F
  5. Roast butternut squash for 20 minutes
  6. While squash is roasting, heat a pot to medium heat
  7. Oil-free sautéing time. Add onions to pot, and stir until you see browning/caramelization on the bottom (about 5 minutes). Then add garlic and saute for another 30 seconds. Add 1/4 cup vegetable broth (or water) to deglaze the pot. The onions and garlic should have a brown tinge to them
  8. Add carrots, celery, apple, tarragon, oregano and black pepper to pot. Let simmer 10 minutes
  9. In food processor, blend 1/2 cup of the roasted butternut squash with 3/4 cup of the cooked green lentils. Once blended smooth, add in flax meal, nutritional yeast, oat flour, and thyme. Blend until smooth again
  10. Transfer blended mixture to the pot. Add pumpkin seeds, walnuts and apricot. Mix together well
  11. Line a loaf pan with parchment paper (leave some out along edges so you can use it as handles to pull out loaf when it’s done)
  12. Press loaf mix evenly into the pan
  13. Make the glaze: Mix together all ingredients in small food processor, or in a small sauce pan on low heat (this will help the molasses mix together)
  14. Use spatula to spread the glaze over the loaf evenly
  15. Bake for 45-50 minutes in the 350 degree F oven
  16. Let cool 5 minutes, then move from the pan onto a cooling rack.
  17. Enjoy with your favourite sides! Vegan mashed potatoes coming soon!

Play by play:

Toastimg_3282 Simmerimg_3283 Grateimg_3284 Roast & BLENDimg_3286

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Miximg_3291 Pressimg_3292

Then Glaze & Bake!

 

Vegan Butternut Squash Shepherd’s Pie

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Colourful, flavourful, subtly spicy and a crowd-pleaser.

This shepherd’s pie ain’t yo mama’s!

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(Unless you’re lucky enough to have a Mom like mine who gives me a run for my money at this whole plant-based chef thing)….
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Unusual and SUPER healthy, this new and improved version features lentils instead of beef, and bright butternut squash instead of potatoes (not that there’s anything wrong with taters, but squash is mega-abundant right now and needs to be gobbled up).
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And of course, it just gets better by the day as the ingredients infuse each other to enhance each flavour in the mix. Leftovers for the win.

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Have fun with this one, and serve it at your next dinner party to get a reaction. Let me know how it goes!

Here’s to comforting fall dishes and dinner parties.
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Benefits:

–Butternut Squash is packed with vitamin A, vitamin C, potassium and fibre. The bright orange colour of this squash means it’s packed with beta-carotene, an antioxidant that will combat cancer, asthma and help strengthen your immunity. The potassium will help lower blood pressure, and the vitamin A will help your skin and nails!

–Lentils are nutrient-dense, fibre rich, low in fat, and give you digestible and usable plant protein. We should all be eating some type of legume or bean daily. So, here’s your fix.

–Kale. Can I get a kale yeah!!? A super-green packed with vitamins and minerals galore. Fibre, vitamin C, vitamin A and vitamin K are also packed in there. Here’s a good run-down of 10 benefits!

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Vegan Butternut Squash Sheperd’s Pie

Serves: 10

Time: 1 hour

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Ingredients:

For squash topping:

  • 1 large butternut squash, peeled, cored and chopped
  • 1-2 tbsp vegan butter (Earth Balance from Spud Vancouver is what I use. You can use my code for a discount at check-out ‘CRVAN-MURJUB’)
  • 1-2 tsp oregano

For lentil filling:

  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 shallot, minced
  • 3 carrots, diced
  • 1 large onion, diced
  • 2-3 celery stalks, diced
  • 3 tbsp curry paste
  • 1 tbsp fresh thyme
  • 1 tsp cumin
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 2 cups green, brown, or French lentils, rinsed
  • 4 kale leaves, stemmed and torn
  • 3-4 cups of vegetable broth
  • 1 cup frozen peas

Directions:

  1. Steam butternut squash until tender. Pour over a strainer and let sit until all liquid is gone.
  2. Heat large pot over medium heat. Add some water and the onions, carrots, and celery (no need for oil!)
  3. Let sweat for 10 minutes, adding more water if it’s sticking. Then add in garlic and shallot. Let sweat for another 3-4 minutes.
  4. Add curry paste, thyme, cumin and salt. Stir to coat.
  5. Add pre-rinsed lentils and enough vegetable broth to just cover. Bring to a boil, then simmer for 15-20 minutes, or until lentils are just tender.
  6. Pre-heat oven to 425 degrees F.
  7. While this is simmering, place butternut squash, vegan butter, oregano, salt and pepper into a bowl and use potato masher or fork to mash until almost smooth.
  8. Mix frozen green peas and torn kale in the lentil mixture, then pour into oven dish (about 12″ by 8″ and 2-3″ deep (there shouldn’t be extra water in the mixture, if so, drain it out).
  9. Spread mashed butternut squash evenly over top off the lentil mixture.
  10. Bake for 10-15 minutes.
  11. Broil on low for 2 minutes to brown that colourful squash.
  12. Let sit a few minutes before serving!
  13. Let cool completely before storing in the fridge.