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vegan holiday

5 Vegan Easter Treats that will Blow Away Your Bunny Ears

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Easter was a huge deal when I was a kidlet.

Painted Easter Eggs, a string to follow that would lead me to the hidden chocolates under the couch and behind pillows, then a big kids Easter Egg hunt all over the forest with one mega, sought after chocolate bunny prize.

Why that doesn’t happen on Easter day anymore as a young at heart adult? I DON’T KNOW. Bring it back, please. When did we all grow up and think we’ve outgrown easter egg hunting? We’re all kids at heart, and that kinda stuff should continue on whether it’s for the new generation of kids, or just for yourself. Because you deserve to be a kid always, and forever.

Anyways… I thought I’d bring some Vegan Easter Treats to you that will complete your weekend  from some of my favourite veganista blogerellas. Hopefully this brings some nostalgia back to your Easter, or at least amps it up with a bit more deliciousness.

Peanut Better Balls  by Oh She Glows

Why I love em’:

  • 7 ingredients
  • Taste like Reeces pieces
  • Finger food heaven

Vegan Chocolate Creme Eggs by It Doesn’t Taste Like Chicken

Why I love em’:

  • Just look at the creamy rainbow falling out of them!
  • They’re just fun.
  • Just like Cabury MINUS the dairy
  • Playful and perfect for making with the kids

Vegan Easter Cookies by Vegan Family Recipes

Why I love em’:

  • They’re coloured with turmeric, beet and matcha powder
  • They’re totally dip-able
  • They’re ready in 20
  • They wake up the creative side, and I’d most def’ be making them with my Grandma if she made a visit this weekend

Cashew Cream Egg by Nest and Glow

Why I love em’:

  • They’re on the healthier side (so we can all eat more)
  • Look how pretty they are!

Vegan Sachertorte by Moi and Mom

Why I love it:

  • A fool proof, dense, chocolate cake that is loved by all every time
  • It’s chocolate heaven
  • It’s ridiculously easy

ok…NOW I’M DROOLING.

Are you?

Here’s a few more Egg-y and Chocolate-y tips:

  1. Check out Pamela Fergusson’s blog post for a dozen things you need to know about eggs (this will enlighten you about the reasons why I steer clear of them…even on Easter)
  2. Ready to eat vegan Easter answers:

If you make any of these, tag me and the blogger so we can see your creations!

Happy Easter.

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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.

Maple Dijon Pecan Hasselback Butternut Squash | Simple Vegan Holiday

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Simple.

Beautiful.

Delicious.

Tha’s what I’m talkin’ about!

This Holiday, why not skip the Turk and whip yourself up a hasselback butternut squash?

Hasselback it up to prett-ify it to the maximum, and you have yourself a wow-effect kinda dish.

Why Hasselback? According to the Google-tron, it’s because once upon a time at the Hasselbacken hotel in Stockholm, Sweden, they sliced up potatoes like this, served them to the guests and dubbed them the funky name. Ya learn something new every day.

If you’re a last minute kind of person, and you need to whip something special up for the holiday table, I’ve got you.

In just a few steps, your house will be smelling better than Jamie Oliver’s fancy kitchen.

This is a dish that looks fancier than the minimal effort you put into it. Shhh… You can tell everyone you were in the kitchen for hours and hours, I won’t tell.

This Maple Dijon butter topped off with caramelized pecans really does take your typical butternut to the next level. Grab a beauty organic squash from Spud (you can use my code if you’re around the Vancouver area CRVAN-MURJUB, for 20$ off 🙂

Happy Holidays!!


Maple Thyme Hasselback Butternut Squash | Simple Vegan Holiday Dish
 
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A delicious way to devour the butternut squash. If you're looking for a beautiful dish for the holiday table, you've come to the right place! A simple dish with a big wow factor.
Author:
Recipe type: Holiday
Serves: 4
Ingredients
  • 1 large butternut squash, halved length-wise, seeds scooped out, then peeled to the bright orange colour
  • 1 tsp coconut oil (or avocado oil)
  • 1 tsp sea salt
  • 1 garlic clove, sliced

  • Baste:
  • 1 tbsp thyme, minced
  • 1 tbsp vegan butter (I used 'Melt')
  • 2 tsp dijon mustard
  • 1½ tbsp maple syrup
Instructions
  1. Pre-heat oven to 400°F.
  2. Place squash face down on a parchment-covered baking sheet, rub with oil and sprinkle with salt.
  3. Bake for 10-15 minutes (to soften).
  4. Take out of the oven, and transfer to a cutting board to cool for 10 minutes.
  5. When the face-down squash is cool enough to handle, slice the hasselback cuts as thinly as you can. Stop slicing ¾ of the way down the squash to keep the base in tact.
  6. Place the squash, face-down, back onto the parchment covered baking sheet.
  7. Stuff a few garlic slices throughout the sliced squash.
  8. Bake for 10 more minutes while you make the baste.
  9. Make baste: whisk all of the baste ingredients together in a bowl.
  10. Remove the squash from the oven and pour ¾ of the baste over both halves. Use a basting brush to get it all over!
  11. Bake for another 20 minutes. Then add the pecans to the rest of the baste, and pour this mixture over the squash. Use the basting brush to spread any excess liquid on the pan, overtop of the squash.
  12. Bake 10 more minutes.
  13. Serve with roasted veg!

Tag me if you make this! (@hookedonplants on instagram)

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Grateful Fred Stuffed Tofu Turkey | Vegan Holiday Feast

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The holidays are all about love, connection, community, cheersing and good times. The food and the love that goes into it is always big part of all the festivities. So, this Thanksgiving, here’s a stuffed tofu turkey recipe to spread the love, and fall in love with…without the cost of the turkey, Fred (he’s grateful).

Turkey shmurkey. Ham shmam. Steak shmeak.

Eating plant-based during a holiday dinner party isn’t always an easy task, that is unless you bring this comfort-food recipe of a lifetime!

I wanted to help you create something that won’t be a compromise… and may even be just as popular at the Thanksforgivin’er shindig than your Auntie’s turkey pie!

If you’re looking for a pre-made option, Gardein makes a delicious ‘stuffed turkey’ (use CRVAN-MURJUB to shop at Spud to get 2 free ones in your order), and Tofurky does too.

But, if you want to go the cooking route and put as much of that love ingredient in there as possible, look no further!

Fred is thankful he can live out that Turkey life of his, and the fam will be thankful that the vegan doesn’t bring carrot sticks to the comfort-food party!

This turned out really well. The outside is browned, the inside is tasty with pecan stuffing, and the overall feel is incredibly turkey dinner-like.

Top it all off with this mushroom gravy, and this mashed cauliflower for your tastebuds to explode.

Pin this!

Other ideas for a Holiday dinner recipes… Meatless Balls, Whole Roasted Cauliflower, Mashed Butternut Swirl, Pumpkin Pie Cheesecake, or this Apricot Butternut Lentil Loaf (an oldie but a goodie).

Pin this!

Grafeful Fred Stuffed Tofu Turkey
 
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Prep time
Cook time
Total time
 
A perfect replacement for Fred the Turkey for a holiday feast! This pecan stuffing rolled up in a tofu 'turkey' will shine on the centre of the dinner table.
Author:
Recipe type: thanksgiving, holiday, christmas, dinner
Cuisine: holiday, thanksgiving
Serves: 8
Ingredients

  • Tofu Turkey:
  • 4 blocks organic firm tofu (each 350g)
  • 2 vegetable bouillon cubes
  • 2 tbsp nutritional yeast
  • 2 tbsp onion powder
  • 2 tbsp garlic powder
  • 2 tbsp fresh sage, chopped
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 2½ cups of vegan stuffing (recipe below)
  • 3-4 tbsp Bragg's liquid aminos (for basting)

  • Vegan Pecan Stuffing (makes enough for stuffing the tofu turkey, plus a side dish):
  • 8 cups bread of choice, cubed
  • 1 cup large yellow onion, chopped
  • 1½ cups celery, chopped
  • 7-8 white mushrooms, chopped
  • 1 tbsp dried thyme, minced
  • 1 tbsp fresh rosemary, minced
  • 2 tbsp fresh sage, minced
  • 2 cups vegetable broth
  • ½ cup pecans, chopped
  • ½ tsp Pink Himalayan or sea salt
  • ½ tsp black pepper

  • Goes well with this Mushroom Gravy
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 400°F
  2. Press tofu: Place a layer of paper towel on a plate, then the tofu cubes, then another couple layers of paper towel, then a cutting board, then a bowl filled with water. Let sit for at least 30 minutes (the longer the better)
  3. Meanwhile, make the stuffing! Start by spreading the cubed bread out over a cookie sheet. Bake in the oven for about 25 minutes (stir at the 10 minute mark), until it's dry...smells so good.
  4. In a large pot, oil-free sauté the onions, celery and mushrooms for 5 minutes (just add a bit of the veggie broth if it's sticking), until softened. Add the herbs and salt and pepper. Mix it up, then add 1½ cups of broth. Add the bread and pecans then mix everything well. The stuffing should be moist, but not soaking wet. If your stuffing is still a little dry, keep adding a bit of veggie broth until it's moist (you shouldn't need more than 2 cups total)
  5. Set aside 2½ cups of stuffing for the turkey filling.
  6. Pour the rest of the stuffing into a baking dish and bake in the oven for 25 minutes (hello side dish!)
  7. Prepare your 'turkey' zone: Lay out 2 sheets of tin foil, side by side overlapping about 3 inches, with a layer of parchment on top. The parchment paper should be about 15 inches long by 13 inches wide, with the tinfoil as a border beneath it.
  8. Time to make the 'turkey': To go easy on your food processor, start by blending half of all the tofu turkey ingredients together (except for the stuffing and Bragg's liquid aminos) for at least 1 minute in your food processor, or until a dough-like ball starts to form. Place that mixture as a ball on the parchment paper.
  9. Then, blend the other half of all the tofu turkey ingredients (again, except for the stuffing and Bragg's liquid aminos) in the food processor, and add it to the pile on the parchment.
  10. Spread out the tofu mixture into a ½ - ¾ inch thick rectangle (about 8x12")
  11. Spoon the 2½ cups of stuffing into the middle of the tofu rectangular 'turkey' in a lengthwise tube shape.
  12. Use the parchment paper to roll one side of the tofu turkey over the stuffing, then the other side until the tofu turkey just overlaps. Give it a nice squeeze to make sure it's all overlapping by at least 1 inch.
  13. Unwrap it and fold the ends. Use your fingers to press down any open areas, or cracks.
  14. Pour Bragg's liquid aminos over top and use basting brush to cover the whole turkey.
  15. Then wrap it up with the parchment and tinfoil nice and tight, folding on top and twisting the ends (so it looks like a tootsie roll turkey)
  16. Bake in the oven for 1 hour.
  17. Let cool 15 minutes, then place in the fridge.
  18. When you're ready to serve it, take it out of the fridge, slice in 1 inch slices, wrap it back up and bake for 20 minutes at 350°F.
  19. Serve with the mushroom gravy from this recipe and this cauliflower mash!
  20. Happy Holidays! The Turkey's thank you!
Notes
*Great to make ahead of time, then store in the fridge until you're ready to put it in the oven for 30 more minutes before serving
*If you want to make it right before, just skip the fridge part, and keep it in the oven for another 15-30 minutes, then slice when it comes out!

Tag me make this! (@hookedonplants on instagram)! I love seeing your recipes.

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