Guilt-Free VEGAN Holiday Food to Savor

 

This post features guilt-free vegan holiday recipes to savor and tips to make meals healthier, budget and eco- friendly, taste-tempting, and joyful. 

Mix and match a colorful appetizer, salad, soup, entrée, vegetable, side dish, and dessert for Thanksgiving, Christmas, Hanukkah, or New Years. The dishes provided below are tasty, festive, and  cause no remorse.

Post Updated 11/14/2022

Have fun putting them together on a "regular day" as well. If you do, you can congratulate yourself for eating low-fat, low-salt, and low-sugar whole plant-based foods both for wellness and pleasure.

Before I go any further, I'll reveal how I stay within my food budget. 

I check food prices and shop with a list. Whenever possible I buy bulk foods including beans, legumes, dried peas, steel cut oats, brown rice, millet, etc. 

My priority is to eat high quality plant-based whole foods and limit processed foods to a bare minimum.

Fresh fruits and veggies are the mainstay of my eating plan, and in-season and sale items are cost-effective. I shop local or grow my own veggies, and select unprocessed whole foods to satisfy hunger and fuel my body so it can function well. 

Sustainability is important to me and I strive toward zero waste. Consider this. Eco-friendly habits save money and make smart planetary sense. For more about zero food waste read How to Start a Zero Food Waste Lifestyle and Why it Matters. 

To get a bang for my buck, I select organic whole plant-based foods. Organic foods contain more nutrients than conventional ones. Organic means less pollution to soil, water, air, and our bodies. 

I keep abreast of nutrition research, and love to read and try out whole food plant based recipes to keep my cooking repertoire interesting and healthy. 

There are many plant-based food recipes, and it's challenging to pick just a few. The ones I've selected are those I consider some of the best! 

Guilt-Free VEGAN Holiday 

Food to Savor

Post and Photo from Nancy Andres at Colors 4 Health 

First up is  a Scrumptious Hummus Recipe Roundup with 5 yummy variations on this theme. Discover how easy and economical it is to make hummus look fabulous and taste great. Included in this post  is "Creamy Savory Hummus," an original recipe from yours truly.

Photo and Recipe Link from Love and Lemons

Pictured above is a dish from Jeanine and Jack, the bloggers at Love and  Lemons. This blog celebrates how nourishing, fun, and delicious cooking with seasonal fruits and vegetables can be. Their recipe for Butternut Squash Soup certainly lives up to that claim.

Photo and Recipe from Ashley Mellilo at Blissful Basil

Ashley shares simple plant-based vegan recipes and wellness tips to unearth vibrancy, health, and happiness. When you try her recipe for Dreamy Vegan Tomato Soup, you'll be glad you did.

Photo  and Recipe from Gluten Free A-Z Blog 

See the flavorful recipe pictured above. It's from Judee Algazi, the real food blogger at Gluten Free A-Z Blog. Her recipes are easy to make, colorful, delicious, and gluten free. Lemony Greek Stuffed Tomatoes or Peppers (Vegan) are so versatile. It can be eaten hot or at room temp and can be served as an appetizer or main dish.

Photo and Recipe from Stacey at Staceyhomemaker.com

Photo above reveals another Greek inspired recipe. Semi-Homemade Vegan Spanakopita from Stacey Eckert. It may look complicated, but it's easy to put together. Stacey specializes in vegan recipes that anyone can make and everyone will enjoy.

Photo and Recipe from Dianne's Vegan Kitchen

Meet Dianne Wenz, the food blogger at diannesvegankitchen.com. She's a Holistic Health Coach, Cookbook Author, and Plant-based Chef who offers up this delish vegan-green-bean-casserole pictured right above.

Photo and Recipe from Nancy Andres at Colors 4 Health

Let's not forget to include a salad in holiday meals. The high quality greens pictured above provide crunch, are an excellent source of plant-based protein, vitamins, minerals, fiber, water, and are low in calories. See  How to Create Flavorful, Filling User Friendly Vegan Salads.

Vegan Potato Pancake Photo and Recipe from A Clean Bake

Next up is Nora the blogger at A Clean Bake. She provides a tasty recipe for Potato Latkes that are Vegan and Gluten Free. Nora shares ideas and tips to help those with food sensitivities adapt recipes for special needs.

Note: For your information, toppings that are vegan are applesauce, coconut yogurt, soy yogurt or other grain, pea and legume or nut yogurt, and vegan sour cream. Plain yogurt or sour cream made from animal products are not vegan.

Latkes are a traditional dish that's served at Hanukkah. I authored a recipe for them too. See it at Hanukkah a Mini-guide to the Jewish Holiday.

                                     

Photo and Recipe Link from Loving it Vegan

For dessert serve mouthwatering Vegan Pumpkin Pie created by Alison Andrews, the food blogger at lovingitvegan.com. This treat is rich, creamy, deliciously spiced and perfect for the holidays.

Recipe and Photo from nutriciously.com

Pictured above is an awesome snack or holiday dessert. Alena the certified vegan nutritionist from Nutritiously.com created a 4-ingredient recipe, Chocolate and Coconut Bounty Bliss Balls that takes only 15 minutes to make. You may be surprised you need not have any guilt eating them, even though they taste just like truffles.

🌰🌿🍋🍏🍅🍆🍊

Our winter or summer holidays (depending on which part of the globe we reside in) may look different from each other. Nonetheless, the holiday season still holds its sparkle and joy. 

With a little bit of pre-planning, prioritizing, and mindfulness about world health issues, we can devise ways to honor our holiday food traditions, without guilt. 

Perhaps you'll develop a new tradition such as a eco-friendly vegan holiday celebration instead of the conventional one. 

A whole food plant-based eating plan strengthens our bodies' natural immunity and maintains or even enhances our wellness level. 

Please consider making each one of these recipes either for a special occasion or weekday meal.

Which ones appeal to you?  Have you made similar dishes at your home? 

How many of the dishes you cook at home are guilt free, vegan, economical, and delicious? 

Please comment below. If you'd be so kind, visit each bloggers' site and enjoy greeting them too. 

If you like what you see, please like and re-share on social media. 

Follow me on Pinterest to get fabulous color tips, WFPB recipes, and effective self-care ideas you're sure to love.

Wishing You a Delicious Holiday and a Healthy, Happy New Year.

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