Vegan Christmas Recipes

In Richard Blais’s playful vegan take on osso buco (braised veal shanks), he braises very large pieces of carrots in red wine and mushroom broth until tender. Ground dried porcini mushrooms give the dish rich, meaty flavor.

A generous portion of bay leaves in the steaming liquid here permeates the artichoke leaves and hearts with flavor and provides an enticing aroma as you serve the dish. The scallion vinaigrette balances the sweetness of the artichokes.

To create a terrific vegetarian main course, Michael Symon tosses quinoa with arugula, apple, raisins and fresh herbs, then spoons the salad into a halved baked squash (a great source of iron and vitamins A and C).

Proving that vegetables can be as satisfying as meat, chef Sean Baker serves this mushroom pâté on the vegan “charcuterie” plate at his Berkeley restaurant, Gather.

This delicious, super-healthy salad is a great meal-in-one; it makes an ideal vegetarian option at the Christmas table.

Fragrant Indian spices—coriander, turmeric and black mustard seeds—are a wonderful accent for creamy mashed butternut squash. The squash can be roughly smashed until chunky, or thoroughly mashed until smooth.

Parsnips contain antioxidants and vitamins A and C. “They’re our favorite root vegetable,” according to Clark Frasier. “We grow them through the winter in our garden, and they’re the best parsnips you’ll ever taste. The temperature change concentrates the sugar, which makes them even sweeter and more intensely flavored.”

To get the most out of turnips, Tamar Adler buys them with their greens attached and then uses both parts in this hearty grain salad. If the turnip greens aren’t sufficient, or if they’re unavailable, she supplements them with any combination of other leafy greens.

Jonathon Sawyer makes a fantastic jerk spice blend to sprinkle on a mix of chickpeas, cauliflower and brussels sprouts after they’ve been roasted.

Stephanie Izard’s rich, chunky mushroom ragout is great on everything from seared halibut to sautéed scallops and pasta. Use vegetable stock instead of chicken stock for a great vegan sauce.

At the holidays, it’s always great to have a couple of dishes that don’t have to go in the oven. This combination of creamy white beans and slightly crunchy haricots verts makes an interesting textural mix, and it’s sturdy enough to stand at room temperature for several hours.

One of Sera Pelle’s tricks for making these deep-chocolate vegan cupcakes so moist and rich: she mixes avocado and coconut oil into the batter in place of butter.