My Holiday Gift to You! My Family's Top Ten Plant-Based/Vegan No-Oil Holiday Weekend Dishes from Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner to Dessert

 

 

"Enlightened" Rockin' Roasted Rosemary Potatoes

 

 

If you received this post via email, click here to get to the web version with all the links.

 

Wait!  Wait!  Don't plan your holiday menu until you read this post!

 

You just might find something that looks yummy to you.

I promised myself I'd write up my post-Thanksgiving Hit List today (uh, that was Friday--and now it's Saturday morning) no matter what!  I changed up so many of the recipes that I posted pre-Thanksgiving--and I know that so many of these will work perfectly for the Christmas holiday for anyone who is having a houseful of company over the long weekend.

So here are my family's favorites--with links to the revised recipes.

 

The Top-Ten Thanksgiving Week-End Family Favorites List

 

1.  Rockin' Roasted Rosemary Potatoes -  my family couldn't get enough of these & I've made them three times since Thanksgiving.  No-oil & amazing!  A crazy crunchy coating made with a little vodka, vermouth, grainy Dijon mustard, garlic, horseradish, caraway seed, smoked paprika, & hot pepper.  OMG you're going to LOVE these!

2.  Kale Waldorf Salad with Honey Crisp Apples, Toasted Walnuts, Cranberries, Raisins & a Creamy Dressing -  a unanimous hit, and I've made this two times since Thanksgiving.  I have never liked raw kale salad before I tasted this version. But, you HAVE to use lacinato or dinosaur kale--and honey crisp apples 

3.  Sunday Brunch Spicy Sweet Potato, Onion, Pepper & Italian "Sausage" Hash - this was all gone in a blink of an eye.  Don't plan on having left-overs of this one!  Vegans & Carnivores agree that this one is out-of-this-world.  It's the Field Roast Sausage.

4.  "Enlightened" Quick-Fix Sweet Potato, Spinach, Fire-Roased Tomatoes, and a Bit of Peanut Butter Soup - so fast & easy, plus you can make this ahead of time.  Freeze it flat in freezer ziploc bags for easy storage.  Thank you, Jodith, for that tip! Everyone who has mades this, loves it!

5.  Curry Cauliflower, Chickpea, Sweet Potato Soup with a Smidge of Peanut Butter--A breeze to make, freezes well, & everyone I know who has made this, loves it!  Will feed a crowd.

6.  Chocolate Chip No-Oil Walnut Zucchini Bread--chocolate chips, a little sugar, but a real treat when you have houseguests, book club, or company coming.

7. "Enlightened" Chloe Coscarelli Chocolate-Pumpkin Bread Pudding with Sweet Vanilla Cashew Cream Sauce - served warm with Son #1's addition of the sweet vanilla sauce took this holiday dessert over the edge of deliciousness.  Using Ezekiel Sprouted Cinnamon Raisin Bread took it over into the "this is healthy"  zone.

8.  Barbecue Brisket Seitan Reuben's--this sandwich was a huge hit--even with the carnivores in the family.  You'll need to make your own seitan, but it's really easy & makes 4 pounds that you can freeze.  Use real old-fashioned Jewish rye bread with caraway seeds--or T.J. Sprouted Rye, cole slaw, dill pickles--the works.  LOVED!

9.  Roasted Triple Mushroom Soup - Not only is this sophisticated, easy to put together, and a mushroom immune booster--it also worked well as a gravy for our Thanksgiving "Meat-less" Loaf.  

10.  Pumpkin-Spiced Steel-Cut Oats for Eight!   Make it in the crockpot overnight--and wake-up to the most delicious fragrance.  I'm now making this just for myself--so I can have pre-made oatmeal every morning for a week.  Warm it in the microwave along with frozen berries, and then top it with a sprinkle of toasted walnuts & a tablespoon of chia.  What a way to start the day!

 

 My Amateur Thankgiving Photo Collection

 

Thanksgiving Morning Spiced Apple Pumpkin Steel-Cut Oats for Eight

 

A Sophisticated Roasted Triple Mushroom Bisque

Kale Waldorf Salad with Toasted Walnuts, Honey Crisp Apples, Cranberries/Raisins in a Creamy Dressing (photo by Whole Foods--mine was out-of-focus)

 

Kale Waldorf Salad - Undressed - Check Out Costco's Organic Baby Kale

Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Shallots & Toasted Hazelnuts

 

Thanksgiving "Meat" Loaf - here's the recipe & here's the glaze

 

Dellcious Sliced & Top-Browned Thanksgiving "Meat" Loaf Leftovers

 

Babs' Famous Cranberry Relish with Toasted Walnuts, Raisins, & Orange

 

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bread Pudding Right Out of the Oven

 

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bread Pudding with Vanilla Cashew Cream Sauce

 

Seitan Reuben's with Lab Rat's Homemade Pickles & H.L.'s Cool Cole Slaw

 

Brunch Sweet Potato, Onion, Red Pepper & Italian "Sausage" Hash

Sweet Potato, Spinach, Fire-Roasted Tomatoes and a Bit of Peanut Butter Soup

 

Val's Crowd-Pleasing Curried Cauliflower, Sweet Potato, Chickpea, Spinach & Peanut Butter Soup

 

 

If You're Ready to Ditch the Latke's for a New Chanukah Tradition Try This

 

Reposted from December 04, 2010:

A New Oil-Free Chanukah Tradition: "Enlightened" Veganomicon Potato and Kale Enchiladas with Roasted Chile Sauce - And a New Dreidel Spin on the Miracle of Oil on Chanukah - Make One Day's Worth of Oil Last for Eight Days!

The Healthy Librarian's (Husband's) "Enlightened" Veganomicon Potato and Kale Enchiladas with Roasted Chile Sauce

 

If you've received this via email, click here for the web version for the links & video.

Who doesn't love latkes? 

Crispy on the outside, moist and tender on the inside--potato pancakes made with grated potatoes, onion, eggs, plenty of salt, and fried up in peanut oil. And topped with sour cream.  When I was a kid, our traditional Chanukah dinner was always potato latkes, corned beef sandwiches, and Kentucky Fried Chicken.  Always!  A deadly trifecta, but who knew?

As good as they taste, I wasn't about to fry up a batch this year.   I've half-heartedly looked for a fat-free version, but honestly, I don't think it's worth the effort.  It couldn't possibly compare to the real thing.

 

Frying latkes in oil is what it's all about.  Last year in the New York Times Karen Barrow shared opinions from both cookbook authors and amateur cooks about whether it's possible to make a  "healthy tasty latke".  If you must try,  here's one possibility, from Steven Raichlen.

“I’m not going to ruin my latke joy to save a few calories once a year,” Elizabeth, one NYT reader, wrote.

“Spare me,” chided another. “I’ll take my latkes fried in lots of oil. It works for my 91-year-old grandparents.”

Joan Nathan, a well respected cookbook author and expert in Jewish foods, said she’s not surprised at the widespread resistance to making a traditional treat more healthful. When once asked to come up with baked latkes that tasted as good as fried, she tried. “But I ended up throwing all the recipes in the garbage,” she said.

Another reason for the fried latke’s persistence: oil isn’t just a cooking ingredient, it’s central to the eight-day celebration of Hanukkah. 

“It’s all about the oil,” said Susie Fishbein, author of “Kosher by Design Lightens Up.” You can spray your latkes with oil and bake them, she said, but “most people are not going to cheer when that comes to the table. It has to be fried.”

 

Wednesday night was the first night of Chanukah.  As I drove home from work in the dark, cold, and snow--the perfect setting for the first night of Chanukah--I knew my husband was going to have something delicious for dinner.  No last minute scrambling in the kitchen for me on this Wednesday night.  And what perfect timing that he decided to try his hand out on a healthy potato dish for the first night of Chanukah: Veganomicon's Potato and Kale Enchiladas with Roasted Chile Sauce.  We both agreed--it was a great substitute for traditional Chanukah latkes.

The Chanukah Miracle Story--When One Day's Worth of Oil Lasts for Eight Days

Oil is "central to the eight-day celebration of Hanukkah.  After winning back their land in battle, the Jews needed to light a menorah as part of a rededication of their Temple. Although they only had enough oil for one day, the oil, miraculously, lasted for eight."  (Joan Nathan in the NYT)  Tada!  That's where the connection to eating foods fried in oil on Chanukah comes from. 

 

Bet You Can't Eat Just One?  So Why Even Start?  

 

So, here's my cheesy take on celebrating Chanukah--if you're not ready to cut out all the oil in your diet right now--try making one day's worth of oil (say about 1/4 cup) last for eight days.  That's 1.5 tsp of oil a day if my math is right!  It's doable.  Experience your own miracle of good health by making one day's worth of oil last for eight days!  Call it a Chanukah challenge.

Thanks to Cheri for sharing the video!  If you aren't seeing the video, click here

 

Happy Chanukah!  Candlelight by the Maccabeats

  

 

The Healthy Librarian's Husband's "Enlightened" Veganomicon Potato and Kale  Enchiladas with Roasted Chile Sauce

 

To get a copy of the recipe on one page, click here.

This beats the lowly latke hands-down for taste and nutrition.  You could probably live on these: with 0 cholesterol, 9.2 grams of fiber, 12 grams of protein, 187% of vitamin A, 261% of vitamin C, 16% calcium, and 27% iron--not to mention the health benefits of kale and tomatoes.

 

Serves 4-6

Cooking & Prep Time:  1 1/2 hours

 

Enchilada Chile Sauce:

1 onion, cut into small dice

3 large green chiles (such as Anaheim or even Italian-style long green peppers), roasted, seeded, peeled, and chopped coarsely.  The best way to roast peppers is over high heat right on top of the gas burner--don't do this if you have an electric stove.  Use tongs to turn them, and rotate as they blacken & blister.  When 75%  done roasting, drop the pepper in a bowl or a paper bag, and allow it sit for 10-15 minutes, until it's cool enough to handle.  Peel away the skin, and then dice.  No worries about remaining charred parts.  If you don't have a gas stove, roast them on a grill or in a very hot oven.  Use canned green chilis in a pinch.

2-3 teaspoons of chile powder, preferably ancho chili (note: I just purchased this at Penzey's & it's amazing--not hot, just rich & mellow tasting)

1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin

1 teaspoon marjoram or Mexican oregano (epazote)

1 (28 oz.) can of crushed tomatoes (fire-roasted preferred--like Muir Glen.  I prefer crushed to diced.)

1 tsp. sugar (opt. or use agave)

salt to taste (optional)

 

Potato and Kale Filling:

1 pound waxy potatoes like Yukon Gold or Red

1/2 pound kale, washed, trimmed, and chopped finely

4 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 tsp. ground cumin

1/4 cup vegetable broth or water (plus more for sauteeing onions & kale)

3 tablespoons lime juice

1/4 toasted pepitas (pumpkin seeds) coarsely chopped, plus additional for garnish

Salt to taste (optional)

6 large sprouted grain tortillas, like Ezekiel or French Meadow, or Ezekiel Gluten-free.  (alternatively, you can also use 12-14 corn tortillas)   Either one works well--I've made them both ways.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees and have ready a shallow casserole dish, at least 11 1/2 X 7 1/2.  

Prepare the enchilada sauce first:

1. In a large, heavy bottomed non-stick saucepan over medium heat, saute the onions.  Let them start to brown & give off their own liquid before adding any broth or water to the pan.  When they start to get a little dry, and start to stick a bit, add a little vegetable broth or water--just enough to deglaze the pan.  Add more liquid as needed, but not too much.  Saute for 4-7 minutes, until the onions are softened. 

2. Add the remaining ingredients, bring to a simmer, and remove from the heat.  When the mixture has cooled enough, taste and adjust the salt if necessary. 

3. Puree the mixture with an immersion or regular blender until smooth and even.

Prepare the filling:

1. Peel and dice the potatoes, then boil them until tender, about 20 minutes.  Drain and set aside. 

2. Saute the garlic in about 2 tablespoons of vegetable broth in a large saucepan or frying pan (that has a lid) over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally until the garlic is sizzling and slightly browned (be careful not to let it burn!!) 

3. Add more broth if necessary, and then add the kale, sprinkle with a little salt, and raise the heat to medium, stirring constantly to cover the kale with the garlic.  Partially cover the pot to steam the kale until it has wilted, 4-6 minutes.

4. Remove the lid and mix in the potatoes, the 1/4 cup of vegetable stock, lime juice, pumpkin seeds, and salt, if you're using it.  Use the back of a wooden spoon, or the bottom of a flat drinking glass to mash some of the potatoes.  Cook another 3-4 minutes, until the stock is absorbed.  Add more lime juice or seasoning to taste.

Create an enchilada assembly line:

1. Have ready a pie plate or something similar filled with about 3/4 cup of enchilada sauce, a 9 X 13 casserole dish, your stack of tortillas, a heated griddle or a pan large enough to heat your tortillas--because that's how you'll soften them up, and the potato and kale filling.  You can also soften the tortillas one at a time in the microwave if you prefer--follow the directions on the package.

2. Ladle a little bit of the enchilada sauce onto the bottom of a 9 X 13 inch casserole dish and spread it around. 

3. Take a tortilla, place it on the heated griddle or pan for 30 seconds, then flip it over and heat until the tortilla  has become soft & pliable.  Or soften them in the microwave.  Drop the softened tortilla onto pie plate filled with sauce; allow it to get completely covered in sauce, flip it over, and coat the other side.

4. Now, place the tortillas either in the casserole dish (the easiest way) or on an additional plate.  Place 1/6 of the potato filling down the middle of the tortilla and roll it up.  Continue with rest of tortillas, tightly packing enchildas next to each other.

5. Pour about a cup of sauce over the top (reserving some for later when you serve the enchiladas), cover tightly with aluminum foil, and bake for 25 minutes.  Remove the foil and bake for another 10-15 minutes, until edges of the tortillas poking out of sauce look just a little browned.  Allow to cool slightly before serving.  Top individual servings with any remaining enchilada sauce, warmed slightly.

Enjoy!  Happy Chanukah!  Sure it's a bit of a pitchky-patchky, as my mom would say, but not half as hard as making potato pancakes.  Bonus:  No grease splatters on your walls, or that fried potato onion smell that hangs in your house for days.  These enchiladas smell divine!

Nutrition Facts Enlightened Veganomicon Potato and kale enchiladas with Roasted Chile Sauce
Serving Size: 1 serving
Amount Per Serving
Calories	292
Total Fat	6.1g
Saturated Fat	1g
Trans Fat	0g
Cholesterol	0mg
Sodium	500mg
Carbohydrate	51.3g
Dietary Fiber	9.2g
Sugars	7.4g
Protein	12g
Vitamin A 187% Vitamin C 261% Calcium    16% Iron 27%

 

 

Please Let Me Know What You Think of These Recipes

You Can Comment Here by scrolling to the bottom of the page

 

Happy Holidays to Everyone!

Comments

[Bonnie]

Wow, everything looks SO delicious. Can't wait to try some of these recipes.

[Penny]

Thank you so much for these wonderful recipes. I will try them! Also, thank you for giving up so much of your time to share all that you do with us. Have a wonderful holiday season with your family and friends.

[The Healthy Librarian]

@Penny & Bonnie: Thanks Bonnie, & you're welcome, Penny. You're right--it took a ton of time to get them all down--but, now I know just where to find them--and can search for them on HHLL. Besides, I LOVE sharing delicious recipes that prove that plant-based & no-oil can not only taste-great--but be good for us!

[Susan]

I agree- thanks very much for sharing these recipes! We tried the kale waldorf salad after you wrote about it a couple of weeks ago and everyone loved it. Looking forward to trying the rest!

[julie]

So thoughtful!! I started reading and immediately had to revise my plan for Christmas dinner. Thanks for taking the time to put this together!

[The Healthy Librarian]

@Julie, What caught your attention?

[Ellen from PA]

HI Healthy Librarian - this blog has been my favorite for over a year. Nothing like good reading on a wintery Saturday night. These recipes look totally awesome. Will host 20+ on the 30th which gives me lots of time to try some of these and then serve the younger generation how we have learned to cook.

Thanks for All you do for the research and the posting of the information and recipes. Also love the stories about your family.

Have a great holiday !!

[Betty Amer]

What a thoughtful holiday gift, to have the tried and tested recipes that you have shared with us! My daughter Margaret from Shaker Heights, also a vegan, will be having Christmas dinner with us and we will have fun cooking some of your recipes together.

[Happy Rehab Doc]

Oh HL this was SO needed today. I'm working on my list--with my large family I have multiple Christmas dinners to go to so I need to get organized! (the 48 hours around Christmas are always chaotic central b/c I have so many different things to cook & bring to each meal)!

Oh and that "Sweet Potato, Spinach, Fire-Roasted Tomatoes and a Bit of Peanut Butter Soup" is pretty much one of the yummiest soups I've ever had. (AND super healthy!) My husband and I have now made it twice in 3 weeks! SO good! Thank you for posting the recipe!!

[suemvi]

Thanks so much for the delicious looking recipes. I had a cauliflower in the fridge and had just returned from Costco with a giant bag of spinach. Everything else in the pantry so made this soup for dinner last night. Delicious. Will have some for lunch and give some to a friend. I love it when healthy food is easy to make and tastes so good. Can't wait to try some of the others. Did you see the recipe for vegetarian posole on the Gourmet Live website? I'm thinking Christmas party. Happy holidays to you and your family and thanks for a year of such interesting information.

[Deb]

Thank you so much for the tried and true recipes! I follow your blog faithfully and you have created and shared recipes that have become my favorites in my plant based diet adventure. Can't wait to try the ones you posted today! I'm not sure I could have embraced this new lifestyle with such enthusiasm without your blog. Thank you, thank you!

[The Healthy Librarian]

@Susan: Yay, glad to hear that you liked the Kale Waldorf Salad--& took a chance on it.

@Ellen: Wow! What a compliment--and what great positive feedback to hear on a snowy wintery morning.

@Betty: So nice that you'll all be together for Christmas--and I know how much fun it is to have the chance to cook with our grown-up kids. Thanks for all the kind words--and thanks for introducing me to Robin Robertson's fabulous cookbooks!

@HRD: Don't know how you do it all--with the hospital practice, blogging, not only cooking up a storm every weekend, but now planning food to bring to multiple Christmas dinners. Enjoy! Thanks for the recipe feedback, too.

@SUEMV: Hope the soup turned out well. I agree--I love when the ingredients are simple, healthy, & delicious. Don't know what the Gourmet Live website is--I'll have to check out. I don't even know what posole is!

@Deb: You're so welcome--thank you so much for all of your enthusiasm & kind word. So glad that I've helped you along with this adventure. We have to have tasty food for it to work, right?

[Shalini K]

I have also made the sweet potato...peanut butter soup a few times and absolutely loved it. Such wonderful flavors mixed together. The first few times I sat down to eat it, I would say out loud, "this soup is fantastic!". It is now known as "Fantastic Soup" in our house. I also made the Waldorf Salad at Thanksgiving but could not find dinosaur kale so I used regular kale and everyone loved it. Will definitely make it with dinosaur kale next time Looking forward to trying the other recipes out. Thanks for sharing.

[suemvi]

Here is a link to the recipe:http://www.gourmet.com/recipes/gourmetlive/2011/120711/vegetarian-red-pozole-with-red-beans. Pozole/Posole! We live in Arizona so it's easy to find hominy here. Also,Rancho Gordo also carries it. I think it would be pretty easy to make oil free and use the Penzy's ancho chili powder instead of the dried chilies.

[Doug]

Great recipes!
I like the picture of "Babs' Famous Cranberry Relish with Toasted Walnuts, Raisins, & Orange" and would like to try it but don't see a recipe. Could you please let me know where to find it? Thanks

[Alexandra]

more thanks are due you, as I was going to figure out what to make today, and now I don't; thinking that it would be great to put together an index of your recipes. Expect you are far too busy for this; would it help if someone compiled an index going through your archives and emailed the index for your blog?

[The Healthy Librarian]

@Alexandra: Ooh what an offer!!! Let's talk after January 1st. I'd LOVE to have some kind of index.

[Adrienne]

Yum!

We won't be completely plant strong this year, but every little but helps, right? And I can't wait to try the potatoes. I think that well be our christmas morning breakfast!

[Jill]

My 85 year old mother and I both read and love your blog. Keep up the amazing job you're doing!

We think Babs' Famous Cranberry Relish with Toasted Walnuts, Raisins, & Orange looks delish but can't find where you've posted the recipe. Am I missing something or perhaps you can post for all of us? Thanks.

[Chell]

You are amazing - thank you so much for the time to put out so many great recipes!

About the Roasted Brussels Sprouts...anything special to know about preparing these? They look delicious. I'm assuming roasted on parchment paper with the shallots and later tossed with toasted hazelnuts? Did you add anything else? Thanks so very much!

[The Healthy Librarian]

@Doug: I left out Babs' Cranberries because I made them without redoing the recipe & ARE NOT what I call health food. I'll post the recipe when I have time to adapt it to a low amount of sweetener, like maple syrup or a bit of stevia.

Here's Babs' recipe that she's made every Thanksgiving for maybe 40 years.

1 lb of cranberries (you'll need more than a bag-which now come in 12 ounces)
1 cup water.

Boil for five minutes until the berries just begin to POP

Then add 1 cup of brown sugar (Babs uses light brown) Here's where I need to experiment!

1 cut up peeled orange--Cut it into about 3-4 pieces for each orange section--

1/2 cup raisins.

Add the sugar, the orange pieces & raisins & simmer for 15 minutes.

Then add 1/2 cup of toasted chopped walnuts

@Chell: Thanks for the sweet words--and you're welcome. The Brussels sprouts were roasted in a hot oven with the shallots on parchment paper--but we lightly coated them with a little maple syrup, & sprinkled with salt & pepper. The toasted hazelnuts were added at the end.

[Mary Ann Phillips]

Hi! I've been subscribed to your blog for about a month now, and really love reading your recipes and health research. While I can't say I follow the diet, your posts have certainly influenced some of my food choices. I saw this article in a recent Chicago Tribune Good Eating Section (I had the section in my backpack, waiting to be read -- I'm a library student at the end of the semester!), and immediately thought of you and your husband's seitan Thanksgiving loaf. http://www.chicagotribune.com/features/food/sc-food-1125-veggie-seitan-20111130,0,7598672.story Since you're both so hands-on, I thought you might enjoy making the seitan yourself. Have a lovely holiday!

[The Healthy Librarian]

@Mary Ann, so happy you discovered my blog. Thanks so much for sending the seitan recipe article!

I've made my own twice now--and it's surprisingly easy to do. Unbelievably cheap to make it yourself--and it's almost zero fat, & lots of protein, provided one can eat gluten.

And, it's easy to freeze in usable packages.

Love having librarian readers--& future librarians!

Happy holidays to you!