Christmas preparations

It's that time of year again where we shop until we drop, and eat until we burst! Now we're actually into December, my mind is turning towards Christmas cooking. I love all the seasonal flavours with warming spices, sharp pickles, rich nut dishes and crunchy greens.

Christmas can be challenging if you are a sensitive eater, or are cooking for someone who is. This is not the time of year to miss out! With this in mind, I'm going to be doing a series of blog posts to help you out at this time of year. All recipes are plant based and can be easily adapted to gluten free too.
To start you off, here are some links to existing posts from the last couple of years:
1) A useful nut roast. This is my go-to basic nut roast recipe, simple to make and delicious eaten cold on Boxing Day too. You can jazz it up with some more herbs, or put slices of tomato or mushroom in the middle. A firm favourite with us.
http://foodiesensitive.blogspot.co.uk/2012/12/planning-christmas-dinner.html
2) Tasty tarts! I made these last Christmas for one of my supper clubs and they went down a storm. Worth making if you want something a little more innovative than nut roast. Use your pastry of choice - I now make one with minimal fat and will be adding the recipe soon
http://foodiesensitive.blogspot.co.uk/2015/12/i-dont-know-about-you-but-this-year.html
3) The ultimate red cabbage. Perfect for Christmas Day, everyone can eat it and it can be made a couple of days in advance if needed. What more could you want!
http://foodiesensitive.blogspot.co.uk/2015/11/comforting-cabbage.html
4) A lighter dish. When you've eaten so much and are looking for something a bit lighter, this fennel stuffed pepper hits the spot. Sumptuous flavours without the need for a post-dinner snooze, unless you want one of course!
http://foodiesensitive.blogspot.co.uk/2014/04/thanks-delia.html
5) Rich paté without the meat. This lentil and walnut paté will hit the taste spot for a Boxing Day spread and no-one will guess how easy it is to make.
http://foodiesensitive.blogspot.co.uk/2014/10/amazingly-tasty-lentil-and-walnut-pate.html
Finally, if you have a sensitivity to egg, dairy or fish, don't forget to check that your booze. Many beers, wines and ciders use animal proteins in filtering the yeasty gunk from their products which will then linger in the final product. Check out this old blog post to find out more and I'll be doing a little update with some recommendations - it's a hard life testing these things out for you!
http://foodiesensitive.blogspot.co.uk/2013/04/milk-in-wine-surely-not.html
Let the Christmas countdown begin!