5 Delish Vegan Christmas Salads

Salads are not usually the first thing that comes to mind when you think of the Christmas dinner, unless you are doing a Christmas potluck and someone assigned you a big green salad to offset all the richer fare.&nbsp

Think about it. Festive salads are generally the fresh piece to offset all the cooked and baked and sugar'd up stuff that even dedicated and disciplined vegans "allow" themselves during the time of feasting. A fresh salad is often all it takes to quell an over-eating of something a little richer than what you are used to.

The following salads are either new and different, or vegan take-offs on traditional salads. I hope you find one that you want to try!

1. CANTALOUPE, RED ONION AND WALNUT SALAD

Giadzy Cantaloupe, Red Onion & Walnut Salad

Find this delicious sunny brunch salad @Giadsy.com

This great-looking canteloupe, red onion and walnut salad is a true Mediterranean delight-- from the island of Sardenia where people lead very long and healthy lives. Besides the canteloupe, onion and walnuts, the salad shows up in the above picture with arugula and a lovely fresh orange dressing. The author states that usually watermelon is the choice, but she uses cantaloupe because it is more available all year round. If you see watermelon somewhere, you might want to sub it. Go HERE to get the full recipe.

2. APPLE, GRAPEFRUIT, POMEGRANATE SALAD

Red and green and oh so good. Intense colors and flavors burst forth with every bite of this gorgeous salad, which features an invigorating dose of chopped fresh mint.

This tantalizingly beautiful red-and-green salad is found @Forks Over Knives

Several years ago, the Forks Over Knives story of how it is possible to live a healthier life without animal foods-- to actual reverse major health crises-- was screened all over the North American continent. Today you can find thousands of vegans who identify that movie as the turning place in the way they live and eat. This recipe is one of many at the Forks Over Knives site. Take a look at it HERE, and when you get time, take a look at some of the other fantastic recipes they have.

3. MARINATED TOFU, AVOCADO AND SPINACH SALAD

Marinated Tofu, Avocado, and Spinach Salad with Creamy Toasted Sesame & Soy Dressing - ilovevegan.com #vegan

Marinated Tofu, Avocado, and Spinach Salad with Creamy Toasted Sesame & Soy Dressing - ilovevegan.com #vegan

A wonderful salad for that Christmas visit from a good friend! Brittany @ I Love Vegan

This splendid salad has that Asian ability to satisfy all the taste points in your mouth-- and a recipe for the yummiest toasted sesame and soy dressing that you will want to try on other salads. You can find the recipe HERE.

4. QUINOA CONFETTI SALAD

This cheerful-looking salad is good anytime of the year, but the colours are really Christmas-y! Find it @ the Adventist Veggie School

Quinoa is a pleasant-tasting, somewhat nutty-flavoured grain. It is gluten-free and a favourite substitute for wheat and other grains. This salad makes a lovely one-dish meal for anyone who is not voraciously hungry. It is also a great addition to the other salads at the bar. Go HERE to find the full recipe, including the recipe for the dressing.

5. WARM GERMAN POTATO SALAD

This potato salad recipe comes from the Alberni Supper Club and is found @ Veggie School

There are many potato salads out there but my husband is craziest about the Warm German potato salad. It had a place of honour at most of his childhood and youth important family dinners. The original "bacon bits" have been vegan-ized using tempeh crumbs (recipe in the blog). Find the recipe for this warm potato salad HERE

If you want to try another potato salad favourite of his, go HERE

I Nativity Sets! Here are a beautiful variety of scenes from ultra modern to classic ceramic and everything in between (even nesting sets). Have a look! <<click

These delicious fruit cakes are a big improvement over some of the ones we made back in the day-- and NO eggs, milk, or booze! Healthier! 4 of the 5 are also GF.

`10 Days of Christmas Crafts
and Gluten-Free Cookie Recipes

Colcannon (Irish Mashed Potatoes) and 3 Ethnic Take-Offs

Colcannon is a lovely Irish traditional mix of boiled cabbage or kale along with a root vegetable, usually mashed potatoes, but sometimes turnip, or carrots. Leaks and/or onions, and garlic, are pretty popular additions. Chopped green onions, chives and/or parsley are often used as a stirred-in garnish. You will also find 3 other Colcannon-type recipes-- take-offs of cultural classics with potatoes and greens from Mexico, Zambian and Ukrainian are sure to delight you as well when you want to try something a little different. These are all delicious, healthy comfort foods! I am vegan, so all of the recipes are vegan colcannon-- no dairy butter or milk involved. The following are ingredients in the colcannon I made (Missing from the picture are water, garlic, pepper, oil, and fine sea salt): Lovely Colcannon: potatoes, cabbage, leaks, green onions, and parsley INGREDIENTS (2-4 servings) 3 T. (30 mg) Olive Oil (or water, or coconut oil) 1/2 Cabbage , shredded ...

Pan-Fry Carrots (Roast Carrot Sticks)

Pan-roasted carrots (with some potato fries mixed in) Our younger son--at one time in the life he styled as "Nomad Farmer"-- lived and grew organic vegetables, fruit and berries on an off-grid community farm in the interior of BC. We stopped in to see him the one time and came away with a load of over-wintered carrots, still as carrot-y flavoured and plump as on the day they were dug from the ground, thanks to the hill-side root crop storage cellar. Our granddaughters opted for fish and chips today for lunch, and some of the 'chips' were carrot chips. They are also a great base for a roast carrot soup. When you roast veggies, you get extra delicious flavour. You will also find two wonderful recipes for Holiday carrot side dishes-- Maple-glazed roasted carrots with a recipe for a lemony vegan sauce (made with cashews) and Lemon-Herb roasted carrots made with a Pecan Relish recipe, PAN-FRY CARROTS (Roast Carrot Sticks) <more properly ...

Hearty Cream of Tomato - Bean Soup - Vegan, Gluten-Free

If you have only ever eaten Cream of Tomato soup from a can, this will be a tasty coup for you! Here is another wonderful bean recipe adapted from my fave The Great Vegan Bean Book: More than 100 Delicious Plant-Based Dishes Packed with the Kindest Protein in Town! - Includes Soy-Free and Gluten-Free Recipes! * . This creamy tomato-bean soup will fill in the gaps for anyone who feels they just don't have the time or energy to cook up a healthy lunch -- the secret is to pre-cook your beans in a large quantity and freeze them. Then just assemble your other ingredients and presto, you have a very nutritious base to your lunch in less time than it would take you to order and be served at your typical restaurant. And you will know what is actually IN this soup ! INGREDIENTS: 2 T. Olive Oil or Vegetable Broth 1/2 Onion , minced 3 cloves Garlic 1 tsp. Marjoram 1 tsp. Thyme 1/2 ts...

Organic Granny

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