This recipe is made in collaboration with the Vegetarian Society. Get this guys, not only am I making a meat-free Christmas recipe - this one is vegan too! I think this might be the first vegan recipe I’ve made for the blog, and I’m so happy with how it turned out! As you may know, we’re trying to incorporate at least one meat-free day a week into our diet, but generally the meat option is replaced with eggs, cheese or a creamy sauce. This time (inspired by a day spent at the vegetarian society a couple of months ago) we went with a completely vegan main meal.
I’ll be the first to admit that I’m not keen on vegetarian/vegan alternatives that are trying to taste like meat. I might feel differently if I were to go completely vegetarian and I had no other way to get a particular taste, but as someone who does eat meat, I’d rather use the cooking and eating opportunity to experiment with fruits, vegetables, lentils, spices etc. that I might not try otherwise. When the vegetarian society asked me to come up with a couple of Vegetarian Christmas ideas (check out these parsnip and carrot rostis - filled with mushrooms in a creamy Wensleydale sauce), I decided to experiment with green lentils. They’re not something I cook very often, but wow - they tasted delicious! Unfortunately green lentils aren’t the most photogenic of ingredients, so I thought some star-shaped crispy potatoes would be the perfect finishing touch. Festive, filling and tasty. I’ve also included a recipe for some vegan red onion and balsamic gravy. If this meal was something you wanted to serve up on Christmas day (or as a dish to go with lots of other side dishes) then you’ve gotta have the gravy!! Do you cook with green lentils? What do you make? Are you trying to cut down on meat or become vegetarian or vegan? I’d love to hear more from you! Check out more Christmas recipe ideas from the Vegetarian Society here. Also, my friend Camilla from Fab Food 4 All has recreated the Vegetarian Society’s nut roast (packed with sun dried tomatoes and apricots!). Take a look here.
The Festive Lentil Mushroom Bowl With Star Potatoes Recipe:
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