Save a Turkey! 3 Vegan Christmas Recipes

Our volunteers Camilla, Javi, and Gaia share their favourite vegan recipes for you to try this Christmas! Because we love our finca turkeys Captain Barbossa and Elizabeth Swan very much, we hope to inspire you to eat less meat during the holidays. When people think about Christmas dinner, they usually think about turkey. In the UK alone, between 9 and 10 million turkeys are purchased to end up on dinner plates during Christmas — that’s more than 4 times the number of people living on the Canary Islands! So save a turkey, and give these recipes a try!

Starter: Carrot Pâté for 8 People by Javi

Ingredients:

• 3 carrots
• 1 small clove of garlic
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• Pinch of salt
• Some fresh basil leaves (about 5, or more to taste)

Tools: Blender, knife

Let’s make carrot pâté:
Cut the carrots into slices without peeling them. Steam the sliced carrots for about 3 minutes so you don’t lose nutrients. Check if they’re done by poking with a fork — they should be tender.

If you don’t have a steam basket, put the slices in a microwave-safe dish with a few tablespoons of water at the bottom. Cover with a plate and cook for 2–3 minutes.

Blend the carrot slices together with salt, garlic, and olive oil. Cut the basil leaves with a knife (they go black very fast if blended) and stir them into the blended carrot mix. Serve with bread, crackers, or vegetable sticks for dipping.

Main: Vegan Parmigiana for 8 People by Camilla

Ingredients:

• 1.75 kg eggplants
• 1 kg peeled tomatoes
• 0.5 kg vegan cheese
• 1 onion
• 1 clove garlic
• Olive oil, peanut oil
• Salt, pepper, pinch of sugar
• Basil leaves

Tools: Pot, wooden spoon, baking tray, paper towel

Let’s make the sauce!

Heat olive oil in a pot. Chop onion and garlic, sauté until golden. Add peeled tomatoes, cover with a lid, and cook for 30 minutes on low heat. Then add salt, pepper, sugar, and crush the tomatoes with a spoon. Add basil leaves and cook uncovered for another 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Prepare the eggplants!

Slice the eggplants lengthwise. To remove bitterness, place slices in coarse salt and press with a weight for 30 minutes, then rinse. Fry in peanut oil until slightly golden and drain on paper towel.

Assemble and bake!

Cut the vegan cheese into cubes. Layer eggplant slices, tomato sauce, and vegan cheese in a baking tray. Repeat layers until the tray is full, finishing with sauce and cheese on top. Bake at 200°C for 30 minutes.

Dessert: Frolla by Gaia

Ingredients for dough:

• 250 g type 2 flour
• 80 g whole cane sugar (powdered or Mascobado)
• 60 g cold water
• 60 g organic sunflower oil
• 1 tsp baking powder
• Grated lemon zest

Ingredients for cranberry-orange jam:

• 2 cups fresh or frozen cranberries
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup orange juice
• Zest of 1 orange
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

Tools: Medium saucepan, sterilized jars

Cook the jam!

Rinse cranberries, remove stems. Combine cranberries, sugar, orange juice, and zest in a saucepan. Bring to a boil, stirring to dissolve sugar. Simmer for 15–20 minutes until thick. Add vanilla extract and stir well. Cool slightly and pour into sterilized jars. Seal and cool fully before refrigerating.

Make the pastry!

Dissolve sugar in water, add oil, flour, and lemon zest. Mix to form a smooth dough and chill for 1 hour. Roll out the pastry, form a tart base or turnovers, and bake at 180°C for 30–40 minutes. When cooled, fill with jam and enjoy!

From everyone at our Finca — Merry Christmas!