The last day of the year is full of excitement and new hopes for what the future holds. People have different traditions for celebrating, but it is also fun to just improvise and go with the flow.
Hosting a New Year’s Eve party is always a fun way to celebrate with friends and family.
But whether you want to be around people, or prefer a quiet night in, don’t deprive yourself of some special dishes to mark how far you have come.
We have all experienced difficulties this year and we all have to remember that each and every one of us is special and we must treat each other better.
So, let’s come together and reminisce over a full plate of delicious food.
But don’t let the preparations be too much of a chore, the following recipes are easy, quick, and require simple ingredients.
Even if you are not a vegan yourself, I can guarantee, someone will be at your gathering, so let’s surprise everyone.
Prepare for the new year with vegan recipes and visiting the Millennium Sports Club.
Cauliflower Wings
Cauliflower is such an easy vegetable to work with. It is literally a blank canvas. It is white and it doesn’t have an overwhelmingly strong taste.
They can take the color of fried chicken wings, and they are easy to season to a similar taste.
Preparing a garlic mayo dip is a great addition if you want to have it as a snack or starter, but you can also eat it with rice or salad.
Ingredients:
1 whole cauliflower taken apart
½ cup plant milk
½ cup water
¾ cup flour
2 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp smoked paprika
1 tsp ground cumin
Salt and pepper
1 tbsp vegan butter or coconut oil
1 cup sweet or hot chili sauce
For the dip:
½ cup vegan mayo
2 tbsp plant milk
1 tsp apple cider vinegar
2 cloves garlic chopped or crushed
Salt and pepper
1/3 cup chopped parsley
1/3 cup dill
Preheat the oven to 180oC. Place parchment paper on a tray.
Take a medium bowl and mix the flour, garlic powder, smoked paprika, cumin, salt, and pepper.
Add the plant milk and water, and mix them in, making a smooth batter. Make sure there are no lumps left.
Submerge the small cauliflower heads in the batter to cover them evenly. Place the pieces on the parchment paper.
Place the tray in the oven and bake the cauliflower heads for 15 minutes.
In the meantime, melt the vegan butter, add the chili sauce and mix them well.
After 15 minutes, sprinkle the melted vegan butter mix on the cauliflowers. Put the tray back into the oven, and bake them for another 15 minutes until golden brown.
For the dip, mix all the ingredients in a small bowl and it is ready to serve.
Serve the cauliflower ‘wings’ hot or cold with the dip.
It keeps for up to 3 days.
Lentil salad
This salad is a personal favorite, a tradition I started on my first vegan New Year’s Eve. There are lots of flavors packed in this dish and it is also very filling, full of fiber.
It is perfect as a side to any vegan meat, to other baked vegetables, or as a starter.
It is best to prepare a big batch because it tastes even better the next day. It is convenient to just grab it from the fridge when you are exhausted from the previous night’s party.
Ingredients:
1 cup dry lentils soaked
1 onion cut in half
2-3 bay leaves
1 small bunch of parsley
Salt and pepper
½ onion diced
2 carrots chopped
1/3 cup water
3-4 small broccoli heads cut into quarters
100g smoked tofu cut into small pieces
1/3 cup oat cream (but it works with any plant cream)
2 tbsp mild mustard
2 tbsp vegan mayo
2 tbsp olive oil
Water for thinning
Soak the dry lentils for 3-4 hours. Then take a big pot, add the lentils, bay leaves, 1 onion cut in half, and cook them in salty water for 30-40 minutes until soft.
Heat a tablespoon of olive oil in a medium pan and fry the diced onions. Add the carrots and 1/3 cup water and cook them under a lid for 15 minutes. Add the broccoli and tofu pieces and cook them for another 15 minutes.
Once the lentils are cooked, remove the bay leaves and onion. Put 1/3 cup of cooked lentils aside for the dressing in a mixing bowl. Add the oat cream, mustard, mayo, olive oil, and 2 tbsp water, and blend it all.
if the dressing is too thick, add a little more water for thinning.
Take a big salad bowl, add the remaining cooked lentils, the fried vegetable mix, and pour the dressing over it. Mix it well and season it with salt and pepper.
Keep it in the fridge for up to 4 days.
Vegan Wellington
The highlight of the dinner. This showstopper vegan Wellington is the perfect dish to impress your dinner guests.
When a successful job search turns into dinner planning and recipe browsing, don’t let this one slip through.
Another great thing about this dish is that you can prepare it a day before and put it in the oven on the day.
Ingredients:
For the ragout:
2 tbsp olive oil
1 onion diced
2 cloves of garlic crushed
2 carrots grated
2 celery sticks chopped into small pieces
140g tomato paste
1 flat tsp sugar
¼ cup water
400g vegan minced meat
For the mushroom ragout:
100 g mushroom
2 cloves of garlic crushed
1 tsp thyme
1 tsp mild mustard
50g panko breadcrumbs
2 bunch of parsley
For assembling:
1 pack puff pastry (approximately 270g)
2 tbsp mild mustard
2-3 tbsp breadcrumbs
1 tbsp poppy seeds optional
Preparing the meatless ragout starts with heating olive oil in a pan. Add the diced onions and after 2 minutes frying, add the crushed garlic cloves, grated carrots, and chopped celery. Season it with salt and pepper and fry them for 4-5 minutes.
Add the tomato paste and sugar, mix them well, cook for 2 more minutes, then add the water. Boil it for 2 minutes then remove it from the heat and add the vegan mince.
Scrape the mix into a bowl and put it in the freezer for 10-20 minutes, but don’t let it freeze.
Making the mushroom ragout, use a food processor and crush them into tiny pieces. Heat a pan and cook the mushrooms until all liquid evaporates. This takes 10-15 minutes. Season it with salt and pepper, add the crushed garlic, thyme, and mustard.
Remove the pan from the heat, add the panko crumbs and chopped parsley, and leave it cool down.
Preheat the oven to 200oC.
Now take the pastry and place the shorter side in front of you. Spread the mustard on it and sprinkle it with breadcrumbs.
Spread the mushroom ragout on the pastry leaving 2cm on each side. Form a loaf from the ‘meat’ ragout and place it in the middle. Cover it with the leftover mushroom ragout.
Wrap the pastry around the filling, first from the two longer sides, then the shorter sides. Pinch the pastry together and brush it with vegan butter all over.
Place it on a parchment paper-lined tray with the sealed side facing down. Use a knife and cut a few lines in the pastry.
Place the tray in the oven and bake the Wellington for 35 minutes until golden brown. Once it is ready, leave it cool for 5-10 minutes. Serve it in 3cm slices.
It is best served fresh, but you can keep it in the fridge for up to 3 days.
