Frowner’s Christmas Menu

Frowner's Christmas Menu

Vegan and healthy without sacrificing flavour.

Short days and the festive season is just around the corner. You can prepare for a relaxing time before cosy get-togethers or just for yourself.

Be inspired by Stinrrunzler's budget-friendly Christmas menu. It can easily be created in advance.

Tofu skewers – dried green beans with potato star – stuffed apples and pears in “festive dress.”

Tofu skewers as appetisers

Ingredients:

• Organic tofu
• Pitted green and black olives
• Mini tomatoes
• Avocado oil (or extra virgin olive oil)
• Wooden toothpick
• Italian spice mix (e.g. Pizza & Pasta Seasoning)
• Peperoncini flakes or All'Arrabbiata mix (for example, McCormick)
• Preparation:
• Cut the tofu into slices (1 cm thick).
• Cut out stars or other shapes using Christmas biscuit cutters. Coat the stars well with avocado oil using a brush, or turn them in the oil in a small bowl and drain. Place the stars, etc., on baking paper. Sprinkle with Italian spice mix and chilli pepper (press down a little if necessary). Place the fresh baking paper in a preheated oven at 220° fan or U/O heat. After 5 minutes, set the oven to 200° and bake well (approx. 15-20 minutes). Leave to cool in the oven.
• Wash the date tomatoes and dry them well. Cut into two pieces according to size. Drain the olives (not soaked in oil) and dry on a cloth. Place on wooden toothpicks together with the date tomatoes and on the tofu star.
• (Turn the leftover tofu in the oil, season it, and fry it. It can be enjoyed hot or cold.)

Dried beans with potato star

Ingredients:

• 2-3 bags of dried beans (for example, Migros Classic)
• 4-5 spring onions – a little garlic to taste
• One pc. Fresh ginger
• 1-2 pcs. Fresh chilli peppers
• One DL yellow grappa
• 1 tbsp dried oregano
• 1 tbsp dried thyme
• 1 tbsp dried chives
• 1 tbsp dried parsley
• Two bay leaves
• Seven dl cold water
• 1 tbsp instant vegetable stock (Morga)
• 3 tbsp heaped original spelt flour
• soya sauce
• One jar of cranberries
• One bag of large waxy potatoes
• Rosemary
• Sea salt from the mill

Preparation

Preparation of dried green beans:

• Dried beans must be soaked in cold water overnight (at least 12 hours). Drain and add more water. Drain. Drain in a sieve. Bring the water to the boil with a level teaspoon of sea salt. Add the beans and cook until soft. Drain and leave to drain in a sieve on a kitchen towel.
• Trim, wash and chop the spring onions. Trim, wash and finely slice the ginger. Wash and finely slice the chilli peppers.
• Pour seven dl water into a measuring jug. Add the flour, instant bouillon and spices. Stir well.
• Preparing the potato star
• Wash the potatoes and cook until al dente. Cut into slices 1.5 cm thick. Often, only the middle potato slices are suitable for the star shapes. Place the leftover potatoes in a sealable gratin dish. Store in the fridge and use later. Sprinkle the potato stars lightly with sea salt from the mill and top with rosemary. Bake on baking paper in a preheated oven at 210° until golden brown.
• Finish with dried beans:
• Cover the base of the pan with avocado oil, add yellow grappa and heat. Add the onions, ginger and chillies and steam.
• Add the flour sauce. Bring to the boil. Stir in the beans. Add the bay leaves. Simmer gently for 10 minutes and season with soya sauce to taste.
• Serve the green beans and potato stars with 1 tbsp of cranberries on warmed plates. Then, serve immediately.
• The dried beans can be kept well sealed in the fridge and efficiently served reheated the next day in a pan or oven. Potato stars can also be wrapped in baking paper, stored in a cool place, and briefly reheated in the oven.

Stuffed apples and pears in “festive dress.”

Ingredients

• Two apples and two pears (use small, fresh fruit)
• One bag (200g) of grated almonds
• 1 half bag (150g) of sultanas
• One sizeable organic orange
• One organic lemon
• One vegan puff pastry
• Maple syrup
• Avocado oil

Preparation

• Wash and dry the apples and pears. Peel with a peeler. Carefully cut out the blossom. Remove the stem and core generously with an apple corer. Brush the fruit with a few drops of orange or lemon juice.
• Squeeze the orange. Add the grated almonds and sultanas and the orange juice to the bowl. Mix well and fill the fruit.
• Roll out the pastry thinly and carefully wrap the fruit. Cut out a star and press onto the fruit blossom. Cut out the second star and attach it to the base of the fruit similarly. Brush lightly with avocado oil (kitchen brush). Preheat the oven to 200°. Brush the fruit with maple syrup (kitchen brush)—place baking paper on the rack and place the fruit. Bake for 5 minutes at 200°. Then bake at 180° for half an hour. Bake at 160° for a further 20 minutes until golden brown. Switch off the oven.
• Prepare chilled plates. Shape vegan vanilla glacé balls with an apple corer. Garnish with blueberries, fresh pineapple chunks or others. Serve the apple or pear in its “festive dress”.
• Tip: Pears and apples can also be halved and generously cored. Fill with almond sultana and orange juice mixture and bake without a pastry coating. Cut out dough stars, coat and bake separately.

Advantages of dried green beans

It has a very long shelf life of up to three years. Drying green beans significantly reduces their moisture content. This results in a longer shelf life and less storage space. Moreover, the accessible transport options increase (emergency stock).

Health benefits:

Green beans contain many nutrients like fibre, protein, and vitamins. Also, minerals, most of which are retained even after drying.

Disadvantages of dried green beans

Dried green beans must be soaked than fresh or pre-cooked green beans (tinned beans). It would be best to do it for at least 12 hours before cooking, which takes a little longer.

Changes in flavour and texture occur. Drying green beans causes a particular shift in taste and texture. This is why dried beans are sometimes less popular. However, there are good recipes that turn dried beans into a delicacy.

General advantages of dried fruit

Dried fruit contains a high concentration of natural sugar and fibre. It makes a compact “energy source”.

Drying fruit increases its shelf life.

Less weight, easy to transport. It is always a convenient snack option when travelling.

Disadvantages of dried fruit

Dried fruit does contain natural sugar. However, the sugar content is much higher than in fresh fruit. It can lead to increased sugar consumption if eaten in excess. In addition, some vital vitamin C is lost during drying.

Advantages of dried vegetables

The shelf life of dried vegetables is very long due to the reduction in water content. As with dried fruit, the “energy sources” are retained. Fibre, vitamins and minerals are largely conserved.

Dried vegetables are versatile and suitable for soups, stews, casseroles, and snacks.

Disadvantages of dried vegetables:

There are changes in flavour and texture during the drying process. They are often seen as unfavourable by consumers. Lower water content leads to less volume, which recipes must consider.