5 years ago

Weekly Spotlight: Building the Perfect Plant-Based Holiday Meal

orange-dijon-green-beans-with-crispy-shallots-1-1200x750-1

For brands

Want to reach our audience?

Putting together a holiday meal can sometimes be difficult since there are so many options for sides. You could do fresh green beans or do a green bean casserole, choose to do mashed potatoes or roasted potatoes…it can be hard to choose. This spotlight focuses on making the best holiday meal using colors and textures so that each bite of your holiday meal is memorable and delicious. Also, by having a table of color and texture for you and your guests, the feast will look stunning as a whole, making it perfect to capture and show off on social media!

This spotlight gives you the sides to go along with your entree; each one offers two recipes for the entree and then offers three sides that you can make to go along with it or put your own twist on.

Don’t think we forget dessert! Check out these roundups to find the perfect dessert for you: 15 Veganized Classic Christmas Desserts, Vegan Christmas Pies That Will Make Dessert Extra Sweet, and 15 Traditional Christmas Desserts Made Vegan!

We also highly recommend downloading the Food Monster App — with over 15,000 delicious recipes it is the largest meatless, vegan, plant-based, and allergy-friendly recipe resource to help you get healthy! And, don’t forget to check out our Weekly Meal Plan Archives!

If You’re Serving a Roast:

Source: Rosemary Mashed Potatoes

Roasts are an excellent main dish to serve this holiday! Roasts pair well with classic sides such as cranberry sauce or mashed potatoes. You can also opt to stick with festive sides such as green bean casserole or do a roasted vegetable side instead.

If You’re Serving a Pot Pie:

Source: Orange Dijon Green Beans With Crispy Shallots

If you’re serving a pot pie, you’re looking for a side that gives texture to the meal. Since pot pies tend to be soft and creamy, choose a side that’s got some bite or heat to help it stand out. If you love potatoes and want to include them with this sort of meal, opt to do a crispy potato dish such as these potato wedges.

If You’re Serving A Shepherd’s Pie:

Source: Kale Salad with Cherries and Almonds

With shepherd’s pie, you’re looking to add a side with a crunch or a crisp, just like with the pot pie. You don’t want your sides to get lost in the background of your meal. Since Shepherd’s Pie is usually topped with mashed potato, feel free to choose vegetable sides that will stand apart and add color to the table as a whole.

If You’re Serving a Wellington:

Source: Mushroom Wellington

With Wellington, you’re also looking for sides that stand out on the table, but offer a myriad of textures. This way you’re still getting a plate of flavors with a variety of colors. Wellingtons are wonderful to add classic sides to, just like with the roast, or to switch it up with a crispy potato or vegetable side. Pairing this wellington with a creamier vegetable side means you’re still getting the comfort of the meal without it tasting too heavy.

If You’re Serving A Stuffed Entree:

Source: Rosemary and Sea Salt Dinner Rolls

Stuffed Entrees are the star of the table and you’re going to want your sides to not only compliment it, but offer new flavors to the table. Choosing a roasted vegetable or a crispy side is a great option here to add a diverse set of flavors. Plus, adding a dinner roll or biscuit on the side will also compliment the meal well!

Learn How to Cook Plant-Based Meals at Home!

Reducing your meat intake and eating more plant-based foods is known to help with chronic inflammation, heart health, mental wellbeing, fitness goals, nutritional needs, allergies, gut health, and more! Dairy consumption also has been linked to many health problems, including acne, hormonal imbalance, cancer, prostate cancer and has many side effects.

For those of you interested in eating more plant-based, we highly recommend downloading the Food Monster App — with over 15,000 delicious recipes it is the largest plant-based recipe resource to help reduce your environmental footprint, save animals and get healthy! And, while you are at it, we encourage you to also learn about the environmental and health benefits of a plant-based diet.

Here are some great resources to get you started:

For more Animal, Earth, Life, Vegan Food, Health, and Recipe content published daily, subscribe to the One Green Planet Newsletter! Lastly, being publicly funded gives us a greater chance to continue providing you with high-quality content. Please consider supporting us by donating!

Being publicly-funded gives us a greater chance to continue providing you with high-quality content.Click here to Support Us