For Christmas day we're going to my grandma's and we'll be doing whatever side dishes I can set aside before butter or milk is added to them. I'm bringing the sweet potato casserole and pasta salad so at the very least we'll have that.
For Christmas eve we're going to my in-laws and my motherin-law is kind of a freak (in a wonderful way). She was saying she wanted to do her regular dinner but she was also going to do sweet and sour pork, but she'd leave out the pork in the sauce so we could have the sauce and rice. I suggested we do a whole Chinese feast for dinner instead, since she just did a turkey for Thanksgiving and THEY AGREED! So, here's out big Xmas Eve dinner menu...
Chinese Spinach Salad - tender baby spinach, green onions, cilantro, and chopped water chestnuts tossed with spicy peanut vinaigrette and topped with chopped peanuts and crunchy Chinese noodles.
Sweet & Sour Sauce with Brown Rice - my mom-in-law is making this and she says it's just like the brown rice at PF Chang's.
Mini Spring Rolls - They are mini because I can't find big eggroll wrappers that don't have egg in them. The little wontons are vegan so I use those and just make a bunch. I just got done wrapping up a whole panful of these not ten minutes ago. I used grated carrot and cabbage, diced onion, roasted garlic, chopped water chestnuts, pepper, Bragg's Aminos, and a handful of Morningstar Farms meatless sausage crumbles. I heated up a few tablespoons because I couldn't resis and it is YUMMY.
Tempura Veggies! My mother-in-law is making these. She does an incredible tempura using 7-Up. I think. It's been years since she made it, but I think that was her secret.
For dessert...
SWEET WON TONS!
I did two flavors.
A dark chocolate filling with coconut and pecans tossed with agave syrup then I'm going to dust the fried rolls with powdered sugar and drizzle chocolate syrup over them
AND
walnut and pistachio filling with cinnamon, ginger, and cardamom, and lemon juice tossed with agave syrup that I'm going to drizzle hot grapefruit honey over and then sprinkle on more chopped pistachios.
I know I'm awful because of the honey, but I really love my local honey and I trust that my beekeeper friend and his bees have a relationship that is acceptable to all parties involved.
I threw my deep fryer out a long time ago so I had to buy a new one for this occasion. I know it's a lot of fried food, but what the hell. It's Christmas!
That meal is at night, but during the day we're snacking to our heart's content. I'm bringing olive hummus, tomatoe and basil hummus, (vegan) cream cheese with a smoked peach salsa poured over it, french onion dip and chips, guacamole and tortilla chips, and two kinds of crackers.
I've changed my eating habits so much over the past couple years, but Christmas in our family is all about indulging. This year will be no different, even though we've given up ALL animal products (well, except for that honey).
Merry Xmas!