What more can one ask for! Beautiful weather, decorated streets and shops, prayers, gifts and a warm welcoming home brimming with life. To top it all, breaking bread together adds to the harmony and piety of the occasion.
So here is a sumptuous meal you can cook for your loved ones and make Christmas even more special.
VEGETARIAN LUNCH
Cream Almond Soup
Ingredients:
4 cups vegetable stock
1/4cup cheese spread
4 tsp butter
4 tsp almond paste
10 fried almonds(crushed)
Salt to taste
1 tsp pepper powder
1 chopped onion
Procedure:
Heat butter in a heavy bottomed pan.
Add onions and sauté for five minutes.
Add almond paste, salt and sauté for another five minutes.
Now pour vegetable stalk slowly into the pan.
Cook for 10 minutes.
Add cheese, pepper, crushed almonds and serve hot with bread croutons.
Mix Vegetable Soup
Ingredients:
1 cup shredded cabbage
½ cup chopped onions
½ cup boiled sweet corn
3 tsp garlic paste
2 tsp ginger paste
½ cup grated carrots
½ cup chopped tomatoes
½ cup shredded mushrooms
¼ cup chopped capsicum
¼ cup green peas
2 tsp butter
1 tsp pepper powder
Salt to taste
2 tsp Soya sauce
2 tsp chilly sauce
1 tsp tomato sauce
1 tsp oregano
Procedure :
Heat butter in a heavy bottomed pan.
Add onions and sauté for 5 minutes.
Now add all the vegetables and ginger garlic paste.
Add salt, 4 cups of water, Soya sauce, chilly sauce and cover the lid.
Cook for 15 minutes.
Add pepper, oregano, a dash of butter or cheese and serve hot with brown bread or bread croutons.
Cheese Spinach Roll
Ingredients:
1 cup spinach finely chopped
1 cup cottage cheese
2 onions finely chopped
1 tsp crushed ginger
2 tsp roasted nuts (crushed)
Salt to taste
1 finely chopped green chilly
1 tsp pepper powder
2 tsp butter
½ cup cheese (grated)
1 cup bread crumbs
½ cup oil for frying
½ cup corn flour
Procedure:
Heat butter in a pan.Add onions and sauté for 5 minutes. Add spinach and cook for sometime. Now add cottage cheese, chilly, ginger, pepper, nuts, salt and grated cheese and cook for at least 10 minutes. Remove from fire and let it cool. Mix corn flour and form small oval shaped balls and slightly flatten them.
Roll into bread crumbs and deep fry in oil.
Serve hot with tomato and mustard sauce.
Eggless Christmas Cake
Ingredients:
250 gms condensed milk
2/3 bottle coke
2 tsp vanilla essence
250 gms flour
100 gms powdered sugar
100 gms butter
2 red cherry finely chopped
¼ cup roasted nuts
1 tsp baking powder
Procedure:
Sieve flour along with baking powder so that both mix together well. Now mix together condensed milk, butter, sugar, vanilla essence in a blender. Pour the mixture in the bowl containing flour, mixing vigorously so that no lumps are formed.
Add coke and mix well. Also add nuts and cherry and pour in baking tray( don’t forget to grease it and also sprinkle some flour to avoid sticking). Bake at 200 degrees for half hour. Remove from oven and check by inserting a needle in the middle of the cake.If the needle comes out clean the cake is done, if not, bake for 10 minutes more.
Now let it cool and enjoy the eggless Christmas cake!
Whole Wheat Vegetable Bread
½ cup warm water
2 tsp dry yeast
½ cup oil
1 can evaporated milk
1 stalk cerely
2 large carrots
1/8 head of cabbage
4 tsp honey
1 tsp salt
6 cups whole wheat flour
Procedure:
Pour lukewarm water into a bowl. Sprinkle yeast on top. Allow to activate, about 7 minutes. Put oil, milk, celery, carrots, cabbage and honey into a blender and blend till liquid. Pour this into a mixing bowl with the yeast. Add in the flour and salt. Knead for 10 minutes. Form into loaves and place into greased pans. Cover and let rise till almost double. Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 45 minutes. Cool.
Baked vegetables in White Sauce
Ingredients:
¼ cup finely chopped beans
¼ cup chopped potatoes
¼ cup chopped cauliflower
¼ cup carrots
¼ cup peas
¼ cup chopped tomatoes
2 tsp chopped garlic
2 tsp pepper powder
½ cup white flour or maida
1 cup milk
½ cup cheese spread
½ cup cottage cheese
1 tsp oil
1 tsp butter
Salt to taste
Procedure:
Boil beans, potatoes, cauliflower, carrots and peas.
Put a tsp of oil in pan and sauté the chopped garlic.
Add the veggies, tomato, cottage cheese and salt. Stir for 2 min.
To make the sauce:
Heat butter in a pan and when it melts, add milk. Add the flour and allow the mixture to thicken. Make sure the paste is smooth and devoid of lumps.
Now pour it over the veggies. Add cheese, and pepper and mix well. Put the entire thing in a baking dish and bake for 30 minutes at 150 degrees.Serve hot.
Apple Pudding
Ingredients :
2 large apples cut in slices
2 cups cottage cheese
1 cup brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla essence
½ cup apple juice
½ cup wheat flour
½ cup powdered sugar (white)
Procedure:
Add together all ingredients (except sliced apples and castor sugar) and run in a mixer grinder. Take a baking dish and grease it with a little oil. Put a layer of sliced apples, top it with a layer of castor sugar and pour the mixture. Now again put a layer of castor sugar and sliced apples. Bake in a preheated oven for 30 mins at 180 degrees and serve hot or cold, with ice-cream or chocolate sauce or even vanilla crush.
Crunchy Pie
Ingredients:
2 cans apple sauce
1 packet corn flakes
1 cup castor sugar
1 cup chocolate icecream
Procedure:
Put a layer of apple sauce at the bottom of a bowl. Cover this with a layer of corn flakes, a slice of ice cream and sprinkle with sugar. Then put another layer of apple sauce, ice cream, corn flakes and sugar. Continue this until all ingredients are used up. Cool crunchy dessert is ready to be eaten!
Orange Julius
Ingredients:
1 cup of fresh or frozen orange juice or 4 oz orange juice concentrate
2 oz milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 tsp sugar
1 scoop of vanilla ice cream
Procedure:
Place all ingredients in a blender with 1/2 cup of ice. Blend until smooth. Pour into a chilled hurricane glass. If the mixture is too thick, add more juice or water. If it`s too light, add more ice or ice cream.
Ginger Punch
Ingredients:
2 cups water
1 cup sugar
¼ cup finely chopped ginger
1 bottle soda
Crushed ice
Juice of one lemon
2-3 mint leaves
Procedure:
Boil together sugar, water and ginger till the quantity becomes half.
Remove form fire and let it cool. Take 3-4 long glasses. Put mint leaves and lemon juice in them. Now fill quarter glass with the prepared ginger squash. Fill the rest of the glass with soda. Add crushed ice and serve immediately.
NON-VEGETARIAN LUNCH
Chicken Soup
Ingredients :
1 small chicken
1 small onion
1 tsp chopped ginger
1 tsp coriander
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp pepper
1 tsp curry masala
2 tsp oil
3 stalks curry leaves
Salt to taste
Procedure:
Slice the chicken into small pieces. Grind the ginger, coriander, cumin seeds, pepper, curry masala and curry leaves. Mix them with the chicken pieces and salt. Cook this with some water. When it is done, squeeze out the chicken pieces and filter the soup. Sauté the sliced onion in oil and add the soup into it.
Chocolate Chip Cookies
Ingredients:
2 1/4 cups flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 cup butter
1/4 sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1 box instant vanilla pudding or 2 small boxes
2 eggs
1 pkg of choc chip
1 cup nuts, chopped (optional)
Procedure:
Mix all wet ingredients together first with an electric mixer.
Then slowly add in the flour mixture consisting of flour, soda, and pudding while you continue to mix. Add chocolate chips and nuts at the end.
Drop on a cookie sheet and bake 8-10 min. at 375°F. Let cool in pan for 5 minutes then transfer to cooling rack for another 10 minutes.
Shepherd`s Pie
Ingredients:
2 cups cooked chopped leftover roast lamb
1 tablespoon finely chopped onion
2 cups lamb gravy
Salt and pepper
2 cups mashed potato, prepared with milk and seasonings as desired
Salt and pepper
1/8 teaspoon paprika
1 tablespoon butter
Procedure:
Combine meat, gravy, and chopped onion; season with salt and pepper to taste.
Line the bottom of a buttered baking dish with a layer of half of the seasoned mashed potatoes. Add meat mixture then cover with remaining mashed potatoes.
Bake for about 30 minutes at 400°, or until potato topping is browned and the Shepherd`s pie is thoroughly heated.
Banana Bread
Ingredients:
2 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla essence
1/3 cup oil
1/2 tsp salt
2 eggs
4 bananas
Procedure:
Mash bananas and mix with other ingredients. Bake at 350 for 50 minutes.
Turkey Chilli
Ingredients:
1 tbsp olive oil
1 large onion, finely chopped
1 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
1/2 stick of celery, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
3/4 pound 99% fat-free ground turkey
2 tbsp chili powder
2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp ground coriander
1 14 1/2-ounce can crushed tomatoes
1 8-ounce can tomato sauce, no salt added
1 15-ounce can black beans, rinsed and drained
4 tbsp fat-free sour cream or yogurt
4 tbsp fresh chopped cilantro (optional)
Procedure:
Heat oil in a large Dutch oven. Add onion, celery, chopped pepper and garlic.
Cook for 5 minutes or until onions are translucent. Crumble the turkey into the pan, breaking it apart with a wooden spoon. Cook for about 5 minutes or until no longer pink. Stir in chili powder, cumin, coriander and oregano. Add in tomatoes and tomato sauce, and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Add beans, mix well and cook on low heat for a further 5-10 minutes. Ladle into bowls. Add a dollop of fat-free sour cream or yogurt on top, plus some fresh chopped cilantro if you have it.
Banana Smoothie
Ingredients:
3/4 tsp vanilla extract
2 sliced bananas
1/2 cup honey
1/2 cup ice
1 1/2 cups vanilla yogurt
Procedure:
Pour the ingredients into a blender in the following order: honey, vanilla extract, bananas, vanilla yogurt, and ice.
Gradually increase the blending speed and blend until the mixture is smooth.
Pour the drink into a chilled hurricane or cordial glass.
Green Grape Glacier
Ingredients:
12 seedless green grapes
4 oz white grape juice
4 oz cold sparkling water
Procedure:
Freeze the grapes until hard. Combine 10 frozen grapes and grape juice in a blender and process about 20 seconds, or until smooth and thick. Pour the grape mix into a highball glass . Add the sparkling water. Stir gently. Garnish with the remaining 2 frozen grapes.
