Enjoy traditionally
Vegan Christmas menu: red cabbage with dumplings and cream sauce
The Christmas dinner has a long tradition and is the crowning glory of a successful celebration
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A successful holiday meal rounds off Christmas. In addition to the classic dishes, there is also a vegan Christmas menu: Homemade red cabbage with dumplings and vegan cream sauce not only inspires vegans.
Advent, Advent, a little light is on – it’s that time again soon. Christmas is almost around the corner and with it a time full of culinary experiences and highlights.
Wonderful Christmas time
Christmas is not just a celebration, it is a feeling. Visits to the Christmas market, a warm mulled wine in hand, splendid lights, illuminated streets and the smell of freshly baked cookies delight young and old every year.
But as contemplative as the Christmas season is – in some aspects it brings with it one or the other challenge. In the pre-Christmas stress of looking for gifts, decorations and holiday preparation, meal planning shouldn’t be neglected, for example. After all, there is nothing better than enjoying a successful festive meal with your loved ones. One thing is certain: Christmas dinner has a long tradition and is part of the festival like the Christmas tree and Santa Claus.
The menu planning: an underestimated point
Over time, the attitude of many people towards a plant-based diet and reducing the consumption of animal products has changed. According to a Statista graphic based on a survey by the IfD Allensbach, 1.3 million more people classified themselves as vegetarians in 2020 than in 2016. This corresponds to an increase of around 23 percent. According to this, eight million Germans are now completely without meat and fish. For vegans, the plus is lower in absolute numbers at around 300,000 people – an increase of around 41 percent. The trend is therefore clearly in the direction of the vegan diet. Whether you are vegan yourself, are just curious about a vegan menu or maybe even have vegan guests to entertain – a vegan Christmas dinner is definitely feasible and comes – in the best case – very close to the original.
Traditional dish of red cabbage with dumplings
Traditional Christmas recipes are a dime a dozen, but they almost always contain meat or fish. Be it roast beef, potato salad with sausages, Christmas carp, fondue, roast duck or the good old Christmas goose.
The latter in particular is eaten with preference in combination with dumplings and red cabbage. But did you know that the traditional preparation of Christmas red cabbage is not even vegan? Lard, butter and meat broth usually go into the pot to give the winter vegetables their characteristic note. But red cabbage can also be made without animal products – instead of butter or lard, we use vegetable margarine, and there is no meat broth. Instead, it is strongly seasoned – and in no time bay leaf, clove and Co. give the side dish its typical taste.
By the way, dumplings are naturally vegan. They only consist of potatoes, starch and spices and can therefore be integrated into a vegan Christmas menu without hesitation.
The star of the dish: the vegan cream sauce
The real challenge of the dish is yet to come: the sauce. Roast or cream sauce ends up on numerous festive tables at Christmas time. The importance of the sauce should never be underestimated – after all, it gives a successful meal the finishing touch and ensures a harmonious overall taste. Unlike a creamy cream sauce made from butter and whipped cream, the vegan version is based on soy cream. The highlight of the whole thing, however, are seared mushrooms and onions, which give the sauce a fantastic roast aroma. The spectacle is canceled out with a little white wine and voilà – the aromatic vegan holiday dish is already on the table.
Tip: The vegan Christmas menu is a pleasure on its own. If you don’t want to do without a meat-like component, the cream sauce can also be served together with various meat alternatives. Sliced soy or pea based meats are particularly suitable for this.
Recipe for a vegan Christmas menu with red cabbage, dumplings and cream sauce
ingredients
Red cabbage
- 500 grams of red cabbage
- 1 white onion
- 1 Boskop apple (approx. 200 grams)
- 1 tablespoon of margarine
- 25 milliliters of apple cider vinegar
- 50 milliliters of dry red wine
- 50 milliliters of apple juice
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 juniper berry
- 1 clove
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 2 teaspoons of sugar
- Salt pepper
Cream sauce
- 400 grams of mushrooms
- 1 onion
- 1 teaspoon coconut oil
- 100 milliliters of white wine
- 100 milliliters of soy cream
- ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
- Salt pepper
Dumplings
- 500 grams of potatoes
- 100 grams of potato flour
- 2 tablespoons of soft wheat semolina
- A pinch of salt
- ¼ teaspoon of grated nutmeg
preparation
- Remove the outer leaves of the red cabbage and wash the red cabbage.
- Quarter the cabbage, remove the stalk and cut into 3 millimeter strips.
- Peel and halve the onions and cut into fine strips. Wash, quarter and core the apple and cut into small pieces.
- Heat the margarine in a large saucepan and sauté the onions for three minutes.
- Add the red cabbage and stir well.
- Pour in the apple cider vinegar, wine and apple juice, bring to the boil while stirring.
- Season with bay leaves, juniper, cloves, cinnamon stick, salt, pepper and 2 teaspoons of sugar.
- Fold the apple pieces under the red cabbage. Cover and simmer the red cabbage over a medium heat for about an hour, stirring occasionally. If necessary, season again with salt, pepper and sugar.
- For the vegan cream sauce, clean the mushrooms and cut them into slices, peel and dice the onions.
- Melt coconut oil in a pan and sauté the onion. Add the mushrooms and deglaze with white wine. Add the soy cream while stirring and bring to the boil briefly. Season with salt, pepper and nutmeg.
- Finally prepare the dumplings. Cook the potatoes in their skins. Peel the warm potatoes and press them through a potato press.
- Mix the pressed potatoes in a bowl with semolina, potato flour, salt and nutmeg. If necessary, add a little more potato flour.
- Shape the dough into about six dumplings of the same size and place them in lightly salted, simmering water.
- Bring the water to the boil briefly and let it steep for 20 minutes over a medium heat. When the dumplings rise in the water, they’re done.
- Drain the dumplings through a sieve and arrange on two plates together with the red cabbage.
- Spread the vegan cream sauce on the dumplings and serve immediately.