Give your guests a taste of the veggie goodness to come by starting your meal with some canapés. As cute as they are delicious, these vegan Christmas recipes are all about bold flavours and melt-in-your-mouth textures that are sure to impress even your most carnivorous guests. 


A FEW VEGETARIAN CANAPÉ IDEAS

Black olive arancini with a tomato and roasted red pepper coulis

Grilled eggplant with ricotta, Feta and aniseed Dukkah 

Halloumi and zucchini served with tomato puree and yogurt sauce

Wild mushroom polenta with melted cheddar

Fennel Remoulade with dill, orange and ginger

Here in Québec, no holiday feast is complete without the traditional tourtière. But who says you need meat to make a delicious meat pie? This recipe from Foodlavie is a modern take on a holiday classic, with wild mushrooms as the main ingredient and a splash of Porto to get the party started!


MAKE A MUSHROOM BELIEVER OUT OF EVERYONE

With their weird earthy flavour, mushrooms may not be everyone’s cup of tea. But there’s no denying that the mushroom is a pretty impressive vegetable! Able to grow without any light or air, they’re packed with essential nutrients. Convert your guests to the power of the mighty mushroom by sharing these words of wisdom from Docteur Bonne Bouffe.

If ever you’re looking to show off your culinary skills, you can’t go wrong with a Wellington, possibly the best holiday dish ever invented. Whoever’s on carving duty is in for a big surprise when they cut through the puff pastry to find steaming beets in place of beef! Beet Wellington is a genius take on the British classic—a dish so iconic it was even featured as one of the final challenges in the Master Chef Australia competition.

Nothing says Christmas like cozying up under a blanket with some great comfort food watching the snow falling outside your window. To compete in the face of hibernation-mode classics like stews and slow-braised meat dishes, you’ll need to bring out the big guns! Enter the squash, with its soft flesh and comforting buttery flavour that’s perfect for cold winter days. Once you’ve figured out how to cut a squash, you can create a world of recipes with this versatile veggie. Try it in a soup or salad, mashed potato, risotto and even in cake or ice cream!

Intentionally burning food is the fiercest trend in the food world right now, with charred, crispy ingredients popping up on menus around the globe. Not only is it a great excuse when you forget to turn off the oven, burning has become a cooking technique that allows you to reach new levels of flavor—especially when a vegetable is the star of the show.

Looking for something unique to slip under the tree this year? Try these vegan cheese-making kits from Quebec company U-Main! Every cute little box comes with instructions and recipes to make your own vegan cheese at home, using whatever nuts, grains and alternative milks you have in your pantry.