A lot of my friends are vegetarians. Truth be told, I’m pretty stoked when we have them over, because I love cooking and eating vegetables and sharing a meal with them is such a delight.

As I was planning this dinner, I went over different foods in my head and I remembered this great chilli recipe that I’ve made before and loved. The great thing about this recipe is that it’s so hearty, even declared meat lovers will fall head over heels for it. Then, I remembered that this dish isn’t just vegetarian, but actually full-on vegan, so I thought we could have a nice meat, egg and dairy-free dinner alltogether.

I didn’t have a lot of time for prepping, but I did have a baguette on hand and nice ripe avocados in the fridge, so I decided to make an entrée of tomato & avocado bruschetta, topped with a balsamic vinegar reduction, for an extra kick of taste. Dessert was a no-brainer: since I had avocados, I decided to make a super healthy chocolate mousse, that is both vegan and sugar-free. And since mousse is a make-ahead dessert, it also took care of my time problem.

For a period of forty days preceding Christmas, the Eastern Orthodox keep what is called the Nativity Fast, during which time they eat a vegan diet with 6 exempted days, when they are allowed to have fish. My Grandmother fasted and even if I never did it strictly, I remember that before Christmas, we rarely ate meat and instead, enjoyed a whole lot of veggies. So, even if I don’t fast, to me it makes sense to practise a little restraint before the holidays.

So, I say ’tis the season to go vegan, even if it’s only for a little bit, even if it’s just for a day in the week or a meal alone. For those of you who are vegans, congratulations! For the rest of us, I think we should try to eat plant-based foods more often, it really makes one more appreciative of all the lovely food we have access to all the time.

Consuming a plant-based diet is a wonderful cleansing process for your body and it can also be finger-licking delicious. If you don’t believe me, you should really cook this dinner or at least the chilli: the great thing about it is that it’s quite cheap and easy to make, most ingredients are probably already in your cupboard. Pair it with a nice earthy red wine for added pleasure.

 

Avocado & Balsamic Reduction Bruschetta

Serves 6

 

1 baguette or any bread you like, thinly sliced

4 Tblsp olive oil, divided

118ml/1/2 cup balsamic vinegar

2 tablespoons dark brown sugar, packed

300gr/ 2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved

1 avocado, halved, seeded, peeled and diced

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

A handful of basil leaves, finely chopped

 

Preheat oven to 180C/350F. Line oven tray with baking paper.Place baguette slices

onto prepared baking sheet. Drizzle with 2 tablespoons olive oil. Place into oven and

bake for 8-10 minutes, or until golden brown.

 

To make the balsamic reduction, add balsamic vinegar and brown sugar to a small

saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a slight boil and reduce by half, about 6-8

minutes; set aside and let cool.

 

In a large bowl, combine tomatoes, avocado, remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil; add

salt and pepper, to taste.Top each baguette slice with tomato mixture, garnished with

basil. Drizzle with balsamic reduction and serve immediately.

 

Hearty Bean Chilli

Serves 6

 

2tbsp sunflower oil

1 large onion, chopped

3 carrots, chopped

2 green peppers, seeded and chopped

3 cloves of garlic, crushed

2-4 tbsp chilli powder

1 tsp smoked paprika

1 tsp ground cumin

400g/14oz kidney beans

400g/14oz cannellini beans

400g/14oz black beans

800g/28oz tinned chopped tomatoes

113g/4oz tin green chillies, chopped and drained

100g/3 1/2oz tin tomato puree

125g/3 1/2 quartered button mushrooms

300g/9oz tin non GMO sweetcorn

1tbsp dried oregano

2tsp unsweetened cocoa powder

750ml/3 cups vegetable stock or beer

1 tsp sugar

sea salt

 

Heat the oil in a saucepan, then add the onion and cook for 5-7 minutes, until the

onion is soft. Add the carrots, peppers and garlic and cook for 3 minutes. Add the

chilli powder, smoked paprika and cumin, the cook for another minute, Stir in all the

remaining ingredients. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for about

30 minutes or more. Alternatively, bake at 180C/350F for 20 minutes. The chilli

tastes better with longer cooking.

 

 

Avocado Chocolate Mousse 

Serves 4

 

2 large ripe avocados

60 gr/1/2 cup raw cocoa powder

120ml/1/2 cup almond milk

4 tsp stevia (or other natural sweetener)

2 tsp natural vanilla extract

A handful of toasted sliced almonds or frozen mixed berries or coca nibs

Purée the avocado until smooth. Mix together the cocoa powder and milk until combined and add to the avocado. Stir in the stevia, vanilla extract, and any extra ingredients (I used toasted almonds) and mix very well. Transfer the mousse to individual cups and store in the fridge until ready to eat.