Christmas Trees For Dinner {Vegan}
By admin
This past weekend Dan’s parents flew down from Philidelphia to spend a holiday weekend with us. We don’t get to see them very often so we were thrilled.
They flew in on Thursday but because of my boot camp schedule, I wasn’t able to see them until Friday night (they stayed in a B&B about 15 minutes away from our home). It worked out because it allowed Dan to have some quality time with his folks.
The weekend was perfect.
I did great with the juice cleanse, especially considering we had family in town. But Saturday night I quit early to enjoy a holiday feast. After all, how could I make a meal and not get to enjoy it myself?
At least it was clean.
But I’m getting ahead of myself… let’s kick the day off with Saturday morning. We woke up, I had my juice, Dan had his egg-wich and we headed downtown to meet up with the family to hit up the market.
Our market ends next weekend because of winter so we loaded up on a ton! From parsnips to tomatoes… nothing was safe from our market basket.
Once the market was over we headed back home while Dan’s parents went on a carriage ride of Charleston as part of their B&B package. This worked great because I was able to prepare dinner so that I would be free to enjoy some quality time with them later. And prepare I did… I prepped everything so that by time it we were ready to eat, all I had to do was pop everything in the oven.
A few hours later, we picked them up and decided that since the weather was gorgeous (73 degrees) that we would show them the famous Angel Oak.
This tree is AMAZING, it is truly a breathtaking site and makes me so appreciative of the nature that surrounds us here in Charleston.
My in-laws, they love this kind of stuff so we knew they would appreciate the trip. And they did!
This branch needed some extra support! And all that juice turned me into Super Woman! 
Wine And Dine
From here is was time to get home, chow down on some appetizers and a glass of wine while I started dinner.
It was also during this time that we were able to open up our Christmas gift from them. I still can’t get over how amazing this thing is!
And then dinner time!
Dan was nice enough to shoot a few pictures before we chowed down!
On the menu:
Vegan Christmas Tree Calzones:
I got the idea from Cooking With Siri but of course I changed it around to be stuffed like a calzone instead of her curry inspired stuffing: olives, sun dried tomatoes, bell peppers, tempeh, cashew cheese, and garlicky tomato sauce.
For the dough I used whole wheat flour and mullet flour (1 cup of each); 4.5 tbsp olive oil; and 6 tbsp of water.
I have to admit I was pretty proud at how these guys turned out. And how easy they were to assemble.
Squid Ink Pasta with basil and olive oil:
Yup, you read that correctly: squid ink. My mother-in-law picked this up at the market and wanted us all to try it. It was okay, it really just tasted like normal pasta. So I just ate a few bites and instead focused on my Christmas tree! I tossed it with some basil, cashew cheese and olive oil.
Steamed Green Beans:
Flavored with minced garlic, olive oil, sea salt and rosemary
Sautéed Shrimp & Scallops:
I marinated the seafood with lemon juice, peanut oil, Old Bay seasoning, garlic and onion. Sauteed in a skillet until the shrimp were pink and voila… Done! I only had 1 shrimp and 1 scallop to see how they turned out… they were very yum!
The night ended with vegan raspberry chocolate chip cake that I made with a mix of coconut flour and millet flour. Topped with a vegan coconut buttercream icing and raspberries. Holy yum, I can’t believe I didn’t get any pictures of these guys.
I kinda of went from my chocolate lava cake recipe though, just without the cocoa and added vegan chocolate chips and raspberries.
After dinner we spent a few hours playing board games and listening to Christmas music while enjoying each other’s company. It was a great evening and we were sad to see them leave the next morning.
What’s your favorite holiday food?
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