Tis the season to be jolly and bring the friends and family together for some much loved festive feasting. Potlucks parties are a great way to share the heat of holiday hosting and also share the gift of home cooking.
With so many parties to attend, several people to celebrate with and often, a variety to diets to cater for, we have selected 4 of our favourite festive recipes, each one 100% vegan and gluten free for everyone to enjoy. 
Herb-Crusted Peppercorn Lentil-Nut Pâté
Makes one large loaf - 18 servings
1 1/2 cups lentils, cooked, rinsed and drained
2 cups raw cashews, soaked (overnight) and drained
1 1/4 cups raw walnuts, soaked (overnight) and drained
1 1/2 - 2 cups of water
1/3 cup Bob’s Red Mill Nutritional yeast
3/4 tsp Bob’s Red Mill Sea Salt
3/4 tsp Simply Organic black whole peppercorns
2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup fresh lemon *measure nuts after they have soaked and absorbed some water
Crust accents:
2 Tbsp raw pumpkin seeds
2 Tbsp nutritional yeast Simply Organic spices: salt, cayenne, pepper, red pepper flakes
2 tsp dried Italian Herbs 9" round cake pan used
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Soak your cashews and walnuts separately, overnight. Drain and place the nuts in a blender along with the rinsed cooked lentils, salt, nutritional yeast, peppercorns, olive oil and lemon juice.
Add in 1 cup water. Blend at high speed for at least five minutes.
Add in another 1/2 cup water as you proceed and continue to blend until smooth.
Remove 1 cup of this mixture and set aside. Pour in the remaining amount of water and continue blending.
Process Check: So you will have mostly thin and smooth mixture, but you have reserved a small portion of mixture that is slightly more rough, thick and less wet.
Prep your cooking pan by adding a generous layer of herbs and spices to the bottom of the pan. Pour in the wet mixture and then spread the thicker mixture over top. Add a top layer of herbs and spices and seeds similar to the bottom.
Place the pan in the 350 preheated oven. Bake for ten minutes then turn the oven down to 250 degrees. Bake at this low temperature for two hours.
Pull pan from oven and cool. Place in fridge to chill for about 30-60 minutes. Serve warm. (You can also serve completely chilled or hot from the oven - up to you.) Store leftovers in the fridge for up to about 3 days.
Altered from - https://healthyhappylife.com/herb-crusted-peppercorn-lentil-nut-pate/
Pumpkin Sage Biscuits
- 3/4 cup unsweetened, unflavoured almond milk + 1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 2 1/4 cups Bob’s Red Mill 1 to 1 Baking Flour
- 1 Tbsp baking powder 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 3/4 tsp sea salt pinch each ground cinnamon and nutmeg
- 4 Tbsp non-dairy, unsalted butter or coconut oil (we suggest Nutiva)
- 1/4 cup pumpkin puree
- 3 Tbsp fresh sage, roughly chopped or torn (or sub 1 tsp dry sage)
Directions: Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.
Measure almond milk in a large liquid measuring cup and add lemon juice. Let curdle 5 minutes, then whisk in pumpkin puree. Mix flour(s),salt, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg in a large bowl. Add cold butter/solid coconut oil and use a pastry cutter or fork to combine until small pieces remain and it looks like wet sand. Work quickly so the butter/oil doesn’t get too warm.
Add chopped sage and mix once more. Using a wooden spoon, stir gently while pouring in the almond-pumpkin mixture 1/4 cup at a time. You may not need all of it. Stir until just slightly combined – it will be a little sticky, not too much. Turn onto a lightly floured surface, dust the top with a bit of flour and then very gently turn the dough over on itself a couple times – hardly kneading. Form into a 1-inch thick disc, handling as little as possible. Use a 1-inch thick dough cutter or a similar-shaped object with sharp edges (such as a small drinking glass) and push straight down through the dough, then slightly twist.
Repeat and place biscuits on a baking sheet in two rows making sure they just touch – this will help them rise uniformly. Gently reform the dough and cut out one or two more biscuits – you should have 7-9 depending on the size of your cutter. Brush the tops with a bit more melted non-dairy butter/coconut oil and gently press a small divot in the center using your thumb.
This will also help them rise evenly, so the middle won’t form a dome. Bake for 13-17 minutes or until fluffy and golden brown.
These take a little longer to bake than traditional biscuits because the pumpkin adds extra moisture. From - http://minimalistbaker.com/pumpkin-sage-biscuits/
Cranberry and Rosemary Crusted Cashew Cheese Log
2 cups raw cashews, soaked (overnight) and drained
2 cups Bob’s Red Mill Nutritional yeast
1 tsp roasted garlic
½ - ¾ tablespoons Bob’s Red Mill Sea Salt (or to taste)
¼ - ½ tsp Freshly ground Black Pepper (or to taste)
Parchment Paper, cheesecloth or dish towel
Topping: 1 handful of chopped mixed nuts (pecans and walnuts work best) ¼ cup of dried cranberries, chopped fine 2 sprigs of fresh rosemary, chopped fine + extra for garnish
Directions: Rinse and drain your soaked cashews. Then blend them in a food processor or high speed blender with nutritional yeast, garlic and salt and pepper until smooth. Place the mixture onto a cheesecloth and squeeze top to drain any liquids. If a log shape is desired, then after draining, transfer the mixture onto parchment paper and roll it to make a log.
Twist the sides (like a candy) and tuck them underneath to hold the shape in place. Let it sit on a dish towel in the refrigerator to let some extra moisture get absorbed in the dish towel. Chop the nuts, cranberries and rosemary and spread onto a work surface. Unwrap the cheese log and roll it in the toppings evenly pressing them into the ‘cheese’.
Do this just before serving or return back to the refrigerator until serving. We recommend serving this with some moorish Mary’s Crackers!
From - http://pureella.com/cranberry-rosemary-nut-cheese-log-vegan-gluten-free-paleo/
Chocolate Peppermint Patties
1/3 cup dried shredded coconut
1/3 cup cashews
1-2 tablespoons melted coconut oil
2-3 Tb honey/maple syrup/agave (depending on sweetness preference)
1 tsp peppermint oil Pinch of salt 1-2 tablespoons melted coconut oil
1/3 cup cacao powder
4-5 Tb maple syrup/agave Pinch of salt
1/4 tsp cinnamon and cayenne(makes it sooo much better)
Directions: Blend all ingredients from the first list together until smooth. Pat into flattened balls (patties) with your hands and set them in the freezer for 30 minutes.
Blend all the ingredients from the second list together until smooth, giving you raw chocolate! Finally, dip each pattie in the chocolate sauce. Return the patties to the freezer until set, for about 10 minutes, until the chocolate coating is firm.