These raw and vegan mince pies are amazing, thanks to One Green Planet from which this delicious recipe is adapted.
Think, Eat, Save tip: Dairy cattle have similar emission problems as beef cattle, with the average cow producing greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to 5 tonnes of CO2 in its lifetime Avoiding dairy when possible is a great way to shrink your carbon footprint!
This is my first christmas as a vegan and I was determined to adapt some christmas favourites to suit my planet strong lifestyle. The following recipes for mince pies and egg nog are by far two of the best planet strong alternatives I've tasted. Enjoy and happy holidays!
Vegan Mince Pies
INGREDIENTS:
Crust:
- 1/2 cup coconut flour
- 1/2 cup cashew paste
- 1 tablespoon and 2 teaspoons of maple syrup
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons water
- Pinch salt
Filling:
- 1/2 cup sultanas
- 1/2 cup figs
- 1/4 cup currants
- 1/4 cup orange juice
- 1/8 teaspoon orange zest
- 1/2 tablespoon maple syrup
- Pinch cinnamon
- Pinch nutmeg
- Pinch salt
Method
Crust:
- Blend ingredients until finely ground, mixture should hold together when pressed firmly into pie tray.
- Line cling wrap in pie tray, press mixture firmly into tray and dehydrate for 3 hours at 105º. Remove crusts from cases and dehydrate for a further 8 hours at 105º, on dehydrator mesh sheet. If you don’t have a dehydrator you can use an oven, keep oven door slightly open (you can use a spoon).
- Put oven on lowest temperature, you will have to watch the crust cases on and off throughout the drying period as every oven is different and the temperatures vary.
Filling:
- Process all ingredients in food processor until it forms a paste, except the figs.
- Add figs and process for 10 seconds until combined.
- Place in the fridge over night to marinate.
Assemble:
- Spoon filling mixture into each case.
- Top with icing, and a pinch of nutmeg and they are ready to serve.
Dairy-free egg nog
INGREDIENTS:
- 1 1/2 cups almonds, soaked in water for 8 hours then drained
- 3 cups pure water
- 1/4 cup maple syrup (or 4 – 6 Medjool dates, pitted)
- 1 Tbsp. coconut butter or oil, melted
- 1 tsp. nutmeg
- 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
- pinch ground cloves
- dash of sea salt
PREPARATION:
- Add almonds and water in to a blender for 2-3 minutes.
- Strain mixture using a nut milk bag or fine mesh strainer to make an almond milk base for the eggnog. Discard almond pulp.
- Rinse out blender and pour almond milk back in. Blend the rest of the ingredients with the milk until smooth and delicious. Place in the fridge until cold and serve.