OMG you’ve got a vegan coming to Christmas dinner. What the hell are you gonna serve?

Let’s assume that in the spirit of the holidays, you want to make sure the vegan feels welcome. You do right?

Ok, so go to Whole Foods and look in the frozen foods section for this box and buy it:

Got that box? Yeah? Good. Here’s what you’re gonna do:

  1. Thaw this roast in the fridge overnight and it’s ready to go in the oven after unwrapping so all you gotta do is put it on a pan and pop it in. And remember, don’t put it in the same pan as whatever carcass you’re serving. Keep it separate to keep it vegan.
  2. Then you’re gonna make some roasted veggies that are baked in their own gravy, this will save you an extra pan for a separate gravy. Just cook ’em both together in a casserole. EZ peezy.
  3. Then if you really love the vegan, saute something green like kale, spinach, broccoli or peas in a pan on the stove top while the roast and veggies are in the oven.
  4. BTW, the roast and veggies won’t take more than 45 minutes so they can go in after your carcass, while you’re all still munching on appetizers and getting drunk. Which reminds me, don’t forget vegan booze.

Here’s what the roast and veggies will look like when you’re done:

Use a serrated knife to slice the roast when plating.

Let’s get started!

First, arrange two racks in your oven so the roast is at the halfway mark or slightly above and there is room for the casserole on a rack below it without being too close to the bottom of the oven.

Field Roast® Hazelnut Cranberry Roast En Croute

  • 1 Field Roast En Croute, found in freezer section
  1. Preheat oven to 425°F.
  2. Prepare the Field Roast for baking by placing thawed roast on lightly greased baking sheet. Follow the package instructions for baking. Give yourself 45 minutes for this. It’s really simple.

Here’s what your roast looks like after baking. The puff pastry shell should be golden but not burnt.

Kinda looks like a Yule Log right? You could platter this sliced and garnished for a festive look.
Slice gently with a serrated knife so the puff pastry doesn’t completely crumble away.

Roasted Veggies with Gravy

  • 4 average-sized potatoes, chopped into 1 inch dice
  • 5-8 carrots, depending on size, chopped same size as potatoes
  • 4 smallish onions, quartered and chopped roughly
  • kosher salt (or regular)
  • pepper (freshly ground if you can)
  • half head of garlic, peeled and each clove halved
  • drizzle of olive oil
  • light splash of balsamic vinegar
  • 4 sprigs of rosemary, leaves stripped from woody stems and chopped
  • 1 carton Imagine® brand leeks and potato soup (this soup is vegan and is the base for your gravy)
  • 4 cups sliced mushrooms
  1. Mix it all up in a HUGE bowl and spread in a large greased casserole pan.
  2. Put casserole on lower rack in oven for the last 35 minutes of roast’s time, stirring occasionally for even cooking.

The soup makes a wonderful gravy within your roasted root veggies. And yeah, I know this is a full casserole’s worth of veggies but you can serve it to anyone. There’s nothing weird in it like that tofu shit.

YUMMY!!! Love that built-in gravy with the roasted veggies.

What about something green?

In that last 35 minutes, you have plenty of time to either defrost some frozen peas in the microwave OR… braise some fresh kale or spinach in a pot with veggie bouillon like  Edward and Sons® Garden Veggie bouillon. One cube, one cup water, a dab of olive oil and a big bundle of chopped greens is all you need in your pot to create a yummy greenfest.

See, it wasn’t that bad. Now all you gotta do is make sure your vegan is not sitting next to the turkey/ham/whatever carcass you have on the table.

And you’re on your own for dessert!