Easy Holiday Raw Vegan Recipes!

‘Tis the season to get creative in the kitchen! Some people have a hard time trying to find a way to incorporate their vegan lifestyle with holiday baking… Well, we have taken a look and some really amazing Raw, Vegan, Holiday recipes and we have chosen a few of our favorites to share with you! Take a look at some of these really great holiday recipes that are so simple for you to try at home!

Hot Chocolate Mix!

Who doesn’t love a cup of hot chocolate after a day out in the snow or after doing some holiday shopping? This hot chocolate mix is so incredibly simple and is so much fun to make! Make a couple jars for you and your family and even share some as gifts!

Ingredients

2 cups raw cacao powder

1 3/4 cup vegan coconut sugar

Seeds of 1 vanilla bean

1/4 teaspoon sea salt or Himalayan pink salt

Instructions

1. Mix all ingredients together in a large mixing bowl. For gifting, scoop mixture into individual jars and store for up to three weeks in a cool, dry place.
2. Serving instructions: Add 2 tablespoons of hot chocolate mix to a cup of raw almond milk, whisk together, and heat till warm. You can add a little extra mix to make the hot cocoa more intense. Enjoy! Makes 3 3/4 cups.

Easy, Raw Apple Crumble

Here’s a treat your family and friends will LOVE! You can always go RIGHT with healthy fruit crumble!

Raw Crumble Topping

1 cup walnuts

1/2 cup pitted, packed dates

1/2 cup shredded coconut

1/3 cup ground raw oat groats

1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla bean powder

Pinch of sea salt

In a food processor, grind all ingredients together into a crumbly, yet moist texture.

If you want the mixture to press together a bit better, add 1-2 teaspoons of water.

Evenly spread the crumble over the filling.

 Apple Filling

6 large apples, peeled, cored, and quartered

4-6 medjool dates

2 teaspoons cinnamon

Splash of lemon juice

Pinch of sea salt

In a food processor pulse 4 of the apples into small chunks and transfer to a mixing bowl.

Process the remaining 2 apples with the dates, cinnamon and salt, until smooth (like applesauce).

Mix both together and spread into the bottom of a 9×9″ pan. Sprinkle the crumble on top.

*For a parfait like the photo above, simply layer the filing and crumble.

Raw Vegan Spinach Manicotti

There are ways to mimic spaghetti, lasagna, ravioli, pizza, you name it—all using veggies, nuts and seeds.  This manicotti is an impressive gluten-free and vegan dish that is a great way to introduce newbies to raw food.  This makes quite a bit, so share the raw food love with family & friends!

Ingredients

For the Noodles:
4 medium zucchini
2 tablespoons olive oil

For the Spinach & Sunflower Cheese Filling:
2 cups of sunflower seeds
½ cup water
½ cup lemon juice
3 cloves of garlic
1 teaspoon Himalayan salt
8 cups spinach
½ cup parsley
1½ tablespoons Italian Seasoning

For the Herb Tomato Sauce:
3 cups of sundried tomatoes, measured after soaking (3-4 hours)
1 cup water
1 medium tomato, chopped
¼ cup cold-pressed olive oil
3 cloves of garlic
1 tablespoon oregano
1 tablespoon basil
2 teaspoons rosemary
2 teaspoons thyme
1 teaspoon fennel seed
½-1 teaspoon salt, only if your sun-dried tomatoes are unsalted
2 tablespoons hemp seed, for garnish, if desired

Methods/steps

Advanced Prep

1. Soak 2 cups of sunflower seeds in pure water for 4-6 hours.  Drain and rinse.
2. In a separate bowl, soak 2 cups of sundried tomatoes in pure water for 4 hours or longer.  Drain

For the Noodles

1. Cut off both ends of each zucchini.  Using a mandoline, slice the zucchini the long way so that you have long, wide noodles.  If a mandoline is not available, use a knife, cutting as thinly as possible.
2. Place in a bowl, drizzle with olive oil and toss very gently.

For the Spinach & Sunflower Cheese Filling

1. In a high-speed blender, combine sunflower seeds, water, lemon, garlic and salt.
2. Blend well until smooth.  Scrape into a large bowl.
3. In a food processor, process the spinach and parsley in batches until chopped but not puréed.  Alternately, chop finely by hand.  Pour into the bowl with the sunflower cheese.
4. Add Italian seasoning and mix well.

For the Herby Tomato Sauce

1. To assemble, arrange 4 zucchini noodles horizontally on a cutting board, slightly overlapping one over the next by about ½”.
2. Place ¼ cup of the spinach & sunflower cheese filling in the center and spread so that it covers the front to the back and about 1” in width.
3. Roll the zucchini from left to right to create a filled manicotti.
4. Place two manicotti on a plate and top with ¼ cup of tomato sauce.
5. Garnish with a drizzle of olive oil and a sprinkling of hemp seeds and/or Italian seasoning.

Now… after looking at all these wonderful creations, ask yourself “Is being vegan really that hard?” It actually looks pretty simple…and delicious! Common’, apple crumble… manicotti…YUM! Give it a try…. we want to see what Raw, Vegan Holiday creations that you come up with! Whip up your favorite holiday treats, take a photo and then tweet them using the hash tag #upayaveganholidaytreats. We can’t wait to see what you come up with!