Enjoy together: Tips for a harmonious and delicious Christmas by Boris Lauser

Christmas time is always a very special time for me for many reasons. What I particularly like here is that everything quietens down a bit. The year is coming to an end, most things have been dealt with and some of the planning for the coming year is already done, so there is finally some time for friends and family, a very valuable part of my life, if not one of the most important. What would all the moments and experiences be if you couldn't share them with people who are close to you and who have accompanied and accompanied you for small or longer periods of your life? For me, there is nothing better than getting together on cosy winter evenings with candles and beautiful music for a meal, playing games and finding time for conversation. All the things that are often neglected in summer, when the long days mean you're still active and doing lots of things. This is exactly what wintertime is for, for reflection and to create and strengthen bonds. It would be a shame if we spent unnecessary time and energy arguing about what to put on the table. Unfortunately, this is often so strongly emphasised that the actual purpose, i.e. being together and enjoying a nice meal, takes a back seat. I admit that, compared to my youth, it is becoming increasingly complex to find a consensus here, especially in larger groups. One person wants a purely vegan Christmas menu, another is gluten-intolerant, but of course my aunt likes her traditional turkey and then my cousin has just developed a histamine intolerance. In the following, I would like to give you a few suggestions on how to proceed so that everyone has a good and, above all, delicious time.

1. Plan together:
   If there are many different preferences or requirements due to health restrictions, then this can really be too much of a challenge for a single person. The person organising the party should not have to stand alone in order to satisfy everyone. Not only is it more fun, but it also encourages dialogue if several people are involved in the meal plan and everyone can contribute their knowledge and preferences. This results in a much more colourful table and creates even more conversations and therefore more acceptance and exchange.
2. Planning a vegan Christmas menu:
   It may be a little unusual for some people, but if it ends up being really tasty, nobody will complain. If you then incorporate a few raw food elements and make sure that gluten-containing foods are avoided, there is hardly any intolerance left. There are now so many great recipes from a wide variety of sources. On the Keimling blog alone you can find some great recipe ideas, such as my Christmas pecan roast from the dehydrator. A great dish. The Vegan Masterclass also has a Christmas-only course with fantastic recipes in its more than 25 online courses. And you can find so much more on YouTube and Google that it should be easy to create a balanced and delicious vegan Christmas menu.
3. Live and let live:
   My most important credo has always been not to be dogmatic and not to want to lecture. We know that a plant-based diet is more sustainable for the planet, and the WHO has made this official with its call for a planetary diet with a strong emphasis on plants and a sharp reduction in animal products. A purely vegan Christmas menu would of course be the logical consequence. But we have traditions and childhood memories and a market that cannot react from one day to the next. The Christmas period in particular is also a very emotional and sentimental time, where it would be a shame to drift too far into political discussions. A vegan Christmas menu can be integrated very well into a conventional one and if you plan and prepare together, as previously mentioned, then everyone will have something on the table in the end and the flexitarians will certainly try the plant-based dishes and, if they taste as good as promised, perhaps think about plant-based alternatives again in future.
4. Alternatives from the shelf:
   Anyone who knows me knows that I am not a big fan of processed convenience products. My cooking is predominantly wholesome, homemade from pure basic ingredients and with a good proportion of raw food. Nevertheless, I really enjoy seeing and following what new products are available in the purely plant-based sector, and there are definitely some good things out there. For Christmas, for example, there are a ready-made Christmas roast with vegan gravy, developed by my colleague (ring any bells? :), which is really great. Not everyone is born to be a chef and for some, ready-made products like this are a great saviour. Especially at Christmas, you can make exceptions and use such products without having a guilty conscience.
5. Don't forget your health:
   Despite all the relaxed attitude I have tried to convey with my tips so far, it is of course important to me that you don't neglect your health. Wholesome and good basic products should always make up a large proportion of a vegan Christmas menu. So just try to include lots of vegetables, fresh fruit, pulses, nuts and seeds in your vegan Christmas menus and don't always drift off when snacking. One option here is to always have some great nuts and dried fruit, fresh mandarins or other fruit on hand as a snack so that you have a healthy alternative when you feel like snacking.
6. Christmas biscuits:
   Yes, this is always a critical point ;) Of course the great old biscuit recipes from Grandma are delicious, but they are not necessarily healthy. You don't have to give up all of them completely, but there are now so many great healthy alternatives, including raw vegan Christmas biscuits and other treats, that you can definitely replace at least some of them. (Florentine biscuits from me and many others on the blog...). And if you're in a hurry, the Keimling also has the great Winter Magic Box with delicious Christmas ball confectionery, which looks great on any Christmas coffee table.

I think that with a bit of relaxation, a passion for preparation and harmonious cooperation with a few tips, you're sure to create a flexitarian or vegan Christmas menu that's a sight to behold, tastes good to everyone and, above all, provides space for great conversation and dialogue. The important thing here is simply to keep an open mind, listen and create interest rather than a defensive attitude. I wish everyone a wonderful, fun-filled and, above all, delicious Christmas.

Your Boris.

Boris Lauser

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Recipes from Boris Lauser