Bountiful & Balanced: A HustleMania Holiday Special
The time for gathering with loved ones and sharing festive meals is here, but for those following vegan or gluten-free diets, traditional dishes can sometimes feel out of reach. Fear not! This article explores a variety of mouthwatering recipes that cater to both dietary preferences, ensuring everyone at the table can indulge in the holiday spirit. From hearty mains to delightful desserts, these dishes celebrate the season’s bounty while keeping it inclusive and flavorful. Get ready to elevate your special feast with these creative, health-conscious options!
Sun-Dried Tomato and Basil Pinwheels
This recipe is simple, requiring just 8 ingredients and 15 minutes to prepare! Just stir filling ingredients, spread into a tortilla, roll and slice!
Servings: 20
Course: Appetizer
8 ounces vegan cream cheese
1/2 cup lightly packed sun-dried tomatoes (dry, not in oil/chopped)
1/4 cup lightly packed frozen spinach (thawed and squeezed dry, optional)
2 large cloves garlic, minced (2 cloves yield 2 Tbsp or 12g)
1/4 cup vegan parmesan cheese
1 pinch each sea salt and black pepper
2 large flour tortillas (ensure vegan friendliness on package)
24 fresh basil leaves (Divided)
Instructions
Add vegan cream cheese, sun-dried tomatoes, spinach, garlic, vegan parmesan cheese, salt, and pepper to a mixing bowl and mix thoroughly to combine.
Divide filling between two flour tortillas and spread into an even layer all the way to the edge. Top each with half of the fresh basil leaves (leaving one edge bare so the tortilla can stick to itself). Press basil down slightly to adhere.
Tightly roll up tortillas from one end to another, starting from the end with basil all the way to the edge, working toward the end that’s slightly bare.
Once rolled up, squeeze gently to compact everything and lay seam-side down for slicing.
Use a serrated knife to gently cut tortillas into 1/2-inch slices. Between the two tortillas, you should have a total of 20-22 pinwheels (amount as original recipe is written, adjust if altering batch size).
Arrange on a serving platter and serve immediately, or chill for up to 24 hours, covered in the fridge. Leftovers keep well in the refrigerator, covered, for 2-3 days, though best when fresh.
Christmas Soup
This ultimate Christmas soup is really rich and delicious and will give you that Christmas feeling when you taste it! The vacuum-packed chestnuts are available in most supermarkets around the festive season and will take this soup to the next level, but if you can’t get them, simply replace with cashew nuts.
Servings: 4
Course: Appetizer
3 small onions
3 cloves garlic
1 medium sweet potato
2 medium parsnips
2 tbsp. oil
1 ½ tsp sea salt
½ tsp freshly ground black pepper
10 sprigs fresh thyme
1 ½ liters vegetable stock
100g vacuum-packed chestnuts
A handful dried cranberries
Instructions
Peel and finely chop the onions and garlic. Roughly chop the sweet potato and the parsnips (no need to peel – the skin is where most of the nutrition is).
Put the oil into a large saucepan over a medium heat and, once warmed up, add the onions and garlic. Gently cook for about 5 minutes, stirring regularly.
Add the sweet potato, parsnips, salt and black pepper. Remove the leaves from the thyme sprigs and sprinkle in (leaving some aside for garnish).
Cook for another 5 minutes. Add the vegetable stock and chestnuts, bring to the boil, then reduce the heat to a gentle simmer for about 15 minutes.
Remove from the heat and blend with a stick blender until smooth. Taste and season with more salt and pepper if you think it needs it.
Finely slice the dried cranberries and garnish each serving with a sprinkle of these, along with a few of the reserved thyme leaves.
Turkey Breast
This Roast Turkey Breast recipe is perfect for everyone that loves turkey but is entertaining a smaller group. This popular recipe is adapted for a smaller party size, making this recipe simpler than ever!
Course: Main Dish
1 Whole or Half Bone-in Turkey Breast, or boneless
Herb Butter:
½ cup unsalted butter, softened
½ tsp. salt
¼ tsp. freshly ground black pepper
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 ½ tsp. fresh thyme, chopped
1 ½ tsp. fresh rosemary, chopped
½ tsp. fresh sage, chopped
Instructions
Thaw turkey, if frozen. A general rule of thumb is 24 hours for every 5 pounds of Turkey. Remove the thawed turkey from the fridge 20 minutes before cooking.
Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
Make herb butter by combining butter, garlic, salt, pepper, and fresh herbs in a bowl.
Prep Turkey: Remove turkey from packaging and use paper towels to pat the turkey dry on all sides. Season the outside with some salt and pepper. Loosen the skin of the turkey breast and smear a spoonful of herb butter under the skin, spreading it over both sides of the breast. Spread remaining herb butter all of the outside of the turkey breast. Place in a baking dish or sheet pan.
Roast: Position oven racks so the turkey will sit in the center of the oven. Cook at 325 degrees F for about 14-15 minutes per pound, or until internal temperature (inserted into the thickest part of the breast) reaches 165 degrees. (I usually take it out just shy of 165 degrees, as it will continue to cook as it rests).
Rest: Remove from oven and cover turkey with a piece of aluminum foil. Allow it to rest for at least 15 minutes before carving.
Cauliflower Mash
Move over mashed potatoes — there's a new side in town! Try our 6-ingredient, 30-minute whipped cauliflower that's creamy, comforting, salty, garlicky, buttery, and SO easy to make! The perfect plant-based, gluten-free side!
Course: Side
Cuisine: Gluten-Free, Vegan
2 heads cauliflower
4 Tbsp vegan butter (or olive oil)
3-4 cloves garlic (minced)
½ tsp sea salt (to taste)
1 pinch black pepper
¼ – ½ cup unsweetened plain almond milk (to help with pureeing)
Note: If avoiding oil / butter, sub roasted garlic in place of sautéed, omit oil / butter, and add more almond milk in step 4 as needed.
For Garnish (optional)
Fresh parsley or chives
Vegan parmesan cheese
Instructions
Cut cauliflower into even florets and steam in a large pot with a steamer basket (covered) until very tender – about 15-20 minutes depending on size of pot and cauliflower florets. Remove from heat and set aside uncovered to cool slightly.
In the meantime, sauté the garlic in the vegan butter in a small skillet over medium-low heat for 2-3 minutes or until just slightly browned (be careful not to burn). Or you can keep your garlic raw for a punchier, stronger garlic flavor! Turn off heat and set aside.
Transfer half of the cauliflower to a food processor (or use an immersion blender to purée cauliflower in a pot or saucepan) and process until puréed. (The amount of cauliflower you’re able to purée at once will vary based on the size of your food processor). Then add half of the garlic butter as well as half of the salt and pepper and process until well combined.
Taste and adjust flavor as needed, adding more salt and pepper to taste, garlic for intense garlic flavor, vegan butter for buttery flavor, or almond milk to help the cauliflower purée.
Note: You could even blend in a little nutritional yeast to add cheesy flavor, or vegan cream cheese for more creaminess (optional).
Transfer to a mixing bowl or serving platter and cover to keep warm. Then repeat this blending and seasoning process until all the cauliflower is whipped and seasoned.
Garnish with herbs and vegan parmesan cheese (optional), and another sprinkle of salt and pepper and serve hot. Store leftovers covered in the refrigerator up to 3-4 days, or 1 month in the freezer. Reheat in the microwave or on the stovetop in a saucepan until hot.
Pumpkin Cheesecake Lasagna
Sure, pumpkin pie is delicious, but when you have family over and mouths to feed, spending hours making pie isn't exactly feasible. This over-the-top cheesecake lasagna, though? It takes 30 minutes to throw together, and once it's assembled, the refrigerator does the rest. Talk about a no-fuss holiday treat!
Course: Dessert
2 (8-oz.) pkg. cream cheese, softened
½ c. (100 g.) granulated sugar
1 c. heavy cream
2 c. whole milk
3 (3.4-oz.) pkg. instant vanilla pudding mix
1 c. pumpkin puree
2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
12 graham cracker sheets, divided
½ c. store-bought or homemade caramel sauce, divided
Chopped roasted pecans, for serving
Instructions
In a large bowl, using a handheld mixer on medium-high speed, beat cream cheese and sugar until light and fluffy. Slowly add heavy cream and beat until stiff peaks form.
In a medium bowl, whisk milk, pudding mix, pumpkin, and pumpkin pie spice until smooth and thick.
Spread a thin layer of cream cheese mixture in the bottom of a 13" x 9" baking dish. Top with a layer of 6 or 7 graham crackers. Top with half of pudding mixture, then half of remaining cream cheese mixture. Drizzle with half of caramel. Repeat, ending with cream cheese layer (reserve remaining caramel until ready to serve).
Cover loosely with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 4 hours or up to overnight.
Drizzle with reserved caramel. Top with pecans.
Vegan Apple Cheesecake with Gluten-Free Oatmeal Crust
Meet your new favorite show-stopping holiday dessert: gluten-free & vegan apple cheesecake. With a gluten-free oatmeal crust, a super creamy vanilla cheesecake filling, and a scrumptious spiced apple pie topping, you’re going to be going back for seconds for sure.
Course: Dessert
Servings: 10 Slices
For the crust
1 cup Bob’s Red Mill blanched almond flour
1 cup Bob’s Red Mill gluten-free rolled oats
½ teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon or apple pie spice
⅓ cup coconut oil, softened
2 tablespoons creamy almond butter or any other nut or seed butter
⅓ cup coconut sugar
For the filling
1½ cup raw cashews, soaked in water for 4 hours to soften, drain and rinse before using (you can skip this if you have a super high-powered blender, or just soak in hot water for about 30 minutes)
¾ cup coconut cream, this is the cream from the top of a can of full-fat coconut milk
1 cup vegan coconut yogurt, any that is thick and tangy will work!
⅓ cup (111g) pure maple syrup
3 tablespoons arrowroot starch
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, from the juice of one large lemon
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
½ teaspoon sea salt
For the sautéed apples
1 tablespoon coconut oil or vegan butter
2 apples, about 3 cups diced, peeled and chopped into cubes, I used one Honeycrisp and one Granny Smith
⅓ cup coconut sugar
⅓ cup water
1 teaspoon arrowroot starch or tapioca starch
½ teaspoon cinnamon or apple pie spice
Instructions
For the crust
Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Lightly grease an 8-inch springform pan with coconut oil and place on a baking sheet.
In large bowl, combine all crust ingredients. Mix until fully combined.
Press the crust evenly along the bottom and up the sides of the prepared pan. Bake for 15 minutes or until firm to the touch. Let cool slightly.
For the filling
Reduce the oven temperature to 325º.
In a high-powered blender or a food processor (I use my Vitamix), blend the soaked cashews, coconut cream, coconut yogurt, maple syrup, fresh lemon juice, arrowroot starch, vanilla extract, and sea salt. Scrape down the sides of the container or use the tamper as necessary to get a super smooth consistency. It will take about 3 to 5 minutes of blending to get it super smooth and creamy.
Taste the mixture and adjust to your tastes (add more maple syrup for sweetness, lemon juice for tanginess, or vanilla extract for more vanilla flavor). Pour the filling into the cooled crust and tap the pan hard on the counter a few times to release any air bubbles.
Bake for 45 to 55 minutes, or until mostly set. The cheesecake should jiggle slightly in the center when it’s ready, but not be too wet and jiggly. Try not to disturb the cheesecake for the first 45 minutes.
When the cheesecake is just shy of set, turn off the oven, leaving the cheesecake inside. Leave the oven door open a few inches and let the cheesecake cool inside the slightly ajar oven. Remove from the oven after about an hour.
Chill in the refrigerator for at least an hour to chill all the way through.
For the apple pie topping
In a saucepan, melt the coconut oil over medium heat. Add the diced apple chunks and coconut sugar. Cook for a few minutes, stirring occasionally, until the sugar has melted and formed a caramel-like sauce on the apples.
Whisk together the water, arrowroot starch, and cinnamon. Add to the apple mixture and cook for one to two more minutes or until thickened into a sauce coating the apples. Let cool slightly before topping the cheesecake.
As you prepare for the holiday celebrations, remember that the most memorable meals are those that reflect your unique traditions, tastes, and the joy of togetherness. Wishing you a festive season filled with delicious dishes, laughter, and the warmth of the holidays and happy cooking!