'Veganish' holiday foods

Ever thought about going vegan? While the term might make you think "absolutely no meat or dairy" there are no rules when it comes to your diet. You can even be "veganish!"

If you want to stay healthy this holiday, Chef Mielle Chenier-Cowan Rose says load up your plate with more veggies and less meat. She was a vegan for 12 years, but decided to include some meat and dairy when she realized she was lacking certain nutrients.

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"My biggest mistake was being black and white, like I thought it was all or nothing," she said.

Mielle's cookbook is about being vegan-ish. That's incorporating mostly plant-based foods into your diet, like this festive holiday polenta torte. First, add olive oil, salt, pepper, herbs and garlic to four cups of water or organic chicken broth if you want to add a little meat. Bring to a boil and add polenta.

"As you put the polenta in, you want to make sure the water is rapidly boiling," Mielle explained.

Whisk and stir. When it's cooked, add half of the mixture to spinach and the other half to a tomato paste. Then make the ricotta filling. Combine lemon, nutritional yeast, salt and raw cashews in a blender and mix.

Spread the creamy mixture between the red polenta and the green polenta layers. Refrigerate, reheat and top with a garnish sauce and a little "not exactly vegan" parmesan cheese and you've got a colorful holiday dish.

For dessert, slice dates and fill with tahini or cream cheese, salt, lemon zest and top with rose syrup and pomegranates.

It's a veganish way to stay healthy and satisfied this holiday season!

Mielle decided that a completely vegan diet wasn't right for her or her family when her two-year-old vegan daughter started to develop tooth decay. She was able to heal the decay by incorporating bone marrow from animal products and limiting grains.

Holiday Polenta Torte

INGREDIENTS:
Combine in large sauce pan:

  • 4 cups water
  • 2 Tbsp olive oil
  • 1 tsp salt
  • ¼ tsp black pepper
  • ¼ tsp crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
  • 1 clove garlic, minced (optional)
  • For Italian flavors, add 1 Tbsp dried Italian herbs
  • For Latin flavors, add 2 tsp cumin or chili powder


Bring to a boil then whisk in:

  •  1 cup dried polenta


You will also need:

  •  Spinach or pesto
  •  Tomato paste
  •  Cashew ricotta or herbed feta


PREPARATION:

Reduce heat and simmer. Keep stirring with whisk for a minute or two, then every few minutes with a wooden spoon until the porridge is soft and no longer grainy, which should be about 20-30 minutes.

For the Holiday Polenta Torte make two recipes of the polenta. Stir chopped spinach or a pesto into one and add a few tablespoons tomato paste into the other to color it red. Oil a deep pan, ideally spring form, and then pour in the green polenta. Spread layer of Cashew Ricotta or Herbed Feta across the top. Pour the red polenta over and refrigerate until completely firm. Slice the torte while cool and reheat individual pieces on a baking pan at 450 degrees.