Mini Puff Pastry Christmas Tree Nibbles

A  little blog post to wish my loyal readers a Happy Christmas and to those of you in Wales Nadolig Llawen.

A few years back, I made vegetarian Nut Roast Wellington and sweet mincemeat encased in puff pastry shaped like Christmas tree.  This year I have been extremely lazy as I worked right up to Christmas Eve, that all I had the energy to do was muster these little morsels. 

What is good about these little nibbles, is that they are so easy to put together and with whatever filling takes your fancy, from savoury to sweet. I've made these cute little mini puff pastry Christmas trees with red and green pesto.   

There are so many recipes on the world wide net, that I am not posting a recipe here.

Wishing you all a restful holiday. 

Some Vegetarian and Vegan Christmas Cookbooks In My Kitchen

I am  joining  in with In My Kitchen series hosted by Sherry's Pickings just in the nick of time as the link is closing in a couple of hours.

In fact, I was not going to join in as I don't have anything new in my kitchen, but then I thought I would share some Vegetarian and Vegan cookbooks on my shelf that I have ben flicking through for inspiration and ideas.  

First and foremost, i have to start of with my go to Christmas Vegetarian Cookbook has always been Vegetarian Christmas published in 1992 from the British Queen of Vegetarian Cuisine - Rose Elliot.  I've made many of Rose Elliot's recipes from various cookbooks,  but from this cookbook the Parsley Potato Stars are always popular, but I shape as Christmas Trees.

Then we have Vegan Christmas Feasts by Jackie Kearney. 

And Happy Vegan Christmas by KarolineJonsson.  I was given these two books last year for Christmas by  D, so have not yet cooked from them as of yet.

So funny, a decades or ago you could hardly find a vegetarian or vegan Christmas book and in the last two years there has been an explosion.

The next vegetarian cookbook I have is 'Tis The Season by Nanette Blanchard.  I've had this for years.  I think I picked it up from Oxfam Bookshop when i lived in Glasgow. I've made White Chocolate and Cranberry Muffins and Egg Nog Pineapple Loaf. 

I also this from Marie Laforet called The Vegan Holiday Cookbook: From Elegant Appetizers to Festive Mains and Delicious Sweets.

I am sharing another two cookbooks, although not focusing on the festive holidays as such in it's book titles, the innovative recipes and elegant presentation in Neither Fish Nor Fowl: Meat Free Eating for Pleasure  by Sarah Beattie is a superb cook book I'd like to recommend.  This stylish, sophisticated  and sumptuous vegetarian cookbook was published in 1993and  featured recipes ahead of its time like Beetroot and Cranberry Consomme, Raspberry Soup, Avocado Soup, Stuffed Nasturtium Salad and that's just for starters.  It was and still is a pioneering cookbook in my eyes, as it was the first vegetarian dinner party cookbook I came across that moved away from  the wholemeal way of cooking.  It also has Asparagus Eclairs and Chestnut Souffles and Raspberry Brulee and so so much more .   

And if you like the sound of Neither Fish Nor Fowl, then i'd also say look out for Sarah Beatties second cookbook The Table of Content: A Vegetarian Dinner Party Book for All Seasons (1995) is just as amazing... 'from the simplest vegetables to the more esoteric delights of borscht poached uszki with smetana...'. 

I am planning on doing some baking later in the week.  One of which will be gingerbread people  (and may up-date this blog post), the other thing I may make are these vegan Oreo Christmas Wreaths vegan Cakes, but if not - i thought I would share here as to provide you with some festive inspiration. 

I'm very much looking forward to seeing what is in your kitchen and thank Sherry for hosting the In My Kitchen Series through the pandemic and these strange, unusual and scary times.