By Maude Carmel
The holidays are the perfect time of year for family gatherings and dinner with friends!
While Christmas Eve and Christmas Day lunches and dinners with extended family may call for a certain level of tradition, evening
gift exchanges with friends can be the perfect opportunity to let your hair down and try something new. Personally, I like serving vegan or vegetarian dishes to my guests, simply because the carbon footprint of these options tends to be lower, according to livestock statistics. I also know that most of my friends are vegetarian or trying to cut down on meat, which is all the justification I need to serve tasty plant-based dishes!
Although cooking is an art form that relaxes me and stimulates my creativity, sometimes I simply don’t have enough time before my guests arrive to prepare an appetizer, a main course AND a dessert. I have to admit, there aren’t many things that stress me out more than having three or four burners on the go with 12 people incessantly asking, “CAN WE DO ANYTHING?” To save myself the grief, sometimes I buy ready-to-eat dishes.
Just because you are serving ready to eat or frozen foods doesn’t mean it’s bad for you or unsophisticated! Rachelle Béry has tons of dishes that are made by local artisans and chefs! In addition to being absolutely delicious, they haven’t travelled far, which reduces greenhouse gas emissions.
Here are a few ideas for a 100% local three-course meal with products you can easily find at your local Rachelle Béry!
Finger foods and appetizers
Serving cheese and bread to your guests before they sit down to the main meal is always a win. The 100% organic, artisanal baguettes from the bakery À chacun son pain are sure to warm the cockles of everyone’s hearts. Even better: take one of our local cheeses, such as a small cheese from the cheesemaker Du champ à la meule in Notre-Dame-de-Lourdes, put it on a baguette and melt it under the broiler! Add a homemade bruschetta made with local greenhouse tomatoes and serve everything warm on your best dishes!
The main course
You can’t go wrong with The Buddhist Chef’s vegan meat pie. It’s truly amazing! Made in collaboration with Vegeat, the recipe features pea protein, corn, potatoes and onions. This cruelty-free alternative is now one of my holiday go-to dishes!
Dessert
There is no shortage of options to choose from in this department. My favourite dessert is Croké’s Snow Strawberry Log. It’s sure to be a hit with everyone! What sets this local company apart is that their products are allergen-free. There’s no longer any need to fear for your allergic friends: in addition to being vegan (egg- and dairy-free), this yule log is gluten-free, nut-free, peanut-free, wheat-free, soy-free and sulphite-free! Another of my favourites is The Buddhist Chef’s chocolate and raspberry dessert log! It is 100% vegan and has a fancy and sophisticated look that is sure to impress your guests!
