{ Waiting for Christmas } Vegan mushroom Jerusalem artichoke gratin dish

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    This week, I'll share my two savory Christmas holiday recipes and last recipes for this year, because desserts and treats are nice but what about a nice comforting warm dish too, right?!

Watermelon tomato cold soup (vegan)

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    We've been facing a heat wave lately in Paris and other parts of France - from 25°c/80°f at night to close to 35°c/95°f during the day as felt temperatures. But it seems that it's been very hot too in North America. And I guess, a lot of you are like me, when it's hot like that, I'm not hungry, all I want to to eat fresh drinks, water, fruits or salads and I alternate with mixed salad - with quinoa, raw veggies and my favorite smoked tofu, almond sesame from Taifun and cold soups. I wanted to try watermelon in a salad or cold soup for a long time because I like to use as fruit in savory dishes as veggies in desserts. 

Winter vegetable vegan patties and their yoghurt sauce (gluten free)

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   Hide veggies and fruit for children who don't really like them, that the theme of the last Bataille Food of yesterday proposed by Anne-Laure. I confess I had a little trouble finding a really original idea with seasonal vegetables (that was not already on the blog) because I've always liked vegetables and fruit in general (apart from Brussel sprouts and green peas... still true today), I don't really understand how can someone (child or adult) not like them and most of all why.

   So this challenge was a reason to try a new recipe from the book Vegan from Marie Laforêt (a great French vegan food blogger). I adapted her mini vegetable patties with seasonal veggies such as carrots, leek and cauliflower.

French onion soup au gratin (vegan option)

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    I usually don't publish traditional recipes because I think there's enough Chef recipes online but from time to time I like to stick to the basics such as I did for the Spanish traditional Gazpacho last summer or with French onion soup. I wanted to share this comfort dish I used to enjoy as a child in Winter or around Christmas holidays. Onion soup with bread croutons is just delicious.

Roasted butternut squash, rosemary and parmesan risotto

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    It was the 2nd time only I made a risotto, because it's so creamy and delicious in (good) Italian restaurants and I was told so often that it's quite difficult to cook a good one that I had never made one before this fall. 

   This one was so good, tasty and creamy that I ad to share it with you because butternut is a really easy squash to work with and the risotto was very simple and easy to prepare. I think, how I made it was not the exact traditional way of doing it but the most important thing is that it was good, right?! 

Fabada asturiana, spanish white bean soup (vegan option)

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    Last Wednesday was Spain National Day. But this celebration is kind of recent, it commemorates the discovery of America that happened an October 12th, the trip of Christopher Columbus having been financed by Spain Kingdom. 

Zoodles (zucchini noodles), avocado pesto and cherry tomatoes

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    Today, just the once will not hurt, this is a trendy recipe I'm going to talk to you about. You may have seen those zoodles on the Web the past months. They are "noodles" of zucchinis/courgettes that are barely cooked and that you enjoy with a sauce or other vegetables like wheat pasta.

Traditional Andalusian Gazpacho

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    I think there's no need to introduce the gazpacho, the traditional cold soup from the South of Spain made of tomatoes, cucumber, red pepper, onion, olive oil and stale bread. I love it very much and until last summer, I used to buy a carton at the supermarket - from time to time only because it's not very cheap - but since I tried it at home, I don't think I'm going to buy some anymore, because the liquid and red cold soup has just nothing to do with a good home made one. Plus, the pasteurization of cold soups and juices kills a good part of the nutrients of the veggies and fruit.

   The real color is light red orange, if it's bright red, you know it's not home made! Something good to know if you order one at a restaurant... The home made gazpacho is much more full of flavors and less liquid, so more satiating. Be careful to balance the seasoning and not put too much garlic or it could just ruin your dish.

{ Saint Patrick's Day } Irish Colcannon, mashed potatoes, savoy cabbage (and smoked tofu)

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    For Saint Patrick's Day, earlier this week, I offered you to try these Guinness chocolate cupcakes with a light matcha cream cheese frosting. I also wanted to prepare a savory Irish recipe and I saw a picture of this typical dish I didn't know about on Michelle's Instagram profile.

   Colcannon is a very simple but comforting dish to prepare and enjoy before Spring comes soon - at least in France. It's made of mashed potatoes and cabbage, that's it! Some will put green onions and eat it with meat, I chose to prepare it with only potatoes and savoy cabbage and to serve it with smoked tofu stir-fried in coconut oil. You can of course use green, savoy or kale cabbage and replace smoked tofu by smoked tempeh, seitan or even plant-based smoked sausages to keep it vegetarian.

Black whole rice, red lentils, soft goat cheese, carrots, dried raisins and cranberries, tahini and olive oil seasoning

    Here is a yummy and comfy but healthy and complete dish thanks to the association of the rice and red lentils, rich in complex carbohydrates as well as proteins for the first one and fibers, minerals and iron for the legumes. The tahini (sesame cream) also brings calcium, magnesium and iron. 

  I chose to add soft goat cheese (that you can delete or replace for a vegan option) and mint to bring some freshness and raisins and dried cranberries to ad some sweetness to the dish but also because they offer other nutriments, antioxidants for the latter. Carrots bring a dose of vegetables but also some color and crunchy.