A vegan Christmas dinner: no turkey, no problem

12 December 2005

Catering for a vegan at Christmas dinner would probably be enough to cause heart palpitations in the average omnivore. Not so for self-taught Birkenhead chef Colin Sky, who is organising a Christmas feast for up to 50 vegans on December 18, at Blissful Foods in Mt Albert.

Colin has been vegan for more than three years, and had been vegetarian for six years before that. He is well-known as DJ Captain Starlite, and also teaches vegan cooking classes. Many of Blissful Foods’ mock meats (made from wheat protein and soy protein) will be included in the banquet, whose preparation will be a combined effort led by Colin.

He calls veganism “the beautiful diet”, because of its beneficial effects on animals, human health and the environment.

“Christmas is a time of peace and love, so what better way to celebrate than with the lovely people from the vegan community, sharing a sumptuous meal completely made from plant products?” he says.

“A lot of non-vegans seem to think that the vegan diet is dull and monotonous – this menu should prove that vegans aren’t missing out on anything!”

The menu will include:

• BBQ ‘prawns’ • Chicken and vegetables with mustard and coriander sauce, and tomato, chilli and basil sauce • Sweet and sour ‘chicken’ • Potato and ‘ham’ fritters • Lao Tzu's kumara and pea fritters • Garden of Eden fresh salads with heaven's dressing • Buddha's pie • Steamed veges • Rice • Noodles • Marinated tofu

• Raw fruit pie • Fruit ripple ice cream • Raw nut and fruit pie • Walnut ice cream • Chocolate cake

ENDS