The Healthy Hedonist Holidays : A Year of Multi-Cultural, Vegetarian-Friendly Holiday Feasts

THE HEALTHY HEDONIST HOLIDAYS:A Year of Multicultural, Vegetarian-Friendly Holiday Feasts includes feasts for many holidays that Americans of different heritages, ethnicities, and religions celebrate; included are Ramadan, Thanksgiving, Chanukah, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, Kwanzaa, New Year’s Eve, New Year’s Day, Chinese New Year, Valentine’s Day, St. Patrick’s Day, Passover, Easter, Cinco de Mayo, and the Fourth of July. The lavish menus in this book fall under the category of “flexitarian”: Each features recipes for a vegetarian main course, as well as either a fish or a poultry entrée; you can make them both, or one without the other. There’s a plan for the entire meal from starter to dessert, including salads, soups, sides, and splashes. Dishes in the ensemble go together like a coordinated wardrobe; you can pull together any or all for a variety of combinations.Holidays are times when we have an opportunity to stop the normal hustle and bustle of our everyday pace; they punctuate the rhythm of the year and mark the cycles of our lives. These celebrations are constantly evolving, and the meanings we ascribe to them today are sometimes quite different from the significance we attributed to them in the past. Our personal relationship with a specific holiday may have changed too; the way we once celebrated it or the foods we once consumed on that holiday may no longer be appropriate. Often our guests may have conflicting food requirements. Whenever I have a dinner party, I find a variety of types of eaters at the table. One person eats fish and vegetarian, another omnivore can’t tolerate dairy, and yet another is allergic to beans or sugar. I quickly learned that when my guests are accommodated, they feel especially grateful and welcome.Many of us have had the experience of finishing an indulgent meal only to feel heavy, stuffed, and guilty shortly thereafter. These holiday feasts, which are naturally healthy and satisfying, are designed to leave us feeling Holidays are a time for family and friends to gather for mouthwatering meals, but catering to every guest's dietary requirements can be a challenge. The menus in The Healthy Hedonist Holidays will entice every guest — vegetarian, semi-vegetarian, carnivores, omnivores who can't eat dairy, and people who just love good food — with delicious, satisfying "flexitarian" meals. Featuring fresh seasonal ingredients, whole grains, natural sugars, and creative seasonings, these flavorful feasts will leave guests feeling satisfied — without the guilt that usually accompanies holiday indulgence. Each menu offers both a vegetarian and fish or poultry main course, and a range of side dishes, appetizers, and desserts that can be used in any combination to accommodate individual tastes. Myra Kornfeld's recipes honor America's diverse cultural and ethnic heritage. Even if you're not of Chinese descent, sit down to Sesame Noodles with Wilted Nappa Cabbage and Crispy Five-Spice Tofu with Black Bean Sauce. The traditional flavors of Thanksgiving take on a southwestern flair with a maple sugar-brined turkey accompanied by Mole Gravy with Dried Plums and Ancho Chiles. The Feast of Eid al Fitr explores the flavors of Turkey and Morocco with Chicken Breasts Stuffed with Onions, Cinnamon, Almonds, and Cherries, and Semolina Walnut Cake with Macerated Oranges. A Passover dinner offers herb-flecked matzo balls in a vibrant green spinach soup and a fish terrine studded with asparagus. Christmas dinner turns to the shores of Italy for inspiration with Flounder Roll-ups with Pistachio Pesto and Squash-Portobello Lasagna. With sections on ingredients, techniques, and a cooking plan for each menu, The Healthy Hedonist Holidays is a book to use, to give, and to savor, over and over again. Presents a year's worth of menus for multicultural, vegetarian or semi-vegetarian holiday meals that focus on a vegetable and fish or poultry main course complemented by a mix-and-match variety of sides, appetizers, and desserts.