Plant-Based Entertaining

The heart of the holiday season revolves around meaningful time shared with those we hold dear. Whether you’re creating special moments for kids, entertaining guests from near and far, or welcoming adult children back to the nest, food is often at the center of the celebration. This year, make plants the star of your show!

While meat is a common centerpiece for holiday meals and parties, there are so many delicious plant-based dishes that are packed with fiber, vitamins, and minerals. Bring the flavors of your traditions alive with our vegetarian menu ideas ranging from classic recipes to new creations.

Hours of Hors d’Oeuvres

Christmas, Chanukah, and new year’s celebrations welcome diverse occasions for appetizers. Instead of the usual cheese tray, consider plant-based alternatives that are easy to prepare. Here are some of our favorites:

• This Spinach Avocado Dip is a lighter spin on a party staple. Create a beautiful bread bowl presentation using Whole Wheat Mountain Bread from our Bakery with bread cubes and carrots for dipping.
• Hummus makes an excellent appetizer. Select a variety from our Deli or make it from scratch with this recipe featuring avocado. Pair it with cut vegetables and whole grain crackers or whole wheat mini pita snacks.
• Pick up a fruit platter in the Deli or a vegetable platter in the Produce section, along with a plant-based dip. Or choose your produce and create your own.
• Prepare a trio of “Feel Just a Little Guilty” Appetizers: Garlic Baba Ghanoush, Roasted Pepper-Zucchini Bruschetta, and Vegetable Strudel. These tasty plant-based dishes can help keep you on track with your wellness goals over the holidays.
• Fall Root Vegetable Stacks are sure to make your party merry and bright.

Soups and Salads of the Season

Hearty soups are perfect to feed a crowd for holiday meals. They’re also ideal for incorporating seasonal flavors. Stir up your celebration with these vegetarian soup recipes:

• Serve Winter Vegetable Stew or Kale and Farro Stew with crusty baguettes from our Bakery.
• Add spice and everything nice with Holiday Pumpkin Soup featuring pumpkin, cranberries, and apples. Or try Apple-Sweet Potato Soup with Apple Yogurt Topper.

Salads are another great way to showcase seasonal foods. Sunny Orange Salad is a simple recipe featuring sweet Florida citrus. And Citrus Holiday Salad with Spiced Honey Dressing includes a beautiful winter jewel: pomegranates.

For a shortcut, pick up a package of ready-to-eat pomegranate arils.

Wow Them with Sides!

These spectacular plant-based sides can adorn your holiday spread with festive colors and tastes:

• Our Sweet-and-Spicy Green Beans recipe combines fresh green beans with dates and honey for sweetness, and a touch of red pepper for a spicy kick.
• Our Sweet Potato Caramelized Banana Mash is a smart twist on the classic sweet potato dish. Bananas are caramelized to intensify their natural sweetness, and low-fat granola sprinkled on top delivers the crunch.
• Though butternut squash is available year-round, our Glazed Butternut Squash Hasselback is an excellent holiday recipe for showing it off.

Delve into Desserts

Indulge in flavor, rather than saturated fats, with three plant-based desserts:

• Instead of pumpkin pie, opt for Pumpkin-Apple Bars—an easy-to-serve crowd-pleaser.
• Make our Apple-Pecan Tart—featuring apples, maple syrup, and pecans—part of your family tradition.
• Maple Apple-Almond Bread Pudding with multigrain bread, apples, cinnamon, and almonds is a warm, wonderful way to finish your holiday meal.

For the Love of You

Choosing how you eat is uniquely personal. It’s about your needs, your preferences, and your goals. As your wellness ally, Publix is in your corner with fresh ideas, recipes, and wellness icons that make it easier to shift toward wiser food choices. It’s all about you, at your very best.

Sources

¹ Diller, Heidi, RD. Pomegranate Seeds. Produce for Better Health Foundation. Accessed October 10, 2019.

Fall Root Vegetable Stacks

This beautiful plant-based appetizer or side makes a delicious addition to any celebration.

Sweet Potatoes

’Tis the season for sweet potatoes—mashed, baked, or stacked in slices. They bring fiber, flavor, and color to your plate.

Sweet-and-Spicy Green Beans

Spice up your menu with this smart twist on a popular dish, featuring medjool dates, red pepper, and pecans.

Medjool Dates

These sweet fruits are ideal snacks or recipe ingredients. They’re also a good source of fiber.