Vegan Holiday Kitchen: More than 200 Delicious, Festive Recipes for Special Occasions

by Nava Atlas, Susan Voisin (Photographer)

Have yourself a happy vegan holiday! This exciting, inviting cookbook by veteran author Nava Atlas brilliantly fills the biggest gap in the vegan repertoire with more than 200 delectable, completely doable recipes for every festive occasion.  Atlas, one of the most respected names in vegetarian and vegan cooking, addresses everything from Thanksgiving, Hanukkah, and Christmas --to celebratory brunches, lunches, dinners, potlucks, and buffets. Such mouthwatering dishes as Coconut Butternut Squash Soup, Green Chili Corn Bread, Hearty Vegetable Pot Pie, delicate Ravioli with Sweet Potatoes and Sage, and Cashew Chocolate Mousse Pie will convince even the most skeptical eater that vegan cooking is well worth celebrating.

Genres: Cookbooks, Vegan, Cooking, Food, Nonfiction, Reference, Holiday

308 pages, Hardcover

First published November 1, 2011

About the author

Nava Atlas is the author and illustrator of many well-known vegetarian and vegan cookbooks, including 5-Ingredient Vegan, Wild About Greens, Vegan Holiday Kitchen, and many others. Her first book was Vegetariana, now considered a classic in its field. In addition, she has published two books of satire, including Secret Recipes for the Modern Wife. Her latest nonfiction book is The Literary Ladies' Guide to the Writing Life (https://www.literaryladiesguide.com), an exploration of what it means to create a writer's life, through the first-person narratives of twelve classic authors of the past.

Nava is also a visual artist, specializing in limited edition artist’s books and text-driven objects and installations. Her work has been shown nationally in museums, galleries, and alternative art spaces. Her limited edition books are housed in numerous collections of artist’s books, including the special collections libraries of The Museum of Modern Art (NY), National Museum of Women in the Arts (Washington, DC), National Library at the Victoria and Albert Museum (London), Brooklyn Museum, Boston Museum of Fine Arts, and dozens of academic collections. Learn more about Nava’s work at TheVeganAtlas.com and navaatlasart.com.

Reviews

[Lisa Vegan · Rating 5 out of 5]

4 ½ stars

I had the weirdest experience reading this book. Much of the way through it I was sure I’d be rating it with 5 stars but toward the end I started thinking 4 stars might be more accurate. I think writing this review is what will help me decide. It’s a great book, either way. Almost everything looked delicious (my tastes) for most of the book but even toward the end I found many appealing looking dishes. This is one (of many) times I wish I’d kept better notes. This is an interesting book to read. I enjoyed the info blurbs at each recipe and the parts of the book that were not just recipes.

This would make a fabulous gift book, especially for one of the gift giving holidays such as Hanukkah or Christmas. While the holidays covered are not comprehensive, there are plenty of recipes for each that are included. It’s a keeper. For me it is a library book and I might borrow it again sometime in the future.

I love that when applicable recipes are labeled gluten-free, soy-free, or nut-free and how at some recipes that have those ingredients alternate ingredients are mentioned so that they can be free of one or more of those three things.

There are many helpful general tips given. The grilling tips on pages 200-210 would alone be worth reading the book. I once had a disastrous experience grilling corn so I would like these pages to refer to. I like the tips for healthier and kinder Easter baskets. I love that for each holiday there are multiple choices for each course. I really appreciated that for the Jewish recipes both Sephardic and Ashkenazic traditional foods are included, all vegan style of course. As somebody who tends to cook without adhering perfectly to recipes I really liked the section: “Summer Fruit Dessert Ideas: Declaring Freedom from Recipes.”

The index print is even smaller than usual and on first glance I thought it would be hard to use, but I was wrong. I found every dish I searched for.

Contents:
Introduction
Chapter One: Thanksgiving
Chapter Two: Christmas and the Holiday Season
Chapter Three: Jewish Holidays: Passover, Rosh Hashanah, and Hanukkah
Chapter Four: Easter
Chapter Five: Independence Day and Summer Entertaining
Chapter Six: Brunches, Appetizers, and Potluck Dishes
Index
Acknowledgments
About the Author

As I do when reading most cookbooks, I started writing down the recipes that most interested me, but then I had to stop. I was writing down most of the book’s recipes, which is not typical, although it’s not a unique experience either.

So, not in order of appearance or by specific holiday, here are more than a few recipes, but nowhere near all of the ones that most tempted me: Vegan Matzo Balls, Vegan Challah, Butternut Squash with Whole Wheat and Wild Rice and Onion Stuffing, Ravioli with Sweet Poatoes and Sage, Baked Thanksgiving Risotto, Seven-Vegetable Cous Cous, Traditional Latkes Vegan Style, Multi-Mushroom Barley Soup, Sweet Potato Biscuits, Smashed Potatoes with Mushroom Gravy, Plantain Fritters with Black Bean Dip, A Big Pot of Really Good Chili, Cold Sesame Noodles, Cold Avocado and Green Pea Soup, Spiced Vegetable Peanut Soup, Creamy Wild Mushroom Soup, Quinoa and Lentil-Stuffed Golden Squahes, Israeli Cous Cous Summer Pilaf, Hearty Vegetable Pot Pie, Moroccan Flavored Tofu with Apricots and Olives, Quinoa Pilaf, Just-As-Sweet-As-Honey Cake, Double-Sesame Roasted Asparagus and Cauliflower, Multi-Veg Hash Browns, Green Pea and Parsley and Pishtachio Dip or Spread, Dilled Miso-Tahini Dip, Red Quinoa Pilaf with Kale and Corn, Cranberry Chutney, Gingered Chocolate and Pear Mini Loaves, Pumpkin or Squash Mini Loaves, Skinny Figgy Bars, Hearty Lentil and Mushroom Shepherd’s Pie, Hummus, Tabouleh, Olive Oil Lemon Marinade, Sweet Potato-Poppy Seed Coleslaw, Salsa Fresca with Variations, Fresh Corn and Tomatillo Salsa, Squash and Sweet Potato and Corn Chowder, Corn Fritters in Cilantro Sauce, Mixed Baby Greens with Pears and Glazed Pecans, “Three Sisters” Stew, Black Rice with Corn and Cranberries, Rice and Pecan-Stuffed Squash

Okay, 4 ½ stars but I’m now 5 stars worth of hungry.

[Kathryn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Yum! This is a gorgeous book and one that I would love to have in my permanent collection one day. I found many tempting recipes, including some I would make any time of the year. The photographs are wonderful and I love the selection of recipes, from Thanksgiving through 4th of July and including even recipes for Easter, Hanukkah, etc. and some great tips on things that new vegans (or non-vegans who will be including vegans in their holiday festivities) would want to know, such as how to find vegan Easter candy. I love that there are enough "WOW" dishes that if you love cooking and have experience in the kitchen, you could really make something fancy for a holiday dinner. But, also, many of the recipes are easily managed even by relative novices such as myself and still manage to impress. I've made probably four or five of these recipes so far and liked them all. Really, really great!

[Amanda Vollmershausen · Rating 2 out of 5]

There are so many things missing from this cookbook. First: protein. I was so disappointed to see that the book focuses far over on vegetables and starches rather than legumes for the main courses. This means that a vegan looking to make a balanced meal, with the fact that vegans should be consuming 2 servings of legume daily in mind, you'd have to modify the recipe or choose amongst very few. Dishes you would expect in a vegan holiday cookbook like seitan roast, or lentil loaf, or beanballs are missing.

The other thing I really dislike about this cookbook is its focus on all-purpose seasoning blends. I understand the author's preference to do this, but it's impractical considering that most people who would be buying this cookbook have an extensive selection of spices. With a cabinet full of high-quality spices, who would want to buy an all-purpose seasoning blend that's just a mix of spices you already have? Would it have been so difficult to suggest in the book a few spice options when "all-purpose seasoning blend" is mentioned?

I also can't stand the way this cookbook is structured. There's no comprehensive table of contents for the entire book, nor for each holiday. Everything is organized in menus, and there's no page of reference to look at to see all the recipes for a specific holiday. To that end, I was dismayed that the Christmas section is relatively small in the book, compared to the summer entertaining section and even Thanksgiving. I've made 5 recipes from the book so far, and frankly none of them blew me away, and only one of them I would make again—this is highly unusual for me, since I cook often and usually enjoy what I make.

This book might be nice for a couple sides, and maybe a dessert for a holiday, but it's certainly not the only book you'll want if you're making a big vegan feast. I'm more likely to rely on "Veganomicon."

[Tisha (IG: Bluestocking629) · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is my second cookbook by Nava Atlas, the first was 5 Ingredient Vegan (I highly recommend this book. Easy-ish cooking but still delicious!).

I like the arrangement of this cookbook, by holiday, a lot mostly because I don’t have to wait till the last chapter for dessert! You will see desserts scattered through the book for each holiday. I also love that Nava is not an outdoor griller, she, like we do in my home, uses the electric grill. So her directions are geared towards that method of grilling (don’t worry she also addresses the methods for more traditional out-of-doors grilling as well).

I’m definitely more of a fan of Christmas and Thanksgiving food, this book was no exception. I can’t wait to try:

~ Sweet Potato Biscuits
~ Walnut Apple Stuffing
~ Maple Cream Cheese Frosting
~ Chocolate Mint Bars
~ Sweet and Spiced Pecans
~ Hot Spiced Apple Cider

Bring on the stretchy leggings and oversized tunics 😋

[Lisa Kay · Rating 5 out of 5]

★★★★★ Loved this one, too. In fact, I got it from the library, but just ordered it on Amazon for my collection - it is that good. I practed a couple, as I have company coming for Thanksgiving, and the Coconut Butternut Squash Soup was so good I had to eat it for breakfast, lunch and dinner!

[Steph Myers · Rating 4 out of 5]

I made the chocolate-orange cake. AMAZING. So delicious and not dry, which can be hard with vegan baking at altitude. Very easy to whip up and everyone at dinner thought I was some kind of vegan baking superstar. Can't wait to try other recipes.

[Stacia Lauderdale · Rating 5 out of 5]

So at the end I just relies that at the end we are all healthy.

[Sara · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read this book awhile back looking for recipe ideas. This cookbook focuses on foods for various holidays, including Thanksgiving, Christmas, Easter, and several holidays from the Jewish calendar. There is also a useful section on outdoor summer grilling and how best to prepare various vegetables for kabobs. The holiday focus is fairly unique among vegan cookbooks, and although the foods are meant to be special, most do not look terribly difficult and many can be made using hand utensils alone (I say this, but although I intend to make several recipes in the near future, I have not actually made any yet and cooking always takes me at least twice as long as it's supposed to). There's a nice variety of recipes, from kind of comfort-type veggie pot pies to dishes influenced by international cuisines. The book has a number of ideas that might be useful to a vegetarian or vegan looking for a special recipe to cook for a holiday, bring to a potluck, or add to their daily repetoire. A number of dishes would make good side dishes for non-vegetarian dinners, too. In general, I would recommend cookbooks from this author as I have made several recipes from a different book and been happy with them (and I am PICKY). She sometimes gives ideas for substitutions and most ingredients are available at larger grocery stores like Harris Teeter.

[Natalie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great ideas for the holidays. I have been able to serve so many of these dishes to my omnivorous family and they enjoy everything. My kids usually ask, "is it vegan?" To which I reply, "it sure is." And, they are trying more things and enjoying them too. I'm still in the transition phase of becoming vegan and the choices here are quite tasty.

[Jessica · Rating 1 out of 5]

This cookbook has an infuriatingly impossible and useless layout. The recipes seem fine, but kind of boring and uninspired. I haven't found one I'll make a second time.

[Jan Lynch · Rating 5 out of 5]

The recipes in this book make eating a vegan diet over the holidays something to look forward to. The meals, desserts, and treats are flavorful and exciting--there is no sacrifice here. From walnut-apple stuffing to maple-pecan sweet potatoes to lentil and mushroom shepherd's pie--all is comfort. I've made several of the recipes, including the squash, sweet potato and corn chowder. They've been delicious. Definitely recommended for anyone who wants to enjoy good food that also happens to be plant-based and sustainable.

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is my favorite vegan cookbook. My family is full of meat eaters and I’ve brought several dishes from this book to family gatherings without anyone going “Eeeeeeeewww! Vegan food!” If I don’t say anything, they don’t even notice.

[Lesli · Rating 3 out of 5]

A lot packed into this book. I'd prefer more photos. Some of the font and formatting choices are odd. The colors, contrast, and fonts occasionally make the text hard to read. This is probably a good book for someone facing their first vegetarian or vegan holiday.

[Skunk · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great cookbook! I read this right before thanksgiving and actually made 5 recipes from it. They all turned out great!

[Angie Kennedy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not many things I could actually see myself making.

[Lydia Kass · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pretty pictures. Not a lot I would make from this book.

[Bundt · Rating 4 out of 5]

My first introduction to Nava Atlas was when a friend gave me a copy of Vegetariana: A Rich Harvest of Wit, Lore, and Recipes several years ago. While I was browsing at a local bookstore recently, I ran across Vegan Holiday Kitchen and was drawn in by the gorgeous photos and recipes; I was particularly intrigued by the Jewish vegan updates of beloved classics like sweet noodle kugel, tzimmes, matzoh balls and challah.

Nava was kind enough to send a review copy, and I promptly singled out four test recipes: massaged kale salad, skinny figgy bars, citrus-roasted tofu, and the chocolate orange cake. The kale salad was delicious and easily modified; I've been making it with mustard greens and candied ginger since it lends itself to experimentation with other dried fruits, greens, and seeds / nuts. It takes only moments to throw together, and is a perfect last-minute side dish for a potluck or party.

The skinny figgy bars are a guilt-free update on Fig Newtons; a paste of figs and dates is perked up by a touch of lemon juice, cinnamon and ginger; the filling would make a great jam or spread on its own (I soaked the dates in hot water to soften them before adding them to the food processor). The quick-oat crust almost seemed too wet upon mixing, but baked up tender and moist. I also made the optional orange drizzle, which gave the bars an additional boost of citrus that complemented the lemon juice in the filling.

For the citrus-roasted tofu, I used Italian bitter orange marmalade, which is then mixed with dry mustard, soy sauce, and pepper. I left out the carrot and almond garnish, as well as the tarragon and curry powder, since I wanted the flavor focus to be on the citrus. One caveat: I didn't leave enough space between the slices of tofu while baking, so the edges didn't get as crispy as I would have liked. The final flavor was great, though, and I will definitely make this again using a larger roasting pan and would consider making 1.5 times the marinade, since much of it bakes off in the oven, and you're supposed to use the extra marinade to spoon over before serving.

Finally, the chocolate orange cake seemed to be a very thick batter (half whole wheat, half unbleached flour) that seemed to be a bit dense when it baked up, but the orange zest and juice made for a very moist, flavorful cake; it's difficult to believe that it's fat-free. There's even an unexpected touch of balsamic vinegar (I used some of my prized 18-year balsamic from Fustini's, which has an incredible depth). Rarely have I had a recipe turn out like the included photo, but the chocolate-orange cake looked runway-ready and was quickly devoured by an appreciative audience.

The ingredients and instructions are clearly laid out in an easy-to-read font, and there are plenty of gorgeous full-color photos throughout. I loved that the recipe titles were color-coded to correspond with the section they were in (Passover titles were in blue, Easter recipes in purple, etc.). I loved that the dishes arranged by season, so you can easily make use of the freshest seasonal produce. All of the recipes I tried turned out as described without requiring any tweaking, and I would definitely make them again. There's a huge wealth of influences; you'll find Middle Eastern-inspired dips and spreads, Mexican and Asian flavors, Eastern European and Jewish comfort food, and Native American influences for Thanksgiving.

Two small things that could have improved the book for me would have been nutritional info and an easier-to-use index; the index font is about half the size of the recipes, and it's difficult to quickly locate a given ingredient or recipe since they're lumped together in paragraph form, but overall "Vegan Holiday Kitchen" is a wonderful addition to anyone's cookbook library.

(Review copy courtesy of Nava Atlas/ Sterling)

[Lara · Rating 2 out of 5]

Saw this at work and figured I'd take a look and compare it to Isa Chandra Moskowitz's The Superfun Times Vegan Holiday Cookbook, which I love. It has a very similar set-up, organized by holiday with a number of different recipes for each, but other than that they don't seem much alike at all.

Most of the stuff in this book is super traditional, especially for Thanksgiving and Christmas, which is great if that's what you're looking for. I never actually liked turkey even when I wasn't vegetarian, and find the usual Thanksgiving/Christmas menu really boring, so Moskowitz's book worked way better for me, especially since my family has moved more into having things like tamales for holidays. There are a few more interesting recipes with a Mediterranean feel towards the back, some good menus for Jewish holidays (kugel!), and some fruit desserts and things, but for the most part the recipes just don't appeal to me. And there are relatively few photographs, and the ones that are there are fine, I guess, but don't really make me any more interested in eating the food pictured. The index also kinda sucks.

So yeah. Maybe okay if you want to basically just veganize your typical American holiday meal and can put up with the lack of pictures and difficult index, but this one is just not to my taste.

[Nancy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another very fine addition to the vegan cookbook shelf by Nava Atlas! This volume is not merely a reworking of Ms Atlas' earlier volume, Vegetarian Celebrations; although it does contain a few reworked recipes from that prior book, the vast majority of the recipes are new. The recipes offered cover the holidays of Thanksgiving, Christmas/the Holiday Season, major Jewish holidays, Easter, Independence Day and general summer events, plus a final chapter with brunch & potluck dishes and appetizers.
As usual, Atlas' recipes are very approachable, most are not in the least complicated, and my guess is that all but the pickiest of eaters, be they meat eaters or vegetarian/vegan, would find the majority of these dishes quite tasty. I have so far only prepared the Black Rice with Corn and Cranberries, but both my carnivore husband and I found it different & delicious (can't say as much for my picky son).
A nice feature of this book is the notation at the top of each recipe stating whether it is gluten, soy, &/or nut-free, very helpful for those with food sensitivities. There are a small number of errors/ommissions in the book, but not the sort that any reasonable cook will not notice and be able to accommodate.

[egellston · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book! Nava Atlas understands the Vegan from Carni problems- Nostalgia for the old favorites but the need to keep everyone's eyes on the present. She guides the cook through various Christian, American and Jewish holidays so that most of the people around the holiday table should feel satiated.

The recipes are fairly straightforward and do not use a lot of unusual spices or ingredients. Yet, she explains how to veganize using substitutes like cashew cream, nutritional yeast, etc.

I like that at the top of the page she lists if a recipe is soy free, gluten free and nut free. I have some friends with concerns in these areas. It made flipping through for ideas a breeze.

I look forward to exploring more of Nava Atlas's books.

[Lauren · Rating 5 out of 5]

A superior collection of recipes for holidays throughout the year. I made three recipes from the book for Thanksgiving, and ALL of them turned out so well - The Potato Sauerkraut Apple stuffing was particularly great. And the sweet and spicy (candied) pecans were gone within minutes of setting them on the dinner table. I especially appreciated her notes on the recipes and possible substitutions to make things gluten-, soy-, nut-free.

Can't wait to make more out of this book.

[Bunny · Rating 2 out of 5]

Dear self: While there is an infinitesimal chance you could go full blown vegetarian someday, we both know you'll never. ever. ever. go vegan.

Stop wasting everyone's time by reading these cookbooks.

Put down the nutritional yeast flakes, back away from the TVP, and go eat some dairy.

[Kathy Szczesniak · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent transition book for those seeking the vegan lifestyle. The recipes are easy to understand and the ingredients are easily found in most grocery stores. I really enjoyed how the author broke down the recipes by season and holiday. You can easily find a recipe for any occasion.

[Matthew Gilboy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Atlas does a great job of getting to the heart of each dish and holiday covered. Here section on Jewish holidays does not disappoint either (both Ashkenazi and Sephardic foods). Relied heavily on this book for my first at-home Thanksgiving with non-vegan family and it went really well.

[Amy M. · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a beautiful cookbook.

[Adrik · Rating 5 out of 5]

my ex was vegan...she loved this book...what can i say, I hated it (I'm not vegan)...but she worshipped it, so I'm guessing it's only fair to recommend it to all you vegans out there!

[jenny scott · Rating 4 out of 5]

really great recipes! everyone went crazy for the mushroom gravy recipe! a neighbor said it was better than the regular gravy and a mushroom gravy that she had at her family's thanksgiving!

[Nanci Booher · Rating 5 out of 5]

so far I made the banana chocolate chip mini loaves (yum yum) and the molasses cookies. Both really great, easy recipes with stuff that I already had on hand being a vegan.

[April · Rating 4 out of 5]

Looked through...great pictures and excellent looking recipes. We'll be getting this out again, but since it's specific to special holiday deals...I won't probably own it.

[Raj · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really liked the Thanksgiving recipes