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Cooking a holiday dinner is not an easy job. The family, the in-laws, the little brother, the unending grocery lists, the decorations, the house-cleaning… And then there are Dutch farmers threatening to block the supermarkets, not to mention that one climate activist in your family that will give you ‘the look’ if you dare to put meat on the table. Luckily, we have a solution for you. In this very special deluxe collaboration of Groentetas and the Green Office, we will provide you with two recipes that are local (so skip the poorly stocked supermarket shelves), sustainable (seasonal veggies, meat free) and delicious. Check out these recipes below if you want to satisfy everyone's needs!

Also don't forget that hands out a bag full of local, seasonal fruits and veggies every week for €6, so you never have to worry about what veggies to stock up on again.

Recipe 1: Stuffed Cabage Leaves

A classic revisited. This dish is composed of tender cabbage leaves, stuffed with everything you need for a balanced meal.

Ingredients for the stuffing

2 tablespoon oil

1 small onion, diced

1 small carrot, finely chopped

10 mushrooms, chopped

1 celery branch

1 garlic clove, minced

2 tablespoon tomato paste

50g rice

100g of cooked lentils

10 dried apricots, chopped

500mL vegetable bouillon (as you chop the vegetables, collect the ends of the carrots, garlic and onion, the feet of the mushrooms, the leaves of the celery branch, etc. Add dry spices such as thyme, oregano, etc. and 500ml boiling water. You just made your own veggie bouillon.)

Salt and pepper to taste

Ingredients for the béchamel

30g vegan butter, or 2 tablespoons oil

30g flour

250ml unsweetened plant-based milk

1 teaspoon nutmeg

Salt and pepper to taste

4 large green cabbage leaves

Instructions

Pour the oil in a large pot on medium heat. Once hot, sauté the onion during 2 minutes. Add the carrots, mushrooms, garlic, celery and simmer during 10 minutes. Add the tomato paste, the lentils and 120mL vegetable bouillon. Cover with a lid, bring to a boil and simmer at low heat during 10 minutes. Add the rice, the apricots, and 250 mL of hot bouillon. Simmer during 10 minutes, or until the bouillon has evaporated but the mixture is still moist. In a large pot, bring 1L of water to a boil. Boil the cabbage leaves during 1 to 2 min. Preheat your oven to 180°C. Once cool enough to be manipulated, stuff each leave with the vegetable stuffing. Transfer them into an oven safe dish. Add vegetable bouillon to cover them up to the half point. Put the dish in the oven, and cook during 45 minutes. To make the béchamel, melt the vegan butter in a pan at medium-low heat. Add the flour and stir. Add the plant-based milk little by little while stirring well. Add the nutmeg and salt and pepper to taste. 30 minutes before the leaves are cooked, moisten the cabbage leaves with the bouillon in the dish, cover them with a layer of béchamel and continue the cooking.

Recipe 2: Pear Cake

Easy and elegant, treat your guests with this cake. We bet they will be impressed!

Ingredients (serves 6 to 8)

200g flour

100g sugar

1 teaspoon baking powder

a pinch of salt

250 ml plant-based milk

75 ml oil

1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar

3 to 4 small sized pears

Instructions

Preheat your oven to 180°C. In a large mixing bowl, mix the flour, the sugar, the baking powder and the salt. Add the milk, the oil and the vinegar and mix. Peel the pears without cutting them and place them in an oiled and floured baking tin. Pour the dough in the baking tin. Put in the oven and bake 40 to 50 minutes, or until a knife comes out clean and the top is slightly golden.

Tip: if you like the pear-chocolate association, add 30g cocoa powder along with the flower. Delicious.

This news item is a collaboration between and the Green Office, and is part of a wider calendar of Green Office holiday tips.

The Green Office is where fresh hearts and minds come together to support Utrecht ľ¹Ï¸£ÀûÓ°ÊÓ's sustainable development.