for little one’s class holiday performance, they sang the German song, “O Tannenbaum” except they didn’t learn the German version, nor the English version, but the Greek version, “Ω Έλατο!”
so to celebrate the holiday and rejoice in our decorated Christmas tree, I made an edible vegetarian Christmas tree. the recipe was simple and delicious!
cooking tools
- baking pan
- alphabet cutter – letter “O”
- ¼ – ⅓” circle cutter
ingredients
tree
- 1 pound brussels sprouts
- 2 Tbsp olive oil
- 1 tsp sea salt
- ¼ tsp black pepper
tree trunk
- porchini mushrooms
- gluten free tamari sauce
candy cane
- organic firm tofu
- organic red bell pepper
decorations
- 1 long carrot
- yellow vegetable or fruit (i.e. organic yellow bell pepper, pineapple, starfruit, etc.)
- other colorful vegetables or fruit
- organic string cheese -or-
1 slice of organic cheddar cheese
preparation
preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
tree
place trimmed brussels sprouts, olive oil, kosher salt, and pepper in a large mixing bowl and mix. pour onto a baking sheet, and place on center oven rack.
roast in the preheated oven for 20 to 30 minutes, shaking pan every 5 to 7 minutes for even browning. reduce heat when necessary to prevent burning. if you are creating garlands (go to * below) roast these vegetables at the same time.
tree trunk
in a frying pan, stir fry mushrooms with tahini sauce and water, to taste. set aside.
candy cane
julienne red bell pepper to razor thin strings. set aside.
slice ½” slices of tofu. using a alphabet cutter, letter “O”, cut out 10 – 15 letter “O”. cut each in half. then cut equivalent number of rectangular slices the thickness of the letter “O” to attach to each half “O” to create a candy cane shape.
use the thin slices of red bell pepper to make candy cane lines.
decorations
create a star tree topper out yellow bell pepper or pineapple -or- use tofu with cheddar cheese.
shape diamond ornaments out of carrots by first cutting the carrots into a long square cylinder. then slice horizontally to make the diamond shape.
make round ornaments using the small circular cutter with other colorful vegetables of your choice.
*create garlands with spaghetti squash, string cheese or spiralized veggies (sweet potato, butternut squash, zucchini, beets, etc.).
complete assembly
brussels sprouts should be darkest brown, almost black, when done. use a fork to arrange brussels sprouts to the shape of a tree, adjusting smaller and thinner sliced brussels sprouts for the top of the tree and bigger and thicker sliced brussels sprouts on the bottom of the tree.
decorate the tree with tofu and red bell pepper candy canes and veggie ornaments. top the tree with the veggie or fruit star. string the garland around the tree, optional. roast for a few more minutes to . remove from the oven.
serve and enjoy! adjust seasoning with salt, if necessary.
resources
original recipe from AllRecipes by JAQATAC: Roasted Brussels Sprouts
Oh Christmas Tree
- Greek: Ω Έλατο!
- German: O Tannenbaum
