Cooking ideas to make with your family for holiday season

Christmas is just around the corner, and with it, a likely deluge of foods that are a bit too fatty, a bit too salty, and a bit too sweet. So, because Christmas is also a time to do things together, we offer you 3 simple, healthy, and vegetarian recipes to make for and with your children!

Homemade vegetable chips

Less greasy and less salty than potato chips, these vegetable chips are perfect for snacking at an appetizer or even as a thoughtful gift (wrapped in a beautiful fabric bag) (which itself makes a lovely gift) (we tell you all about reducing packaging here).

Carrots, sweet potatoes, radishes (both pink and black), zucchinis, beets... you can almost use any vegetable to make these chips. No need to peel them, especially if they’re organic—many of the nutrients are concentrated in the skin.

Ingredients:

To make a large jar, use 4 to 5 vegetables, for example:

• 2 carrots
• 1 sweet potato
• 2 medium-sized potatoes
• 1 large beetroot

Instructions:

1. Start by having your children wash and cut the vegetables. Using a mandoline, food processor, or by hand (though it takes longer and the slices will be thicker), slice your vegetables into thin chips, about 1mm thick.
2. Place them in a dish, add a little salt, olive oil, and some herbs: cumin, Provence herbs, rosemary, thyme... You can let your child smell each one and choose their favorite.
3. The next step is dehydrating. You can either place them in the oven at 100°C (212°F) for at least 8 hours, or use a dehydrator, which is much more energy-efficient. Set the dehydrator to 40°C (104°F) for 18 hours.
4. Once done, remove the vegetables and store them in a storage box, a glass jar, or a fabric pouch. They're ready to enjoy!

Christmas Shortbread Cookies in Bulk, perfect for homemade gifts

As with the chips, you can prepare them in large quantities ahead of time to create little complementary gifts. There are thousands of recipes, but here is one that is very simple to make:

Ingredients:

• 250g of all-purpose flour
• 120g of butter
• 2 egg yolks
• A pinch of salt
• 120g of granulated sugar (or half brown sugar, half granulated sugar)

Instructions:

1. Pour the flour onto a clean surface and make a well in the center.
2. Add the salt, softened butter, and sugar to the well.
3. Mix the butter and sugar together.
4. Add the egg yolks and combine everything well.
5. Gradually incorporate the flour into the mixture to form a shortbread dough.
6. Shape the dough into a ball and wrap it in plastic wrap. Let it rest in the refrigerator for 1 hour.

Baking:

1. Preheat your oven to 180°C (350°F or gas mark 5-6).
2. Roll out the dough to about ½ cm thick.
3. Use a glass or cookie cutters to shape the shortbreads (this is the step kids love the most!).
4. Grease a baking sheet and arrange your shortbreads on it.
5. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, or until golden.
6. To keep them fresh and crunchy for as long as possible, we recommend storing them in our glass portion containers!

Vegetable spreads with the Babycook

Perfect for appetizers, on croutons, small toasts, or grissini: vegetable spreads are delicious, vegetarian, and help balance out those holiday indulgences.

To prepare a spread, all you need to do is cook and blend some vegetables. Fortunately, that's exactly what the Babycook® does perfectly.

For this recipe, feel free to get creative (or let your kids be the chefs). All you have to do is select your vegetables, herbs (plants, spices, lemon, garlic, etc.), cook them in the Babycook®, add a bit of olive oil or cream, and your spread is ready! Bon appétit!

Sweet brioche rolls with dried figs

Perfect for afternoon tea or breakfast, these soft and indulgent brioche buns are great for accompanying gift opening or as a gift for the famous Santa Claus!

Ingredients:

• 25 cl of milk
• 380 g of flour
• 10 g of fresh baker’s yeast
• 5 g of salt
• 70 ml of sunflower oil
• 80 g of dried figs (chopped)

Instructions:

1. The day before, slice 8 dried figs into 5mm thick slices and place them on the trays of a dehydrator. Let them dehydrate for 7 hours at 60°C (140°F).
2. In a bowl, dissolve the baker's yeast in lukewarm milk.
3. In the bowl of a stand mixer or a large mixing bowl, add the flour and salt. Mix lightly, then pour in the milk and yeast mixture.
4. Let the mixer knead the dough for 10 minutes.
5. Add the sunflower oil and knead again for 10 minutes.
6. Meanwhile, blend the dehydrated figs using the Babycook®.
7. Add the blended figs to the dough and knead again for 5 minutes.
8. Cover the bowl and let the dough rise for 1 hour at 30°C (86°F), for example, in an oven. After the resting period, fold the dough several times and divide it into approximately 15 pieces of 50g each.
9. Place the dough balls on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and cover them with a clean cloth. Let them rise for 1 hour at room temperature or near a heat source.
10. Bake for 15-20 minutes at 180°C (350°F). Once golden, your buns are ready! Let them cool slightly before serving, but they’re even better when warm!

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