When it comes to hosting Christmas, it can be difficult to meet everyone’s dietary requirements, whether you have vegan relatives, gluten-free friends, or are lactose intolerant yourself.
Luckily for those looking for plant-based twists on festive foods, Instagram foodie Elly Smart, who posts under the handle Elly’s Plate, has shared her take on vegan and gluten-free pigs in blankets, using tempeh in place of bacon.
Sharing a video of her cooking process, Elly wrote: “Welcome to Episode 9 of my 12 Plates of Christmas where we are taking on a very meaty classic but using plants. Shout out to @schoolnightvegan for the rice paper inspo on this, worked an absolute TREAT…”
Commenters were delighted with the recipe, with one writing: “I made these last year and plan on making them every year because they were so good!!! (Except I used tofu instead of tempeh – it peels easier).”
Another shared that even meat-eaters were excited to try the recipe, commenting: “Sent it to my non-vegan partner. He’s just as hyped as me so we’re definitely trying this.”
Vegan maple mustard pigs in blankets
Ingredients (Makes 12)
- 80g (approx) tempeh
- 12 vegan sausages (Elly recommends using THIS™ Plant-Based Food, as their sausages are also gluten-free)
- Four sheets rice paper
For the marinade
- One tbsp smoked paprika
- One tbsp agave
- One tbsp balsamic vinegar
- One tsp liquid smoke
- Two tbsp soy sauce/tamari for GF
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tbsp salt
For the glaze
- One tsp maple syrup
- One tsp wholegrain mustard
- One tsp oil
Method
Start by using a vegetable peeler to peel your block of tempeh into strips until you have approximately 24 strips. Then mix the marinade ingredients in a container, add the tempeh strips and mix until fully coated.
Leave to marinate for at least 30 minutes. Ideally, marinate overnight if possible, but it can be less if you are in a particular rush.
When ready to make the pigs in blankets, pre-heat your oven or air fryer to 200. Elly recommends using an air fryer for best results, but an oven works fine if you don’t have one.
Fill a shallow bowl of water, dipping one sheet of rice paper in at a time. Cut the strips into 3 pieces each & lay these on a nonstick surface. Place two pieces of tempeh into each strip of rice paper and fold until it covers the tempeh.
Wrap this around the sausage and snip off any excess rice paper, repeating until you have covered all the sausages. Add the sausages to a baking tray, drizzle with a little oil and bake for 15 minutes, turning halfway.
Meanwhile, mix the glaze ingredients together. Once the sausages have baked use a pastry brush to add the glaze on top. Return to bake for a further five minutes, or until crispy. Serve immediately.
