Of course it is!
But if you're not skilled in the kitchen, or aren't familiar with plant-based cooking, it can seem scary to try.
What is needed, what can you make, where do you find good recipes, how do you proceed, and last but not least – how does it taste?
Cover photo: Stammen Café & Bar. Article author and mobile camera photographer: Veronica Stenhaug, communications manager for Trondheim Green Fest. The article was written without the use of AI.
To help people find answers to these questions, we at Trondheim Green Fest took the initiative for a pop-up course in plant-based Christmas food on December 11, 2025, and it was a great success! The course was fully booked in advance, and there were several people on the waiting list.
The event took place at the cozy Stammen Café & Bar, where the 20 participants were met with winter mulled wine from Rotvoll Safteri before they took their places in front of the counter, which this evening served as the course venue.
Short glimpses from the evening.
Stammen offers plant-based food, sustainable solutions, and an inclusive space for conversation and collaboration. The café has been around for 10 years, yet a show of hands showed that 14 of the evening's 20 participants were at Stammen for the very first time.
Several of the participants have family members who are vegan, and they wanted to learn more about what they could cook for their son or sister this Christmas. Others wanted to see in practice how they themselves can switch to a more sustainable and animal-friendly diet, even during the traditional Christmas dinner. Still others wanted to expand their already vegan cooking repertoire.
The course was led by Helle Aune Brastein from Stammen, who demonstrated and explained with great expertise how to make veggie patties, soy ribs, nut roast and mushroom sauce. She provided lots of practical tips and several good product recommendations.
As a bonus, participants received a lovely recipe booklet featuring typical side dishes, in addition to all the dishes that were reviewed together.
The plan is to make this booklet available for purchase to anyone who wants it, contact Stammen for orders.
Several of the participants were surprised at how easy the recipes were to make. All it took was a few extra ingredients that you might not be familiar with, such as liquid smoke – smoke flavour in a bottle!
Another ingredient that was unknown to many was the soy medallions used to make soy ribs. We learned how they need to be soaked in boiling hot water for 10 minutes before squeezing out as much water as possible, and then placing them in the frying pan with a little oil. The medallions were then flavoured with a delicious marinade, where the aforementioned Liquid Smoke was the icing on the cake!
During the course, appetising aromas filled the air, and after just over an hour, rumbling stomachs were rewarded with a delicious Christmas buffet, where, in addition to what we had just learned to make, we were served oven-baked baby potatoes and vegetables, root vegetable purée, pickled red onions, sauerkraut, lingonberry jam and grated carrots with vinegar. A real feast followed!
The participants helped themselves to several servings of the delicious food, and the kitchen even served up a frighteningly good chocolate cake to finish off the meal.
There was a great atmosphere around the tables, and those participants who had come alone were delighted to meet new people and chat about food, family and philosophy with the others.
Two people who did not know each other beforehand even said that they both had made a new friend with a beautiful soul!
Vi takker for en flott, lærerik og sosial kveld, til Stammen, kursholder og deltakerne som alle bidro til den gode stemningen. Vi sender også en stor takk til Trondheim kommune som støttet leie av lokaler og utgifter til kursholder gjennom Klimamillionen.