Vegetarian Tea Lovers For The Holidays

I always make a tofurkey roast for the holidays. It’s very easy and qite yummy! It’s a round ball with stuffing on the inside. You baste it with a little soy sauce and juice (recipe is on the box) and bake it in the oven in foil and it comes out all golden brown and delicious. As a reformed meat-lover (I’ve been vegetarian now for 14 years) I can tell you it’s not quite as good as the real deal, but it’s most certainly delicious! Give it a try, I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised! :)

I made a tofurkey roast one Thanksgiving back when I was still a vegetarian (years and years ago!) it was delicious.

Tofurkey can be awesome when done right. I either cook it in the oven or in the slow cooker. The key to a good tofurkey is proper cooking. Its needs to be slowly cooked over a long time and basted frequently. I use a vegetable stock/tamari sauce mixture with herbs and add a ton of veggies. This year we will be making a seitan roast. I haven’t tested this recipe but this is what I want to make: http://nofaceplate.blogspot.com/2011/03/seitan-with-coriander-peppercorn-crust.html For the holidays we always do a special stuffing, roast, mashed potatoes, gravy, cranberry sauce, biscuits or rolls, salad and another veggie (all vegan). Typically, I make homemade stuffing with chestnuts and cranberries but this time I’m trying white wine and mushroom stuffing. Most of the stuff I make, I don’t use a recipe. Gravy is very simple. I just use veggie stock, pepper, and a thickening agent. I usually use cornstarch mixed with warm water but will be using flour this year since I can no longer have corn. Mashed potatoes are also super easy to make. Simply boil potatoes until they pierce super easy with a fork then drain and mash while adding earth balance and mylk to taste. Last year we did that with yams and added cinnamon and nutmeg and it came out pretty awesome.

I love my cranberry compote that I usually make, which is vegetarian (probably vegan, although, I’m not sure about the canned cranberries … I use whole cranberries from a can, mostly because I don’t like to take the time to cook down fresh cranberries, but if you’ve the time and inclination to do that, I suppose you could. Here is a link to my recipe for my cranberry compote: http://hungryinportland.com/2011/11/24/happy-thanksgiving/

I also make a mashed sweet potato with chipotle pepper that is awesome. Just steam the sweet potatoes until tender, mince a chipotle pepper (the kind in the mole sauce in the ethnic cuisine aisle in the grocery store), add it to the steamed sweet potatoes, and mash it with a little butter, nutmeg and cinnamon. (This might also be good with coconut oil instead of butter, haven’t tried that yet, but maybe I will this year)

I haven’t made caramelized pearl onions in a while, mostly because I fear my picky eating family will not enjoy it as much as I do, but basically, I saute the peeled pearl onions in a skillet (in a butter/canola oil mix … ratio 1:1) until they are caramelized, drizzle with maple syrup and stir. Meanwhile, toast some slivered almonds in the oven, and then top the finished onions with the almonds. YUM!

I just saw this on Tumblr: http://rhamphotheca.tumblr.com/post/35945285294/hey-everyone-thanks-for-the-vegetarian

I should add I cannot help from my vegetarian days…I had a veggie deep dish pizza one year for Thanksgiving LOL

While I’m not vegetarian, I make a ton of veggie side dishes for the holidays! The one that absolutely cannot be beat is Maple Glazed Root Vegetables (from Gourmet, I think—I’ve been making it so long I can’t recall!).

You want ~3 pounds of mixed root veggies (sweet potatoes, parsnip & turnips is my fave combo—so 1 large sweet potato, 3 smaller turnips, 4 parsnips)

Melt one stick of butter in a large pan. Add root veggies, a splash (about 1/4 cup) of apple cider vinegar, and 1-2 cups pure maple syrup (depending on the size of the pan—you want to just cover the veggies). Cover with a circle of parchment paper the size of your pan that has been buttered, butter-side down (this helps form a perfect glaze). Cook at a low simmer, stirring occasionally, for 30 to 45 minutes until veggies are tender and the glaze has reduced. Perfection! It’s always the first thing to go at our table.

I also make roasted brussles sprouts & apples and creamed pearl onions that go over well. And of course the classic (easy) cheesy broccoli rice!

I was vegan for 5 years and veg for 3, and for the holidays I’d do a tofurky. Heck, I’d still do a tofurky but I’d be the only one to eat it at my household.

I found the best was in the baste – there’s a couple different recipes for it, but I like this one the best:
1 tablespoon apricot jam or spread
3 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
2 tablespoons water

The Tofurky gravy with the feast is really good! Yum! I serve that with some roasted potatoes.

I’m more of a dessert person for holiday stuff – I like making tofu pumpkin pie. Fools everyone, it has a nicer moist texture, plus no eggs! http://www.food.com/recipe/pumpkin-pie-made-with-tofu-no-milk-or-eggs-78098 Also can be made without a crust so it’s not as bad for you.

Maybe this isn’t too helpful, but fake meats hurt my tummy. I would prefer to go the route of a "meat"loaf made with beans and grains. Maybe you can shape it into a turkey shape!
http://www.veganlunchbox.com/loaf_studio.html

Wow, everyone I feel so inspired to make this Thanksgivings that more special. I may have to make a seperate meal just for my immediate family as this year after Thanksgiving. Since this year Thanksgiving is at my sisters house and she already has a menu.

None of my family is vegan so this year at thanksgiving (Im Canadian so it was in october) I made a lentil loaf the night before so that I could just pop it in the oven a few minutes before the turkey was done to heat it up. I made my own sides too since theirs were covered in butter, roasted brussel sprouts, mashed sweet potatoes and carrots. It was super delicious and the best part is that everyone wanted to try my meal and at the end of the night there was no lentil loaf left!