Holidays and Parties

A Very Vegan Thanksgiving
A VegFamily Special

Thanksgiving is the largest food-focused holiday in the US. That makes it one of the year's biggest challenges for Thanksgiving-celebrating vegans when it comes to serving up the traditional fare expected, and even more so if you are sharing your meal with non-vegan family or friends. To help you plan a Very Vegan Thanksgiving, VegFamily dishes up these tips and recipes: Article continues below

The "Turkey"

Does everyone one want "turkey" on the table? Fortunately there are some great options.

Tofurky Roast: The Tofurky Roast is a pre-cooked vegetarian feast designed to be the delicious centerpiece of your holiday or everyday meal. Made from a revolutionary tofu-wheat protein blend, Tofurky is known for its incredible, turkey-like texture and flavor. It even has "wishstix" for a complete holiday meal. You can locate Tofurky here.

Veggie Turkey Breast: Garden Protein offers a Veggie Turkey Breast With Wild Rice and Cranberry Stuffing that is not only good, it's good for you. Nutritionally it contains vital minerals and five essential B vitamins and is made with pure canola oil, so it contains no trans fat. You'll find it at the Whole Foods Market deli.

Celebration Roast: The "Artisian Vegan" Field Roast Grain Meat Company presents a roast they describe as a blend of European and Asian heritage. Celebration Roast is made with butternut squash, apples and mushrooms, making it a delightfully different sort of faux meat for your Thanksgiving. They also offer this recipe that would wow vegans and non-vegans alike (note that it only serves 3).

Celebration Roast Pasty with Cranberry Chutney Vegetable Melange
A traditional European puff pastry stuffed with our Celebration Roast and a seasoned éélange of carrots, celery and red bell peppers with curry and a combination of cranberry sauce and chutney. Great for an impressive main course.

Ingredients:

1 lb Celebration Roast
1 puff pastry sheet
1/3 cup celery, julienned
1/3 cup carrots, julienned
1/3 cup red bell pepper, deseeded and julienned
1 tablespoon oil
pinch salt
1/2 teaspoon curry powder
2 tablespoons whole berry cranberry sauce (Ocean Spray)
2 tablespoons chutney (Cross and Blackwells)
salt to taste

Directions:
Thaw out puff pastry sheet if frozen. Prepare mélange. Sauté celery, carrots and red bell peppers with oil in small frying pan on medium heat. Add a pinch of salt. Turn heat down to low and cover, cook slowly for at least 15 minutes until vegetables are soft and wilted, stir occasionally. Add curry powder and cook for another 2 minutes. Add cranberry sauce and chutney, stir and take off heat. Let cool. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare puff pastry. Smooth rough edges and folds using a little water and your fingers. Be careful not to overwork dough. Cut puff pastry sheet into a 7? by 6? rectangle. Place 1/3 of the mélange in a pile in the middle of the pastry. Place a thick slice of Celebration Roast on top of the vegetable mixture. Fold the edges of the puff pastry towards the center and seal by pinching with your fingers and using water as needed. Turn Pasty onto baking sheet so that the side with the folds becomes the bottom. Bake for 30 minutes or until golden brown.

Homemade Options
If you can't find faux turkey or roast products in your area, or you simply want to make everything from scratch, here's a recipe for you to try:

Tofu Not-A-Turkey
From the Adopt-A-Turkey Project

Ingredients:
6 lbs. firm tofu
Stuffing:

1 cup diced onion
1 cup diced celery
1 Tbsp. sesame oil
1/2 teaspoon sage
1/2 teaspoon thyme
1 teaspoon parsley
Salt and pepper, to taste
3 cups cubed whole wheat bread
2 cups cubed corn bread
1/2 cup vegetable broth
1/2 cup walnuts or pecans (optional)

Basting Liquid:

1/2 cup sesame oil
1/4 cup soy sauce

One hour before cooking, mash the tofu and pack it into a colander lined with cheesecloth or a clean towel. Place the colander over a large bowl to catch the liquid from the tofu. Weigh it down with a heavy object such as a can or jar on top of a bowl or small plate.

To make the stuffing, sauté the onion and celery in the sesame oil. Mix the seasonings into the cubed bread. Combine everything, adding enough vegetable broth to moisten. Add nuts if desired.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Press the tofu with your hands to form a hollow center, fill with the stuffing mixture, and press down. Flip the tofu onto an oiled baking sheet. Remove the towel or cheesecloth. Baste the tofu with 3/4 of the sesame oil and soy sauce mixture, cover with foil, and bake for 1 hour. Remove the foil, baste again with the remaining basting mixture, return to the hot oven, and bake uncovered for 20 minutes or until golden. Transfer to a serving platter and serve with gravy.

Soy and Seitan "Turkey"
This roasted "turkey" by the fabulous Bryanna Clark Grogan is a combination of tofu and soy or chickpea flour with gluten that produces a tender and juicy meat-like texture. She also offers a final step of covering with a beancurd skin that gives the "turkey" a golden crispy "skin." You'll find her recipe here.

Her stuffing and gravy:

Easy Veggie Stuffing
by Bryanna Clark Grogan

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil

1 large onion, chopped

1 cup fresh mushrooms, chopped

1 cup celery and tops, chopped

3/4 lb. bread or cornbread cubes (or both)

1 1/2 cup vegetable broth

1/2 teaspoon each of sage, thyme, and savory

1 tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped

salt and pepper (to taste) Sauté the onion, mushrooms, and celery in a large pan with olive oil until softened; add some broth if necessary to keep from sticking.

Remove from heat, add remaining ingredients, and mix well (bread should be moist). Grease a casserole dish with sesame oil, pack in the stuffing, and brush with more oil. Cover with foil and bake at 325-375 degrees for about 1 hour.

Bryanna's Rich Brown (Fat-Free) Yeast Gravy

Ingredients:

2 and 1/2 cup water (OR use 2 cups water and 1/2 cup dry sherry, port or Marsala)
1/3 cup unbleached white flour
1/3 cup nutritional yeast flakes
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon salt
Optional: a few shakes of gravy browner, such as Kitchen Bouquet

In a heavy saucepan over high heat, whisk the yeast and flour together until it smells toasty. Off the heat, whisk in the water, soy sauce, salt and Kitchen Bouquet, if using. Stir constantly over high heat until it thickens and comes to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 2-5 minutes. This can be made ahead and reheated.

You may add sauteed mushrooms to the gravy, if you like. Makes about 2 and 1/2 cups. Visit Bryanna's Vegan Holiday Menu for more of her great recipes!

Rice

Rice is always a nice dish to present at a large family holiday gathering. It's filling and delicious, especially when tossed with nuts and cranberries, like this one.

Harvest Wild Rice

From the International Vegetarian Union Ingredients:

3 cups vegetable broth
3 cups water
1/2 pound dried flageolets or Great Northern beans
3/4 cup wild rice (about 4 ounces)
2 large leeks, white and pale-green parts only
2 tablespoons unsalted margarine
1/4 lb. fresh shiitake mushrooms, sliced thin
1/4 cup hazelnuts, toasted and skinned and chopped coarse
1/4 cup dried cranberries

In a large saucepan simmer broth, water, and beans, covered, 45 minutes. Stir in wild rice and simmer, covered, 45 minutes, or until beans and rice are tender. Drain rice mixture and return to pan.

Cut leeks crosswise into 1/2-inch slices. Soak in water, agitating occasionally to dislodge any sand. Lift leeks out of water and drain in a colander. Sauté leeks in oil over moderately high heat, stirring occasionally, until almost tender. Add mushrooms with salt to taste and cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are tender (2 minutes).

Stir leek mixture into rice mixture. Reheat mixture, adding water to prevent it from sticking to skillet, before proceeding. Stir hazelnuts and cranberries into rice mixture and serve warm.

Vegetable Dishes

You can go all out with vegetables or keep it straightforward and simple. But the attraction of vegetables is not only their taste but the color they bring to the table. Traditional cranberry sauce and yam dishes are a great splash of red and warm oranges. A salad dish or brussel sprouts would add some simple but flavorful green while a dish of baked vegetables can present a feast of color and some deep roasted deliciousness. Here are some possibles:

Cranberry Sauce

Shimmering Cranberry Relish

Starry Carrots

Pecan Sweet Potatoes

Roasted Root Vegetables

Tart and Sweet Green Beans

Spicy Greens

Baked Eggplant with Cashews

Geoff MacGlashan Squash

Dessert

Pies are a mainstay dessert for Thanksgiving but they need not be the only choice. Cookies for kids and a tender cake are also well received. Apple and Pecan Pie are fairly straightforward and an easy dish for you to have a friend or family member bring. We think Pumpkin Pie is one of the most elegant pies for the holiday. Our version includes a praline topping that adds a second layer of flavor and richness.

Pie

Praline Pumpkin Pie

Ingredients:

Pre-made shortbread pie crust
2 cups cooked pumpkin
1 cup vanilla soymilk
1/2 cup brown sugar
2-3 tablespoons coconut cream
2 medium sized bananas
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1/4 teaspoon ground clove
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Praline Topping

Ingredients:

3/4 cup brown sugar, firmly packed
6 tablespoons melted margarine
3 tablespoons flour
3 tablespoons water
1 cup chopped nuts

Directions:
Put everything but the pie crust in the blender until smooth.

Pour into crust and bake 45-60 minutes at 350 degrees, testing for doneness. Meanwhile combine all ingredients for praline topping and set aside. At the last five minutes, just when the pie is almost done, pour the praline topping over and bake for another 5 minutes.

A "good" cookie for children that combines two of the popular ingredients for Thanksgiving dishes is Cranberry-Sweet Potato Cookies. As for the chocolate-loving young feasters at your table try:

So Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients:

3/4 cup canola oil
2 cups sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 tablespoon flax seeds, plus
1 teaspoon flax seeds
1/2 cup soymilk
2 cups flour
3/4 cup cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups semisweet vegan chocolate chips

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Grind flax seeds in a blender until they become a fine powder, then add the soy milk and blend for about 30 seconds more and set aside.

In a large bowl, combine cocoa, flour, baking soda and salt. In another bowl cream the sugar and oil and then add the flax/soy milk mixture and vanilla, mixing well. Slowly mix in the dry ingredients. Once combined add the chocolate chips.

Roll dough into balls of whatever size you desire, large or small, and flatten into disks about. Place on an ungreased cookie sheet about 1" apart and bake for 10 minutes. Let rest for about 5 minutes then remove with a spatula to a cooling rack and cool completely.

Options: For chocolate chocolate chip cherry cookies, replace 1 teaspoon of the vanilla with almond extract, and use 3/4 cup chocolate chips and 3/4 cup chopped cherries.

For chocolate nut cookies, replace 1 teaspoon of the vanilla with a nut extract (almond, walnut, etc) and replace the chocolate chips with 1 1/2 cups chopped nuts of your choice.

May you have a very delicious and very festive Very Vegan Thanksgiving. Bon Appetit!

Read also:
Vegetarian at Thanksgiving
Creating Holiday Traditions
Have a Very Vegan Thanksgiving
Fun and Compassionate Family Ideas for the Holidays
Vegan Pumpkin Pie