happy belated turkeyless thanksgiving
This past week has been really hard for me. I don't know if it's the fact that I'm PMSing that's throwing my emotions out of wack (it's almost like the medicine stops working when I'm on my period) but something just hasn't been right. I've also been having a really hard time with my eating disorder the last week more than usual. I don't want to go into it in any more detail than that. But on a lighter note I actually got excited for Thanksgiving - something which hasn't happened in, what, four-five years? Usually I dread it. But Wednesday I stayed up really late cooking and woke up early to finish. I made a lot, and I have to say, I loved everything. =) Other members of my family really seemed to enjoy different dishes as well. And what was really nice was that my family seemed to be accepting to my veganism, no one said anything rude or dumb about it, I was actually sort of surprised. And my grandmother made me a separate baked potato instead of mashed and my aunt also adapted her recipe so that I could eat her sweet potato dish! It made me really happy that they were willing to take the time to do that. But here's what I made, basically in the order that I made it. I don't have a picture of everything, but I'll try to do that later:
Cranberry Sauce
This picture REALLY doesn't do the sauce justice. I'll try to take a better picture later. But basically, this cranberry sauce is really sweet and has a lot of flavor. The traditional cranberry with a little bit of orange. It's also super easy and quick to do.
12oz fresh cranberries
1 cup turbinado sugar
1 cup pulp-free orange juice
Directions:
1) In a medium sized saucepan over medium heat, dissolve the sugar in the orange juice.
2) Stir in the cranberries and cook until the cranberries pop thoroughly
3) Remove from heat and place sauce in bowl. The sauce will thicken as it cools.
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Pear and Apple Crumble
I think this recipe was so-so. I wish the topping had had a little more flavor, so I'll probably be experimenting with different spices and stuff to add into it. The recipe as-is, however, was still pretty good. I highly recommend it to those of you who want something fruity but don't have a really big sweet tooth.
3 medium bosc pears, peeled, cored, and thinly sliced
3 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, and thinly sliced
2 Tbsp turbinado sugar
1/3 cup finely chopped almonds
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
Topping:
1/2 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1/2 cup wheat germ
2 Tbsp turbinado sugar
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
2 Tbsp safflower oil
Directions:
1) Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2) In a mixing bowl, combine the fruit with the next five ingredients and stir together until evenly coated. Pour into a lightly oiled 9- by 13-inch baking pan.
3) In a small bowl, combine the first 4 topping ingredients and toss to coat. Drizzle in the oil and stir until evenly coated. Sprinkle the crumble topping evenly over the fruit mixture. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, or until the fruits are soft and the topping is golden.
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Brussel Sprouts in Sweetened White Wine Sauce
2 lbs. brussel sprouts (about 24)
2 Tbsp olive oil (or more if needed)
Sea salt
1/2 cup white wine
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 Tbsp agave nectar
Directions:
1) Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2) Place brussel sprouts in lipped pan and cover with olive oil.
3) Sprinkle with sea salt and cook in oven for 45 minutes or until tender.
4) When the brussel sprouts have about 5-10 more minutes to cook, heat the white wine, garlic, and agave nectar in a saucepan over medium heat. Then bring heat down to low; don't do this step too far in advance as the liquid will evaporate.
5) Take the brussel sprouts out of the oven and cover with wine sauce. Serve.
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[No picture]
Mashed Potatoes with Roasted Garlic
Unfortunately I never took a picture of this. And would you believe, this is the first time I'd ever made home-made mashed potatoes from scratch? Or tasted even?? Exciting. These were very good; I added more horse radish than the recipe called for though. =P They went perfectly with the mushroom gravy!!
2 lbs. russet potatoes, peeled and chopped
6 cups water
1 head garlic
1 tsp. olive oil
Sea salt
3/4 cup soy milk
2 Tbsp. "Earth Balance" vegan butter
1 Tbsp. Fresh grated Horseradish (or more if desired)
Directions:
1) Heat oven to 375 degrees.
2) Cut top of garlic off (where the root would be) and discard. Drizzle olive oil and sea salt and wrap in aluminum foil. Place in oven for 45 minutes or until tender.
3) Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan, place water and bring to a boil. Add potatoes and cook until soft (about 20 minutes). Drain and add soy milk, butter and horseradish and blend/mash until smooth and creamy.
4) When garlic is roasted take out of the oven and cool. Squeeze garlic cloves out of the skin and add to mashed potato mixture. Blend/mash to desired consistency. Serve
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Mushroom Gravy
And once again I say... I really need to learn to take better pictures - I always make my really yummy food look like crap, lol. But I really liked this gravy. I love mushrooms, so the fact that it was filled with lots of mushrooms helped, but I also liked the overall flavor and thickness of it (although I may have added extra flour than the recipe called for because I looove thick gravy =P)
--umm, I can't find the recipe... I'll try to locate it later--
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Harvest-Vegetable Ragout over Portabello Mushrooms
I really liked this. I was skeptic at first because I wasn't sure it would feel very Thanksgiving-y, but with the mix of butternut squash (which I love) and parsnip, along with the spices, I felt really autumn-y. I really recommend this dish, either for Thanksgiving or just whenever!
Olive oil (5 tsp., divided)
3 cups diced peeled butternut squash
2 cups sliced leek
1 1/2 cups sliced carrot
1 1/2 cups sliced parsnip
1 cup sliced celery
10 garlic cloves, chopped
2 bay leeves
2 thyme sprigs
1 Tbsp tomato paste
1 Tbsp whole wheat pastry flour
1 cup dry red wine
1/2 cup vegetable broth
1 can chickpeas, drained
3/4 tsp. sea salt, divided
1/2 tsp. black pepper
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
6 portobello mushrooms
Directions:
1) Heat 1 Tbsp. oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat.
2) Combine squash and next 5 ingredients (squash through garlic) and saute for 8 minutes or until lightly browned, stirring frequently.
3) Add bay leaves and 2 thyme sprigs, and stir in tomato paste.
4) Stir in flour and wine, reduce heat to medium-low, and cook for 5 minutes.
5) Stir in the broth and chickpeas.
6) Cover and simmer 20 minutes or until vegetables are tender.
7) Stir in 1/2 teaspoon salt pepper, and chopped parsley.
8) Discard bay leaves and thyme.
For the mushrooms...
1) Discard mushroom stems and remove gills; slice caps.
2) Heat 2 tsp. oil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat.
3) Add sliced mushrooms and cook 5 minutes, stirring constantly.
4) Sprinkle with 1/4 teaspoon salt.
Serve ragout over mushrooms.
Garnish with additional thyme springs, if desired.
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Sweet Potato Pie
3 large sweet potatoes
2 Tbsp. soy margarine
2 cups soy milk
1 cup turbinado sugar
2 tsp. molasses
1 tsp. vanilla
2 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. sea salt
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1/2 tsp. ground ginger
1/4 tsp. cardamom
1/4 cup sugar-free applesauce
1/5 medium banana, mashed
2 9" pie shells
Directions:
*Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
1) Combine all ingredients (except pie shells) in a mixer and mix slowly until everything is combined.
2) Mix on higher speed for a few minutes until the lumps are few and small.
3) Fill the pie shells to the top with sweet potato batter.
4) Bake for 1 hour. The pies should not jiggle when you take them out of the oven.
5) Let them cool thoroughly and then cover and place in the fridge to chill before serving.
6) If you would like, you may top the sweet potato pie with some vegan whipped cream. I don't have a recipe for the one I used, but basically I threw in some soy milk, olive oil, turbinado sugar, corn starch, vanilla, cinnamon, and silken tofu until it tasted and looked right. *shrug* Experiment!
Whew. I didn't really realize just how much I'd actually made until typing all of that up, lol. Anyways, I'm exhausted. I should go to bed. Tomorrow I'm going bowling w/ the bro and my dad, and maybe playing some basketball and going to see Casino Royale. Excited.
Cranberry Sauce
This picture REALLY doesn't do the sauce justice. I'll try to take a better picture later. But basically, this cranberry sauce is really sweet and has a lot of flavor. The traditional cranberry with a little bit of orange. It's also super easy and quick to do.
12oz fresh cranberries
1 cup turbinado sugar
1 cup pulp-free orange juice
Directions:
1) In a medium sized saucepan over medium heat, dissolve the sugar in the orange juice.
2) Stir in the cranberries and cook until the cranberries pop thoroughly
3) Remove from heat and place sauce in bowl. The sauce will thicken as it cools.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Pear and Apple Crumble
I think this recipe was so-so. I wish the topping had had a little more flavor, so I'll probably be experimenting with different spices and stuff to add into it. The recipe as-is, however, was still pretty good. I highly recommend it to those of you who want something fruity but don't have a really big sweet tooth.
3 medium bosc pears, peeled, cored, and thinly sliced
3 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, and thinly sliced
2 Tbsp turbinado sugar
1/3 cup finely chopped almonds
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
Topping:
1/2 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1/2 cup wheat germ
2 Tbsp turbinado sugar
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
2 Tbsp safflower oil
Directions:
1) Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2) In a mixing bowl, combine the fruit with the next five ingredients and stir together until evenly coated. Pour into a lightly oiled 9- by 13-inch baking pan.
3) In a small bowl, combine the first 4 topping ingredients and toss to coat. Drizzle in the oil and stir until evenly coated. Sprinkle the crumble topping evenly over the fruit mixture. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, or until the fruits are soft and the topping is golden.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Brussel Sprouts in Sweetened White Wine Sauce
2 lbs. brussel sprouts (about 24)
2 Tbsp olive oil (or more if needed)
Sea salt
1/2 cup white wine
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 Tbsp agave nectar
Directions:
1) Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2) Place brussel sprouts in lipped pan and cover with olive oil.
3) Sprinkle with sea salt and cook in oven for 45 minutes or until tender.
4) When the brussel sprouts have about 5-10 more minutes to cook, heat the white wine, garlic, and agave nectar in a saucepan over medium heat. Then bring heat down to low; don't do this step too far in advance as the liquid will evaporate.
5) Take the brussel sprouts out of the oven and cover with wine sauce. Serve.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
[No picture]
Mashed Potatoes with Roasted Garlic
Unfortunately I never took a picture of this. And would you believe, this is the first time I'd ever made home-made mashed potatoes from scratch? Or tasted even?? Exciting. These were very good; I added more horse radish than the recipe called for though. =P They went perfectly with the mushroom gravy!!
2 lbs. russet potatoes, peeled and chopped
6 cups water
1 head garlic
1 tsp. olive oil
Sea salt
3/4 cup soy milk
2 Tbsp. "Earth Balance" vegan butter
1 Tbsp. Fresh grated Horseradish (or more if desired)
Directions:
1) Heat oven to 375 degrees.
2) Cut top of garlic off (where the root would be) and discard. Drizzle olive oil and sea salt and wrap in aluminum foil. Place in oven for 45 minutes or until tender.
3) Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan, place water and bring to a boil. Add potatoes and cook until soft (about 20 minutes). Drain and add soy milk, butter and horseradish and blend/mash until smooth and creamy.
4) When garlic is roasted take out of the oven and cool. Squeeze garlic cloves out of the skin and add to mashed potato mixture. Blend/mash to desired consistency. Serve
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Mushroom Gravy
And once again I say... I really need to learn to take better pictures - I always make my really yummy food look like crap, lol. But I really liked this gravy. I love mushrooms, so the fact that it was filled with lots of mushrooms helped, but I also liked the overall flavor and thickness of it (although I may have added extra flour than the recipe called for because I looove thick gravy =P)
--umm, I can't find the recipe... I'll try to locate it later--
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Harvest-Vegetable Ragout over Portabello Mushrooms
I really liked this. I was skeptic at first because I wasn't sure it would feel very Thanksgiving-y, but with the mix of butternut squash (which I love) and parsnip, along with the spices, I felt really autumn-y. I really recommend this dish, either for Thanksgiving or just whenever!
Olive oil (5 tsp., divided)
3 cups diced peeled butternut squash
2 cups sliced leek
1 1/2 cups sliced carrot
1 1/2 cups sliced parsnip
1 cup sliced celery
10 garlic cloves, chopped
2 bay leeves
2 thyme sprigs
1 Tbsp tomato paste
1 Tbsp whole wheat pastry flour
1 cup dry red wine
1/2 cup vegetable broth
1 can chickpeas, drained
3/4 tsp. sea salt, divided
1/2 tsp. black pepper
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
6 portobello mushrooms
Directions:
1) Heat 1 Tbsp. oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat.
2) Combine squash and next 5 ingredients (squash through garlic) and saute for 8 minutes or until lightly browned, stirring frequently.
3) Add bay leaves and 2 thyme sprigs, and stir in tomato paste.
4) Stir in flour and wine, reduce heat to medium-low, and cook for 5 minutes.
5) Stir in the broth and chickpeas.
6) Cover and simmer 20 minutes or until vegetables are tender.
7) Stir in 1/2 teaspoon salt pepper, and chopped parsley.
8) Discard bay leaves and thyme.
For the mushrooms...
1) Discard mushroom stems and remove gills; slice caps.
2) Heat 2 tsp. oil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat.
3) Add sliced mushrooms and cook 5 minutes, stirring constantly.
4) Sprinkle with 1/4 teaspoon salt.
Serve ragout over mushrooms.
Garnish with additional thyme springs, if desired.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Sweet Potato Pie
3 large sweet potatoes
2 Tbsp. soy margarine
2 cups soy milk
1 cup turbinado sugar
2 tsp. molasses
1 tsp. vanilla
2 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. sea salt
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1/2 tsp. ground ginger
1/4 tsp. cardamom
1/4 cup sugar-free applesauce
1/5 medium banana, mashed
2 9" pie shells
Directions:
*Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
1) Combine all ingredients (except pie shells) in a mixer and mix slowly until everything is combined.
2) Mix on higher speed for a few minutes until the lumps are few and small.
3) Fill the pie shells to the top with sweet potato batter.
4) Bake for 1 hour. The pies should not jiggle when you take them out of the oven.
5) Let them cool thoroughly and then cover and place in the fridge to chill before serving.
6) If you would like, you may top the sweet potato pie with some vegan whipped cream. I don't have a recipe for the one I used, but basically I threw in some soy milk, olive oil, turbinado sugar, corn starch, vanilla, cinnamon, and silken tofu until it tasted and looked right. *shrug* Experiment!
Whew. I didn't really realize just how much I'd actually made until typing all of that up, lol. Anyways, I'm exhausted. I should go to bed. Tomorrow I'm going bowling w/ the bro and my dad, and maybe playing some basketball and going to see Casino Royale. Excited.