The Fool
[personal profile] snugglebitch
OMG, friends, it is one week until Thanksgiving!

I love Thanksgiving, cuz I love to cook and that is the only thing to do on Thanksgiving cuz they switch up all the tv shows and nothing's on when you expect it to be because of football. And because I love all of you, I thought I would share what might be my Thanksgiving menu this year, and recipes for a whole bunch of it!

This is an all vegetarian (and some vegan) Thanksgiving dinner. The main dish is going to be a Quorn Turk'y Roast, which I got on sale at my co-op today (super exciting!). I like the Quorn roast because, like real turkey, it's good both roasted and cold on sandwiches the next day. I also like it better than the Tofurky Vegetarian Feast, because that one comes pre-stuffed and I like to make my own stuffing.

For my omnivorous girlfriends, I might be making real turkey too, but we haven't decided that yet. I will probably end up eating my obligatory tiny piece of dark meat if we do, cuz that stuff is gooooood.

Question: Is it still called "stuffing" if you're not stuffing anything with it? Anyway, on to the recipes!

Cornbread Stuffing

Ingredients:
1 pan of cornbread, prepared
1 quart vegetable stock
2 apples, chopped
1 cup chopped carrots
1 cup chopped celery
1 yellow onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
4 TBSPs (1/2 stick) butter
Salt
Ground black pepper

Directions:

Step One: Make cornbread. Or buy cornbread. Really it's okay. I don't have a cornbread recipe for you; I cheat and buy a mix. Just make sure to make it the night before, otherwise it's too much to worry about on Turkey Day.

Step Two: Make stuffing. In a large pot, melt butter over medium heat, then sauté onions, garlic, carrots and celery until onions become translucent. Cut cornbread into small chunks, then add to the pot and stir. Slowly add vegetable stock. You probably won't use the whole quart, but have it handy because the cornbread absorbs it extremely easily. (Whatever stock you have left you can use for gravy.)

Once stuffing is at the consistency you want (this is a rather fluffy stuffing), season with salt and pepper, then serve.

Vegan Mashed Potatoes

Ingredients:
2 lbs. potatoes
1 cup almond milk
4 TBSPs (1/2 stick) margarine
Parsley
Garlic salt
Ground black pepper

Directions:
Peel potatoes. Put them in a large pot, and cover with cold water. Bring to a boil, then cook over medium heat for about 25 minutes.

Once the potatoes are fork tender, remove them from the water and mash. I use a potato ricer, which results in very even potatoes, but most people use a regular wire masher. Once mashed, add almond milk and margarine and stir until creamy. Season with parsley, garlic salt, and pepper to taste.

Vegetarian Gravy

Ingredients:
2 cups vegetable broth
4 TBSPs (1/2 stick) butter
1/4 cup flour
1 TBSP soy sauce
Ground black pepper
Sage
Thyme
Marjoram

Directions:
Start by making a roux. Melt butter in a large pan over medium heat, then slowly add flour, whisking constantly. The roux is ready when it takes on the consistency of paste. Don't worry about messing it up; you can add more butter or flour as needed until it comes out right.

Once the roux is ready, slowly add vegetable broth, whisking to incorporate. For a heartier gravy, add a tablespoon of soy sauce. Season with pepper, sage, thyme and marjoram to taste (not much more than a pinch of each). Continue to stir, cooking until hot, then serve!

Any of these recipes can be made vegan by replacing the butter with margarine. I haven't had a great deal of luck making gravy with margarine, but I'm told Smart Balance acts very similar to butter when you cook with it.

Also on the menu, Vegan Butternut Squash Soup (which I don't make, I got a quart of it on sale today!), Green Bean Casserole (cuz it's AMAZING, but you can get the recipe for that on the back of every single can of French Fried Onions ever), Cranberry Sauce (the jelly kind, cuz that's how I roll).

Watch this space for more delicious details. :D
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