How To Have A Vegan Thanksgiving in 2012 And Beyond

Saturday was our third annual Thanksgiving party for our friends, and once again it was a huge success! My in-laws who live by us come too. Thank goodness for all my mother-in-law's appliances! Cooking for a little over 30 people, including lots of kids, is a song and dance with oven space. I utilized her crock pots, large roaster, and this awesome green pot for my gravy. 

I have this party a week or two before Thanksgiving Day as a way to reclaim the holiday, and invite others to share our "plant happiness." I never get tired of hearing people's amazement at how vegan food actually tastes good. During the party, I heard my awesomely open minded friends talk about having meatless mondays in their home, and others talk about trying their hand at vegan cooking, just for fun!

Preparation for the event was highly orchestrated and spread out over two days, but it was surprisingly easy. I couldn't have done it without my sioux chef/husband! Keep in mind that you have to actually like cooking in order to all this, but even if you don't throw a huge party, you can scale one of these dishes down and bring it to your next Thanksgiving get-together. My mother-in-law has already requested the sweet potatoes for our regular Thanksgiving. Keep in mind these recipes serve about 30 people. 

The photos above were taken before going into the oven, so imagine a crispy topping. Here's the recipe round up...

Mashed Potatoes

7 1/2 lbs yukon gold potatoes

1 1/2 cups olive oil

1 cup veggie broth (Pacific brand makes tiny one cup containers so you don't have to open a whole quart sized box)

3 cups unsweetened almond milk

1/4 cup salt (it seems like a lot, but it serves a lot)

Boil the potatoes in an extra large pot until fork tender. Drain, return to pot, and add other ingredients. I allowed my potatoes to sit in the strainer for a while before mashing, so a lot of the water evaporated.

Mash or beat with a mixer, but don't over beat.

I then put the mashed potatoes into the base of a 5 quart crock pot, put the lid on, and stored it in the fridge to bake the next day. The manufacturer's website says its oven safe up to 400 degrees.

About an hour before the party started, I baked it at 400 degrees for about 45-50 minutes, including pre-heating time. When it was done, I inserted it into the crock pot unit and left it on the low setting.

Biscuits (not pictured)

Adaptation of Tyler Florence's Better Buttermilk Biscuits, x3

This is how I veganize the single recipe, before tripling it...

• substitute the 3/4 buttermilk with 3/4 ts apple cider vinegar, and enough almond milk to make 3/4 of a cup. Let it sit for 5 minutes or so to curdle.
• substitute shortening with Spectrum Organic Shortening. Its non-hydrogenated, and I only use it for certain applications, where a solid fat is needed. 

I first mix the dry ingredients, then blend them with the shortening in the food processor. Then I put it all in a big bowl, add the "buttermilk," and stir with a big strong fork.

Drop big dollops onto a large baking sheet at 400 degrees for 17 minutes.

For the party, I baked them in two rounds, along side the mashed potatoes. When they were done, I put them in a 7 quart crock pot and left it on the low setting. This saved me oven space, so I could use the regular oven for my stuffing and sweet potatoes.

Cornbread Stuffing

1 recipe corn bread, made the day before (recipe below)

1 package Arrowhead Mills Organic Stuffing Mix

1 cup olive oil

3 cups diced yellow onion

3 cups diced green bell pepper

3 cups diced red bell pepper

3 cups diced zuchini

4 cups corn kernels

3 Tb salt

1 Tb garlic powder

1 1/2 ts poultry seasoning

1 quart box of veggie broth (4 cups)

Saute all veggies except for corn in olive oil until transluscent. Add veggie broth, crumbled corn bread, stuffing mix, corn, and seasonings.

Put it into an extra large baking dish, cover, and store in the fridge until its time to bake.

Corn Bread

This is a veganized recipe from the back of Bob's Red Mill Cornmeal. I wouldn't use this cornbread on its own, but its great in my stuffing! The doubled recipe is...

2 cups corn meal

2 cups AP flour

2 Tb sugar (evaporated cane juice)

8 ts baking powder

1 ts salt

1/2 cup apple sauce

1/2 cup olive oil

2 cups almond milk

Mix dry ingredients in one large mixing bowl, mix wet ingredients in another. Pour wet ingredients into dry and mix until incorporated. Do not over mix. 

Bake in a 9x13 in pan at 350 degrees for 25 minutes.

Sweet Potatoes

Everyone's favorite!

5 lbs sweet potatoes

3/4 cups Spectrum Organic Shortening (I think coconut oil would be great too, if you don't mind the slight coconut taste)

6 Tb agave nectar or any other liquid sweetener 

3/4 ts salt

3/4 cups unsweetened almond milk

Topping

1 cup raw almonds

1/2 cup raw walnuts

3/4 cup AP flour

3/4 cup brown sugar

3/4 ts salt

3/4 cup shortening

Bake sweet potatoes on a sheet pan at 350 degrees for about 1 1/2 hours, or until fork tender. Allow to cool, then peel. It should come right off. No need for a peeler.

Mash together potatoes, shortening, agave, salt, and almond milk. Spread into a lightly greased 9x13 in casserole dish. 

In a mixing bowl, mix together flour, brown sugar, and salt. 

In a food processor, pulse nuts until crumbly. Add dry ingredients and continue to pulse until incorporated. Add shortening and pulse again until a gorgeous crumble topping forms. Sprinkle it onto the sweet potatoes, cover, and store in the fridge until ready to bake

Bake at 350 degrees for an hour, including pre-heating time. 

Tofurky

I know tofurky plays into a lot of stereotypes about vegans, but its fun for Thanksgiving, and everyone thought it tasted like turkey! I think it looks and tastes a lot like dark meat. The key is cooking it right. 

I used 3 tofurkies this year. For each one, rub it down with...

1/4 cup olive oil

1 Tb soy sauce

1 ts garlic powder

1/2 ts poultry seasoning

1 Tb green onion

Wrap with lots of tin foil. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour, including pre-heating time. 

Here's my genius idea below. Thats right, I combine the tofurkies with the veggies in my mother-in-law's big roaster. Trust me, I need all the extra oven space I can get.

Roasted Veggies

4 huge heads of broccoli

1 huge orange beet

1 huge multicolored beet

3 regular red beets

sprinkle of green onions

1/2 cup olive oil

2 Tb salt

sprinkle of pepper

Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour, including preheating time. I could have cooked them for a little less time, but as you can see they were combined with the tofurkies. They were still great. 

Classic Thanksgiving Gravy

This is my classic gravy recipe, plus the gravy that comes with the Tofurkey. I had three packets.

1/2 cup olive oil

3/4 cup brown rice flour or AP flour

8 cups low sodium No Chicken Broth (You can use low sodium vegetable broth)
1 cup cup nutritional yeast
3/4 cup soy sauce

1/2-1ts ts salt

2 ts garlic powder

2 Tb Aromatica Organics Garlic Pepper Blend (it's available at Costco)

On medium heat, make a roux with the olive oil and flour. Add remaining ingredients, but start with 1/2 ts of salt, and add more later if needed.

Increase heat and bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer. 

Let simmer for 40 minutes. 

Add extra gravy packets, then add more salt if needed.

Thanksgiving With Friends 2011 Recipe Round Up

I know Thanksgiving is typically reserved for family, but this is the second year in a row that I've hosted a Thanksgiving party for all my friends, with an all vegan spread made by yours truly. Long before going vegan, I developed a love and passion for cooking. It started toward the end of my college years. Allrecies.com became my Bible, and I would pour over cooking magazines and cookbooks. I remember throwing huge dinner parties and making mashed potatoes with bacon, BLT salad and fried chicken. Cooking became my creative expression. It was my way to share the best of myself with those I care about. Now that I'm vegan, my passion for cooking has only intensified, and I love showing people how delicious plant based food can be. As a vegan in a meat eating world, cooking for others also allows me to share who I am and what I'm about in a healthy and positive way. Then I am free to be myself without feeling the need to talk about veganism, because it speaks for itself. In my interactions with the world, I believe every single thing needs to be positive, and nothing is more positive than good tasting food with good friends. This years crowd was quite big, a total of 20 people, 5 of which were kids who were too busy playing to be in the picture. Three of them are new vegan friends that I've made in my area, because every vegan needs a few vegan friends! As you can see from their faces, every one was having a great time. Ironically, the Thanksgiving meal is one of the easiest to veganize. All it is is a bunch of carbs and a turkey, easily replaced by Tofurky, aka, the "beige ball." Thats just what I like to call it! Its a little intimidating right out of the package, but if you cook it right, its even BETTER than turkey. All the meat eaters said so.

Here's Jason cutting the "bird"

Jason was kind enough to take individual pictures of each dish, but the lighting wasn't up to my standards, so I'll apologize for that now. This blog post is a round up of my recipes for any one who wants to host a vegan Thanksgiving of their own. 

The process for Tofurky is quite simple. Just make sure to take it out of the freezer and put it in the fridge 24 hours before cooking. The best way to prepare it is to rub it down with oil and spices, wrap it in tin foil, and cook it for 1 hour at 350 degrees. 1 Tofurky serves about 8-10. I made 2. Here are my rub ingredients for 1 Tofurky.

Tofurky
1/4 cup olive oil
1 Tb soy sauce
1 ts garlic powder
1/2 ts poultry seasoning

I've been a pro at mashed potatoes since long before my vegan days. It all started when I watched my Auntie Bea make it with Carnation Evaporated milk and multiple sticks of butter. I knew that was the reason hers tasted so good, and for years I insisted on making them that way. These days, I still believe that mashed potatoes should be rich and creamy, just plant based. The biggest mistake people make with their mashed potatoes is not using enough salt. Potatoes are incredibly bland so don't be afraid to use it. I know this dish isn't the prettiest, and once again, I apologize! I clearly needed a bigger dish right? The potatoes actually started to bubble over onto the bottom of the bottom of the oven. Despite the way it looks, it was a huge hit. I used a box of unsweetened mimic cream, which is an almond and cashew blend, but next time I will use a homemade cashew cream. Here is my recipe that serves 20 people.

Mashed Potatoes
5 lbs organic red potatoes
1 cup olive oil
1 cup veggie broth
4 cups unsweetened mimic cream
8 ts salt
1 Tb garlic powder
1/2 cup diced green onion

• Boil potatoes in a huge pot until fork tender
• Drain potatoes and add them back to the pot. Allow excess water to cook out
• Add remaining ingredients except for the green onion and mash or beat, depending wether you like them chunky or silky smooth. Don't ever over beat your mashed potatoes, or they will turn gummy.
• Put potatoes in a larger than 9x13 in casserole dish
• Bake for 1 hr at 350 degrees

My corn bread stuffing was another huge hit. I couldn't find a bag of Imagine brand stuffing mix at any store, and I refused to buy a bag of Rainbow bread cubes or Pepperidge Farms stuffing mix with high fructose corn syrup, so I knew a corn bread stuffing would be the way to go. I just used the recipe on the bag of Bob's Red Mill Corn Meal, subbed applesauce for the egg, and doubled the recipe to fit into a 9x13 in pan.

Corn Bread
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups corn meal
1 ts salt
8 ts baking powder
2 Tb sugar
2 cups almond or soy milk
1/2 cup applesauce
1/2 cup olive oil

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees
• Combine the dry ingredients 
• Combine the wet ingredients
• Add wet to dry, and mix just enough to incorporate. Do not over mix.
• Pour in a 9x13 in baking pan. 
• Bake for 30 mins
• Allow to cool

Corn Bread Stuffing
1/2 cup olive oil
1 large diced yellow onion
2 cups diced carrots
2 cups diced celery
2 cups diced apples
3 cups veggie broth
8 ts salt
2 ts garlic powder
1 ts poultry seasoning
1/2 cup green onion
Corn bread recipe (see above)

• Add olive oil to large pot on medium heat
• Add onion, carrots, and celery and saute until onions are transluscent
• Add apples and continue to cook for another 2 minutes
• Break up corn bread and add to the veggies and apples
• Add remaining ingredients and incorporate 
• Put stuffing into a 9x13 in baking dish 
• Bake for 1 hour at 350 degrees

Of all the dishes, my sweet potato casserole was raved about the most and was the first to go. Next time I will make more. The funny thing is, I didn't make as much as the other sides because I always thought a lot of people don't eat sweet potatoes, but that certainly wasn't the case with these ones. Their favorite part was the topping. They kept asking me what was in it. Well, here's the recipe.

Sweet Potato Casserole
3 lb organic sweet potatoes
1/2 cup Spectrum Organic Shortening
1/2 cup soy or almond milk
1/4 cup light agave nectar
1/2 ts salt
Topping ingredients:
1/2 cup Spectrum Organic Shortening
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup raw almonds
1/2 cup raw walnuts
1/2 ts salt

• Turn the oven on to 350 degrees and put the sweet potatoes on a baking sheet
• Prick a few holes in the potatoes with a fork and bake until fork tender, about 1 hr and 15 minutes
• Once the potatoes are cool enough to touch, the skin should come right off
• Add them to a mixing bowl and add shortening, milk, agave and salt. Use a strong fork or wisk to incorporate all ingredients
• Put the sweet potato mixture into an 8x8 in casserole dish
• Put almonds into a food processor and pulse a few times until crumble, not too long, or it will turn into butter
• Add remaining ingredients and pulse until all ingredients are incorporated
• Crumble the mixture on top of the potatoes
• Bake for 1 hour at 350 degrees

My roasted veggies were just roasted veggies that anyone could do, so I won't bother posting the recipe. What I will say is, next year I will do a huge salad instead so I have more oven space and I can make flaky biscuits and more of the other stuff. I'd love to have two ovens, but thats a first world problem isn't it?

My classic Thanksgiving gravy is so good I've made it on other occasions as well. I came up with it by studying various recipes from the internet and can truly call it my own. I find that the all-purpose vegetable seasoning I use is crucial to this gravy, so if you can't find this certain brand, you may have to tweak it a bit.

Classic Thanksgiving Gravy
1/2 cup olive oil
3/4 cup brown rice flour, spelt, or whole wheat
8 cups veggie broth
1 cup nutritional yeast
3/4 cup soy sauce
1 ts salt
2 ts garlic powder
1/4 cup Aromatica Organics All-Purpose Vegetable Seasoning

• In a large pot on medium high heat, add olive oil and flour. Stir constantly until roux is peanut butter brown
• Add veggie broth, stirring continuously 
• Stir in remaining ingredients
• Increase heat and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for approximately 40 minutes

My chocolate cake is a long story, but I'll do my best to retell it. A few posts back I made the Chocolate Mousse Cupcakes from Post Punk Kitchen, only our printer wasn't working at the moment, so I had to write the recipe down. Why wasn't our printer working? Well we later found that Ava had stuck pens in there. I can't get mad at her because she's only two, and once we took them out it worked just fine. So anyway, I decided to double that recipe for this cake, but as I read the actual recipe on the PPK Website today, I found that I was missing a key ingredient, baking soda. No wonder it was so dense! Every one still liked it, but I will certainly add the baking soda next time. I was going for the classic Better Than Sex Cake that my Auntie Bea introduced me to years ago. If you aren't familiar with it, its a chocolate poke cake soaked with caramel and topped with Cool Whip. I can't say if its better than sex or not, but its really good. I made this Caramel Sauce from Comfy Belly and it was divine. I like to call it Salted Cocomel Sauce. Just use coconut milk and light agave instead of honey. Next time when I use baking soda, the cake will be fluffier and absorb more caramel, and I will double the caramel. The whipped topping is the Mimic Cream brand that comes in a small box. Half of it is sandwiched between the two layers, and the other half is whipped with a chocolate ganache and spread around the whole cake. Oh, and Isa Chandra actually uses her same cupcake recipe for her Chocolate Cake on the PPK Website. I actually quadrupled the recipe because each layer is double. I'm not going to bother posting this recipe until its totally perfected, but like I said, people still liked it! All together the party was a smashing success=)