Tag Archives: thanksgiving

My Go-To Vegetarian Gravy Recipe

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Nutritional yeast is the secret ingredient to this fast and easy vegetarian gravy recipe. Nutritional yeast is a dried and deactivated yeast that comes in flake and powder form. It has a deep umami taste and is a perfect flavor enhancer for vegetarian dishes. You can sprinkle it on popcorn, use it in soups, or in a vegetarian gravy like I have done today. You can buy nutritional yeast from the bulk section of the grocery store.

My other secret ingredient in this vegetarian gravy recipe is curry powder! I use my all time favorite S&B curry powder for my gravy. Its available in Asian markets and online.

Nutritional yeast flakes

Here are some recipes that you can make, to serve the vegetarian gravy with-
Thanksgiving Vegetarian Wellington
Baked Tofu Steaks
Kale and Goat Cheese Mashed Sweet Potatoes

Vegetarian Gravy Recipe

makes about 2 cups

Ingredients
1 tablespoon butter or olive oil
2 tablespoons flour
3 tablespoons nutritional yeast flakes
2 cups vegetable stock
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon or more curry powder. I recommend S&B curry powder
1/2 teaspoon soy sauce

Method
1. The heat the butter or oil in a small saucepan. Add the flour and nutritional yeast, and stir on medium-low heat for about a minute.
2. Then add all other ingredients and whisk constantly. Bring the gravy to a boil, while whisking and continue boiling for about a minute. Taste the gravy, and if needed add more curry powder for spice or more soy sauce for saltiness.
3. If the gravy gets lumpy, simply push it through a strainer or blend it in a blender. The gravy might thicken as it cools. If it gets too thick, thin it out with water or stock while re-heating.

Thanksgiving Vegetarian Wellington with Fennel Braised Seitan, Thyme Roasted Mushrooms and Kale

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Make this vegetarian wellington recipe for Thanksgiving and the turkeys of America will love you! And so will your guests. This welling is a puff pastry wrapping, stuffed with orange and fennel seed braised seitan, thyme roasted mushrooms and kale. All served with the best vegetarian gravy ever (recipe coming up next)! You can make all the components to this recipe up to three days in advance. Just assemble and bake the wellingtons on Thanksgiving day – easy!
Now, here are all the components for this recipe

The Spice Mix
I used fennel seeds, coriander seeds and a few peppercorns to add a little spice and great flavor to this wellington. Crush everything in a mortar and pestle and let it sizzle in some butter. The flavors will infuse the butter beautifully. The spices in this recipe are subtle. But if you want a more pronounced spice note, feel free to double the spice mix recipe.

The Seitan Filling
Seitan, also called “wheat meat” is made from wheat gluten, and is easily available at most grocery stores. It has a meaty texture and is high in protein. Use whatever brand seitan you like. I used west soy brand chicken style seitan. The recipes calls for 8oz of drained seitan. So if your seitan is packaged in liquid, remember that the 8oz is the drained weight.

For the seitan filling, brown it in butter, along with half of the spice mix. Then braise the seitan in orange juice for a bright, citrus flavor. Orange zest adds an extra pop.

Kale Filling
The kale filling is a quick sauté of onions, celery, carrot, garlic and kale, along with the delicious spice mix.

Roasted Mushroom Filling
This is a simple, and easy filling, and requires no baby sitting. Just toss the mushrooms in olive oil, salt and pepper and bake till golden. Just make sure the mushrooms arent touching each other. If you crowd them on the baking sheet, they wont brown.

How to Make the Wellingtons
Spread the three fillings all over the thawed puff pastry, leaving a little border. Then using the parchment paper that the puff pastry is sitting on, lift and roll (like sushi), till it forms a log. Brush with egg wash and bake.

A note on puff pastry
A lot of puff pastries contain butter. But if you are looking for a vegan puff pastry, use pepperidge farm. Also, if you haven’t worked with puff pastry before, you may want to start with the vegan puff pastry. Puff pastry made with butter can be difficult to handle. And remember if the puff pastry gets too warm, it will get sticky (put it back in the freezer for a few minutes), and if its not thawed enough, it will be too hard. Time your cooking in such a way that you take out the puff pastry from the freezer to thaw about 20 minutes before you need it.

Make Ahead Tips
- All three fillings can be made up to 3 days ahead, and refridgerated
- If you made the roasted mushrooms ahead of time, they may get a little watery. Strain out the liquid from the mushrooms before using
- You can also assemble the entire wellington, and then freeze it unbaked. On the day of Thanksgiving, bake the frozen wellington at 400f for about an hour or till it is golden.

Thanksgiving Vegetarian Wellington with Seitan, Roasted Mushroom & Kale Recipe

serves 6-8

Ingredients
2 sheets of frozen puff pastry
1 egg, for egg wash. Substitute with 1/4 cup of whole milk or soy milk
a pinch of fennel seeds

For Spice Mix
1 teaspoon fennel seeds
1/2 teaspoon coriander seeds
1/2 teaspoon black pepper corns

For Mushroom Filling
1 lb mushrooms (white or crimini)
4 tablespoons olive oil
Salt and pepper
A few sprigs of thyme

For Seitan Filling
8oz drained seitan*
1 tablespoon butter or olive oil
1 large orange
1/4th teaspoon sugar, optional
Salt
*if the seitan is packed in liquid, the net weight will be more, so look for the drained weight, which should be 8oz.

For Kale Filling
1/2 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium onion, diced
2 celery ribs, diced
1 medium carrot, peeled and diced
4 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
1/2 bunch kale, shredded
1 teaspoon thyme leaves

Method
Pre-heat oven to 425F
1. Using a mortar and pestle or a spice grinder, coarsely grind the fennel, coriander and black pepper. Set the spice mix aside.
2. Wipe the mushrooms clean. Then cut them in half.
3. Place the mushrooms, olive oil, salt and pepper in a bowl and toss well.
4. Transfer the mushrooms to a baking sheet. Make sure the mushrooms are not crowded or touching each other. Use two baking sheets if needed.
5. Scatter the thyme sprigs on top of the mushrooms.
6. Bake at 425F for about 20 minutes or till golden. When done, remove from the oven and let the mushrooms cool.

7. While the mushrooms are baking, work on the seitan filling. If the seitan is packed in water, drain the water. Slice the seitan into strips.
8. Heat the butter or olive oil in a large skillet. Add half the spice mixture and let it sizzle in the butter/olive oil for a few seconds.
9.. Then add in the seitan. Cook on medium heat, stirring occasionally, till the seitan is golden brown.
10. While the seitan is cooking, zest the orange, and measure out 1 tablespoon of zest.
11. Then juice the orange and measure out a little less than 1/2 cup of juice.
12. When the seitan is golden, pour in the orange juice, sugar, and salt. Cook till all the liquid bubbles away. Add in the zest, stir, and turn off heat. Let the seitan cool completely.
(Now is a good time to take the puff pastry out of the freezer and let it thaw)

13. While the seitan is cooling, work on the kale. In a large skillet, heat the olive oil and add other half of the spice mixture, the onion, carrot, celery, and garlic. Cook on medium heat till the vegetables are soft.
14. Add the shredded kale, thyme, and salt and stir just till the kale starts to wilt. Turn off heat and let the kale cool completely.
(You can make all the fillings up to 3 days in advance and refrigerate them. On the day of, just thaw the puff pastry and proceed with filling it)

Pre-heat oven to 400F
15. Break the egg into a small bowl, whisk it well. Cover and keep in the refrigerator till ready to use.
16. When all the fillings are completely cooled, and the puff pastry is thawed, you are ready to assemble the wellington. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Place the thawed puff pastry on the parchment.
17. Spread half the kale filling all over the puff pastry, leaving a little border all around. Top the kale with half the seitan mixture, and the half the mushrooms.
18. Grab the parchment paper on the long end of the puff pastry. Carefully lift and roll the puff pastry till it forms a log.
If the puff pastry is too sticky to be able to roll, just put the baking sheet with the wellington in the freezer for a few minutes, it will firm up and become easier to work with. If the puff pastry is too stiff, it means it needs to thaw more before you can work with it.

19. Brush the log with egg wash. Sprinkle a few fennel seeds on top of the log. Then using a sharp knife, make 3 small, evenly spaced cuts on top of the log.
20. Repeat with the second puff pastry sheet and the remaining half of the fillings.
21. Bake in a 400F oven, till golden brown, about 15 minutes.
22. Serve immediately with vegetarian gravy.

Acorn Squash Stuffed with Brown Rice Mushroom Pilaf

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Here is a vegetarian recipe for thanksgiving that is both easy to make AND a show stopper! With this baked acorn squash stuffed with brown rice mushroom pilaf, you won’t even miss the turkey. And you can easily make this dish the day before and just warm it in the microwave – so it’s a stress free thanksgiving main dish!

If you are making this dish ahead of time. Keep the baked squash and the pilaf separate. Heat them separately in the microwave and then spoon the pilaf into the squash just before serving.

Keep in mind that different brown rices need different amounts of water. And they may also have different cooking times. The 1 cup water and 50 minute cooking time I’ve given you is a guideline. So check the package instructions on your brown rice.

Mushrooms will let out water, so its important to cook them on high heat. I find that crimins dont let out as much water and recommend you use criminis if you can.

I love halloumi cheese and will find an excuse to put it in anything! But this recipe is stellar even without it, so leave out the halloumi if you wish. But if you do use the halloumi, keep in mind it’s a salty cheese – so add less salt to the rice to compensate.

Acorn Squash Stuffed with Brown Rice Mushroom Pilaf

serves 2

Ingredients
For the squash
1 acorn squash
For the Pilaf
1 1/2 tablespoons butter
½ a cinnamon stick
2 cloves, optional
5  oz (about 2 cups) chopped mushrooms – either white button, crimini or portobello.
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 sprig of thyme
1/2 cup brown basmati or long grain brown rice
Salt
¼ scant cup cubed halloumi cheese, optional
1 tablespoon dried cranberries or raisin, optional

Method
Pre heat oven to 400f

  1. Cut the squash in half. Using a spoon, scrape out the membrane and seeds. Bake on a parchment lined baking sheet, cut side down, for about 30 minutes or till the squash is fork tender.
  2. When the squash is done, cut off the tips to that the squash sits up steadily.
  3. While squash is baking, work on the mushroom pilaf – heat butter in a large, deep skillet. Add cinnamon and cloves and let sizzle for 30 seconds.
  4. Toss in the mushrooms and cook undisturbed on medium-high heat, till the mushrooms brown.
  5. Then reduce heat to medium, add garlic, thyme, rice and salt. Stir for about 2 minutes.
  6. Pour 1 cups water and bring to a boil. Then reduce heat to low, cover the pan and simmer till the rice is done, about 50 minutes.
  7. When the rice is cooked (but shouldn’t be mushy), turn off the heat and let it sit covered for 10 minutes. Then fluff with a fork. Fish out and discard the cinnamon stick and cloves.
  8. Stir in halloumi cubes if using.
  9. Spoon the pilaf into the squash cavities.
  10. Sprinkle with dried cranberries or raisins, if using.

Kale and Goat Cheese Mashed Sweet Potato. A Vegetarian Thanksgiving Recipe

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Like me, if you are  sick of serving your guests regular old mashed potatoes, you will love this recipe. This kale and goat cheese mashed sweet potatoes will be the perfect side dish for thanksgiving. And you can easily make it ahead and reheat it in the microwave.

I make this recipe using a variety of greens – spinach, swiss chard, arugula…but kale is my favorite for this recipe. I used a log of herb encrusted chevre cheese because I like the flavor of the herbs. But any kind of good goat cheese will do.

If you like your mashed sweet potatoes to be sweet, add 2 tablespoons brown sugar or maple syrup to this recipe. Serve kale and goats cheese mashed sweet potato with my thanksgiving tofu skin roulade and sage mushroom stuffing.

Kale and Goat Cheese Mashed Sweet Potato Recipe

serves about 4

Ingredients

2 lb (about 2 large) sweet potatoes or garnet yams
4 cups shredded kale
4 oz goat cheese
1 cup milk
Salt, freshly cracked black pepper

Method
Peel the sweet potato or yams. Cut into even sized 1 inch cubes. Place the sweet potatoes in a large pot filled with water. Boil uncovered for 15 minutes or till they are very soft.

Drain the sweet potatoes well and leave them in the colander.

In the same pot, add the kale, goats cheese and milk and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer till the kale has just wilted. Add salt and pepper. Turn off heat.

Add the cooked sweet potatoes to the hot kale and milk. Mash well. If the mashed sweet potato is too thick, add more milk to thin it out to your liking.

Tofu Skin Roulade with Sage Mushroom Stuffing. A Vegetarian Thanksgiving Recipe

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I wanted to come up with a vegetarian thanksgiving recipe this year that can be a beautiful centerpiece on the vegetarian thanksgiving table. Just because you are vegetarian doesnt mean you are doomed to eat a bunch of sides (or tofurky..ugh!) on thanksgiving day. Make this tofu skin roulade with sage mushroom stuffing a day ahead and reheat it by steaming it for 10 minutes or so.

The tofu skin forms a golden exterior with great texture, and the stuffing inside is moist and mushroomy. Your very own, home made vegetarian tofurky for thanksgiving!

You will generally find tofu skin in Chinese restaurants, it is usually braised or stewed in a sauce.

Tofu skin, also called beancurd skin or yuba is the skin that forms when simmering a pot of soy milk. It comes dried or frozen and is available in Asian stores. If using dried tofu skin or yuba, reconstitute it in hot water. If using frozen, simply defrost it for this recipe.

Tofu skin may look delicate, but it actually holds up very well to stuffing, rolling and steaming (which is what this recipe involves). If you cant find tofu skin or yuba, try making this recipe with seitan. See this recipe from the vegetarian times for seitan roulade or this recipe by vegan yumyum

Serve this tofu skin roulade with sage mushroom stuffing, along with my red wine gravy, kale and goats cheese mashed sweet potato (recipe coming up next!), and steamed green beans or brussels sprouts.

Tofu Skin Roulade with Sage Mushroom Stuffing

serves 2-3, with some left over stuffing to serve on the side.

Ingredients
three 9×12 inch sheets of dried or frozen tofu skin, also called yuba
1 tablespoon butter
1/4 cup diced onion
1/4 cup diced carrots
1/4 cup diced celery
6 large button mushrooms, chopped
1/2 tablespoon chopped fresh sage
2 sprigs of thyme
1/4 cup vegetable stock
1 cup store bought stuffing. I like pepperidge farm.

Method
If using frozen tofu skin or yuba, let it defrost before using. If you are using dried tofu skin or yuba, boil a large pot of water, turn off the heat, and put the tofu skins in the water. Let them soak for 15 minutes. Then gently pull them out of the water, letting all the excess water drip away.

Lightly oil a clean work surface, so that the tofu skins dont stick.

Lay 3 sheets of tofu skin, one on top of the other, so that their longest side is closest to you. If the tofu skins tear a little, dont worry, just patch them up.

Now work on the stuffing.

Heat butter in a skillet, add onion, carrot and celery and cook on medium heat till the onions are soft. Then add mushrooms, saute till the mushrooms are cooked, about 3 minutes. Add the sage and thyme, stir.

Add the stock and bring to a boil. Turn off heat, and stir in stuffing. Toss everything till the stuffing is mixed well, and absorbs all the stock.

Now put the stuffing on the tofu skin layers, leaving a 1/2 inch border (see photo above). You dont have to use all the stuffing if it doesnt fit. Its ok if the stuffing is a little dry, it will moisten up when you steam the roulade.

Gently fold over the right and left sides of the tofu skins. Then pick up the longer side closest to you, and roll away from you. Keep the right and left sides tucked in as you roll away from you. Roll gently but firmly.

Place the roulade on a sheet of aluminum foil. wrap the foil around the roulade to make a log. Twist the ends closed. Repeat this with a second layer of foil.

Now the roulade is ready to steam.

Heat water in a large pot. Place a colander over the pot. Its brim must fit over the pot, but make sure the bottom of the colander doesnt touch the water.

Steaming method 1 – Put the roulade log into the colander, and cover with a lid. Bring the water to a boil, and steam on medium high heat for 1 hour or till the tofu skin is soft. Add more water to the pot as and when necessary.

Steaming method 2 - steam the roulade in a bamboo steamer. Steam till the tofu ski is tender, about 1 hour.

Steaming method 3 – this is what I used. take a skillet large enough to hold the roulade, pour 1/2 to 1 cup water in it. Bring to a boil. Place the roulade in the skillet. Cover it. Reduce heat to medium-high, and let the roulade steam, adding more water as it evaporates. Steam till the tofu skin is tender and no longer rubbery, about 1 hour.

When the roulade has steamed, removed it from the colander, and let it cool a little.

Then removed the foil wrapping.

Heat 1 teaspoon olive oil or butter in a non stick skillet. Carefully place the roulade on the skillet and sear all sides of the roulade till they are lightly golden.

Serve with red wine gravy, and kale and goats cheese mashed sweet potatoes.

Red Wine Gravy

serves about 4

Ingredients
1 cup red wine
1 cup vegetable stock
1 tablespoon flour
1 sprig of thyme, optional
1 tablespoon butter
Salt, pepper

Method
Whisk the wine, stock and flour together. Make sure there are no lumps. Add the thyme sprig. Pour into a sauce pan and simmer till the sauce has reduced to half its original volume. Whisk in the butter, salt and pepper. Strain and serve with tofu skin roulade.

Baked Tofu Steaks with Mushroom Gravy

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This is an easy, vegan thanksgiving main dish. The baked tofu is flavorful and chewy. And the vegan mushroom gravy has great meatiness, making this a very satisfying dish overall. Serve this thanksgiving entrée with some stuffing, and few vegetable side dishes.

I like to insert a few thin slices of garlic into the tofu before baking. I enjoy the little bits of garlic in the tofu. You could do this with carrots or celery as well, or just leave this step out.

I love chanterelle mushrooms and always use them in gravy. They have a nice meaty texture, and chicken like flavor. You could use a mix of whatever mushrooms you like. I’ve used buttom mushrooms, criminis, shiitakes and chanterelles.

The mushroom gravy with thyme and sage goes really well with the chewy baked tofu. You could easily make the gravy the previous day and re-heat it in the microwave. You could also marinate the tofu the previous day (flavor will be stronger), and throw it in the oven about an hour before you eat.

Some great baked tofu recipes..

Baked tofu recipe on Fat free vegan
Baked tofu recipe on the kitchn
Kalyn’s baked tofu recipe with soy and sesame
Simple baked tofu recipe on Vegweb
Smokey miso baked tofu recipe on vegan yumyum

Some great mushroom gravy recipes..

Mushroom gravy recipe on Epicurious

Martha Stewart’s vegetarian mushroom gravy recipe
Home brew chef’s wild mushroom gravy recipe using beer
Vegan mushroom gravy recipe on what do I know blog

Baked tofu steaks and Mushroom gravy recipe

serves about 2

One 14 oz block extra firm tofu, drained
1 tiny garlic clove, peeled

For the marinade
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
3 tablespoons light soy sauce
A pinch of dried Italian seasoning or poultry seasoning, optional
Cracked black pepper

Cut the tofu vertically in half. Then cut each half widthwise into two pieces. You will have 4 tofu pieces. Using a kitchen towel, pat the tofu pieces to absorb as much moisture as you can.

Make 2 small slits on top of each tofu piece. Thinly slice the garlic clove into 8 slices. Insert one slice of garlic into each slit on the tofu. Skip this step if you don’t like garlic.

Whisk together all marinade ingredients and pour into a dish. Place the tofu slices in the dish with the marinade. Carefully flip the tofu pieces so they are covered all over by the marinade. Let the tofu marinade for about 15 minutes.

Pre heat oven to 350f

Remove the tofu pieces from the marinade and place on a non-stick baking dish. Bake for about 1 hour and 15 minutes, flipping the tofu pieces every 20 minutes. Cooking times will vary depending on your oven and thickness of tofu slices.

Tofu is done when it is firm and browned all over.

Mushroom gravy with thyme and sage

makes about 3 cups

12oz  fresh mushrooms (a mix of white, crimini, shiitake, chanterelle etc)
2 tablespoons olive oil, butter or margarine
1 onion, finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
2 sprigs fresh thyme
3 large sage leaves, chopped
3 splashes sherry or red wine

For gravy
½ teaspoon balsamic vinegar
2 cups vegetable stock or water (I used water)
2 tablespoons flour
Salt & pepper

Clean the mushrooms using a paper towel. Then slice them into even sized pieces. If using shiitakes, remember to remove and discard the stems.

Heat oil, butter or margarine in a large skillet. Add onions and cook on medium-low. When onions are soft, add garlic, thyme and sage. Stir for 30 seconds. Add chopped mushrooms. Increase heat to high and cook for about 3 minutes. Add the sherry or wine and continue cooking another minute or till the alcohol evaporates.

Whisk together all the gravy ingredients (balsamic vinegar through salt and pepper). Make sure there are no lumps. Pour this mixture over the mushrooms. Bring to a boil. Then reduce heat and simmer for about 5 minutes. Taste and adjust salt, pepper and balsamic vinegar if needed.

Thanksgiving Menu – You voted, I cooked. Results are in!

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Thankyou all so much for participating in my Thanksgiving menu vote! I truly appreciate your input. The results are in!

We are celebrating thanksgiving at my in-law’s place. My father in law is making the turkey (which I dont eat) and I volunteered to bring the rest of the food. I had great trouble deciding what to cook for Thanksgiving this year. So I had a poll. Thankyou for your votes, you’ve picked a great menu and Ive cooked it!

Polled by www.polldaddy.com

Semolina cutlets won the appetizer category. Many of you were curious about this dish and voted for it so you could see the recipe!

In the side dish category, wine and thyme mushrooms was the clear winner. This dish was also the over all winner, getting the most number of votes. I’m not surprised you picked this, its a great tasting dish!

Minty veggie kebabs won as entree. But I did not make this dish today. I just found out that I will be the only vegetarian at thanksgiving dinner at my inlaws. So it didnt seem worth while to make an entree just for myself. That doesnt mean you wont get the recipe for the minty veggie kebabs. I made these last week, the recipe is in this post.

Dessert – up untill the last minute there was a tie between apple baklava and pumpkin pie. I guess tradition won in the end. Pumpkin pie it is!

Now for the loser. The least number of votes goes to Tofurky! No surprises here :)

So heres the Thanksgiving menu:
(click on each or scroll down for the recipe posts)

Appetizer – Semolina Cutlets
Side – Wine and Thyme Mushrooms
Entree – Minty Veggie Kebabs with Creamy Cucumber Raita
Dessert – Pumpkin Pie
Orange Mulled Wine (not in poll)

Have a Happy Thanksgiving!

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