my thanksgiving menu
This year, we have a huge crowd coming over, and while I love to cook, there will be a ton of family in my home and lots of commotion. I want to be present and not running around like an insane woman. I can't cook and talk at the same time – I get very focused while cooking, and can't answer questions. I just lack that ability! So, my solution is to do some cooking and some ordering in – a nice balance that will let me enjoy hanging out with my family.
Christopher's Mom Candy is going to help me tons with the set up and keeping things warm. I'm going ot ask my Mom to be in charge of tea making - as that is her specialty!
So here we go! This is my menu for Thanksgiving 2010:
Cheese from LEAF – this is sooo good! If you haven't tried it, you must get it – it's like cream cheese and it comes with yummy chips. It's all raw, but I still love it for the cheese taste - definitely something to win the hearts of meat eaters!
Field Roast Apple Smoked Sausages – always a hit with vegans and non-vegans alike!
Pecan-crusted Seitan - from my book (p. 154-155)
Wild Rice Cornbread Stuffing – we'll probably make this yummy recipe from Rachel Spurr!
Mashed Rutabegas & Potatoes from M Café
Tofurky Gravy - it's easy and good!
String beans – I'm going to make these with my husband's step mom, Carol!
Sweet Potoatoes With Suzanne's Ricemellow Creme – Going to make these with Carol
Plain Biscuits from M Café – these are delicious!
Winter Salad from M Café – really good! Has a light crumble "cheese" on it with pears.
Cranberry Sauce – from my book (p. 162)
My Pecan Pie – I just mastered this recipe! I will share soon.
Pumpkin Cheesecake – from my friend Mark, whom I wrote about here. I'll serve with a little vanilla "ice cream"?
Mulled Wine – from my book (p. 210)
Hot Apple Cider – so good with cloves and cinnamon sticks!
Organic Beer, and a little Champagne for dessert
Cucumber-Mint Water – a nice way to fancy up plain "˜ol water for a special meal!
That's it! What are you planning to eat this Thanksgiving?
29 comments
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Last week I read Alicia's book and was so inspired by it, I haven't eaten meat or dairy since. (neither has my husband, bless him!) My family is already getting on me about all the "goodies" I will be missing out on on Thanksgiving. I'm very frustrated by this. I'm trying very hard to not let it bother me. Key word "trying". -
O my goodness. i feel like my family had everything.
STuffing, turcky( for those who want to eat it), desert, yams, gravy, mashed potatos, vegtibals, salad, corn and even drinks
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Artichoke Leek Crostini for appetizers; Seitan Piccata (amazing); Thanksgiving Tofu, green beans and other ; pumpkin pie from Kind Life
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I've attached a link for an awesome vegan entree (stuffed portobello mushrooms) that I served today and everybody loved. There's no soy and it is pretty easy to make. I also made the maple syrup roasted brussel sprouts which are now by far my favorite way to cook them.
file:///Users/bridget2/Desktop/Vegan%20Thanksgiving%20Recipes%20From%20Chloe%20Coscarelli%20-%20NYTimes.com.webarchive
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Poppy seed and preserved lemon brussels
Vegan Pumpkin pie using fresh baked pumpkin
Mashed potatoes and mushroom gravy
Vegan Pierogi
Cheezy guac. bean dip from The Kind Life
I love Thanksgiving!!
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Sounds seriously amazing Alicia - I'm salivating at the thought of all those delicious dishes! Happy Thanksgiving to you and you family x
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I am bringing a small Celebration Loaf, cranberry sauce (from Kind Life), Shitake Mushrooms w/Sage (from FoodGal.com but veganized), and Maple Walnut Cupcakes (from Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World) to my parents.
My mom has also veganized a few of the family staples including garlic mashed potatoes (I am bringing some vegan gravy I picked up at Whole Foods), green beans, and sweet potato salad.
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My first vegan Thanksgiving as well. I decided to skip the tofurky and make a hearty dish I found on VegNews called Creamy Harvest Pasta it is so loaded with goodness, I don't need the "meat" to get stuffed. The rest of my menu:
- veggie tray with french onion dip (made with tofutti)
- garlic whipped potatoes
- orange candied yams
- green beans almondine
- apple crisp
- pumpkin pie (making with silken tofu ... first time!)
There will be a turkey in the house, but I at least refused to cook it and asked that all other sides be meat/dairy free. It's my first holiday season as a vegan, so I considered this pretty good progress in such a short time.
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Holiday Vegan Loaf
Stuffing with field roast sausage and apples
Country Gravy
Pumpkin Cheesecake
And I'll be eating double that at my friend's house, since we're doing Thanksgiving pot-luck style!
Happy Thanksgiving everybody! Hope you have a wonderful holiday Alicia! :)
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I love vegan breads for Thanksgiving!
http://navigatingabsurdlybetweentheheavens.blogspot.com/2010/11/banana-bread-love.html
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This is the 1st year I actually cooked for Thanksgiving, I used to pick it up pre-made from Bristol Farms. I made most of my dishes today and they turned out amazing so far!
my menu:
-My ovegan version of my grandma's stuffing which s made with vegan sausage, cornbread, scallions and lots of other yummy things!
-Store bought tofurkey with gravy
-my (now vegan) butternutsquash risotto
-kind life pumpkin pie with homemade pumpkin puree and a graham cracker crust
-kind life cranberry sauce
-whole foods mashed potatoes
I love thanksgiving and I'm soooo excited for tomarrow!
Happy Tofurkey Day Everyone!
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Alicia,
Last year you were in "Time Stands Still" at the Friedman Theatre where I learned about the Kind Diet and, with help from my vegan friends, have been vegan for nearly a year now. I want you to know that your kindness at our theatre lives on. Today, in between shows, myself and at least three others filled the Lower Lobby bar with an all vegan spread! I made stuffed pumpkins, filled with brown rice, chestnuts, walnuts, raisins, apricots, red and green peppers, red and white onions, jalepeno peppers, celery, tamari, tumeric, and cinnamon. I soaked the rice over night to germinate it which made it extra fluffy and delicious. Holly made your tofu in orange dipping sauce recipe, and Bridget made your collard greens and pine nuts recipe. There was also some tofurky and yams which were vegan. It was all enough to create some buzz around you and your book, and inspire a more creative and humane approach to Thanksgiving. Needless to say, the vegan food went fast and though you are no longer here, your kindness endured. Happy Thanksgiving to all!
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Hi Beary,
The thing is I didn't realize it was Thanksgiving tomorrow until my mom told me, that's how busy I have been! O.O
So I just threw a last minute meal idea together. As a vegetarian I made veggie meatloaf all the time, but this is my first TG as a vegan and obviously can't put an egg in the loaf or dairy milk/butter in the fudge. I have to get up and start on it now because you have to chill it thoroughly so it sets. :)
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You make my heart sing. I have bee Vegan for almost one year (coming up 3/) but I am not ready to "preach/teach" my husband's family. I will do my part (Mexican Dip Vegan ala Kind Diet for football this weekend and Vegan Pumpkin pie for Thanksgiving) and they will be presently surprised but I need time and am doing my best.
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This is my first Vegan Thanksgiving! I really wanted to make the Thanksgiving Tofu from your book, but I got off of work way to late and all this week was crazy busy at work, so I took the easy way and got something I could pop in the oven. Maybe Christmas I'll make it! Anyways, this is what I got.
I got a:
Hazelnut Cranberry Field roast ( has anyone tried this?)
Quorn Roast T'urky
Tofurky Giblet Gravy
Our family will have tons of veggies and other goodies I can have. One fun part is another family member is Vegetarian so I know some one will try this with me!
Happy Thanksgiving everyone!
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I'm making Harvest -Stuffed Portobello mushrooms and Chocolate pumpkin bread pudding for dessert (both Chef Chloe Coscarelli recipes!). I'm also making roasted sweet potatoes with pecans and mushroom gravy for the veg stuffing my mom is making me. I found the last two recipes online, i'm just tweaking them a bit to make them vegan. Everyone's meals sound delicious! Hope everyone has a wonderful Thanksgiving.
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Ragdolly, I think your plans sound great! I decided to try something new this year, but I might just be wishing I made the delicious-sounding "comfort foods" you have planned! I bet your meatless-loaf and fudge will taste as good or better than the things with fancier-sounding names!!
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We are just having Thanksgiving "for two" but I think it will still be yummy. Here is the menu:
1. Roasted vegetable salad with roasted garlic dressing (the recipe is from the Candle Cafe cookbook and calls for roasted turnips, fingerling potatoes, beets, fennel, and red peppers tossed with a dressing made with 1 FULL cup of roasted garlic cloves, with walnuts and dried cranberries, served over baby arugula). With all of that garlic we will be keeping dracula away!
2. Lemon-pepper tofu cutlets (for my sweetie - I'll just be adding a little more nuts to my vegetable dish)
3. Chocolate "depression" cake with coffee frosting (a family recipe from the 1940s when people were vegans because eggs and dairy couldn't be found).
I bought all of my veggies & tofu at a local little market that sells things inexpensively because sometimes they aren't perfect looking or are close to their expiration date. I got enough to double every recipe so I will have days and days of leftovers, including a food-service size bag of baby arugula (so I can blanch & freeze the leftovers)...total cost for everything for the meal: $11.13.
I wish people realized that being a vegan is so affordable, but the real reason I mentioned it that now I think we can definitely sponsor a turkey!!!
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Carissa -- try wheat gluten based foods -- several of the Field Roast items are soy-free and at Whole Foods http://www.fieldroast.com/
White Mountain tamales are at Whole Foods and are also the bomb -- Fwww.whitemountainfoods.com
Mom and I are having a lovely vegan meal:
Celebration Roast from Field Roast
Tofurkey "giblet" gravy
Roasted root vegetables pepared side from Whole Foods
Sweet potatoes w/ Earth Balance soy free
Vegan stuffing -- onion, celery, Whole Froods bread crumbs, EBSF, cranberries, and apple
For mom - vegan pumpkin pie from Whole Foods
Happy cruel-free holiday everyone!
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We are having (we live in London, but I seem to always cook for every event - including providing Jewish Society at college with a challah bread...)
Dips and Chips - gucamole, and three types of houmous - my mum is very proud
Spinach, Pea and Mint soup with rosemarry foaccia
mushroom and leek pie with phyllo top
horseradish mashed potato
green bean casserole
stuffing - might try the cornbread one as I always have cornbread in the house...which should stop during bikini season.
oooh vegan sausage rolls : )
corn (mmmmm)
Puppkin pie with ice cream
red / white wine
sesame wine biscuits and tea or coffee
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Any ideas on vegans with a soy allergy? I have all my veggie plates ready, but no "pretend" turkey...
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Oh, I wish I was going to be there!!! My family is anti-vegan so everything is purposely made to not allow me to eat it. And, if I bring anything I usually don't get a chance to eat it b/c they consume it, b/c it is, of course, great!
Happy Thanksgiving!
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Wow, those look way more elaborate than my vegan meatloaf and vegan fudge I'll be making for me and my brother tomorrow! X-) Hope you enjoy your kind Thanksgiving tomorrow, I know we will ours.
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