I went to my friend Mark's house last night for a pre-Thanksgiving dinner, and had a super delicious meal. Mark, his brother Michael, Michael's wife Lalanya, and their 8 ½ week old daughter Geneva had me over for a scrumptious meal"¦ 2nd year running!

On a sidenote, Lalanya is vegan, and throughout her entire pregnancy, every time I saw her she looked so great"¦ her eyes were so white, she was glowing, just so healthy. And her baby Geneva is the healthiest baby. Lalanya is going to write a blog for the site about her pregnancy and her birth, and her healthy lifestyle with her baby! So stay stuned"¦

Anyways, we had a whole Thanksgiving meal; mashed potatoes, greens, this "smothered pork" dish (recipe below), and the best cheesecake ever (recipe below). Michael got these recipes from the Vegetarian Times, and they are both amazing. Definitely perfect for a kind Thanksgiving!

Smothered Seitan Medallions In Mixed Mushroom Gravy

INGREDIENTS
1 lb Seitan cut into medallions
5 tbs arrowroot powder
1 cup plus 2 tbs olive oil, divided
1 large onion, thinly sliced, (2 cups)
5 cloves garlic, minced (2 tbs)
2 cups mixed mushroom gravy (next recipe)
2 cups mushroom stock
1 cup finely chopped green cabbage
2 jalepeno chiles, minced
1/4 cup thinly sliced green onions
2 tbs chopped parsley

STEPS
Coat seitan pieces with arrowroot.
Heat 1/2 cup oil in skillet over medium high heat.
Fry half of seitan in oil 3 minutes per side.
Transfer to paper-towel lined plate.Discard oil, wipe out skillet, and repeat with 1/2 cup oil and remaining seitan.
Discard oil.
Add remaining 2 tbs oil and onion to hot skillet.
Increase heat to high and saute 3 minutes.
Reduce heat to medium, and saute 10 more minutes.
Add garlic and saute for 3 minutes.
Stir in Mixed Mushroom Gravy, Mushroom Stock, and seitan.
Cover and let simmer for 30 minutes.
Add cabbage, and cook 3 minutes.
Stir in jalepenos, green onion and parsley.

Mixed Mushroom Gravy

INGREDIENTS
2 tbs olive oil
1/4 lb button mushrooms
1/4 lb baby bella mushrooms
2 tbs all-purpose flour
1 cup unflavored rice milk
1 cup mushroom stock
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp white pepper

STEPS
Heat 1 tbs olive oil in a saucepan over medium heat.
Add all mushrooms, and saute for 5 minutes.
Stir in flour and remaining 1 tbs oil.
Reduce heat to low, and cook ten minutes or until flour begins to brown, whisking continuously.
Whisk in rice milk, mushroom stock, salt, and white pepper.
Simmer 15 minutes, or until thickened, whisking often.


The cheesecake is adapted from a recipe in the Nov/Dec issue of Vegetarian Times, and was originally submitted by Kathryn Hostettler who won honorable mention in the recipes contest in this issue.

To make it a bit easier, Michael uses a pre-made graham-cracker crust, and also uses Whole Foods Market Organic Pumpkin Pie Filling as part of the cheesecake filling.

Pumpkin Cheesecake with Candied Cranberries

Candied Cranberries

INGREDIENTS
2 Cups fresh cranberries, rinsed and drained
2 Cups sugar substitute (either maple syrup or agave nectar, whichever you prefer)

STEPS
Prick each cranberry several times with straight pin.
Bring sugar substitute and water to boil over medium heat.
Cook until sugar reaches 230 F on candy thermometer.
Add cranberries, and cook ten minutes or until syrup gels a bit.
Remove berries with slotted spoon and lay out on plate.
Save in refrigerator for adding to top of cheesecake later.

Crust

INGREDIENTS
Pre-made organic vegan graham-cracker crust (for ease)
or, if you prefer to make your own
10 sheets vegan graham crackers
1/4 tsp salt
2 oz Earth Balance butter

STEPS (if you aren't using premade)
Process crackers and salt into fine crumbs in food processor.
Add Earth Balance and pulse to combine.
Press mixture into bottom and half way up sides of 9 inch spring form pan.

Cheesecake Filling

INGREDIENTS
12 oz. silken tofu
8 oz. vegan cream cheese
3/4 can Whole Foods Organic Pumpkin Pie Filling
1/4 cup agave nectar
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon

STEPS
Puree all ingredients in food processor until very smooth, about 3-5 minutes.
Pour into crust and bake at 350 F for 50 minutes.
Chill completely in refrigerator at least 3 hours, up to overnight.
Garnish with candied cranberries, slice and serve.