Thanksgiving

[Guest guest]

Recipes For A Vegan Thanksgiving – Side Dishes

 

http://www.vegweb.org

 

Cranberry Sauce

 

Ingredients:

1 bag of fresh cranberries

1 cup sugar

1 cup apricot brandy

a little bit of lemon juice (optional)

 

Directions:

Wash the cranberries and pick out the bad ones. In a large pot mix

the cranberries, sugar, and brandy. Cook on a burner for 40 minutes

on medium/low heat.* Can be served warm but I find that it's best

when chilled.

 

*Admin note: This recipe used to say to combine everything in an

oven-proof pan and cook in an oven for 2 hours at 350F; however, a

user reported that the brandy caused an explosion in her oven.

 

- - - - - - - - - - - -

 

Super Fast & Easy Outstanding Vegan Gravy

 

Ingredients:

2 cans vegan vegetable barley soup* (NOT condensed, " Amy's Organics "

is really good for this recipe)

1 - 2 cups mushrooms, amount to taste, thinly sliced. Plain old

button are fine, any fancier kind are good, too.

1 - 2 tbs. olive or vegetable oil

2 tsp. Tekka** (or to taste)

fresh parsley to taste, chopped (about 1/2 cup is good), optional

 

Directions:

Totally puree both cans of soup in a blender until all barley lumps

are gone and texture is silky and smooth.

 

Heat oil in a small skillet and gently sauté mushrooms until tender.

Add parsley mid-way if you want to use parsley. (You can add other

flourishes like some minced shallot, a couple of tablespoons of wine,

etc., at this point if you want, but they are really not necessary.)

 

When mushrooms are soft, add the pureed soup and heat through. Add

tekka to taste and allow the whole thing to simmer gently (DO NOT

BOIL) for up about 4 minutes.

 

That's it.

 

NOTES:

 

* If you are a purist, of course, you can make your own vegetable

barley soup or use left-overs (about 3 cups). Just make sure the

barley is somewhat overcooked so you don't get lumps. If you can only

find concentrated or condensed soup, use one can of soup and add half

a can of water in the blender, then more water as needed for

consistency when heating it up.

 

** Tekka is a traditional Japanese condiment available in most health

food stores' macrobiotic section. Eden is the easiest brand to find.

It is a dense, rather salty combination of roasted root vegetables

(mostly carrot and burdock) preserved in miso, that looks a bit like

coffee grounds, but dissolves in a minute or so in hot liquids. A

little goes a long way. It is a very nutritious and mild form of

miso, and gives a rich, roasted, authentically gravy-ish taste to

vegan food.

 

------------------------

 

This gravy was a big success at our Thanksgiving this year, and even

went over well with the turkey eaters. The barley, tekka and parsley

help with digestion of the heavier holiday protein and fat load.

 

Serves: 7-10

 

Preparation time: 10 minutes

 

- - - - - - - - - - - -

 

Vegan Southern Biscuits and Gravy

 

Ingredients:

1 package prepared, frozen soy sausage crumbles or patties (I use

Morningstar Farms)

Up to 1/4 cup flour (preferably white but whole wheat works too)

Up to 4 cups plain soy milk (full fat or low fat works best but non

fat may be used)

packaged biscuit mix (check label for milk ing. - use 1/2 cup

vegetable shortening and

water to make biscuits)

lots of pepper (and I mean LOTS)

lots of salt or salt seasoning (I use Lawry's or Johnny's seasoning

salt)

1/2 medium onion, finely chopped

Up to 1/2 cup vegetable oil

 

Directions:

Prepare biscuits according to package directions - preheat oven to

bake biscuits but let dough sit, covered (on counter or in

refridgerator) while you prepare the gravy. Remember the secret to

great biscuits is to use COLD margarine or shortening and to not

overmix.

 

Turn stove on to medium high, and preheat a drizzle of vegetable oil

in the pan. When pan is hot, add chopped onions and saute until

almost cooked. Add frozen sausage crumbles and continue to saute

until cooked. Set aside cooked onion/sausage mixture in a bowl.

 

In the same pan, reduce heat to medium, and prepare a roux by mixing

about 2-3 tablespoons flour with enough vegetable oil to make a heavy

paste (about 1-2 tablespoons of oil). Add oil and/or flour to get the

correct consistency. Stir and cook the roux for a couple of minutes

over the medium heat, then slowly add about a cup of soymilk to the

mixture, stirring continuously. You must stir continously to avoid

lumps.

 

Contiune to simmer the gravy over medium heat and add more soy milk

as needed (this may require several cups of milk). If you

accidentally add too much milk, just add a bit more flour (not more

than a teaspoon at a time). Also, the longer you cook the gravy, the

more it will reduce and thicken.

 

As the gravy is simmering and reducing, put the biscuits in the oven

and bake according to package instructions.

 

Add the onion/sausage mixture to the gravy and continue to stir and

simmer until the biscuits are done. Add salt and pepper to taste -

you will probably find that you'll use more salt and pepper than you

expected.

 

Halve the warm biscuits and pour gravy mixture over them and serve.

Yum!

 

Serves: 3-4

 

Preparation time: 45 minutes

 

- - - - - - - - - - - -

 

Baked Yam and Squash

 

Ingredients:

one yam, cubed

1/2 butternut squash, cubed

one granny smith apple, cubed

1/2 cup water

1/3 cup brown sugar (more or less, to taste)

dash of cinnamon, optional

 

Directions:

put all of the cubes in a 2-quart baking dish (I used a round Pyrex).

Add all of the water and about 1/2 of the brown sugar. Pop into a 350

degree oven for about 40 minutes, until all cubes are soft. Check a

couple of times to make sure all the water hasn't gone-- oh, yeah,

cover the dish with a lid or foil. Add the rest of the sugar and

whatever cinnamon you think appropriate (I wouldn't add *too* much),

when you remove it from the oven.

 

- - - - - - - - - - - -

 

Amy's Favorite Sweet Potatoes

 

Ingredients:

4 meduim sized yams

2 Tbsp. of unsalted margarine

2-3 large vidalia sweet Onions

6 Tbsp. of light brown sugar

1 tsp. of ground cinnamon

2 Tbsp. of maple syrup

fresh ground pepper

 

Directions:

Cook yams in oven for about 1 hour at 400 degrees. Make sure they are

soft to the touch when done. In a saute pan (non-stick), combine the

margarine and onions (slice, then chopped). Let onions soften. Add

the brown sugar, maple syrup, and cinnamon into the saute pan. Let it

carmelize the onions.

 

When potatoes are done, peel off the skins (make sure you get them

all) and put into a large serving bowl. Mush them up a little, add a

little bit of your favorite margarine. Then take the onion mixture,

drain, and pour them on top of the potatoes. Sprinkle with a little

more brown sugar, add fresh ground pepper, and you'll keep asking for

more! Enjoy

 

Serves: 4

Preparation time: 20mins.-1 hr.

- - - - - - - - - - - -

Colorful Corn Salad

 

Ingredients:

6 ears of corn

1 can of black beans

two roasted red peppers

 

Directions:

Cook lightly 6 ears of corn (I put mine in-husk in the microwave for

4 minutes, 2 at a time). Slice the corn off the cob and put it in a

bowl. Add 1 can of black beans, rinsed 10oz. Chop two roasted

red peppers (I roasted my own under the broiler then put into paper

bag for 5 minutes and peel, but jarred or canned is fine too, just

rinse them) in pieces about the same size as a kernel of corn and add

that to the bowl.

 

Dressing: Ingredients:

1/2 cup orange juice

1 tsp. garlic powder (or 1 clove fresh, crushed)

1/2 tsp. cumin powder

2 T. white vinegar.

1 tsp. lemon zest

juice on one lemon

 

Directions:

Mix well and toss with the salad. Let sit at room temperature for an

hour to combine flavors.

 

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0Less Bush More Trees0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

I have found nothing better for good health than silence; study

is not the most important thing but meditation practice;

and whoever talks too much, mostly spoils the moment.

~ RossCannon ~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~~~~~~~~~~~>