That's my boy!

Labels: cat photo, Gary

After all my pre-Thanksgiving posts with new recipes for the holiday table, I actually ended up with a slightly revised menu than I had planned.  Since I had just made all those new dishes last week, when it came time to actually cook for Thursday's big meal, it went something like this: When I told Jon I planned to make the pumpkin tiramisu, he said, "You just made that last week.  Can we have an apple pie instead?" So I made an apple pie which turned out to b the BEST apple pie I've ever had in my life.  The secret? Stayman apples!  I never used Staymans before and now I will never use anything else for pies.  Wow, what a flavor.


When I mentioned I was making the new green bean recipe, Jon said, "That was good, but you're going to make the casserole with those fried onion rings, right?"  For my own part, I opted against the "en croute" part of the seitan roast, feeling that we'd have enough carbs without a pasty crust on the main dish.  Instead I glazed the roast with a cranberry-port glaze.  I made the loaded mashed potato casserole, the chestnut-porcini gravy, and roasted sweet potatoes with pecans and cranberries.  I used mango jam to make my cranberry sauce because I still didn't replenish my supply of lime marmalade.


So there you have it.  Some old dishes, some new.  All delicious.  What did you have for Thanksgiving dinner?

Labels: thanksgiving dinner

Happy Thanksgiving from our home to yours!

On this day, as we reflect on what we are thankful for, I wanted to share this lovely piece that was posted on the Huffington Post and written by Ken White.  It's called Thankful for the Animals.

Labels: Thanksgiving

This year I decided to make a chestnut-porcini gravy.  Instead of making a homemade stock, I used a porcini bouillon cube for a rich broth.  I found them at an Italian market this fall when I was in Providence, and they have such a great flavor. The chestnuts I always get at an Asian market because they sell cooked chestnuts in vacuum-sealed bags for under $2 a bag.

To get a rich mushroom and chestnut flavor throughout I simmered the mushrooms and chestnuts in the broth along with onion, a little port, and some herbs, and a little gravy browner to enrich the color.  I then pureed it all in the Vitamix for a smooth and creamy gravy that is so good, I almost wanted to drink it. If you don't have porcini bouillon cubes, any kind of mushroom broth or vegetable broth will work.  For the mushrooms in the gravy, you can use any kind of fresh mushroom (even regular white mushrooms) to balance the rich flavor of the porcini broth.  (I can't get fresh porcinis anyway, and I discovered that I'm out of the dried ones!)

Labels: chestnut-porcini gravy

Labels: cranberry sauce recipe, lime-braised cranberry sauce

We'll be enjoying our traditional seitan roast on Thanksgiving, but it's the vegetables that are the real stars in our house.  I love the way the vibrantly colored sweet potatoes, cranberries, squash, and green beans look like an autumn landscape on my holiday table.  Truth is, I'm happiest when I can make a meal out of what are commonly referred to as "side" dishes.

Still, a main dish "centerpiece" is a Thanksgiving tradition for most of us. If you've never make a seitan roast, it's easier than you think.  If making a large roast is intimidating, you could opt for individual servings of seitan en croute, an especially good choice if you're only feeding one or two people and you don't like leftovers. Personally, I adore leftovers and the opportunities they present. (Stay tuned for some exciting post-Thanksgiving posts to see what I mean.)

There are lots of vegan roasts you can buy that are already prepared, such as the ones from Field Roast and Tofurky.  Another idea is to make a large stuffed squash (or several small individual stuffed squashes) that can be filled with grain or bread stuffing, depending on what you like.  Stuffed squash is a great choice because it's colorful and delicious but can also be made gluten-free and soy-free.  For something different, consider making a Moroccan bisteeya (a pastry covered savory pie), a lentil shepherd's pie (maybe topped with half mashed white potatoes and half mashed sweet potatoes), or even a nice pan of lasagna.

For an easy no-fuss one-dish meal, you could make my Roasted Sweet Potatoes with Crispy Kale Ribbons  -- with or without the addition of the walnuts and dried cranberries -- and to it, add some sauteed sliced sausage links (homemade or storebought such as Tofurky brand) for extra protein, or instead of sausage, add some cooked cannelini beans. You could also substitute diced butternut squash for the sweet potatoes, if you prefer. The colors and textures are wonderful together and if you season it with a little ground sage and thyme, it will taste like Thanksgiving. I especially like the crispy kale ribbons in this -- it's a fun way to employ the popular kale chip concept as part of the meal.  And if you've never had roasted sweet potatoes before, you're in for a treat.

The countdown to Thanksgiving is getting down to the wire.  Still to come on my blog: a new take on cranberry sauce, an easy and delicious gravy, and another main dish idea. And for more ideas, check out my entire Thanksgiving menu (with recipes) on Vegan.com as well as the Thanksgiving and Christmas menus (and recipes) in my book, Party Vegan.

Labels: onegreenplanet, Party Vegan, vegan thanksgiving recipes, vegan.com

• Instead of vegan (soy) cream cheese: you can use the option provided in the recipe for cashews + cannellini beans.  Note: if making my pumpkin cheesecake recipe, you can use this formula to replace the cream cheese in the recipe: 1 cup vegan cream cheese = 3/4 cup raw cashews, soaked 4 hours or overnight and drained (110g) and 1/4 cup cooked cannelini beans, rinsed and drained (65 g), pureed in a high speed blender.
• For a gluten-free version: use your favorite gluten-free flour blend.
• For an alcohol-free version: use apple juice in place of the rum.

Labels: pumpkin tiramisu, vegan pumpkin tiramisu

Thanksgiving is just one week away, and I'm just a few recipes away from sharing this year's entire Thanksgiving menu. Today, the subject is mashed potatoes, but before we get to the spuds, I wanted to post my finalized menu for next week's feast. Here it is:


So far this week, we covered the Deconstructed Green Bean Casserole, the Roasted Sweet Potatoes with Crispy Kale Ribbons (on OneGreenPlanet), and the Stuffed Seitan en Croute (on Vegan.com).  And we've also discussed pumpkin cheesecake at length, although I've been inspired to make something new this year:  pumpkin tiramisu (recipe coming soon).)  Now on to the potatoes!

For years I was conflicted about when to prepare the mashed potatoes for Thanksgiving.  There's always so much going on, but I always thought they had to be made at the last minute and I have a thing about leaving dirty pots and pans around when I'm serving a special meal.  That's why I'm glad I discovered that mashed potatoes will stay perfectly fluffy and wonderful when kept warm for a few hours in a slow cooker (on the Keep Warm setting).  That way you can make them and wash up the pot while they keep warm and ready to serve.

Mashed potatoes are extremely versatile and can be embellished in a number of ways, by adding garlic or fresh herbs, or even wasabi or chipotle. There's also the colcannon-type addition of cooked greens such as kale or chard.  For Thanksgiving, I usually go for garlic mashers, but this year I'm trying something a little different.  It's a spin on "loaded" baked potatoes -- but with mashed potatoes.  I took the recipe for a test drive last weekend and it's delicious.  You can use your favorite vegan bacon, whether storebought or homemade (I've included a recipe for one made with cremini mushrooms), or omit the bacon altogether.  I've also provided a "make ahead" option for the oven, although oven space can be a challenge on Thanksgiving, so you might want to consider keeping them warm in the slow cooker -- or you could just do it the old fashioned way and make them at the last minute.  After all, what's one more dirty pot?


Loaded Mashed Potatoes

Labels: loaded mashed potatoes, vegan thanksgiving dinner, vegan Thanksgiving menu

Just a reminder that tonight is the VegNews Thanksgiving Twitter chat.  Here's the link to find out all the details.

Hope you can join us! (You don't need a Twitter account to do so!)

More Thanksgiving recipes coming up soon.  Stay tuned for the Loaded Mashed Potatoes, Lime-Braised Cranberries, and Pumpkin Tiramisu, among others...

Labels: VegNews Twitter Chat

The traditional green bean casserole found on many dinner tables on Thanksgiving takes a lot of ridicule.  And it's no wonder, considering that the original recipe calls for canned mushroom soup, canned green beans (although there is a frozen green bean version), and canned fried onions. The resulting casserole, although it has a certain retro comfort food appeal, is not the healthiest, nor is it the tastiest, if what you want to taste are green beans as opposed to sodium.

I've created many healthier versions of the casserole, using fresh green beans and healthier sauces -- one recipe even uses pureed white beans in the sauce.  But it still remained a casserole, and the green beans, while tasting much better, still didn't shine as much as they deserved. That's why this year, I'm deconstructing the venerable casserole.

I know a lot of people roll their eyes at the whole "deconstruction" thing, but it's a perfect way to describe this dish.  Essentially, I've taken the elements of the casserole: the green beans, mushrooms, sauce, and onion rings (in this case, shallot rings) and let each element stand on its own, allowing you to combine at will.  For my own part, I've enjoyed sampling each flavor on its own, as well as taking various bites that included a little of all or most of the elements.

I've provided two ways to cook the green beans initially -- the more traditional steamed method which brings out the wonderful natural flavor of the beans (just be sure to watch them carefully as they can go from too firm to too soft in a matter of seconds.)  I've also included the option of roasting the green beans before adding to the "casserole" -- roasting give the beans a totally different character, both in terms of flavor and texture.
To give you an idea of how they look, the photo above in the casserole dish shows the steamed beans, while this is a photo of the roasted beans:


And this photo shows a portion of steamed beans served in a very frou-frou manner, flanked by its own little bowls of mushrooms sauce and crispy shallot rings -- just in case there's anyone who wants to serve their Thanksgiving dinner in separate courses (!).  Probably not the best way to serve a table full of hungry people. ;)  (and can you just imagine the pile of dirty dishes???)

Labels: crispy kale ribbons, deconstructed green bean casserole, onegreenplanet.org, roasted sweet potatoes, vegan thanksgiving recipes, VegNews Twitter Chat

I’ve come up with a few new recipes for Thanksgiving this year, that I’ll post throughout the week.  For today, though, the subject is cheesecake! On my “Vegan Thanksgiving Hotline” (and in my e-mail in-box) there were some questions about pumpkin cheesecake.  As you know, I’m a fan of pumpkin cheesecake — I’ve been making them every year since the mid 1980s when I used to make them for restaurants.  Over the years the recipe has changed somewhat. In my pre-vegan days I used dairy cream cheese, when I went vegan I began using silken tofu, and then when vegan cream cheese came out, that became the “cheese” in the cake!  I only use the non-hydrogenated vegan cream cheese and I love the convenience of it.  It does contain soy, so if you’re soy-intolerant, you can make a thick cashew cream cheese alternative by pureeing soaked cashews with water in a high-speed blender.

For your convenience, I’m re-posting the recipe for Pumpkin Cheesecake with Cranberry Drizzle (from 1,000 Vegan Recipes).  I’ve also included several variations, including my favorite streusel-like topping, as well as my tips for making great vegan cheesecakes.


Pumpkin Cheezecake with Cranberry Drizzle
Dense and rich with spiced pumpkin flavor, this dessert is a natural for your Thanksgiving table. The gorgeous orange color offset by the vivid drizzle of cranberry makes a beautiful presentation. I especially like using ground gingersnaps for the crust. From 1,000 Vegan Recipes by Robin Robertson © 2009, John Wiley and Sons.
Crust:
1 1/2 cups vegan ginger snap or graham cracker crumbs
1/4 cup vegan margarine, melted
Filling:
2 (8-ounce) containers non-hydrogenated vegan cream cheese
1 (15-ounce) can solid pack pumpkin
1 cup light brown sugar
1 tablespoon cornstarch
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
Cranberry Drizzle:
1/3 cup cranberry sauce
1 tablespoon pure maple syrup
1 teaspoon melted vegan margarine
1. Make the crust: Preheat the oven to 350ºF.  Grease a 9-inch springform pan. Place the crumbs in the bottom of the pan, add the melted margarine, and mix with a fork to blend. Press the crumb mixture into bottom and sides of pan and set aside.
2. Make the filling: In a food processor, combine the cream cheese and pumpkin and process until blended. Add the sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon, allspice, and nutmeg and process until well blended.
3. Pour the filling into the prepared crust. Bake for 45 minutes. Turn off the oven and leave cheesecake in the oven for another 15 minutes. When done, edges should be golden and starting to pull away from sides of pan, and center should be soft set. Remove the cake from the oven and cool at room temperature for 1 hour. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours before serving or overnight (my preference).
4. Make the topping: In a blender or food processor, combine the cranberry sauce, maple syrup, and margarine and blend until smooth. Pour the mixture into a squeeze bottle or small pitcher and drizzle the over the top of the cheesecake. Keep refrigerated until needed.
5. To serve:  Cut the cheesecake and place each slice on a dessert plate.  Spoon about 1 to 2 tablespoons of the cranberry mixture over the cheesecake slice and onto the plate.  Do not put too much sauce on the cheesecake or it will overpower the pumpkin flavor.



Topping Variations:
Instead of the cranberry drizzle, you can top the cheesecake with any of the following:
* “streusel-type topping” (shown in top photo): Combine some pecans, dried cranberries, and vegan butterscotch chips in the food processor and pulse them until well chopped.  Stir in a little agave, if desired, to make it easier to use.  Spoon the topping on the outer rim of the cheesecake right after it comes out of the oven so it can melt into the cheesecake a bit. 
* chopped toasted pecans (or other nuts) sprinkled over the entire top or just around the outer edge
* maple-glazed pecan halves
* vegan whipped cream (can be flavored with rum extract)
* crystallized ginger (that has been ground to a powder) lightly dusted around the outer edge of the cheesecake
* chocolate curls

Cheesecake Variations:
Add 1 teaspoon of rum extract to the batter
Add additional spices for a more deeply “spiced” flavor: a combination of ground cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, allspice, or cloves are good. 
Instead of a gingersnap or graham cracker crumb crust, try crumbs made from shortbread cookies or chocolate cookies.



Cheesecake Tips:
1. Bring cream cheese to room temperature before using.  (Use non-hydrogenated vegan cream cheese.)
2. For best results, make your filling in a food processor or use a stand mixer or electric hand mixer, but don’t use a blender because the mixture is too dense to mix properly.
3. For the crust:  I usually use about 1 1/2 to 2 cups of crumbs for a 9-inch cheesecake.  If you prefer a crisp crust rather than a soft crust, you can prebake the crust for 10 minutes and let cool before adding the filling.
4. When making the crust, add the melted margarine to the crumbs a little at a time — you need just need enough to moisten the crumbs.  Usually 1/4 cup of melted margarine is enough, but it depends on the amount of crumbs you use and also how “dry” they are. For example, when I use ground shortbread cookies (instead of graham cracker crumbs) I find that there’s more moisture in the cookies, so I need to use less margarine.  Sometimes the crumbs are very dry and I need a little extra margarine.
5. Always grease your springform pan (either with margarine or nonstick cooking spray).  Make sure your springform pan is properly closed before using. Place the pan on a baking sheet in the oven to bake.
6. For pumpkin cheesecake, I like to use light brown sugar (which packs tightly into cup).  If you’re using a different sugar, you may want to add extra to make it sweet enough.
7. Before scraping the batter into the crust, taste it — you can add a little more spices or sugar if desired.
8. I usually bake cheesecakes for 45 minutes and then leave them in the oven for a few extra minutes to gently continue cooking.  A few tiny cracks may appear around the edge.  If it overbakes, you may get more cracks.
9. Cool the cheesecake at room temperature for at least an hour, then refrigerate for at least 4 hours.  I prefer to bake it the night before to allow for more chilling time.

Labels: pumpkin cheesecake, vegan pumpkin cheesecake

With Thanksgiving just over two weeks away, I've been trying to decide what kind of post would be most appreciated by everyone.  A quick check of my blog will reveal that I'm partial to pumpkin cheesecake -- especially the version I made last year with the streusel topping -- yum!  I've been making pumpkin cheesecakes every year for nearly three decades, so I have lots to say on the subject.

Then there's my favorite Thanksgiving main dish: stuffed seitan.  Over the years, I've made it with and without a pastry crust, I've used a variety of different stuffings and sauces, and I've made it into individual servings like this:



I could give you a recipe for sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes, or cranberry sauce -- but you may already have your own favorite.  Maybe you'd like some ideas for a Thanksgiving menu -- my Party Vegan cookbook contains two of them -- complete with recipes for each course.

Rather than deciding on my own, I think the best ones to ask about what to post for Thanksgiving are the people who read my blog.  So, tell me, what would you most like to see in a pre-Thanksgiving blog post?  The suggestion that turns up in the comments the most will be the topic of my next post.

At the same time, I'll do my best to answer any Thanksgiving food questions you might have -- so let's call this the "Vegan Thanksgiving Hotline"!

Let's hear your questions, comments, and suggestions about Thanksgiving.  The lines are open....

Labels: vegan thanksgiving dinner

...or, more correctly, the apple of my "not-pie" -- this is one of the luscious baked apples we've been enjoying.  Northern Virginia is apple country and there are so many varieties to choose from, it's hard to decide what to bring home from the various farmstands and orchards in the area.  This week we tried York and Cortland.  I'm sure they'd be wonderful in an actual pie, but I chose to use them in a more virtuous way by baking several of them in my slow cooker.  The flavor is as indulgent as apple pie -- without the indulgence.  I'll be making them again soon.  Next time, I think I'll stuff them with a little granola to make them reminiscent of apple crisp.  Yum.

Three's the Charm:  I have lots of good news to share today, I hardly know where to begin.  Let's start with the amazing honor of having one of my recipes chosen as 1 of 4 "Recipes of the Year" on Vegan.com.  My Singapore-Style Rice Noodles with Tofu and Vegetables was named "Quick Recipe of the Year."  This recipe happens to be a personal favorite of mine.  Try it yourself and let me know what you think!

Also today, I found out that my Roasted Cauliflower Picatta recipe from my post on One Green Planet was chosen to appear on the Huffington Post! A huge thank you to all who voted for this recipe on One Green Planet.

Good news must come in threes, because, also today, Vegan on the Cheap got a nice shout out in the Philadelphia Daily News, along with my recipe for Tuscan White Bean Pizza appearing on philly.com.

Exciting stuff! Not bad for a Thursday, huh?

Labels: cauliflower picatta, One Green Planet, singapore noodles, Vegan on the Cheap, vegan.com

Labels: Bengali Curry of Cauliflower and Kidney Beans, Big Vegan Virtual Potluck