Who knew that those pumpkins and squash at the farmers market–with their fanciful forms and all of their beautiful color, strips and spots–were not just for decoration? Many, if not most, are seriously good eats.
What better to top my roasted version with than my Pepita-Sage Pesto? I make a lot of pestos out of all kinds of ingredients, but this glistening version is an all-time favorite!
Fresh raw kale is the base of this lovely salad chock full of lightly caramelized dried fruit and smoked almonds, all glistening from just the right amount of a savory-sweet-tart pomegranate vinaigrette. The most virtuous dish on the Thanksgiving table may just be the tastiest too!
I served this salad last year and, though the whole menu was scrumptious, I typically don’t duplicate. But this dish made the cut and I will be serving it again!
As I noted in the original post of this recipe, it was here that my love affair with the humble parsnip began.
And how nice it is to be able to “whip” up a simple dish for a cooking-intensive holiday!
For my first two “Countdown” posts–Day 7 and, now, Day 6–I decided to address the Thanksgiving main dish, as it can be the trickiest for vegans, it seems. Nothing against “Tofurky” necessarily, but it has never been what I craved to grace the center of our Thanksgiving buffet.
This dish, on the other hand, is, to me, Thanksgiving personified. A rich and creamy–but healthy!–layered amalgamation of many of my favorite flavors of fall, this lasagna is THE BEST I have ever eaten, much less created. Wait, I think it’s the only lasagna I have ever created. I guess I figured I just couldn’t do any better!
This link will take you to my original post which includes a hyperlink to One Green Planet who generously published the recipe. Your soon-to-be favorite lasagna is just two clicks away!
For the next week leading up to my favorite holiday of the year–a feast that embodies the grateful life–I am going to post some of my favorite Thanksgiving dishes, one per day.
My hope is that you might find them to be perfect embodiments of how much we have to be thankful for.
This recipe for acorn squash stuffed with a creamy stovetop rice-and-greens casserole seems to be a favorite of the generous folks on Pinterest, and is so lovely–presented in it’s own edible bowl–that it could easily be the centerpiece of your Thanksgiving meal. But whether your serve it as an entree or one of the many sides that seem to characterize this holiday, it is sure to be a crowd pleaser!
Yield: 4 servings as a side dish
I have to admit: I am quite proud of myself for the combination of spices in this dish!
I think I could eat foods seasoned with cumin and coriander; turmeric and smoked paprika; or sage and rosemary at every meal and be quite happy.
But I challenged myself to branch out, and this mixture, inspired by za’atar, seemed a fitting direction for the combination of cous-cous and butternut squash. And it is! Now it will be all I can do not to season every recipe with “Sass” (Sage, Anise, Sumac, and Sesame)!
Garnish this simple dish any way you choose, but since I used anise in the recipe, I thought that star anise would be a lovely, homespun, organic, yet festive nod to the winter holidays.
2 cups cooked cous-cous (To cook: bring 2 cups of salted water to a boil, stir in 1 cup cous-cous, cover, and remove from heat. Let sit for 5 minutes and then fluff with a fork.)
1/2 pound peeled and seeded butternut squash rings, about 1/3 inch thick, grilled,and cut into 1/2 inch pieces (To grill: rub lightly with olive oil, sprinkle lightly with sea salt, and grill over medium high heat for about 4 minutes on each side or until nice grill marks appear and squash is tender.)
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon maple syrup
1 teaspoon yellow mustard
1/2 teaspoon dry rubbed sage
1 teaspoon anise seeds, ground to a powder in a spice or coffee grinder
1 teaspoon white sesame seeds
*1 teaspoon sumac (available at Middle Eastern and some Indian markets)
Pinch garlic powder
Sea salt to taste
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
Dried red pepper flakes to taste
Garnish: sage sprigs, chopped pistachios, toasted sesame seeds.
Place cooked cous-cous and grilled butternut squash in a serving bowl. Drizzle vinaigrette over the top and gently fold in until evenly distributed. Garnish with fresh sage sprigs, chopped pistachios, and/or toasted sesame seeds and serve warm or at room temperature.
*Note: sumac, with its earthy and subtle lemony flavor, is worth searching for. But if you can’t find it, a small amount of lemon zest could be substituted, though I wouldn’t know how much to suggestion. Maybe 1/4 teaspoon?
I love Thanksgiving for many reasons, including that while its religious undertones are undeniable, people can give thanks to whomever or whatever they choose in whatever way they please.
The most important components are friends, family, a grateful heart and–let’s not kid ourselves–fabulous food. In regard to the latter, I’m all about tradition, but I especially love to gently twist or even break it!
The one constant in our celebration is that, except for the first year we were married, my husband and I have hosted Thanksgiving in our home for both families, his from Philadelphia and, now, parts south and west; and mine from Laurel, MS. The total number of guests has fluctuated in the ensuing 21 years, depending on who was available to travel and, sadly, who was no longer with us. Some years, we have even enjoyed the company of Joe’s aunts and our friends, Art and Donna.
This year, my sister is facing some surgery and, though still working and going about her daily activities, isn’t 100% and wasn’t up to traveling. So my sweet mother stayed home with her, but encouraged my similarly sweet father to fly over. He debated but, in the end, when Gin’s surgery wasn’t scheduled until December, decided he would enjoy coming. We certainly enjoyed having him, “The Thanksgiving Visitor,” as my sister referred to him in emails, a reference to Truman Capote’s book by the same name. But we all missed the Gough girls.
Though the locale has stayed the same, the menu has varied widely. I especially enjoyed the several year run during which we hosted “Thematic Thanksgivings,” from “American Diner”–complete with fried acorn squash rings (instead of onion rings)–to Thai, to Tunisian and much more. After Joe’s mother, who had survived his father by a few years, passed away a couple of years ago, his sisters were feeling nostalgic and requested a traditional celebration, complete with a roast turkey. Eek. I don’t purchase, cook or, certainly, eat animal products, but I told them that if they wanted to cook it and bring it, they could. And they did, bringing the bird from Philadelphia and cooking it in their suite at our oceanfront. As my sister-in-law Tina said, she wasn’t sure who was more excited to see the turkey, my papa or our Great Dane, Huff!
I thought this year’s side dishes, gravy, and desserts were particularly tasty, healthy, and beautiful on our plates. But they would be just as tasty alone or combined with other favorites of yours during any cool month of the year. So I wanted to share our menu and links to the recipes (just click on the recipe titles) with all of you for whom I am very grateful. I hope your Thanksgiving was tremendous!
Note that I used 4 small striped pumpkins about 6 inches in diameter instead of a Turk’s Turban Squash as recommended in the link and doubled the Pesto to serve 8 people with other side dishes.
Note: to the filling of my tried and true Cranberry Crunch recipe, I added the zest of one large naval orange to the cooked filling.
Yield: approximately 6 cup of gravy
Vegans need their gravy too and this one is delectable even without–or maybe especially without–“drippings.”
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large shallot, peeled and finely chopped
5 ounces mixed mushrooms, cut into 1/4-inch slices (e.g. shitake, cremini, baby bellas, etc.; I purchase a pre-sliced blend at the grocery store)
1 tablespoon minced fresh sage
4-2 inch sprigs fresh rosemary
4 cup vegetable stock
Optional: 2 vegetable bouillon cubes for a flavor boost
6 tablespoons all-purpose flour (I bake with white whole wheat flour, so that’s what I use)
6 tablespoons dry white wine
Sea salt to taste
Freshl ground black pepper to taste
Heat olive oil to shimmering in a large cast iron skillet over medium-high. Add shallot and saute, stirring, for about a minute. Then add mushrooms and saute until they are softened and have released most of their moisture, about 3 minutes. Add sage and rosemary followed by vegetable broth and bouillon cubes if using. Heat to simmering, stirring frequently. Meanwhile, whisk together in a small bowl flour and white wine. Then temper the mixture with a ladle full (about a half cup) of some of the hot stock. Transfer the mixture to the skillet, whisking vigorously. Simmer, whisking, until flour is no longer raw, about 2 to 3 minutes, and desired consistency is reached. Remove rosemary stems (the leaves will have fallen off into the gravy) and serve hot. Note: if you want a really chunky gravy, you may add an additional 5 ounces of mushrooms with the first 5 ounces.
Yield: 8 servings
A few years back, my mom found the recipe that inspired this dish and started making it when she would come with my sister and dad for Thanksgiving.
It was a hit, but we abandoned it for a number of years because of our multi-cultural “Thematic Thanksgiving” approach. Two years ago, after both of my husband’s parents’ had passed away, his sisters seemed to be craving a more Traditional thanksgiving for nostalgic reasons. And this pudding was always a favorite of Tina’s.
So, a month ago, I made it a couple of times, testing different approaches to veganizing it. The second one was almost “it,” though the silken extra firm tofu didn’t lend quite the right texture. With my fingers crossed, I made it Thanksgiving morning with regular extra firm tofu and it was perfect.
Though corn is a summer veg, this recipe relies on the frozen variety for it’s special texture, so I like to make it off-season and Thanksgiving is the perfect occasion.
20 ounces frozen corn
2 tablespoons vegan butter (I like Earth Balance)
14 ounces regular (not silken) extra fim tofu, drained
1/2 cup unsweetened soymilk
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour (I bake with white whole wheat, so that’s what I use)
1 tablespoon natural sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons sea salt
1/4 teaspoon black salt (available at Indian markets and online; desired for its sulphury-eggy taste) or an additional 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg or mace
1/4 teaspoon sriracha sauce or your favorite hot sauce
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Coarsely chop corn in a food processor and transfer to a large mixing bowl. Oil an 8-inch round souffle dish, drop in the 2 tablespoons butter, and melt by heating for a few seconds in the microwave. In a food processor, combine all ingredients, including melted butter, except corn, vinegar, baking powder, and baking soda. Process until very smooth, scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary. In a small cup, combine vinegar, baking powder, and baking soda (it will fizz up) and add immediately to the tofu mixture. Process another few seconds or until the vinegar mixture is completely incorporated. Pour the tofu mixture over the corn and fold together until completely combined. The mixture will be very thick because the corn is so icy. Transfer to the prepared baking dish and bake for 1 1/4 hours or until set and top is golden brown. Serve immediately. To make ahead: refrigerate the baked and cooled pudding, covered, until one hour before you plan to serve it. Remove it from the refrigerator and allow to sit at room temperature for a half hour. Then heat, still covered, for 20-30 minutes in a preheated 350 degree oven.
