Our Veggie Kitchen

If Thanksgiving is about indulgence, than this was the perfect dip. I made this dip and some nacho sauce to serve with chips and veggies for Thanksgiving Lunch.  I reserved a couple tablespoons for a freezer test and left the rest out.  It's a good thing I took some before I served it, because we polished the rest.  24 servings is a lot of indulgence for 5 people, but as long as I avoid the scale in the bathroom, it was worth it.  My favorite dipping utensils were cauliflower and mushrooms.  A mushroom wedge smothered in Baco Dip is a tiny bit of heaven.



Baco's Bacon Dip
1 cup cashews, ground
2 oz pimentos
2 tbs nutritional yeast
1 lemon, juiced
1 tbs miso
1/2 cup vegenaise
3/4 cup water
3/4 cup imitation bacon bits, divided
1/4 tsp liquid smoke
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
2 tbs vegetable oil

Measure out 1/4 cup of baco-bits. Add the remaining ingredients to a blender and blend several minutes, until smooth. Add about 1-3 tablespoons of water, one tablespoon at a time and blend to achieve the desired consistency. Add the 1/4 cup reserved baco-bits and pulse, just to combine. Scrape into a container and refrigerate, at least for a couple hours. Makes about 3 cups.

24 Servings: 94 cal (8g fat, 3g carbs, 3g protein)

I'm finished shopping for the weekend.  My kids have successfully lobbied for a non-traditional Thanksgiving Feast.  Each, of coarse wanted something different, and couldn't even settle on a single theme.  In the end, I decided that Thanksgiving can be a day where everyone is happy, so each will get what they want.

For my oldest boy, I'll be making enchiladas with California Chili Enchilada Sauce, his favorite and a batch of Cabbage Salsa.  My youngest gets egg rolls, deep fried and delicious, just as she likes them.  I'll be making pan fried noodles for my middle girl.  I'm also going to come up with some bacon cheddar ranch dip and loads of veggies and chips.  A Mexican Chinese Thanksgiving will be a first for me.  Hopefully, I'll come away with some new ideas.

As for tradition, I'll be sneaking in some holiday food this weekend.  I've already made a batch of VeganDad's Sliced Deli Turkey.  And I'll make some cranberry sauce for sandwiches and a batch of Swedish Meatballs.  And if I can get over my fear of homemade pie crust, I'll add Channa Pot Pies to the list.

And so, I wish you all a very happy Thanksgiving.

This is a great addition to any gathering.  It makes a bucket load of dip, but it'll go quickly accompanied with a bowl of tortilla chips. I made a batch, along with artichoke dip.  I fully expected to have leftovers for tacos at dinner.  I was wrong.



Chunky Black Bean Guacamole
5 small avocados, peeled
15 oz can black beans, drained & rinsed
2 tomatoes

Sauce:
1 lime, juiced
1/4 cup cilantro
1 jalapeno, seeded
1 clove garlic
2 tbs water (adjust as necessary)
1 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp salt

Cut tomatoes into quarters and scoop the seeds with your fingers into a blender.  Dice the tomatoes and add to a mixing bowl.  Cube four of the avocados and add to the bowl with the tomatoes.  Add the drained & rinsed black beans to the bowl also.

For the sauce,cut up one of the avocados and add to the blender along with  tomato seeds and the rest of the sauce ingredients.  Add just enough water to get the ingredients to blend.  I used about 2 tablespoons. Blend thoroughly and pour over the tomatoes, avaocados and black beans.  Gently mix together and scoop into a serving bowl.

16 servings:  91 cal (6g fat, 9g carbs, 3g protein)

This gravy started out as an experiment, when I was playing around with yogurt dumplings. The dumplings weren't a hit, but the gravy was a keeper for sure. Before I added he liquid, I cooked down a cup of yogurt and it really added a nice undercurrent of flavor. You can chose to strain the mushrooms out, if you wish. I usually make my kids pick out the mushrooms themselves, but not always. It is a delicious anyway.

And, I think I've said this before, but it has always been true. The food pyramid is absolutely wrong. Gravy is its own food group.



Amazing Mushroom Gravy
4 tbs Earth Balance Margarine
1 lb mushrooms, washed & sliced
6 small shallots, skinned and left whole
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup soy yogurt
1/4 cup red wine
1 quart beef flavored broth
2 cups water, divided.
1/4 cup cornstarch

Melt margarine in a large sauce pan over medium high. Add the sliced mushrooms and shallots. Saute until the mushrooms are soft. Add the garlic and saute for just a couple minutes. Add in the soy yogurt and continue cooking until the yogurt has reduced by half. Stir in the red wine, broth and about 1 1/2 cups of water. Bring to a boil and simmer for about 5 minutes.

You can either leave the mushrooms in or strain the gravy. If you chose to strain it, pour the gravy through a colander now and add back to the sauce pan. Otherwise, leave them in. Whisk together the cornstarch and 1/2 cup cold water. Pour into the gravy and boil for a couple minutes. If necessary, mix a tablespoon or two more cornstarch with a small amount of water and pour into the gravy. Bring back to a boil. Makes about 6 cups.

12 servings: 74 cal (4g fat, 8g carbs, 2g protein)

I used to live in rural Washington, about an hour from my sister and her pumpkin farm. Each year, we would make an autumn trip to load up on pumpkins and squash. I would pick out a couple gigantic Hubbard or Marblehead squash, skin them, prep them and freeze them for year-round squash casserole. It was a tradition and it was delicious. I finally got around to veganizing that squash casserole, which had cream of chicken soup, sour cream and tons of butter.



Winter Squash Casserole
8 cups winter squash, about 1/2 a hubbard, maybe a whole butternut
1/2 onion, chopped
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup Creamy Mushroom Soup (see note)
1 tbs cornstarch
1 cup Tofutti sour cream
1 cup shredded carrot
8 oz stuffing cubes, divided.
1/4 cup Earth Balance Margarine, melted.

Cut the skin off of the squash, split and remove the seeds. Cut into large, manageable pieces. Using a vegetable peeler, peel the meat of the squash into long ribbons. Alternately, you can slice the squash with a knife, but the texture is better the thinner you can get the slices.

Combine the squash and onion in a large saute pan and simmer in about a cup of water until the squash is tender, about 5 minutes. Drain and return to the pan or another bowl. Mix together the soup, cornstarch, salt and sour cream. Gently fold into the squash.

Put 1/2 of stuffing cubes on the bottom of a 9 x 13 casserole. Pour the squash mixture into the casserole. Toss the remaining cubes with the melted margarine and spread across the top of the squash. Cover and bake at 350 degrees for about 25-30 minutes.

Note: I've used creamy mushroom soup that I had made previously and froze. The key is to use a thick soup, thickened a bit more with cornstarch. You could use any creamy soup, gravy or even a flavorful broth. Just remember to add cornstarch to thicken the liquid.

8 Servings: 292 cal (12g fat, 39g carbs, 8g protein)

Ever since I gave up eating turkeys, Thanksgiving has been a planning challenge.  I've tried to put together a menu that was inspiring and original.  Each year, I've had something that made my omni friends, at least, a bit envious.  I truly hate the forlorner look on people's faces when you tell them that you won't be eating a turkey.  This year, I've put together another holiday stuffing and, this week, I'll post a squash casserole and another delicious gravy.

This year, I stumbled upon a great resource.  Robin Robertson, author of 1000 Vegan Recipes has a number of her recipes posted over at Vegan.com. The full recipes and instructions are posted.  So, if you don't have 1000 Vegan Recipes, follow the link for some delicious looking ideas.

Robin's 2009 Thanksgiving Menu:

Seitan en Croute
Madeira Sauce
Rum-Spiked Sweet Potatoes with Pomegranate Pecans
Triple Cranberry Relish
Roasted Asparagus
Garlic Smashers
Stuffed Winter Squash (optional main dish)
Ginger-Dusted Pumpkin Cheezecake

This is a throwback recipe. Something about brings up fond memories of quick weeknight meals of egg noodles and peas baked in cream of mushroom soup. It doesn't taste like cream of mushroom soup, but something about it brings up old, comforting memories of family. This is, of coarse, tons healthier and its an awesome way to get a full can of beans into the bellies of my bean-hating child.



Creamy Peas & Pasta
1 lb Conchiglie or other pasta
2 cups frozen peas
2 tbs olive oil
1/4 cup shallots, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1/4 cup white wine
15 oz can soy beans or other white bean
1 cup soy creamer
1 tbs miso
1/2 lemon, juiced
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 cup tsp black pepper

Bring a pot of water to a boil. Add the pasta and peas and cook until the the pasta is al dente. Drain, reserving some of the cooking water. The sauce should be finished before the pasta.

Heat olive oil over medium heat in a small sauce pan. Add the shallots and garlic and saute until the shallots begin to soften. Be sure not to burn the garlic. Add the white wine, bring to a boil and cook until the wine has reduced by half, just a couple of minutes. Add the contents of the sauce pan, along with the remaining ingredients to a blender. Blend thoroughly.

After draining the pasta, pour the sauce into the pasta pan and bring just to a boil. Stir in the pasta and peas and, if necessary, some of the reserved cooking water.

I usually blend up the sauce on the weekend for use early in the week. It should also freeze well.

5 Servings: 590 cal (15g fat, 84g carbs, 24g protein)

Healthy might be a stretch, especially if you're digging in with a bag of salty potato chips. But this dip is definitely not the mayonaise, cream cheese and more cheese dip that every other recipe seems to have. The star of this dip is actually artichoke hearts, made creamy with blended white beans (and, yes, a little Vegenaise and tofutti). But, in my defense, Vegenaise is a little miracle that should, at times, be celebrated.



Healthy Artichoke Dip
14 oz can artichoke hearts, drained & minced
6 oz jar marinated artichoke hearts, drained & minced
1/4 cup pickled jalapeno peppers, minced
1/4 cup shallots, minced
Sauce:
3/4 cup white kidney beans (1/2 can), drained & rinsed
1/4 cup Vegenaise
1/2 cup Tofutti Sour Cream
1 lemon, juiced
1 tbs juice from pickled jalapenos
1 tbs miso
2 cloves garlic

Add the sauce ingredients to a blender and blend thoroughly, until very smooth. Pour into a bowl and combine with the minced artichokes, jalapenos and shallots. Stir to combine and refrigerate until the sauce thickens, at least a couple of hours. The dip is better if kept overnight.

12 servings: 132 cal (5g fat, 18g carbs, 5g protein)

I've been making stuffing-in-a-pumpkin every year since I became vegetarian. I make it at least once around Halloween then, usually, it ends up on the Thanksgiving table. It's perfect for this time of year, with the peak of the chantrelle harvest in Oregon autumn's abundance of pumpkins. This year, I was able to get chantrelle mushrooms for $8 per pound. What a steal.



Wild Mushroom Stuffing Baked in Pumpkins
4 tbs Earth Balance Margarine
2 medium leeks, halved & sliced
3 stalks celery, chopped
1 lb cremini mushrooms, sliced
8 oz chantrelle msuhrooms, washed & sliced
8 oz shiitake mushrooms, washed & sliced
4 cloves garlic
1 bunch parsley, chopped
1 bunch spinach, chopped
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1/2 tsp rubbed sage
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
12 oz Pumpkin Ale
16 oz dried bread cubes

Pumpkins:
6 small pie pumpkins
1 tbs vegetable oil
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper

For the pumpkins, cut the tops off of each pumpkin and scoop out the seeds. Rinse and pat dry, inside and out. Mix a tablespoon of olive oil with 1/4 tsp salt and 1/8 tsp pepper (or a few turns of a peppermill). Rub your fingers in the oil, then coat the inside of each pumpkin. Set pumpkins aside.

For the stuffing, melt the margarine over medium-high heat in a large saute pan. Add the leeks, celery, garlic, and mushrooms. Cook, stirring frequently, until the mushrooms have given off their moisture. Stir in the salt, pepper, thyme, sage, spinach and parsley. Saute until the spinach has wilted. Add the stuffing cubes and poor the ale over the cubes. Toss the stuffing until it is combined thoroughly and the cubes have absorbed all the moisture.

Stuff each pumpkin with the stuffing, pressing down with a spoon to ensure that the pumpkins are well packed. Bake the pumpkins in a preheated oven at 350 for at least an hour, more likely 15 or 20 minutes more.

Alternately, add the stuffing to a 9 x 13 greased casserole. Press the stuffing firmly and cover with foil. Bake at 350 for 45 minutes. Remove the foil and bake an additional 15 minutes.

6 Servigs: 533 cal (13g fat, 88g carbs, 17g protein)

My birthday was Monday. And I was lucky enough to spend my evening, buried at the end of the agenda of a City Council meeting. I got to listen to a lengthy and contentions public hearing about a sewer system. In the end, my business was passed without discussion in a matter of just a couple minutes. I didn't even need to speak. I guess there was a silver lining.

While I didn't have time for a birthday feast, I did decide to make this warm, yogurt-based mustard sauce. I had it on a chickpea burger and some Brussels sprouts. I thought that the mustard flavor competed with the cumin in the chickpea burgers, but over the Brussels sprouts, it was delicious. Be prepared, this sauce is a little warm and is definitely a 'mustard' sauce, but if you like mustard, you'll love this sauce. I can't wait to try it on broccoli and asparagus.



Mustard Sauce
2 tsp brown mustard seed (or yellow seed, divided)
1 tbs vegetable oil
3 tbs yellow mustard seed
1/4 cup shallots, chopped
1/2 cup white wine
1/2 cup vegetable broth (golden hued)
3/4 cup soy yogurt
2 tbs white wine vinegar
2 tbs agave nectar
1/4 tsp salt
pinch turmeric

Heat a dry sauce pan over a burner, set to medium. Add the brown mustard seed and toast, just until aromatic. Remove the seed and set aside. Heat the oil in the sauce pan. Add the yellow mustard seed and saute until the seeds begin to sizzle. Add the shallots and saute until they begin to soften. Add the white wine and broth. Increase heat and bring to a boil. Simmer for a few minutes, until the liquid has reduced by about half.

Pour into a blender, along with the yogurt, vinegar, and agave nectar. Blend thoroughly. Puah through a strainer back into the sauce pan. Add in toasted brown mustard seed and reheat gently. Stir in the salt, to taste and the turmeric. Add enough turmeric to attain a pleasing color, about 1/8 tsp. Serve warm. Makes about 1 1/2 cups. It's very good if you let it rest overnight then gently reheat. The flavors have a chance meld and the mustard has less of a bite.

6 servings: 113 cal (5g fat, 13g carbs, 3g protein)

I'd forgotten the immense feeling of satisfaction I used to get when dipping crispy french fries into a bowl of clam chowder. Like napalm in the morning, it smelt like victory. Today's meal was definitely a throw back meal, satisfying & delicious. And all the deep fried clam strips & tartar sauce, it took me an hour just to get off the couch and start typing.

This is, of coarse, not real clam chowder. But it does capture the essence. The seitan, made of nothing but wheat gluten, has a springy texture. And the broth, while not tasting clammy, has the flavor of the sea. It may not be real, but it is definitely more than glorified potato soup.



Vegan Clam Chowder
6 tbs Earth Balance Margarine, Divided
1 onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 cup celery, chopped
1/2 cup flour
4 cups potatoes, peeled & diced
1 quart unsweetened soy milk
1 quart kombu broth (see below)
1 1/2 cups seitan clams, minced (see below)
6 sprigs thyme
12 sprigs parsley
2 bay leaves
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 lemon, juiced

Blend the chopped onion and garlic with 2 tbs melted margarine and set aside. Melt 2 additional tbs margarine in a large sauce pan over medium-high heat. Add the celery and saute until it begins to soften. Add the onion mixture and stir until the garlic is aromatic. Add the flour and stir for a couple minutes. Slowly add the soy milk, stirring constantly until the flour is incorporated. Add the broth, bay leaves and potatoes. Tie together the parsley and thyme with a piece of string and add to the soup. Bring to a boil and simmer for about 15 minutes, until the potatoes are soft, but still firm.

Stir in the seitan clams, the remaining 2 tbs margarine, along with the lemon juice and the salt & pepper to taste. Stir for a couple minutes and remove from heat. Serve.

8 servings: 282 cal (11g fat, 34g carbs, 14g protein)



Seitan Clams & kombu broth:
1/4 cup kombu, chopped
1/4 oz shiitake mushrooms
1/4 onion, chopped
1 stalk celery, chopped
1 clove garlic
1/2 tsp pepper corns
1/2 cup vital wheat gluten

Add all ingredients (EXCEPT vital wheat gluten) to a sauce pan. Bring to a boil and simmer for about half an our. Pour the contents through a strainer and return to the pan. Remove six tablespoons and chill.

Bring the broth back to a simmer. Mix the 6 tbs chilled broth with the vital wheat gluten. Kneed until the dough gets springy. Break into three or four pieces. For each piece, press and stretch to make the thinnest 'cutlets' you can. Add to the broth and simmer for about 20 minutes. Remove from both and when cool enough, cut into thin strips and mince. If necessary, add enough water to make 4 cups of broth.

Both the clams and the broth can be refrigerated and saved for later or even frozen. Do not discard the broth.