Vegan Thanksgiving Feast: Part Four

The last part of this vegan Thanksgiving feast. These are the rest of the sides I created for the meal.

Green Bean Casserole

* Prep Time: 15 minutes
* Cook Time: 45 minutes
* Ingredients:

• 4 tbsp olive oil
• 2 shallots, sliced into rings
• 1 lb. green beans, trimmed
• 2 cups cremini mushrooms, sliced
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tbsp fresh thyme
• 3 cups portobello mushroom soup*
• 3 tbsp all-purpose flour
• 4 tbsp vegan Parmesan cheese*
• 1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
• 1/8 tsp nutmeg
• salt and pepper, to taste

* Recipe:

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
2. In a medium skillet, heat the olive oil. Add the shallots and caramelize. Remove the shallots and drain on paper towel. Set aside until very end of recipe.
3. In the remaining olive oil in the skillet, add the mushrooms. Cook for about 10 minutes until tender.
4. Add the garlic and thyme. Cook for another couple minutes.
5. Place the mushroom mixture in a bowl. Set aside.
6. Blanch the green beans. Set aside. 
7. In a large bowl, mix the mushroom soup and flour. Whisk until lumps are gone.
8. Add the soup and flour mixture to the skillet. Heat and bring to a bubble. Add the mushroom and garlic mixture, green beans, 3 tbsp Parmesan cheese, parsley, nutmeg, salt, and pepper.
9. In a large baking dish, spray with cooking spray. Add the green bean mixture.
10. Top with the remaining 1 tbsp of Parmesan cheese. Baked for 20 minutes or until bubbling.
11. Once removed, top with the caramelized shallots. Serve.

* Note: For portobello mushroom soup, I used Imagine brand. The Parmesan cheese I used was Galaxy topping. 


Greens Saute

* Prep Time: 10 minutes
* Cook Time: 25 minutes
* Ingredient:

• 1 bunch kale
• 1 bunch collard greens
• 1 bunch mustard greens
• 1 bunch swiss chard
• 1 bunch turnip greens
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 1 medium yellow onion, thinly sliced
• 3 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
• salt and pepper, to taste
• 1 1/2 cups vegetable broth

* Recipe:

1. Remove the center stems from all the greens and slice the leave into small ribbons.
2. In a large pot, add the olive oil on medium heat.
3. Add the onion and garlic until the onions are translucent. Next, add the salt and pepper.
4. Add the kale, mustard greens, collard greens, and turnip greens. As they begin to wilt, add the vegetable broth.
5. Cook for 10-15 minutes. Add the swiss chard. Simmer for another couple minutes. Serve.

Spiced Cranberry Sauce

* Prep Time: n/a
* Cook Time: 15-20 minutes
* Ingredients:

• 12 oz. fresh cranberries
• 1 cup sugar*
• 1 cup orange juice
• 1 stick cinnamon
• 1/8 tsp nutmeg
• 18 tsp all spice
• 1/8 tsp ground clove

* Recipe:

1. Heat the sugar and orange juice in a medium pot.
2. Once the sugar begins to dissolve, add the cranberries and spices.
3. Cook until the cranberries begin to dissolve and pop. 
4. Remove from heat. Allow to cool so the cranberry sauce will thicken.
5. Remove the cinnamon stick. Serve. 

* Note:  Make sure your sugar is vegan.

Well, that's all. I hope everyone enjoyed Vegan Miss' four part Vegan Thanksgiving Feast! xoxo

Vegan Thanksgiving Feast: Part Three

These recipes are going to be the dessert and biscuits. I would have done these recipes last, but alas they happened to just be done before the others. The final part will be more sides.Those will be posted tomorrow! My friend helped me make this cheesecake. He has a beer brewing blog called Brew or Die! Chicago and his beers are vegan! Check it out.

Pumpkin Cheesecake

* Prep Time: 20 minutes
* Cook Time: 10-15 minutes in oven, rest overnight
* Ingredients (for crust):

• 1/2 cup whole almonds
• 1 pack (5 oz.) cinnamon graham crackers*
• 1/4 cup brown sugar*
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp nutmeg
• 1/2 cup soy butter, melted*

* Ingredients (for filling):

• 1 14 oz. pack silken tofu*
• 1 15 oz. can pumpkin pie filling*
• 2 8 oz. packages vegan cream cheese*
• 1/2 cup powdered sugar
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp nutmeg

 * Recipe (for crust):

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Grind almonds in a food processor.
3. Add graham crackers, spices, and sugar to the food processor. Grind until smooth.
4. Move the mixture in the food processor to a medium sized bowl and add the butter. Mix well.
5. Pack into a 9 in. springform pan. Push the mixture up the sides.
6. Bake the crust for 10-15 minutes.

* Recipe (for filling):

1. In a mixer with whisk attachment, blend the tofu and pie filling.
2. Add a tablespoon of cream cheese at a time until smooth.
3. Next, add both types of sugar and spices. Mix well.
4. Pour into crust and let site overnight in the refrigerator.
5. Serve with cinnamon and whipped cream (optional).

* Note: I used 365 Organic brand. Make sure your sugar is vegan! For silken tofu, I used Nasoya brand. The pumpkin pie filling was Farmer's Market brand. Lastly, for vegan cream cheese I used Tofutti.


Lemon Thyme Biscuits
 

* Prep Time: 10 minutes
* Cook Time: 15 minutes
* Ingredients:

• 1 cup non-dairy milk*
• 1 tbsp distilled white vinegar
• 2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp salt, plus more for sprinkling
• 1 tsp lemon zest
• 1 tsp fresh thyme, plus more for sprinkling
• 4 tbsp soy butter, cold*

* Recipe:

1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
2. In a bowl, combine the milk and the vinegar. Set in the refrigerator. 
3. In a mixer, blend the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, lemon zest, and thyme on a low setting.
4. Spread out some flour for dusting on a surface.
5. Add the butter to the dry ingredients in the mixer a tablespoon at a time. Mix on a low setting. 
6. Lastly, add the non-dairy milk. Mix well but do not over knead.
7. Take 1-2 tablespoons at a time and create balls by rolling in the flour dusted on the surface.
8. Place on ungreased cookie sheets.
9. Using water, brush the tops of the biscuits. Add a bit of salt and fresh thyme to each.
10. Bake for 12-15 minutes.

* Note: For non-dairy milk, I used almond milk. Use whatever variety you prefer. For soy butter, I used Earth Balance olive oil-based type. 


Sage Brown Butter

* Prep Time: 2 minutes
* Cook Time: 10 minutes, 1/2 hour rest time (or more)
* Ingredients:

• 2 sticks (4 oz. each) of soy butter
• 1/4 cup fresh sage
• pinch of salt

* Recipe:

1. Over medium heat, melt one stick of butter. Let start to bubble.
2. Add the sage and cook for 30 seconds.
3. Remove the sage and dry on paper towels.
4. Remove the butter from heat and let cool.
5. When sage is cool, mince.
6. Combine the other stick of butter with the melted, browned butter. Add the minced sage and salt. Mix well.
7. Let set in refrigerator for at least half an hour.

Vegan Thanksgiving Feast: Part Two

Part Two of the Vegan Thanksgiving Feast!

Stuffing with Kale & Mushrooms

* Prep Time: 20 minutes
* Cook Time: 1 1/2 hours
* Ingredients:

• 1 loaf sourdough bread, chopped into small pieces, toasted
• 1/4 cup leek, white parts, finely chopped
• 3 celery stalked, finely chopped
• 1/2 small white onion, chopped
• 1 tbsp dried sage
• 4 sprigs fresh thyme
• 4 tbsp soy butter*
• salt and pepper, to taste
• 1 1/2 cup vegetable broth
• 1/2 cup kale, chopped
• 1/3 cup cremini mushrooms, thinly sliced
• 2 "eggs", made by box instructions*
• 2 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
• 1 tbsp pine nuts, minced 

* Recipe:

1. At 300 degrees, bake the pieces of bread for about 15 minutes, until toasted. Remove and set aside.
2. In a medium skillet, combine 3 tbsp butter, onions, and leeks. Cook until onions are translucent.
3. Add the celery, sage, thyme, mushrooms, kale, salt, and pepper. Cook until kale is wilted and mushrooms are tender.
4. Add the vegetable broth and simmer.
5. In a large bowl, combine the "eggs", bread pieces, parsley, and pine nuts.
6. Add the vegetable-broth mixture from the skillet. Mix well.
7. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
8. Grease a baking dish with 1 tbsp butter. Add the bread crumb mixture. Use the remaining butter from greasing to spread over the top of the stuffing.
9. Cover and bake for 30 minutes. Uncovered and bake for another 15 minutes or until top is golden.

* Note: For soy butter, I use olive oil based Earth Balance. I like Ener-G for egg replacer. 


Mushroom & Seitan Savory Pie

* Prep Time: 15 minutes
* Cook Time: 1 - 1 1/2 hours
* Ingredients (dough):

• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp sugar*
• 16 tbsp soy butter
• 8-12 tbsp ice water
• 2 tsp fresh thyme

* Ingredients (pie filling):

• 1 cup dried mushrooms, variety*
• 1/3 cup cremini mushrooms, thinly sliced
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1/3 cup white onion, thinly sliced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 cup dry white wine*
• 1 cube "beef" broth*
• 1 tbsp cornstarch, combined with water to form mixture
• 1/4 cup plain soy yogurt*
• 1/2 cup seitan, chopped*
• 1 tbsp soy butter

* Recipe (for dough):

1. Place the butter in a small bowl and place in freezer.
2. Combine the flour, salt, sugar, and thyme.
3. Add the butter slowly and mix with a fork. 
4. Next, add the water slowly until the mixture begins to clump together. Pinch some of the dough. If it stays together, then it is ready. If it falls a part, add more water and continue mixing.
5. Form into a disk form and wrap in plastic wrap. Place in freezer until ready to make the pie.

* Recipe (for pie filling):

1. Rehydrate mushrooms in a medium pot until completely tender. Reserve 1 cup of mushroom water.
2. In a medium skillet, add the olive oil and onions until translucent. Next, add the cremini mushrooms and garlic. Cook for 5 minutes.
3. Chop the rehydrated dried mushrooms and place in skillet. Cook for a few minutes.
4. Add the white wine and seitan. Cook for another couple minutes.
5. Combine the "beef" broth cube with the reserved 1 cup of mushroom water. Add to the skillet with mushrooms. 
6. Cook for another 5-10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the cornstarch mixture and combine well. Cook for another several minutes.
7. Lastly, add the soy yogurt and mix over low heat for 2 minutes.

* Recipe (for building pie):

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. Dust a space with all-purpose flour. Roll out the dough until thin enough to work with where it does not fall a part. 
3. Line two small pie pans with dough. Cut off edges with excess dough.
4. Roll out dough again and create top pieces for the pie.
5. Add 6 tbsp or so of the mushroom seitan mixture to each pie pan with dough.
6. Place top dough over each pie pan and using a fork, press down the sides of the dough.
7. Create a plus sign or cross in the middle of both pies with the fork.
8. Using soy butter, grease the tops of the pies.
9. Bake for 30-40 minutes or until the tops are golden.

* Note: Make sure your sugar is vegan. I found a dried mushroom variety pack at Whole Foods. Just make sure you have several different types such as woodland, morel, portobello, etc. Make sure your wine is vegan on Barnivore. For "beef" broth, I used Frontier brand. For soy yogurt, I used WholeSoy brand. Lastly, I used my own seitan recipe for this recipe. You could use Westsoy brand if you want or even meatless crumbles like Boca or Upton's Naturals. 


Champagne Mushroom Gravy

* Prep Time: 5 minutes
* Cook Time: 25 minutes
* Ingredients:

• 1 cup portobello mushroom soup*
• 1 cup champagne
• 1/4 cup shallots, minced
• 5 tbsp soy butter
• 2 tbsp all-purpose flour
• salt, to taste
• 1/4 tsp dried sage

* Recipe:

1. Place the champagne in a small pot over medium heat and bring to boil. Reduce to half its size.
2. Add the shallots, salt, and 2 tbsp butter. Cook for another 5 minutes.
3. Next, add the mushroom soup and sage. Mix well and cook for an additional several minutes.
4. In a medium skillet, add the remaining 3 tbsp butter. When melted, add the all-purpose flour and combine well. 
5. While continuously stirring, add the champagne mushroom broth a bit at a time.
6. Keep stirring until sauce is thick similar to a gravy.

* Note: For portobello mushroom soup, I used Imagine brand.  

Vegan Thanksgiving Feast: Part One

This feast will be posted in four parts. There will be several sides, a main entree dish, and of course, dessert. Enjoy! Happy Tofurky Day. :D

Wine Dijon Brussel Sprouts

* Prep Time: 5-10 minutes
* Cook Time: 20 minutes
* Ingredients:

• 2 1/2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 lb. brussel sprouts, halved, ends trimmed
• 1/2 white onion, small
• 4 sprigs fresh thyme
• 2 1/2 tbsp dijon mustard
• 1/4 dry white wine*
• salt and pepper, to taste
• 1-2 tbsp slivered almonds
• 1-2 tbsp dried cranberries

* Recipe:

1. Heat a pan over medium heat and add olive oil. Once hot, cook the onions until translucent. 
2. Sautee the brussel sprouts until almost tender.
3. Add the thyme, mustard, wine, salt, and pepper. Cook for another 2 minutes or so.
4. Toss in the almonds and cranberries and cook for another couple minutes.
5. Brussel sprouts should be cooked through and a fork can easily pass through.

* Note: Make sure your wine in vegan on Barnivore.


Glazed Pearl Onions

* Prep Time: 5 minutes
* Cook Time: 15-20 minutes
* Ingredients:

• 2 cups pearl onions, skin peeled
• 1 cup vegetable broth
• 2 tbsp molasses
• 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
• 2 tbsp soy butter*
• salt and pepper, to taste
• 1 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped

* Recipe:

1. Combine the broth, molasses, vinegar, soy butter, salt, and pepper in a small pot. Cook over medium heat and reduce.
2. Add the onions once the sauce has started to reduce. Cook until a fork can go through them.
3. Top with parsley.

* Note: For soy butter, I used olive oil based Earth Balance. This recipe was modified from Food Network Magazine in their 2011 Thanksgiving edition.


Purple Mashed Potatoes

* Prep Time: 10 minutes
* Cook Time: 30-40 minutes
* Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 - 2 lb. purple potatoes, washed, skin removed
• 2 tbsp soy butter
• 2 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
• 2 tbsp fresh dill, chopped
• 2 tbsp fresh chives, chopped
• salt and pepper, to taste
• 3 tbsp vegan sour cream*
• 1/3 cup non-dairy milk*
• 3 tbsp shallot, carmelized, to top
• chives, to top

* Recipe:

1. Boil potatoes in water until tender.
2. Mash potatoes with the rest of the ingredients.
3. Top with caramelized shallots and chives.

* Note: For vegan sour cream, I used Tofutti. The non-dairy milk I used was Silk soymilk, but feel free to use any type you wish.

Vegan Chicago: Tofurky and the City

Not everyone goes to see their family on Thanksgiving. As such, below is a list of places one could go to on Thanksgiving in Chicago.

1. The annual vegan Thanksgiving dinner (29th!) is going on at the Chicago Diner. Time slots are 12, 2, 4, and 6 p.m. Seats get taken fast, so make sure you make a reservation soon if you plan on going. They also do a carry-out version of the dinner (starting at $10.99) which you can pick up the day before or on Thanksgiving. 
2. Northdown Taproom and Cafe is doing a Thanksgiving dinner gone vegan. For more information about their dishes that night, please email them at info@northdownchicago.com.
3. Native Foods in Wicker Park is having a Thanksgiving dinner from 1-7 p.m. The dinner is $24.99 and includes lots of yummy options. Call to make reservations. Additionally, you can pick up their Native Wellington to-go instead.
4. Karyn's Raw has a Thanksgiving dinner to-go option for $50. Order in advance.
5. Karyn's Cooked also is doing a Thanksgiving dinner to-go for $40. Order in advance as well.
6. Whole Foods offers a vegan holiday roast and sides to-go.

If you plan on staying in on Thanksgiving but don't feel up to making your own homemade tofurky, there are always the frozen options out there.

1. Of course, there is the original Tofurky Roast. There are several varieties including the roast, the roast with gravy, and the savory giblet gravy. You can usually find the Tofurky holiday products at health food stores around this time.
2. Gardein has their Savory Stuffed Turk'y readily available at most Whole Foods for the holidays. 
3. Field Roast Grain Meat, Co. has their Celebration Roast which is around normally at Whole Foods and similar places.

For those of you who plan on cooking, your blog doll is going to be posting a 4-part vegan Thanksgiving feast soon so be on the look out! VegWeb of course has a plethora of recipes to use as well as VegKitchen. Mercy For Animals has a menu up on their website for a full coursed meal too.

Photo Credit: Jovan J.

Now, what are you going to do after you sit around and eat all that great vegan food? Go to Fur Free Friday! This is the annual protest against the fur industry. It usually brings out several hundred people here in Chicago. It starts at 12 p.m. at Daley Plaza on Friday, November 25th. Signs and leaflets are provided.



Have a Happy Tofurky Day! Be kind to all animals, big and small. :D

Vegan Chicago: Chicago VeganMania Recap

Chicago VeganMania was this past weekend and, man, was it fun! Over 2,500 people came to the festival which is huge for its third year. Damn near 100 volunteers helped make this event possible so thank you to them, the organizers, the vendors, the performers, and the speakers. It was sort of crowded in the Pulaski Park Fieldhouse, but the more the merrier. I only went for a bit, but it's always nice to see fellow vegans and vegetarians enjoying themselves.

This is mostly a picture post, so below are some snapshots of the event:

Chicago Soydairy samples

Herbivore Clothing Company booth

I love animals and broccoli coloring book! Hell yeah.

Be a vegan rockstar!

♥

Spiced Butternut Squash Soup

It is soup season at long last. My favorite of all seasons! Time to take out those crock pots, everyone.

Spiced Butternut Squash Soup

 * Prep Time: 10-15 minutes
* Cook Time: 1 hour
* Ingredients:

• 2 tbsp soy butter*
• 1 medium yellow onion, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tbsp ginger root, minced
• 1 leek, white parts, diced
• 1 carrot, diced
• 2 small to medium butternut squash, peeled, cubed
• 2 russet potatoes, peeled, cubed
• 2 bay leaves
• 6 cups vegetable broth
• salt and pepper, to taste
• 1/4 tsp nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp all spice
• 1/8 tsp ground clove
• 1/8 tsp ground marjoram
• 1/8 tsp ground fennel
• 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1/2 cup white wine*
• 1 cup non-dairy milk*
• vegan sour cream, to top, to taste*

* Recipe:

1. In a large pot, melt the soy butter and add the onions. Cook until translucent.
2. Next, add the garlic, ginger, and leeks. Stir occasionally for about 10 minutes.
3. Add the carrot, butternut squash, potatoes, bay leaves, and vegetable broth. Cook for about 30 minutes or until the root vegetables are soft.
4. Add the spices, wine, and milk. Cook for another 5 minutes.
5. In batches, puree the soup. Enjoy with a dollop of vegan sour cream.

* Note: For soy butter, I used Earth Balance olive oil based brand. Make sure your white wine is vegan. I used Earth Balance unsweetened soymilk for non-dairy milk. For vegan sour cream, I used Tofutti brand.

In the picture, it's not quite as orange-ish as it should have been because I only used one butternut squash, therefore I upped it to two. I also cut the cayenne in this because I found it a bit too spicy for me. The bread in the picture is homemade whole wheat rolls made via this recipe (made vegan, of course).

Product Review: Sophie's Kitchen Vegan Seafood + Sauce Recipes

Hidden within the vegetarian section of the freezer aisle of my local health food store, I found Sophie's Kitchen mock seafood. I was surprised by the fact that they make vegan calamari and fish fillets, but also that it was randomly at this health food store! You can't blame me for being skeptical. But, I thought I would give this stuff a shot, if not just to purely say I've tried vegan calamari. I'm pretty open to crazy veg food, but there are some things that should be left not re-made cruelty-free (like vegan haggis [if you don't know what haggis is, please Google it] or mutton, anyone?). Once upon a time, I made a retro vegan salmon mousse mold. To the horror of everyone, it... turned out a lot like salmon mousse mold. Scary recipe best used for Halloween gags. 

Now, I know Sophie's Kitchen is a legit brand, so I had some hope. The calamari was really impressive mostly because it had the same chewy consistency of real calamari. Weird. I hated the real thing prior to being vegan, so it doesn't surprise me that I did not like it at all. But, if you liked calamari before, this is definitely worth trying. I sort of thought it might be like an onion ring, but nope, very chewy. The fish fillets were quite a bit better. It was flakey and would have been good to make a sandwich out of. I made various sauces for each, so below are the recipes. For the mock seafood, just follow box instructions to cook.

For the calamari, I made an aioli and a remoulade. For the fish fillets, I made a lemon dill tartar sauce. These all came out great. I would recommend on something other than mock seafood, though. The tartar sauce would be good for mock crabcakes (with tofu or otherwise), the aioli would be good with a veggie burger, and the remoulade good with fried green tomatoes.


Aioli

* Prep Time: 5-10 minutes
* Cook Time: n/a
* Ingredient:

• 1/2 cup vegan mayonnaise*
• 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
• 1 tsp lemon zest
• 1/4 tsp garlic, minced
• salt and pepper, to taste
• 1 tsp olive oil

* Recipe:

1. Combine all ingredients in a medium bowl.

* Note: For vegan mayonnaise, I used Earth Balance olive oil based brand.


Remoulade

* Prep Time: 10 minutes
* Cook Time: n/a
* Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup spicy mustard
• 2 tbsp ketchup
• 1/2 tsp Worchestershire sauce
• 1 tsp garlic, minced
• 1/2 tsp lemon juice
• 2 tsp paprika
• 1/8 tsp white pepper
• cayenne pepper, to taste
• 1 tsp sugar
• salt, to taste
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1/2 cup celery, minced
• 1/2 tsp parsley
• 1/2 tbsp white onion, diced
• 1/2 tbsp green onion, minced
• 1 tbsp vegan mayonnaise
• 1 tbsp hot sauce
• 1 tsp capers

* Recipe:

1. Combine all ingredients well.

Lemon Dill Tartar Sauce

* Prep Time: 10 minutes
* Cook Time: n/a
* Ingredients:

• 1 cup vegan mayonnaise
• 1 tbsp dill pickle relish
• 1 tbsp white onion, minced
• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• salt and pepper, to taste
• 1/2 tsp capers
• 1 tbsp fresh dill, chopped
• 2 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped

* Recipe:

1. Combine all ingredients. Mix well. 

Happy sauce making!

Vegan Chicago: Chicago VeganMania Is This Weekend!

 

Chicago VeganMania is upon us this weekend! This is a great festival put on every year by dedicated volunteers. It is an entirely free event too. This is its third year and the festival has grown bigger and better since its inception in 2009. VeganMania is a great way to meet others in the vegetarian community within Chicago and support local vegan and vegetarian products, companies, and restaurants. It pretty much covers everything from cooking demos, vendors, musical entertainment, a children's area, workshops with speakers, and of course, lots of vegan food to eat! If you live in Chicagoland, please come out to this awesome event. It is sure to be lots of fun!

When: THIS Saturday, November 5th

Time: 10 a.m. - 5 p.m.

Cost: FREE!

Where: Pulaski Park Fieldhouse (in Wicker Park), 1419 W. Blackhawk, Chicago

See you there!