Happy Thanksgiving 2019!!

This year I made a Tofurky (Because that was all that is available in our small town & I haven't perfected a seitan turk'y, yet) that was roasted over carrots in a beer based baste (because I LOVE cooking with beer), garlic mashed potatoes & gravy, Tajin roasted corn, brussel sprouts roasted in a thick, grainy, German Dijon and maple syrup, teriyaki "meatballs" (these are Gardein brand), my famous butternut mac-n-cheeze (link to that recipe is here - Butternut mac-n-cheeze ) and a gingerbread pumpkin cake that is an adaptation from my pumpkin spice cupcake recipe - used a box of gingerbread mix instead of a spice cake mix and cooked in 2 8" cakpans (link to that recipe is here - Pumpkin Spice Cupcakes ). I like to keep these descriptions short so we can get on to the important part - THE FOOD!

Note- for more ideas for your holiday dinners, check out previous posts like My First All Vegan Thanksgiving Dinner , Glazed Meatless Loaf , Sausageless Balls with spicy vegan ranch , Greek Pinwheel Pastries , Apple Cranberry Cobbler , Cheezy Tater Tot Casserole ,Creamy Jackfruit Casserole , Award Winning Vegan Chili , &  Cowboy Caviar

Teriyaki Meatballs

3 packages of vegan meatballs
teriyaki sauce (1 cup +/- a few Tbsps)
a small amount of oil - optional

In a skillet, brown your meatballs in a little oil over medium heat. Do not overcrowd the skillet, this should take a few times to brown all these meatballs.

Put the meatballs into your crock pot on low heat as they become ready.

Once all your meatballs are in the crock pot, add about a cup of teriyaki sauce. This should coat your meatballs and leave about 1/2" of liquid at the bottom of the crock pot - adjust if needed

Let meatballs cook while you prepare the rest of your food. They are fine for hours, just make sure you add more teriyaki sauce if the bottom of the crock pot is getting dry.

Roasted Brussel Sprouts with Grainy German Dijon Mustard & Maple Syrup Glaze

4 lbs. of brussel sprouts, halved
1/2 cup of a good German, Grainy Dijon Mustard (not just brown, spicy mustard, but the good stuff!)
1/4 cup of maple syrup
1/4 cup of oil (you can sub this with broth if you are oil free)

Preheat oven to 450.

Mix dijon, maple syrup, and oil in a bowl with a whisk to form a glaze.

Toss your brussel sprouts with in the dijon glaze you just made until well coated.

Spread brussel sprouts out an a greased sheet pan ( I had to use 2 sheet pans, do not over crowd the brussel sprouts or they will not all become brown and roasted). Note - if you don't use oil, you will have to use something to prevent these from sticking because the maple syrup will glue them to your pan and they will be destroyed when you try to scrape them off!

Bake until all your brussel sprouts are brown, like the ones in the picture above. Start checking at 15 minutes, and add 5 minutes at a time until golden.

Tajin Roasted Corn

16 mini ears of cooked corn, defrosted if frozen, and room temperature.
1/2 cup of vegan butter
2 Tbsp. Tajin seasoning (located in the Mexican food section of your grocery store or online)
2 Tbsp. of nutritional yeast
fresh cracked black pepper - optional

Preheat your oven to 450.

Place corn on your pan and roast/ fry until golden.

Melt butter and pour into a large mixing bowl. Add tajin seasoning and nutritional yeast (make sure this is almost a powder texture. Mine was a little thick this time, so I crushed in between my fingers as I added it!)

Use a basting brush to coat your corn with the butter. Sprinkle with extra tajin, if desired, and cracked pepper.

Place corn on a baking sheet - make sure there is plenty of room for your corn to roast on all sides. Do not overcrowd.

Bake for 10 mins, then baste with butter again. Continue this process until corn is golden brown.

Meatless Loaf

You can't get a more homestyle comfort food than "meatloaf" and mashed potatoes... it's been 10 years since I even tried to make something like this, but with the new vegan plant protein grounds, it's possible again. This is honestly the best "meatloaf" I ever made. My family cleaned their plates tonight. This recipe will make 2 loaves, so you may want to divide it if you're not feeding a big family. I like to make one for dinner & one for sandwiches tomorrow, so I made two. 

Recipe- 

8 oz. White mushrooms 

1 medium carrot, chopped & peeled 

8 oz. Chopped spinach 

Olive oil to saute (optional)

2 (12 oz.) Packs of ground plant protein (like Beyond beef)

1 Tbsp. Greek seasoning*

1 Tbsp. Soy sauce

1 tsp. Cumin

1 tsp. Paprika

1 envelope of onion soup mix

Red pepper flakes (optional) 

Salt & pepper 

1 cup bread crumbs 

6 oz. Tomato paste 

1/2 cup vegan cream cheese 

4 oz. Shredded vegan cheddar cheese 

For the glaze- 

1 cup ketchup 

1 Tbsp. Yellow mustard 

1/8 cup brown sugar 

Method- 

1. Preheat oven to 425°.

2. Chop mushrooms, carrot, & spinach in a food processor until fine. 

3. Saute your chopped veggies over medium heat with a little olive oil, until tender and the "water" has cooked out of the mushrooms. 

4. In a large mixing bowl, combine cooked veggies, ground plant protein, Greek seasoning*, soy sauce, cumin, paprika, onion soup mix, red pepper flakes, salt & pepper, bread crumbs, tomato paste, vegan cream cheese, and vegan cheddar cheese. The best way to do this is with your hands. Mix well.

5. Coat a cookie sheet with non stick spray.

6. Divide your meatless mixture in half. Form 2 loaves. 

7. Place the loaves on your cookie sheet and bake for 30 minutes. 

8. Mix the ingredients for your glaze together  in a mixing bowl. 

9. Remove the loaves from the oven and coat with the glaze.

10. Return to the oven and cook 15 more minutes. Glaze should become caramelized. 

11. Remove from the oven and let rest 5 minutes.  Check to make sure it is cooked throughly. If it is not cooked throughly, return to the oven for 5-10 more minutes.

*I use Cavender's All Purpose Greek Seasoning (see picture below). It is easy to find at almost any grocery store in the spice isle. It is usually near the bottom shelf with the other specialty spices (like Ms. Dash). You can also order it off Amazon for under $5. It's really worth purchasing. We use it almost daily.

If you want to just use what you have on hand, Italian seasoning will work too. Still use 1 Tbsp.. it may seem like a lot, but the beefless ground products are really bland & need a lot of flavor.

"Eggplant Lasagna" A moussaka inspired dish

Eggplant lasagna... That's what I'm calling it & it was delicious! I used eggplants and fresh basil from my garden to create this dish because my eggplant bushes are doing amazing things this year! Hope you will enjoy this random, improvised meal I made my family with your loved ones. Also... This is a reminder to ALWAYS write down everything as you cook. Even if you have no plan in the beginning. In fact my best recipes happen when I am just going with the flow and have no idea where I'm going to end up at!

Recipe:

3 medium or 2 large eggplants sliced 1/4" thick lengthwise (think lasagna noodles)

For the "meaty" sauce-

1 package of beefless crumbles (or 2 cups cooked lentils if you don't like vegan "meats")
1 tsp. Miso paste (soy sauce can be used if you don't have miso)
Greek seasoning blend to taste
1/2 dried mint flakes
Chopped fresh basil (about 6 leaves)
1 small onion diced
1/4 cup chopped Kalamata olives
6 oz. Fresh spinach
Red pepper flakes (optional)
Fresh cracked pepper & salt to taste
4 cloves of garlic, pressed
12 oz. Prepared tomato sauce

For the cheezy sauce -

2 Tbsp vegan butter
2 Tbsp flour of choice
1 tsp. Fresh lemon juice
2 cloves of pressed garlic
2 cups unsweetened plant milk
1 tsp. Dried Rosemary
4 oz. Vegan mozzarella

Topping-

4 oz. Vegan mozzarella
2 Tbsp. Nutritional yeast
1 tsp. Greek seasoning blend

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 400°

2. Combine all ingredients for "meaty sauce" EXCEPT the garlic and tomato sauce in a deep skillet over medium heat.  Once beefless crumbles are browned & onions are soft, add garlic and tomato sauce. Reduce to simmer & cover with a lid.

3. While the sauce simmers... melt your vegan butter and flour in a sauce pan over medium heat. Stir to combine. Once butter is melted, allow to cook one more minute to cook off the raw flour taste. Add you remaining ingredients and whisk to eliminate lumps. Allow to come to a boil. Reduce heat and let your sauce thicken for about 5 more minutes- it is ready when it coats a spoon.

4. Spray a 11×13 casserole dish with no stick spray of choice(or use vegan butter to coat). Layer in 1/4 the meat sauce, 1/4 cheeze sauce, cover with a layer of eggplants (think lasagna noodles). Repeat these steps until you end with a layer of meat sauce & cheeze sauce on top.

5. Sprinkle your topping over the eggplant lasagna. Coat tin foil with no stick spray (or vegan butter) to keep it from ripping your cheeze off when you remove it. Cover dish with tin foil (coated side against the cheeze).

6. Bake for 40 minutes. Remove tin foil and cook an additional 5 minutes until cheeze becomes golden.

Remove from oven & let cool at least 5 minutes before serving- it will be REALLY HOT, so have a glass of wine and relax before calling your family to dinner.

Makes 6-8 servings.

Cheezy Stuffed Shells

It's been 15 years since I made this dish. It wasn't vegan last time I made it for my family, so this was really an "experiment". It was fun cooking with my kids, stuffing the shells, tasting as we went along. In the end, it turned out great and it will not be another 15 years before I make it again! 

RECIPE: 

1 (12 oz) box jumbo shell pasta

1 (12 oz) jar artichokes, drain & chopped

6 oz. Fresh spinach, chopped 

6 oz. Mushrooms, chopped

10 kalamata olives, chopped & pitted

2 tsp. Minced garlic 

Salt & pepper to taste

24 oz. Marinara sauce of choice

8 oz. shredded Vegan mozzarella cheese 

For the tofu "ricotta":

14 oz firm tofu, pressed well

1/8 cup nutritional yeast 

1/4 cup (+/-) unsweetened plant milk 

1/8 cup Olive oil 

2 tsp. Salt

1 tsp. Minced garlic 

1 tsp onion powder

1 tsp Italian seasoning 

2 tsp. Fresh lemon juice 

Fresh basil (optional) 

METHOD: 

Preheat oven to 425°.

Prepare pasta, but make sure it is slightly undercooked because it will finish cooking in the oven. (Example- my directions said boil 14 minutes. I only boiled the pasta for 10 minutes).

Over medium heat, sautee your spinach & mushrooms . Season with salt & pepper to taste. 

Once they are tender, remove from heat & drain any excess water from the pan. 

Still cooking over medium heat, add 2 tsp. of minced garlic to your spinach and mushrooms and continue to cook another 2 minutes.

Pour spinach and mushrooms into a large mixing bowl. Add your artichokes and olives. Mix well. Taste & season if needed. 

In a blender, combine all ingredients for your tofu ricotta and blend until almost smooth. 

Mix tofu ricotta, veggies, and 1/2 of your vegan mozzarella cheese together in your mixing bowl. This is your filling for your pasta.

Stuff your pasta with the filling.

Grease a 11×13 baking baking dish. 

Pour a small amount of marinara sauce into the dish, just enough to cover the bottom of the dish. 

Place each stuffed shell into the dish, careful not to overcrowd your pasta. (Use 2 dishes if needed.)

Top your shells with marinara sauce. 

Bake for 25 minutes. 

Remove shells from oven & top with the other 1/2 of your vegan mozzarella cheese. 

Bake an additional 5 minutes to melt your cheese. 

Makes 24 - 28 shells (depending on how much filling you put in each shell). Serving size is 3-4 shells.