Literally was so stressed out about this holiday for some reason. The whole day is dedicated to roasting a big giant bird and all the yummy deserts and just everything that goes along with the tradition. Well I decided it was about time our tradition changed. I just whipped up and the favorites but minus all the animal parts…little gruesome but if you think about it, its actually less gruesome than actually eating the little fellas.
Thank goodness for Tofurky! A sentence I never thought would come out of my mouth. But it really did tie the whole meal together and it really felt like Thanksgiving.
You know changing over to this lifestyle was something I decided overnight and just never went back. But I can say that I understand the stress of trying to fulfill a holiday for someone who supports your choices but isn’t as committed as you are. My husband has been vegan in the house only, for as long as I’ve been completely vegan. He is so supportive of all my choices and supports us being a 100% vegan household. I wanted to make sure this day was just as yummy as all his past Thanksgivings. I was a little nervous to say the least. He will eat whatever I make but that wasn’t the point, I wanted him to love it. So my day begin with the Tofurky. I did vegan gravy and cauli-tatoes, veggies and acorn squash rings. My day was full and so were our bellies.
I roasted some Brussel sprouts and green beans and also baked some Japanese sweet potatoes. These are the only sweet potatoes I love and if you haven’t tried them, they are a must! The sweet potatoes topped with vegan marshmallows, brown sugar and vegan butter. They were so delicious!
The Tofurky!!
As you can see, I am very proud! I basted with olive oil, soy sauce, pink salt, pepper, garlic minced, onion powder, basil leaves. Surrounding the little guy is parsnips, green beans, onions and fresh rosemary. I covered the Tofurky and put it in the oven set at 350 degrees and for 1 hr., then uncover and let cook for 15 minutes longer. Remember to refrigerate for 24 hrs. to de-thaw if frozen.
Cauli-tatoes
Clean and cut an entire head of cauliflower, chop and set aside.
Clean and chop 4 medium red potatoes your favorite potatoes.
Put potatoes in a large pot with water and bring to a boil. After 20 minutes, add the cauliflower. Cook both until soft.
When soft, drain the potatoes and cauliflower. In the big pot mash the potatoes and cauliflower until smooth-ish, like mashed potato texture. Add 2 tablespoons of your favorite vegan butter, and ½ c of your favorite non-dairy milk. Add 1 tablespoon of minced garlic and mix until combined. Sprinkle in pink salt, crushed black pepper, garlic and onion powder. Add more of whatever you want to make it yummy.
Ingredients
1 head of cauliflower
4 red potatoes
2 T vegan butter
½ C non-dairy milk
1 T minced garlic
garlic and onion powder
salt and pepper
Vegan Gravy
1/2 t Garlic powder
1 t Onion powder
2 c Vegetable broth, low sodium, or you can use a protein broth(I love using this)
1/2 t Mustard
2 T Liquid coconuts aminos or Soy sauce, low sodium
1/2 t Black pepper
2 ½ T Nutritional yeast
1/4 c Whole wheat flour
Combine into a small sauce pan and bring to a boil. Once boiling, bring down to a simmer (low heat) and the gravy will get thicker.
Maple Acorn Squash Rings
The really surprise of the whole day was Maple Acorn Squash Rings. Holy smokes were they delicious. I have walked by the acorn squash my whole life in the produce section. I looks like just one of those weird squash or fruits or who knows but yeah you just don’t mess with it. Boy was I wrong! It was the sweestest surprise. It was my first time working with the acorn squash and first time eating it.
Stuffed acorn squash rings 🍁
The Rings
This was for two people so this is what I used for 1 Squash
1/4c dried cranberries
¾ c cooked quinoa
1c finely chopped spinach
1/2c chopped pecans
8oz chopped mushrooms
1tsp curry powder
4tsp vegan butter
2 cloves garlic finely chopped
Pink salt and pepper
Take this mixture and put in pan and sauté down until mushrooms and garlic and spinach is wilted and shrieked.
Then cut slices of your acorn squash into rings, clean the middles and fill your centers with the quinoa mixture.
Maple Glaze
Mix together two tbs olive oil and dark maple syrup and brush the rings and pour excess over the centers.
Directions
Place on foil lined baking sheet and bake for 40-45 minutes at 345
Remove from oven, let cool and enjoy!
These were the perfect addition to our vegan thanksgiving and we will definitely be making these more often. They are also so versatile you can add whatever you like to the middles of the rings!
Shane loved everything I made for this dinner and I hope your family does too. The day of thanksgiving if nothing else is a day to get together and celebrate your family. The true history of thanksgiving isn’t a pleasant one and the modern day rituals of killing big beautiful birds aren’t going to be apart of our home anymore. However you celebrate, how ever you decide to feed your family, maybe choose one vegan substitution and don’t tell anyone and see how they react. You may be surprised at how yummy it is to be cruelty free!
All my recipes are vegan! Be kind, and enjoy!