A couple weeks ago I shared the menu from the great Vegan Thanksgiving feast we made. It was Yum with a extra helping of Tasty Goodness!
In today’s post I wanted to make sure to share some of the recipes with you. As you plan your holiday meals, you can think about incorporating these dishes into the overall scheme of things. Why? Well as we talked about before, a vegan dish can be enjoyed by all the visitors around your table this year. They are easy to make and very flavorful.
After all it is a season about giving. What better gift than including everyone.
If you are doing a meat substitute, like Tofurkey, then many of these dishes will go well. I realize that fake meat products can be a mixed blessing, begging the question, “Who are we trying to fool here?”. A good question. Processed soy shaped to look like turkey might not be worth the energy, but it might help ease the blow for those expecting the usual roasted meat delight.
I hear you can even buy vegetarian Haggis. (Here’s a link). Who knew.
A main challenge people often face regarding Vegan cooking is how to replace eggs and butter in recipes. Below are examples of simple exchanges you can make for these items that work well.
- 1 egg = 3 Tablespoons Water and one tablespoon flax meal. (Bob’s Red Mill Organic Flaxseed Meal
)
- Substitute coconut oil or vegetable oil for the butter. Generally 1:1 trade works well.
- For Honey you can use Agave Syrup or even just regular raw sugar.
Try out the recipes below and let us know what you think. Did it change your holiday meal? Did your group cheer after tasting all the good food, declaring they would eat Vegan the rest of their lives?
We would love to know what you experienced. In the meantime – get cooking!:
Onion, Leek and Mushroom Sauté
1) Chop one medium onion into half inch size pieces.
2) Slice one large leek with a food processor or into 1/8 inch slices by hand. Include all but the toughest green upper parts of the leek.
3) Slice about 8 ounces to 10 ounces of mushrooms into 1/4 inch slices.
4) Put about 2 tablespoons of rice bran oil into a skillet. Add 1/2 cup of vegetable broth. Add all the chopped and sliced vegetables and start over a high heat. When the broth is boiling, turn down to a low heat and cover the skillet.
5) Cook about 10 to 12 minutes, stirring occasionally until the onions are clear and the mushrooms have cooked. Add some additional vegetable broth if needed so things don’t scorch. There is usually enough salt from the vegetable broth, but more salt or other spices may be added to taste.
Sliced Brussels Sprouts and Kale Sauté.
1) Slice about 3 cups of fresh Brussels Sprouts into 1/8 inch slices. This is easiest if you have a food processor with a slicing blade.
2) Remove the stems from one large bunch of Kale (any type of kale works well) and tear or cut the leaves into about 2 inch pieces.
3) Put about 2 tablespoons of rice bran oil or coconut oil and 1/2 cup vegetable broth into a skillet. Add all the chopped and sliced vegetables and start over a high heat. When the broth is boiling, can turn down to a low heat and cover the skillet.
4) Cook about 12 to 15 minutes until the Brussels Sprouts are al dente. Add some additional vegetable broth if needed so things don’t scorch. There is usually enough salt from the vegetable broth, but more salt may be added to taste.
Oven Baked Sweet Potato Slices.
1) Clean but do not peel the sweet potatoes. Use about one half of a large sweet potato per person. This dish is surprisingly tasty and people always eat more of these than you think they will!
2) Slice the potatoes into about 1/2 inch slices by hand.
3) Pour a generous amount of rice bran oil onto a cookie sheet. Rub the sliced potatoes in the oil to coat both of the cut sides of potato pieces.
4) Cook in a 400° oven for about 20 minutes. Turn the potatoes after the first 10 minutes. Do not add salt before cooking. Let people add salt to taste if they wish at the table.
Cauliflower Slices Baked in Coconut Milk.
1) Take a whole cauliflower and slice it into large slices about 1/2 to 3/4 inches thick. Lay these into a glass baking pan and mostly cover the slices with coconut milk. One can of coconut milk is usually enough for a large cauliflower.
2) Bake at 350° for 20 to 25 minutes or until the cauliflower is cooked.
3) You could substitute Romanesco Broccoli for the cauliflower, which would make a beautiful dish given the contrast between the green of the Romanesco and the white coconut milk.
Gluten-free Persimmon Bread.
You can make this bread with regular flour if you want. But if there are non-gluten folks in the house, then use a substitute like Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free Flour
1) 1/2 cup butter (Vegan: 1/2 cup Coconut or Vegetable oil)
2) 1 tablespoon of water
3) 2 cups flour
4) 1 cup Sugar
5) 1/4 teaspoon vanilla
6) 1 teaspoon baking soda
7) 3 eggs (Vegan – 9 Tablespoons water and 3 tablespoons Flax Seed Meal)
8) 3 Ripe Persimmons – pureed
9) 1/2 cup nuts (optional)
10) Cream together the butter (or oil) and sugar until fluffy.
11) Add Vanilla
12) Add the Persimmons and water.
13) In a separate bowl sift together the Flour, Salt and Baking Soda. Then add Flour mixture to the batter along with the nuts. Mix until smooth.
14) Pour into a loaf pan and bake at 350º for 50-60 minutes. Cool well before cutting.
Alright. Those should keep you busy for your holiday season. Tasty and generally easy to create. Again let us know how you do.
As always – To Your Health.
Image courtesy of © Can Stock Photo Inc. / tifonimages
