Special Event Sunday! Vegan Thanksgiving
We did our small thanksgiving a little early (today), because J has his family’s one on Monday (the real day). I’m not a big fan of the smell of roasting turkey, to the point that it makes me pretty nauseous, so I’ll be skipping the big family event tomorrow and spending it chopping cranberries finely and sprinkling them all over one of Emmie’s wet food cakes in an attempt to be Thanksgiving festive.
picture by Eye of Einstein on Flickr used under CC
Last year I prepared a feast for myself, and ate it while house/cat sitting during other people’s long weekend getaways. This time, I tried to cook, while fasting for Yom Kippur, preparing a Break Fast meal (vegan matzo ball soup), and also cat sitting during other people’s long weekend getaways. Goal for next year: leave town. (I’m kidding… or am I?) Real goal for next year: Invite people over for a Turkey-less vegan thanksgiving.
My menu this year includes:
– Cornbread Muffins, solely because I love them and they make me happy.
– Onion gravy from Colleen Patrick-Goudreau’s 30 Day Vegan Challenge
– Grapefruit Blackpepper Cranberry Sauce based a bit on last year’s recipe
– The same cranberry stuffing from last year
– Stuffed pepper squash. Originally planned to make this cranberry-pear rice stuffing, but ended up making a lentil white rice stuffing with spiced veggies.
– The Apple Walnut Kale salad from Cupcakes and Kale listed below, except I used pecans and skipped the green onions. Remember to massage your kale!
– Two mini lentil loaves based on this recipe from My Vegan Cookbook. I skipped the red and green peppers and put celery, mushrooms, and carrots instead.
– J made a beautiful layered pumpkin pie cheesecake with an oatmeal cookie crust – I’m sure there will be more pictures of this one, once it cools.
– I made an apple crumble pie, also with the oatmeal cookie crust from Fat Free Vegan (except I put a mix of applesauce and olive oil in my crust – so not fat free! hurrah!)
I was so happy with the end result, my plate was covered in delicious food, and by the end of my meal I was pleasantly full, and not in a food coma.
A Savory Seitan Kale Galette from Happy Vegan.
An Apple Walnut Kale Salad from Cupcakes and Kale.
Pear Crisp Muffins from Where the Veggies Are adapted from Happy Herbivore
Gluten Free Baked Oatmeal Cranbery Pudding on xGFx via Ricki over at Diet, Dessert, and Dogs
Thanksgiving Ideas from It Ain’t Meat Babe
Sweet Potato Casserole from What Your Momma Didn’t Know.
What a beautiful feast! Everything on your menu sounds incredible. I hope you get to enjoy the leftovers all weekend long.
Happy Thanksgiving!
Wow, everything looks amazing! What a feast! I'm going to be checking out the recipe for the apple kale salad (yum!) and your Apple Crumble Pie looks fantastic.
I'm so impressed! What a meal. What matzoh ball soup recipe did you use last year? VWAV?
Oh my. Oh my.
Happy vegan thanksgiving!
Your meal looks amazing, I'd really like to try the onion gravy as well as the cornbread muffins
Beautiful photos, delicious looking dinner! I am smelling a roasting turkey right now and wish I wasn't.
wow, you went all out making so many dishes! mmm, and i feel like i can smell those garlicky smashed potatoes through the screen 🙂 i'm incredibly honoured that you included one of my dishes in your thanksgiving feast.
happy thanksgiving to you & yours! xo.
That looks like an awesome feast! What time is dinner tonight? Can we eat leftovers? Love! xox
What a sensational spread! I really like the look of your onion gravy, garlicky smashed potatoes, apple crumble pie, and your lentil loaf is adorable too. Happy thanksgiving! 😀
Everyone: THANK YOU! 🙂 It was great to prepare, and even greater to eat!
Lisa: We did enjoy leftovers today. It was even tastier!
Vegan.In.Brighton: That apple crumble pie is totally your fault! If you hadn't blogged about the tart at your farmers market, I'd never have made it!
Celyn: I used the Manischewitz matzo ball soup mix, with 1/2 cup of mushed up silken tofu instead of eggs. And threw in carrots and celery for a little extra flavour. (it was great, but I want to make it with real matzo meal on my own sometime soon)
Mandee the gravy and cornbread muffins are totally the two things most easily made gluten-free. The crust for the pies and crumble even originally called for sorghum flour. 🙂
Jess – Thank you for the ideas!
Inhergrace – Hehehe. Leftovers are all gone! I'm sorry! 😀
Mel – Happy Thanksgiving! Best part about making cute little lentil loaves from a bigger recipe is that there is still another one in the fridge! 🙂
Your spread looks so good! I want to come over to your house and help eat the leftovers. You can have some of mine if I can have some of yours. 🙂 And really, two stuffings… genius. That's always one of my favorite parts.
Wow, you sure know how to feast. Particular stand-outs to me are the stuffed squash and gorgeously plated lentil loaf!