Giving Thanks to Our Turkey by Not Eating Him: A Tale of 2 Vegan Thanksgivings

So the question I receive the most leading up to the holidays is, "What do you eat for Thanksgiving?"  Well let me tell you, this year's 100% animal-free feast has officially topped any other Thanksgiving I can remember as a child of skin-covered soggy brown turkey flesh, canned cranberry-flavored high fructose corn syrup, and butter-laden mounds of potatoes.


For my first vegan "feast," my 4 lovely roommates and I each made a dish or two then brought them together in a harmonious celebration the Monday before we went on Thanksgiving Break.  And no, none of my roomies are vegans, but they thoroughly enjoyed (and got over-stuffed) with the veg feasting that took place.  Here are a few of the highlights and recipes...

Pre-Thanksgiving Vegan Feast Menu
Original and Garlic Butter Pillsbury Crescent Rolls
Whole Cranberry Sauce
Baked Lemony Asparagus
Bay-Seasoned Sweet Potato Baked "Fries"
Ultimate Garlic Mashed Potatoes
Maple-Glazed Tofu with Sourdough-Spinach Stuffing and Apple-Cranberry Chutney
Mulled Wine
Spiced Hot Apple Cider
Pumpkin Maple Chocolate Chip Cookies
Apple Pomegranate Crisp

For the main course (taking place of the usual turkey) I made a Maple-glazed tofu "sandwich" filled with herby sourdough-spinach stuffing and topped with cranberry-apple chutney.  I found the recipe while browsing Vegnews Mag's online recipes here.  Escaping the cliche vegetarian "Tofurkey" route, I decided to use fresh, from-scratch ingredients vs. the packaged, preservative-laden fake-turkey loaf.  Heck, I don't want my food to look like turkey, let alone be turkey, therefore, sorry Tofurkey; I gotta newfound vegetarian Thanksgiving main dish!

Starting in left corner, moving clockwise; whole cranberry sauce, slightly deconstructed Maple-tofu main dish, Bay-seasoned sweet potato fries, (corner of the) Pumpkin maple chocolate chip cookies, Garlicy mashed potatoes, Original and Garlic Butter crescent rolls.

Although the main course is, of course, a vital part of any Thanksgiving meal, the sides are the part I love best and boost the dinner from a "dinner" to an I-can't-believe-all-this-food-in-front-of-me-right-now-and-I-can-eat-it-and-not-look-like-a-glutton-cause-it's-Thanksgiving type of meal.  Our first side, the Classic Garlic Mashed Potatoes, made by my beautiful Russian roomie, Anna.

Anna makes these babies fluffy but dense, salty and garlicy but not in an overpowering way.  The texture AND flavor combine to make the ultimate creamy, dense, mashed potatoes.

Anna's (vegan) Mashed Potatoes

One bag (6-8 medium-sized) baking potatoes

1 gallon water (for boiling)

1/2 cup vegan margarine (Earth Balance or Smart Balance Organic Original)

1 tb. salt

5 cloves garlic, crushed

In the largest pot you have, heat a gallon or more of water until boiling.  Place skinned, whole potatoes in boiling water and leave them boiling for about 10-20 minutes, or until tender when pierced with a fork.  Let sit for a few minutes to cool, then pour out water, leaving a tiny bit of liquid in the bottom of the bowl.

Take a mashing device and mash potatoes until they are not whole.  Add margarine while still hot.  Then, to reach a creamier consistency, use an electric mixer at a medium speed.  Whip for 2 minutes.  Slowly add garlic and salt while continuing to mix.  Taste and add a bit more salt, freshly ground black pepper, or garlic to taste. Serves 7.

Again starting in left upper corner and moving clockwise, we see Bay-seasoned sweet potato fries,  Pumpkin Maple Chocolate Chip cookies, Anna's Delicious Mash, a (shadowy) view of some simple baked Asparagus, Garlic Butter and Original Crescent rolls, and finally, the Maple Glazed Tofu.


I'm sure you're thinking, "Why are there Pillsbury Crescent rolls on a vegan menu, let alone Garlic Butter flavored Crescent rolls; there's no way those are vegan!"  Well guess what, you're WRONG.  They are "accidentally" vegan as I like to call it.  Sure, they're not fresh and healthy and full of good things that I like in my breads such as flax and whole grains, but they sure did complement our mini Thanksgiving and reminded me of when I used to "pop" the  Pillsbury can by twisting the top.  The raw dough is really sweet, and I remember stealing little nibbles of it as I rolled the triangles into swirly little crescent moons.  But when they get baked, they turn into sensuous mountains of crisp but tender and lightly dough-y rolls that are perfect for wiping that extra cranberry sauce or mashed potato remnants of your plate.
Here is a link to see the ingredients: http://www.wegmans.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?langId=-1&storeId=10052&catalogId=10002&productId=352353


Unfortunately, My roommates Lara (who bakes for a living and is absolutely wonderful at it!) has been experimenting with vegan desserts.  So she made deliciously moist Pumpkin Maple Chocolate Chip Cookies, which were a nice break from the vegan pumpkin pie I usually eat around the holidays (which is easily made vegan.)  Her cookies had almost a cake-like texture and were moist on the outside.  Slightly warmed, the ooey, gooey chocolate chips gleamed in the candlelight, causing me to lust after them even after I was full from all the other dishes.  I had room for both a cookie and my bee-eautiful roommate, Leanna's, ultra-healthy but notsohealthy tasting Apple-pomegranate Crisp.  Unfortunately, Lara's recipe is her own secret recipe, so you'll have to take my word for it that they were delicious!  However, Leanna's recipe can be found below.

Leanna's Apple-Pomegranate Crisp

4 medium apples- peeled, cored, & sliced

1/2 pomegranate, skin and light-colored membrane removed

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 tablespoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/2 cup rolled oats

1/2 cup ground flax meal (replacing the 1/2 cup of flour in the original recipe)

a generous drizzle (or slightly under 1/4 cup) agave syrup (replacing 1/2 cup white sugar)

1/2 cup vegan margarine (EarthBalance or SmartBalance Original Organic)

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.  With a folded paper towel, lightly cover a 9x13 inch baking pan in olive oil.  In a large bowl, combine the sliced apples, pomegranate buds,cinnamon, brown sugar, and nutmeg.  Spread into the oiled pan.  Then combine the oats, flax meal, and agave.  Take the margarine in chunks and rub it into the slightly damp mixture, creating a crumb-like substance.  After this mixture is consistently crumbly, sprinkle over top of the fruit and spices.  Bake for 45 minutes, checking to make sure the apples are totally soft.  Let stand before serving, but make sure you serve it warm with a side of either apple cider or mulled wine! (recipes below)

For a little measure of merriment, the meal was not complete without a few fun beverages.  Trader Joe's mulling spices were used in a crockpot of both red wine and fresh-pressed apple cider.  A quarter cup of sugar was dissolved in the heated wine to add a sweeter, sublter flavor.  The hot apple cider, which has always been a tradition for me at both Thanksgiving and Christmas, was further enhanced by serving in a big mug with a cinnamon stick and slice of orange bobbing in the hot, spicy drink.  Perfect to cleanse the palette and keep us warm in our cold apartment!
One last tip for a nice, spin-on-the-traditional, cruelty-free Thanksgiving: dress up as Pilgrims and Indians.  We did, and it made for some great pictures while managing to add a splash of traditional Thanksgiving authenticity through our outfits. whether you celebrate with a turkey or with maple-glazed tofu, you will think our feast is bangin', there's no doubt about it!