Happy Un-Turkey Day
There is one day in particular that the general public seems to miss-understand vegetarians: Thanksgiving. The entire day is centered around the roasting and eating of a magnificent turkey. Cooks spend hours crafting their perfect bird. It is the centerpiece to their holiday tables. Even the post-dinner activity (the nap) is induced by the consumption of this traditionally meaty feast. But what, you might ask, does a vegetarian eat on such a day? If there's no turkey, then what is there? To many a skeptic, the answer is presumably Tofurky, aka Enemy Number One. Tofurky will make any child quiver with fear and any male carnivore run for his life. I admit that, yes, I have prepared my fair share of Tofurkys in the past. But after coming to my senses (too processed and too fake), I wised up and started getting more creative at the holidays.
This year was no exception. I was interested in still having a protein as the star of my Thanksgiving spread. So, I swapped out the turkey for eggs, nature's perfect food. I prepared Butternut Squash Souffle, la piece de resistance. To accompany it, I prepared Braised Brussels Sprouts and Roasted Beets with Oranges and Thyme. We also started the meal with an Arugula Salad with Fennel, Persimmons, Goat Cheese, Walnuts and Cider Vinaigrette. The finale was Vegan Pumpkin Flan with Cranberry Coulis, Maple Mascarpone and Spicy Ginger Molasses Cookies. Oh yea, we feasted like vegetarian kings!
Butternut Squash Souffle: Yields 6 Servings
2 T grated Parmesan
2 1/2 T butter, plus more for greasing the ramekins
3 T gluten-free flour
1 cup hot almond milk (or regular milk)
1/2 t paprika
pinch of nutmeg
Salt and pepper, to taste
3/4 cup butternut squash puree
4 egg yolks
5 egg whites
1/2 cup grated Gruyere cheese
1. Heat oven to 400. Butter ramekins and coat evenly with grated Parmesan cheese.
2. Melt butter over medium-high heat in a medium saucepan. Add flour and cook for 1 minute, making sure not to allow the roux to color. Add all of the milk at once and whisk rapidly until combined. Add paprika, nutmeg, salt, pepper and squash. Remove from heat and add egg yolks, one at a time.
3. Beat egg whites until they form stiff peaks. Stir 1/4 of egg white mixture into squash base and add cheese. Gently in fold remaining whites. Evenly divide between prepared ramekins.
4. Turn oven down to 375 and place souffles in the oven. Bake for 20-30 minutes, or until golden and puffed.
Braised Brussels Sprouts: Yields 4 Servings
2 T butter
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 lbs Brussels Sprouts, cleaned and halved
pinch of crushed red pepper flakes
salt, to taste
2 T brown sugar
1 cup white wine
Heat butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add garlic and sweat until translucent and fragrant. Add sprouts, crushed red pepper, salt and brown sugar. Stir to combine. Pour in wine, cover, and cook until tender. Remove lid and continue cooking until liquid has evaporated and sprouts are caramelized.
Roasted Beets with Oranges and Thyme: Yields 4 Servings
1 bunch red beets, peeled and large diced
1 bunch striped or golden beets, peeled and large diced
1 small red onion, large diced
2 T olive oil
salt and pepper, to taste
2 oranges, supremed
2 T fresh thyme
Heat oven to 400. Toss beets and onion with olive oil, salt and pepper. Roast for 25 minutes or until tender and caramelized. Remove from oven and toss with oranges and thyme; readjust seasonings, if necessary. Serve warm.
Dessert deserves it's own little paragraph here. I have made pumpkin cheesecake just about every year since I first started cooking (that's a whole lot of pumpkin cheesecakes). So this year, I wanted to try something new. Also, I was searching for a dessert that was a little healthier and had a little less dairy. This is what I came up with: Vegan Pumpkin Flan with Maple Mascarpone, Cranberry Coulis and Spicy Ginger Molasses Cookies. It was awesome! The flan was loaded with traditional pumpkin pie flavors and was accented nicely by the soft mascarpone cream. The coulis added a bright acidity to the dish, easily perking up the flavors. The cookies provided that satisfying crunch, a necessary contrast from the softness of the rest of the dish. On the whole, it was a well-composed dessert and I admittedly licked my plate clean. Hope you do too!
Vegan Pumpkin Flan: Yields 4 Servings
2 cups almond milk
2 T agar flakes, ground
1/2 cup maple syrup (or to taste)
1 cup pumpkin
1 t cinnamon
1/2 t ginger
1/2 t cloves
1/4 t nutmeg
pinch of salt
1 T cornstarch (dissolved in 2 T water)
Heat almond milk in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add agar and gently simmer, stirring frequently, until dissolved (about 8 minutes). Add maple, pumpkin and spices. Whisk to combine. Whisk in cornstarch slurry; bring to a boil and turn off heat. Pour into 4 small ramekins and refrigerate until set. Invert before serving.
Note: To remove the flan easier from the ramekins, run a knife around the edge and dip the bottom into very hot water for 5 seconds before inverting. When upside down, tap the edge gently.
Maple Mascarpone: Yields 4 Servings
1/4 cup Mascarpone cheese
2 T maple syrup
Mix to combine. Spoon or pipe onto flan.
Cranberry Coulis: Yields 4-6 Servings
1/2 cup cranberries
1/4 cup sugar
2 T orange juice
Simmer until cranberries have popped and are tender. Puree until smooth, adding additional liquid (water or orange juice) if necessary. Strain through a fine sieve.
Spicy Ginger Molasses Cookies: Yields 3 Dozen Cookies
Note: Unlike many gluten-free baked goods, these keep very well! Also, the dough can be scooped into balls and frozen for up to 1 month. Simply thaw and roll in sugar before baking.
2 3/4 cups all-purpose gluten-free flour mix
1 1/4 t xanthan gum
1 t cinnamon
3/4 t ginger
1/2 t cardamom
1/2 t cloves
pinch of nutmeg
1/2 t baking soda
1/8 t salt
1 stick unsalted butter, melted
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup molasses
1 egg
Granulated sugar, for coating
1. Whisk together flour, xanthan gum, spices, baking soda and salt.
2. Mix butter, brown sugar and molasses until combined; stir in egg. Slowly add dry ingredients. Refrigerate for 2 hours.
3. Heat oven to 350. Using a small ice cream scoop, scoop dough into balls. Roll in granulated sugar and place on a parchment-lined sheet pan. Bake for 15 minutes, or until golden and tender.
Heads-up: it is a little difficult to tell when these cookies are done. They shouldn't be firm, and should have that cookie-softness. The result will be a cookie that is crunchy on the outside and tender/chewy on the inside. Delicious!
I know that this a lot of recipes to take in at one time. It was honestly a great meal and I'm proud for having created it. But, this was definitely my last feast for a little while. From here on out, I'm making simpler meals that don't take forever to make. They will be a little lighter on both my wallet and my waistline. I have made 2 simple dinners since this meal and can't wait to share their simplistic goodness with you. Now, if I could just find time to post on this thing regularly...
This year was no exception. I was interested in still having a protein as the star of my Thanksgiving spread. So, I swapped out the turkey for eggs, nature's perfect food. I prepared Butternut Squash Souffle, la piece de resistance. To accompany it, I prepared Braised Brussels Sprouts and Roasted Beets with Oranges and Thyme. We also started the meal with an Arugula Salad with Fennel, Persimmons, Goat Cheese, Walnuts and Cider Vinaigrette. The finale was Vegan Pumpkin Flan with Cranberry Coulis, Maple Mascarpone and Spicy Ginger Molasses Cookies. Oh yea, we feasted like vegetarian kings!
Butternut Squash Souffle: Yields 6 Servings2 T grated Parmesan
2 1/2 T butter, plus more for greasing the ramekins
3 T gluten-free flour
1 cup hot almond milk (or regular milk)
1/2 t paprika
pinch of nutmeg
Salt and pepper, to taste
3/4 cup butternut squash puree
4 egg yolks
5 egg whites
1/2 cup grated Gruyere cheese
1. Heat oven to 400. Butter ramekins and coat evenly with grated Parmesan cheese.
2. Melt butter over medium-high heat in a medium saucepan. Add flour and cook for 1 minute, making sure not to allow the roux to color. Add all of the milk at once and whisk rapidly until combined. Add paprika, nutmeg, salt, pepper and squash. Remove from heat and add egg yolks, one at a time.
3. Beat egg whites until they form stiff peaks. Stir 1/4 of egg white mixture into squash base and add cheese. Gently in fold remaining whites. Evenly divide between prepared ramekins.
4. Turn oven down to 375 and place souffles in the oven. Bake for 20-30 minutes, or until golden and puffed.
Braised Brussels Sprouts: Yields 4 Servings
2 T butter
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 lbs Brussels Sprouts, cleaned and halved
pinch of crushed red pepper flakes
salt, to taste
2 T brown sugar
1 cup white wine
Heat butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add garlic and sweat until translucent and fragrant. Add sprouts, crushed red pepper, salt and brown sugar. Stir to combine. Pour in wine, cover, and cook until tender. Remove lid and continue cooking until liquid has evaporated and sprouts are caramelized.
Roasted Beets with Oranges and Thyme: Yields 4 Servings
1 bunch red beets, peeled and large diced
1 bunch striped or golden beets, peeled and large diced
1 small red onion, large diced
2 T olive oil
salt and pepper, to taste
2 oranges, supremed
2 T fresh thyme
Heat oven to 400. Toss beets and onion with olive oil, salt and pepper. Roast for 25 minutes or until tender and caramelized. Remove from oven and toss with oranges and thyme; readjust seasonings, if necessary. Serve warm.
Dessert deserves it's own little paragraph here. I have made pumpkin cheesecake just about every year since I first started cooking (that's a whole lot of pumpkin cheesecakes). So this year, I wanted to try something new. Also, I was searching for a dessert that was a little healthier and had a little less dairy. This is what I came up with: Vegan Pumpkin Flan with Maple Mascarpone, Cranberry Coulis and Spicy Ginger Molasses Cookies. It was awesome! The flan was loaded with traditional pumpkin pie flavors and was accented nicely by the soft mascarpone cream. The coulis added a bright acidity to the dish, easily perking up the flavors. The cookies provided that satisfying crunch, a necessary contrast from the softness of the rest of the dish. On the whole, it was a well-composed dessert and I admittedly licked my plate clean. Hope you do too!Vegan Pumpkin Flan: Yields 4 Servings
2 cups almond milk
2 T agar flakes, ground
1/2 cup maple syrup (or to taste)
1 cup pumpkin
1 t cinnamon
1/2 t ginger
1/2 t cloves
1/4 t nutmeg
pinch of salt
1 T cornstarch (dissolved in 2 T water)
Heat almond milk in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add agar and gently simmer, stirring frequently, until dissolved (about 8 minutes). Add maple, pumpkin and spices. Whisk to combine. Whisk in cornstarch slurry; bring to a boil and turn off heat. Pour into 4 small ramekins and refrigerate until set. Invert before serving.
Note: To remove the flan easier from the ramekins, run a knife around the edge and dip the bottom into very hot water for 5 seconds before inverting. When upside down, tap the edge gently.
Maple Mascarpone: Yields 4 Servings
1/4 cup Mascarpone cheese
2 T maple syrup
Mix to combine. Spoon or pipe onto flan.
Cranberry Coulis: Yields 4-6 Servings
1/2 cup cranberries
1/4 cup sugar
2 T orange juice
Simmer until cranberries have popped and are tender. Puree until smooth, adding additional liquid (water or orange juice) if necessary. Strain through a fine sieve.
Spicy Ginger Molasses Cookies: Yields 3 Dozen CookiesNote: Unlike many gluten-free baked goods, these keep very well! Also, the dough can be scooped into balls and frozen for up to 1 month. Simply thaw and roll in sugar before baking.
2 3/4 cups all-purpose gluten-free flour mix
1 1/4 t xanthan gum
1 t cinnamon
3/4 t ginger
1/2 t cardamom
1/2 t cloves
pinch of nutmeg
1/2 t baking soda
1/8 t salt
1 stick unsalted butter, melted
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup molasses
1 egg
Granulated sugar, for coating
1. Whisk together flour, xanthan gum, spices, baking soda and salt.
2. Mix butter, brown sugar and molasses until combined; stir in egg. Slowly add dry ingredients. Refrigerate for 2 hours.
3. Heat oven to 350. Using a small ice cream scoop, scoop dough into balls. Roll in granulated sugar and place on a parchment-lined sheet pan. Bake for 15 minutes, or until golden and tender.
Heads-up: it is a little difficult to tell when these cookies are done. They shouldn't be firm, and should have that cookie-softness. The result will be a cookie that is crunchy on the outside and tender/chewy on the inside. Delicious!
I know that this a lot of recipes to take in at one time. It was honestly a great meal and I'm proud for having created it. But, this was definitely my last feast for a little while. From here on out, I'm making simpler meals that don't take forever to make. They will be a little lighter on both my wallet and my waistline. I have made 2 simple dinners since this meal and can't wait to share their simplistic goodness with you. Now, if I could just find time to post on this thing regularly...
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