Looking at the calendar yesterday I realized that we’re a lot further into November than I’d realized.  That means Thanksgiving is just around the corner, and I’d better start figuring out what I’m going to make!

With that in mind, I thought I’d go through past posts that would be appropriate for the holiday.  Let’s start with appetizers!  (Click on the photos for the original post and recipe.)

APPETIZERS

Hot Artichoke Dip

This Hot Artichoke Dip makes a great holiday appetizer.  It’s really easy to make, so you can spend more time on everything else you’ll be cooking.  It’s also a great dish to make for skeptical non-vegans because it’s creamy, decadent and delicious!

Cheezy Crackers

Cheezy Crackers are another great choice for pre-meal snacking.  They take just a little more effort, but you can make them a day or two ahead of time.  And your guests will be so impressed that you made crackers from scratch that it will be totally worth it!

Marinated Cheeze

Another make ahead dish is this Marinated Cheeze.  It’s so tasty on crackers or crusty bread, and you won’t have to worry about any vampire attacks during your meal since you and all your guests will have plenty of garlic breath perfuming the air.

Pepper-Crusted Cashew Goat Cheese

Since we’re talking cheese (creamy and cheesy seem to be a theme with me…), I have to post my favorite vegan cheese!  This Pepper-Crusted Cashew Goat Cheese does require some advance planning, but it’s so worth it.  It’s not difficult to make, though, so don’t be intimidated by the recipe.  I can also guarantee that it’s a safe bet to serve to non-vegans.  Whenever I make this it disappears almost as fast as I can put it out.

Union Square Cafe’s Bar Nuts

And finally, one of my all-time favorite snacks, The Union Square Cafe’s Bar Nuts.  These are incredibly easy to make, can be made ahead of time and reheated, and are so incredibly tasty.  You can use whatever nuts you like best, and the herbs and seasonings are perfect for Thanksgiving.

Okay, so now that we have a few appetizer ideas, let’s move onto to soup.  Normally I don’t serve soup with my Thanksgiving meal, but I’m thinking about doing it this year.  I have my eye on a cranberry and wild rice soup that I’d like to try out, but any of the following would be perfect on your Thanksgiving table.

SOUP

Butternut Squash and Apple Soup

This soup is sweet, savory and really yummy.  The recipe is a little bit more advanced, but the end flavor is worth the time and effort.

Cauliflower Bisque with Buttered Breadcrumbs

Ummmm… bisque.  This Cauliflower Bisque with Buttered Breadcrumbs is so delicious, and as I look at that photo I’m kicking myself for not making this more often.  Again, this is something you can very confidently serve to non-vegans.

Delicata Squash Bisque

Delicata Squash Bisque is incredibly easy, and one of the best soups I’ve ever tasted.  The quality of the vegetable broth you use is important here, so make sure to use a good one!

Okay, time for the main event.  For me, Thanksgiving is about sides (and it was even when I still ate turkey).  The past couple years I’ve also made a nut roast (two different ones last year) so that it feels like there’s a “main dish.”  Here are some of my favorite sides, along with that tasty nut roast.

THE MAIN EVENT

Roasted Brussels Sprouts

Don’t let Roasted Brussels Sprouts scare you.  If you’re afraid of them or have had bad experiences in the past, you have to try cooking them this way, and I promise you’ll feel differently.  These were such a huge hit last year.  They’re another one of those easy dishes that free up your time for the more complicated ones.  And you don’t have to sacrifice any flavor.

Green Bean Casserole

This Green Bean Casserole is one of my favorite dishes.  The recipe is a little more involved, but making this classic dish from scratch is worth it.  I plan to double the recipe this year since it went so quickly last year.

Mashed Potatoes

Of course it wouldn’t be Thanksgiving without Mashed Potatoes, at least for me.  I make a giant pot of these every year, mostly so that there’s enough for me to stuff myself on them.  I mean, let’s just be honest with each other.

“Poultry” Gravy

There’s only one thing that can possibly make mashed potatoes better and that’s…”Poultry” Gravy!  This stuff is magical.  I make a huge batch in the morning and keep it warm in a crock pot.  You have to have plenty for the meal, and extra for the leftovers!

Holiday Nut Roast

The gravy is also amazing on this Holiday Nut Roast.  This is another recipe that takes a bit more work than the others, but that’s what makes it special.  What seems like a very disparate list of ingredients come together to make a perfectly textured savory and delicious roast.  It’s almost like stuffing and a main dish combined.  Definitely worth the effort.

Sweet Potato Casserole

And to transition us to dessert, here’s my favorite Thanksgiving dish – SusanV’s Sweet Potato Casserole.  This is the best sweet potato casserole I’ve ever tasted.  I love having something sweet and spicy to contrast with all the savory foods on my Thanksgiving plate.  It makes for great left-overs too.

Okay, now for the real desserts!  It’s hard to stray from the classics, which for my family were always pumpkin and apple pie.  I was never a huge pumpkin pie fan (although I bet I’d feel differently now), but pumpkin cheesecake is something I can definitely get behind.

DESSERTS!

Pumpkin Patch Cheesecake

This version is creamy, delicious and perfectly pumpkin-y.  It’s also much easier to make than you’d expect.

Easy Refrigerator Cheesecake

If you’re looking for something even easier, this (almost) no-bake cheesecake has you covered.  You do have to bake the crust of this Easy Refrigerator Cheesecake, but it’s still one of the easiest dessert options out there.  It’s almost like pumpkin mousse, and it will definitely impress your non-vegan guests.

Frangipane Pear Crostata

If you want to skip the pumpkin all-together, you could make this Frangipane Pear Crostata.  It takes just a bit more effort than the cheesecakes, but it’s an elegant dessert that’s not too sweet, making it the perfect finale for a rich Thanksgiving meal.

German Apple Cake

While I’m not a huge apple pie fan, I love apple cake!  If you want to switch things up this year you could make this German Apple Cake in place of the pie.

Chocolate Chip Date Cake

Now, I know it isn’t traditional, but this Chocolate Chip Bundt Cake is one of my all-time favorite desserts.  It’s simply delicious.  The flavor and texture are awesome, and it bridges the gap between Thanksgiving and the winter holiday season to come.  You could even make mini-bundts like Jenn over at Cookin’ Vegan.

Hopefully these recipes will help get you started on your vegan Thanksgiving menu, or maybe if you’re not vegan they’ll give you an idea of something to serve your vegan or vegetarian guests.  Now I just need to figure out what my menu is going to be.  What are you guys planning to make for Thanksgiving this year?

We finally made it to the end of Vegan MoFo!  Part of me can’t believe how quickly the month flew by, and part of me can’t believe how long it took.  I’ve so enjoyed participating this year, and while it was definitely challenging at times, it was also really rewarding.  I wanted a little shot in the arm for C’est La Vegan, and I definitely got it!  I look forward to keeping up with posting now since I’m already in the habit of doing it.

I thought I’d do another Ultimate Uncheese post to wrap up MoFo this year.  For some reason I associate MoFo with vegan cheese, maybe because I started last year’s MoFo with cheese, and this year’s with a cheesy soup.  Whatever the reason, ending with this one seemed appropriate.  And since the holiday season is now in full swing, it certainly doesn’t hurt to have another appetizer idea!

As a former cheese addict, I can’t get enough of trying out different recipes in the hopes of recapturing that salty flavor and creamy texture that I remember.  I don’t miss it as much as I used to, but I do still occasionally get a craving.  Even though I already have a couple homemade cheeses that I love, I also love the pursuit of finding even better recipes.

So how did this recipe measure up?  While it was really tasty, it was definitely more of a white bean spread to me than a “cheese”.  Granted, the nut-based cheeses have a bit of an advantage because the texture and flavor are so rich from the fat in the nuts, and that’s a little harder to get from beans.

That being said, though, I would definitely make this again.  The flavor is fantastic, it’s very easy to make, and it also doesn’t call for any exotic ingredients.  I’ll just think of it as a really tasty bean spread rather than a cheese, and I’ll be very happy!

I bought some Rocky Road Bark from Sweet & Sara over the summer when I was stocking up on marshmallows for a camping trip, and I finally finished it off last week after hording it for months.  Of course as soon as I finished it I wanted more.

I thought, why not try my hand at making my own bark?  I figured that even if it didn’t turn out, at least I’d have a melted chocolate mess to enjoy.  And if it did work out, I might have a really easy holiday gift idea on my hands.  Win win!

When I got my dark chocolate out of the cabinet I found a container of Candy Cane Joe Joe crumbs, so I decided to change the plan from making a rocky road bark to making a mint cookie bark.  I had no idea how it would turn out, but I figured you can’t really go wrong with chocolate, cookie crumbs and marshmallows.  C’mon now.

Fortunately I had no reason to worry about this, because it tastes awesome!  It’s so easy to make that I’m kind of kicking myself for not making it sooner.  Really the hardest part for me was just cutting up the marshmallows, and you could just use minis if you don’t want to deal with that.  This doesn’t make a ton, so I’d recommend doubling the recipe for guests or holiday gifts.

Marshmallow Mint Cookie Bark

8 ounces non-dairy dark chocolate
6 Sweet & Sara regular sized marshmallows
1/3 cup Mint Cookie crumbs

Melt the chocolate in a double boiler.  While the chocolate is melting, chop the marshmallows.  (I tossed the cut edges in powdered sugar so they wouldn’t be so sticky.)

When the chocolate is melted, stir in the cookie crumbs.  Add the marshmallows, and pour the mixture into a wax-paper lined container or baking sheet, spreading it out so the marshmallows are in a somewhat even layer.

Chill until set.  You can cut it or break it apart to serve.  Enjoy!

On a separate note (although it does involve holiday treats…), I also wanted to let you guys know that Earth Balance’s new recipe site, “made just right”, kicked off their Holiday Baking contest today.  I’ll be entering, and if you’re interested in submitting as well, here’s how.  Good luck!

I was having a hard time deciding what to make for dessert this Thanksgiving.  I wanted to make something different, but still appropriate for the holiday.  There must have been some divine intervention on Wednesday, because I found myself suddenly thinking about a pumpkin trifle, and the rest was history!

I used the recipe for pumpkin muffins from Vegan with a Vengeance, but I baked the batter in two small loaf pans rather than muffin tins.  Then I made a double batch of the Butterscotch Pudding from The Joy of Vegan Baking using Silk Pumpkin Spice soy milk.  It was one giant pot of pudding, you guys.  And it was good.

I assembled the whole thing the next day by layering slices of the loaf with the pudding and MimicCreme Healthy Top whipped topping.  I was able to fit three layers of each.  I topped the whole thing off with a sprinkling of cinnamon, and then I just stared at it for a while.

It’s not all that often that I have the opportunity to make a trifle.  Puddings and custards are by far my favorite desserts, with cake a close second.  Getting to have both of them together with some creamy whipped topping thrown in for good measure is my dessert dream come true.  With seven people (and multiple helpings) we barely put a dent in this thing.  But I’m not complaining about having left-overs!  Hope you guys had a great Thanksgiving!

I’ve made these Ceci (Chickpeas) with Garlic and Sage a couple times now, and I think I’m finally getting the hang of this Michael Chiarello recipe.  The first time I made these I followed the recipe exactly, but I found my skillet very crowded and they just didn’t crisp up as much as I would have liked.  For this batch I halved the recipe, and unless you have a huge skillet (I used a 12-in), I would recommend doing the same thing.

These are so delicious, and they would make an outstanding Thanksgiving appetizer.  The sage is perfect for the holiday, and the lemon brightens these up nicely.  I didn’t add the optional chili, but I think I might do that next time I make these.  (I’m still a bit traumatized by some bad jalepeno burns I got on my hands a few years ago.  It was one of the most painful things I’ve ever felt, and I haven’t diced a fresh chili since that happened.  I might have to get over it and just wear some gloves, because I think the chili would be really good in this.)

The recipe is originally from the book “At Home with Michael Chiarello”, but I found the recipe online at 101 Cookbooks, so I feel okay re-posting here.  I changed the amounts to reflect my version of the recipe, but if you’re making it for a crowd I’d recommend doubling this.  Just make sure to fry the chickpeas in batches unless you have a skillet large enough to hold them in an even layer.

Ceci with Garlic and Sage

Cooking Notes: This technique lends itself to other beans, such as cooked runner beans and fava beans, and to fresh English peas.  Entertaining notes: You can fry the chickpeas 1 hour in advance of serving.  If you want to serve them warm, you can heat them up for a few minutes on a rimmed baking sheet in a  300°F oven.

2 cans (15 1/2 ounces each) chickpeas (garbanzo beans)
3/4 cup buttermilk [See Notes]
3/4 cup olive oil
1 1/2 cups Arborio Rice Coating (below)
1/4 cup thinly sliced garlic
15 fresh sage leaves
2 teaspoons thin serrano chili slices (optional)
Finely ground sea salt, preferably gray salt
Zest of 1 lemon, cut into julienne
Freshly ground black pepper

Drain the chickpeas in a colander, then rinse well under running cold water and pat dry with a paper towel. In a bowl, combine the chickpeas and buttermilk, stirring to coat evenly. Drain the chickpeas again in the colander, then place the colander over a clean bowl.

In a large saute pan, heat the olive oil over high heat. While the oil is heating, sprinkle the rice coating over the beans and shake the colander to coat the beans evenly. Repeat the process, using the coating that collects in the bowl. Don’t worry if the beans don’t absorb all the coating.

When the oil is very hot but not smoking, carefully add the beans, spreading them in an even layer. Cook, without stirring, until they are browned and crisp on the bottom, 3 to 5 minutes. Turn once with a spatula and add the garlic.

When the garlic turns brown, add the sage. When the sage turns crispy, add the chili slices, if using, and season with 1 teaspoon salt. At the last moment, add the lemon zest and pepper to taste. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the beans to paper towels to drain. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Makes about 3 1/2 cups.

Arborio Rice Coating

Cooking notes: If you have a spice mill, you can halve the recipe. Unlike the blender, the mill will successfully grind 1/2 cup rice.

1 cup Arborio rice
3 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 cup semolina flour
2 tablespoons finely ground sea salt, preferably gray salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Grind the rice in a blender until very fine. Put it in a bowl and add the all-purpose flour, semolina flour, salt, and pepper. Toss until well blended. Store the coating in a tightly sealed container in the freezer for maximum freshness. It will keep for several months.

Makes about 5 cups.

Notes: To make vegan buttermilk, add a teaspoon of apple cider vinegar or lemon juice to 3/4 cup unsweetened soy milk.  You can also you unsweetened MimicCreme in place of the buttermilk.  I only had extra virgin olive oil on hand so I fried these in canola oil, and it worked out fine.  Next time I make these I want to experiment with a different breading method – having to bread these in a colander over a bowl, and then re-toss them with leftover coating is kind of a pain.  I’m not sure if you can just toss these in a bowl with the coating, but I’ll probably try to do that next time I make these.  I’ll report back to let you know how it works!

For some reason I’ve really been wanting to cook with chestnut this year.  I have to admit that I’m intimidated to roast them myself, and they can also be a bit pricey.  Fortunately Trader Joe’s has pre-cooked vacuum-sealed packages of them that are so convenient to use and are also reasonable priced.  Aw yeah!

I started looking around online for recipe ideas and found a bunch for tasty sounding soups.  The weather has turned pretty chilly here so soup seemed like the perfect thing to make.  I was planning to do a shallot and leek base, but when I saw a container of mirepoix at Trader Joe’s, I thought I’d take the super easy route and use that instead.

Thanks to the pre-cooked/pre-cut products this soup was incredibly simple to make, but it tastes so rich and complex.  It would be an elegant soup to serve for Thanksgiving or any of the winter holidays, and you could easily double the recipe for a crowd.

Easy Chestnut Soup
serves 4 as a starter

1 tablespoon Earth Balance non-hydrogenated margarine
14.5-ounce container mirepoix (or about 1 cup each diced celery, onion and carrot)
1 large garlic clove, minced
1/2 cup Madeira wine
13-ounces (about 2 heaping cups) peeled and cooked chestnuts, chopped
4 cups vegetable broth (or 2 bouillon cubes mixed with 4 cups boiling water)
1/4 cup non-dairy cream
pinch white pepper
salt to taste

Melt the margarine in a soup pot over medium heat.  Add the mirepoix and a pinch of salt, and saute until it’s softened and cooked down, about 5 to 10 minutes.  Add the minced garlic and saute for a couple minutes, or until it’s fragrant.

Add the Madeira wine, and bring to a boil.  Cook until most of the liquid has evaporated.  Add the chestnuts and saute for a couple of minutes.

Add the vegetable broth, stir everything together, and partially cover the pot.  Simmer the soup for about 20 to 25 minutes, or until the carrots are very soft.

Transfer the soup to a blender, and carefully blend the mixture.  You may need to do this in batches, and depending on your blender, you may need to vent the lid.

Return the blended mixture to the pot and stir in the white pepper and non-dairy cream.  Taste for seasoning, and add salt if it needs it.  [The bouillon cubes with sea salt usually adds enough salt for my taste.]

To serve the soup, drizzle several drops of cream on top, and drag a knife through them to swirl the cream.  I also added a little bit of white truffle oil.  Enjoy!

I think I’ll try a different version of chestnut soup with shallots and maybe mushrooms, partly because I’m so excited to find inexpensive pre-cooked chestnuts.  I feel like I should take full advantage of them!  While this soup was fantastic, the amount of the carrots in the mirepoix made it a little more orange than I would have liked.  I also think that the slightly sweet chestnuts would be a great combination with earthy mushrooms.  Stay tuned for that recipe, but in the meantime, I hope you enjoy this one!

With Thanksgiving just a few days away, I thought I’d feature recipes this week that would work for the holiday, starting with these incredibly simple mini radish tartines.

Before designing a menu for afternoon tea, I’d never had a radish sandwich before.  I knew that radishes served with butter were a classic french treat, and also a common tea sandwich, but I had no idea that these simple ingredients could be so tasty until I tried that first sandwich.

Over the weekend I was browsing some Thanksgiving recipes on the blog Healthy Happy Life, and I came across this post for a radish and butter snack.  I loved the idea of serving these open-faced so that you can see the beautiful color of the radish (which is a bit hidden in the tea sandwiches), and I also loved her adorable pea shoot garnish.

I chose to use a baguette instead of crackers, but you could use whichever you like best.  This is so simple that you don’t really need a recipe – just spread some Earth Balance margarine on your baguette, arrange thinly sliced radishes on top, sprinkle with a touch of Maldon sea salt and a bit of pepper if you like, and top with a pea shoot.  (I’ll be honest, I think the pea shoots look great, but I ended up eating my pieces without them.)

These tartines are perfect little bites to serve before your Thanksgiving meal.  They’re nice and light (as long as you don’t slather on too much margarine, but I won’t tell anyone if you do), and they’re a nice change from the standard holiday appetizers.  To make things even easier on yourself you can slice the radishes the night before, and just assemble them when you’re ready to serve.  Voilà!

Guys, I’m feeling beat today.  It’s gray and drizzly, which is actually kind of nice, but it isn’t helping me to feel more awake.  It’s been a long week, I  have a busy weekend coming up, and then lots of cooking next week for Thanksgiving.

Why am I telling you all this?  Because this Cheesy Broccoli Casserole from The Ultimate Uncheese Cookbook was made for a day like this.  I could not believe how easy this was to make.  I was actually skeptical of how good it could possibly taste with such simple ingredients and directions.  It smelled so amazing in the oven, which gave me high hopes, and I was totally blown away when I tried it.

For me the book is worth it for this recipe alone, and I see myself making this over and over again.  I’ll probably add more broccoli next time, but this served up alongside some seasoned and grilled gardein “steak” strips made for a heavenly meal.

This recipe calls for umeboshi plum paste, which I’d had sitting in my cupboard forever, but had never actually used.  I think I was probably a little intimidated by it to be honest, but once I tasted it I was flipping through the book to find other recipes that call for it.  It’s awesome!  If you’ve never tried it, you definitely should.  And if you’re a former cheese addict like me, you should definitely check out this book.  I can’t wait to try more recipes, and hope to do at least one as a Thanksgiving appetizer next week.  Stay tuned for that!

Every autumn I admire the the piles of colorful peppers at the Farmers Market that seem to be overflowing from every stand this time of year.  They start to show up at the end of the summer season, and they look so beautiful that I’ve always felt like I should be buying them up like crazy.

Before this year, though, I couldn’t stand peppers (with the exception of green ones).  I’m still not sure why, but at some point I found that I could not only stand them, but I actually starting liking them!

This year when the peppers starting showing up, I was happy to grab a few to bring home and experiment with.  I really wanted to veganize my Mom’s recipe for stuffed peppers, but these guys were on the smaller side, and didn’t seem to have the right shape for that recipe.  (Although I do still hope to do that with green peppers are some point…)

Instead, I decided to keep it simple.  I cut the peppers into strips and sauteed them in some olive oil with thinly sliced onions and a pinch of salt.  I let the whole thing cook down and get nice and caramelized.  I cooked up some Field Roast Italian Sausages, which I highly recommend, and smothered them with Vegenaise and the pepper mixture.  Easy and tasty, two of my favorite things!

I was recently sent a copy of the vegan cookbook “The Kitchen & The Garden Patch” by Melissa Bergen.  Melissa wrote, designed and self-published this beautiful book, and she included a vintage kitchen linen and seed packet in my package.  So adorable!

This cookbook reminds me of my Mom’s cookbooks that I so enjoyed looking through as a little girl.  I love the size of the book, the design and of course, the recipes!  It feels like the kind of book you scribble notes in, splatter food on, and pass down through the generations.

Here’s a photo of Melissa and me at her book release party, where we were able to try some dishes from the cookbook.  Everything I sampled was absolutely delicious.  I might have had three pieces of cake.  But they were small.  ish.  What can I say?  It had cherry and almonds and the most amazing frosting.  I didn’t have a choice.

The first recipe I chose to make from the book was the “Peanut Butter Oatsies.”  These no-bake treats are really tasty, and the hardest part of making these was waiting for the chocolate to melt.  Since they’re stored in the freezer you can always have one on hand when you need a little snack.  They’re not too sweet, which I love.  Plus they have peanut butter and chocolate, my favorite combo.

I will note that some of the recipes in the book are more appropriate for people who already know how to cook, but I kind of like that about it.  That being said, there’s also a ton of information for beginners in the kitchen as well, so it really is appropriate for people of varying levels of cooking confidence.

I’m so impressed that Melissa did all of the work on this book herself, and I can’t encourage you enough to support her effort.  She’s really inspired me as I’ve been wanting to publish a cookbook myself for a while now.  After seeing what she was able to accomplish on her own I realized that you don’t need a publishing house to create something as amazing as “The Kitchen & The Garden Patch”, and I look forward to trying more of her recipes!