Thanksgiving Dinner Side Dishes - Yum!

For me, it really is all about the side dishes. Lots and lots of delicious veggies!  Here are some quick and delicious side dishes.

SPICY CORN
- 2 cups of frozen organic corn
- 1 tsp each: garlic powder, chili powder, lime juice
-  ½ tsp cayenne
- 1-2 Tbsp of Vegan Parmesan cheese or nutritional yeast

DIRECTIONS:
- Mix all spices and add to frozen corn.
- Heat up in microwave or on stove top.
- Sprinkle with cheese or yeast and serve.

OVEN ROASTED BALSAMIC BRUSSEL SPROUTS:
- 3 cups Brussel sprouts cut in half
- 3 Tbsp each: balsamic vinegar and olive oil
- Salt and pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS:
- Heat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Arrange Brussel sprouts on a baking sheet.
- Mix together oil, vinegar, salt and pepper and drizzle over sprouts.
- Bake in the oven for 25-30 minutes.

MAPLE CARROTS:
- 5-6 medium carrots, sliced on diagonal
- 1 Tbsp each: Vegan butter and maple syrup
- 2 tsp fresh rosemary, chopped
- Salt & pepper

DIRECTIONS:
- Boil carrots in water for about 15 minutes.
- Drain and stir in maple syrup, butter, rosemary, salt and pepper.

ROASTED ROOT VEGGIES WITH CURRY
- 4-5 cups of peeled and chopped root veggies: carrots, parsnips, turnip
- 1 large onion, chopped in big chunks
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 2 tsp curry powder
- 4 garlic cloves, chopped fine
- Salt & pepper
- 2-3 Tbsp Cilantro or parsley, chopped

DIRECTIONS:
- Preheat oven to 425. Toss all ingredients except cilantro together and layer on to two baking sheets. Cook for 15 minutes and turn over (or just stir them around). Cook another 15 minutes. Sprinkle with cilantro and serve.

OPTIONS:
- Replace curry powder with 1 tsp each: rosemary and thyme

GARLIC MASHED POTATOES
- 8 medium potatoes cut in chunks, peel if you prefer
- 3-4 Tbsp of vegan butter
- 5 cloves of roasted garlic (see note)
- salt, pepper and chives

DIRECTIONS
- Put potatoes in a large pot and cover with cold water. Boil for about 30 minutes.
- Drain potatoes and add to a large bowl. Add butter, salt and pepper.
- Mash with a potato masher or use a hand mixer (don't over mix).
- Mash the roasted garlic and stir into potatoes.
- Taste and add more salt and pepper if needed. Sprinkle with chives and serve.

NOTE:
- To roast garlic, wrap cloves in tin foil add a few drops of olive oil and roast in oven at 400 for 30 minutes.

OPTIONS:
- Replace potatoes with sweet potatoes. Replace garlic with a small sprinkle of cinnamon and nutmeg.

Korean Tofu Stir-Fry - So Good!

The good thing about a stir-fry is you can add just about anything you like. This recipe has a Korean inspired flavors but you can easily change up the sauce and the veggies to whatever you like!

photo by VeganKitchn

Korean Tofu Stir-Fry (serves 2-3)

-  1 16 oz package of organic extra-frim tofu, dried and cut into cubes (see note below)
-  1 carrot, peeled and sliced thin
-  1 small onion, chopped
-  1 cup of each: mushrooms-sliced; cauliflower florets; red pepper-sliced into strips
-  2 green onions, sliced
-  1/2 cup of organic cornmeal plus a pinch of salt and pepper
-  1-2 Tbsp olive oil
Sauce:
-  1/4 cup of Organic Soy sauce
-  2 Tbsp of Sesame Oil
-  2 garlic gloves, minced
-  1 Tbsp of Sesame Seeds
-  1/2 tsp of dried red pepper flakes or a tsp of hot pepper minced
-  1 Tbsp of organic cane sugar

Directions:
-  Mix all the ingredients together for the sauce.
- Once your tofu has been drained and cut into cubes, dredge it in the seasoned cornmeal.
- Heat up a large pan to medium high and add about 1 tbsp olive oil. Place the tofu cubes in the pan. Heat one side for about 2-3 minutes and then turn over and heat for 2-3 minutes. Remove from pan and reserve.
- Add more olive oil and add the onion, cook for 1 minute. Add the rest of the veggies and cook, stirring often for about 3-4 minutes.
- Add sauce to the pan, stir for about 1 minute.
- Add cooked tofu to the pan, stir for about 30 seconds.
- Serve with cooked basmati rice or noodles. 

NOTE: An easy way to drain tofu is to wrap the entire block in several pieces of paper towel and then set a heavy object on it. I use a clean brick but you can place a plate on top and then a heavy food can of anything. Let it drain from 10 minutes to an hour.

Barbeque Season is Here!

Cookouts have been typically meat-laden, but you can easily change that. Putting together a Vegan barbeque can be simple and delicious. If you’re not sure where to start, try some of these tasty cruelty-free recipes – ENJOY!

These recipes serve 6 but you can easily change them up to whatever you need.

Grilled Corn with Chili and Lime

6 ears of corn
1 Lime cut into wedges – one per ear of corn
2 Tbsp. Chili powder
2 tsp. Cayenne powder
2 tsp Sea Salt

Directions:
- Preheat grill to medium high and lightly brush grill with oil.
- Peel corn and place on grill, turning occasionally for about 20 minutes. Corn should have charred spots.
- Mix together the chili powder, cayenne and salt.
- Transfer corn to serving platter, squeeze lime juice over corn and sprinkle with spices.

photo by One Green Planet

Portobello Mushroom Burgers

6 Portobello mushrooms
½ C of balsamic vinegar
3 Tbsp soy sauce
1 Tbsp Olive oil
2 tsp each: garlic flakes (or minced fresh garlic), dried basil, oregano
Salt and pepper
Whole Wheat Buns

TOPPINGS: Sliced tomato, sliced avocado, sliced onion, Vegan cheese (Follow Your heart is delicious)

Directions:
-  Clean mushrooms and remove stems. Place in a shallow bowl smooth side up
-  Mix vinegar, soy, oil and spices together and pour over mushrooms. Let sit for 15-30 minutes.
-  Preheat grill to medium high and lightly brush grill with oil.
- Grill for 5-8 minutes per side. Top with cheese if using for the last 2 minutes.
- Serve on a bun and top with condiments and veggies.

Vegan Potato Salad

1.5 pounds of baby potatoes – red and purple work best but you can use any type
3 cups of cut raw veggies: red and green peppers, celery, onions, carrots, frozen corn and green onions
1/3 C of vegan mayo
3 Tbsp of pickle juice plus 3 Tbsp of chopped dill pickles
3 Tbsp of dried dill
Salt and pepper

Directions:
-  In a large pot, cover the cleaned potatoes with cold water and 1 tsp of salt. Bring to a boil over high heat and cook for about 10 minutes.
-  Mix mayo, pickle juice, chopped pickles, dill and salt and pepper.
-  Drain potatoes and add dressing while potatoes are hot.
- Once potatoes have cooled slightly place in fridge until they come to about room temperature.
-  Add all of the cut fresh veggies and refrigerate until using (at least one hour before serving).

photo by The Food Channel

Mint Watermelon Lemonade

10 cups of watermelon
4 lemons, squeezed
2 tsp of lemon zest
6 sprigs of fresh mint
Ice Cubes

Directions:
-  Place the watermelon, lemon juice and zest into a blender or food processor.
-  Pour over ice and add mint sprigs.

These are just a few ideas, the possibilities are endless. For convenience and variety, there are loads of great vegan hotdogs, sausages, chicken burgers and beef burgers available at most grocery stores. If they don’t carry them, ask.

Easy Vegan Substitutes

Being Vegan is slowly becoming more mainstream. If you are new to this lifestyle choice and want to try converting some of your favorite recipes to Vegan, here is a list of some substitutes you can easily make to adjust your recipes.

Milk:  It is easy to substitute cow’s milk in any recipe. Use any nut milk, soy milk, rice milk, coconut or hemp milk in equal substitute amounts. For buttermilk, add 1 tablespoon of vinegar or lemon juice to your plant-based milk in the amount needed.

Cheese: So many choices out there. For vegan cheese lovers, Soy cheese melts, spreads and tastes like the real thing, without all the saturated fat! Nutritional yeast is another great choice!

Eggs: There are several vegan egg replacements. Tofu is quite often used when making a scrambled egg dish. When baking, you can use mashed bananas, applesauce, Ener-G egg replacer, a flax egg (1 tablespoon ground flax seeds plus 3 tablespoons water or other liquid), or soft tofu.

Butter: Vegan margarines are available in most grocery stores. You can also use sunflower, olive or even coconut oil. For breakfast, toast with mashed avocado is amazing.

Beef and chicken stock: You can easily sub vegetable or mushroom stock or even water for most recipes.

Meat: There are tons of meat substitutes on the market today. In recipes you can use tofu, Seitan, Tempeh, TVP (Textured Vegetable Protein – it tastes better than it sounds) and chickpeas or other beans. You can also find veggie bacon and ground beef, veggie deli slices, premade veggie burgers, meatballs, sausage patties, and even soy chicken patties and nuggets.

Honey: Maple syrup and Agave can be used usually measure for measure. There are a lot of sweetener substitutes as well. I would avoid corn based sweeteners unless they are certified organic.

Sour Cream and Yogurt: Both can be subbed with soy or coconut yogurt. There are also commercially made vegan yogurts available.

Vegan Soups Made Easy

photo by peasinablog.com

ROASTED CARROT SOUP – Can Freeze

-   3 cups of carrots, peeled and cut into ½  pieces
-   2 cups of parsnips, peeled and cut into ½ pieces
-   1 medium onion, cut into big pieces
-   1 Tbsp. Olive oil
-   Salt and pepper
-   2 cups of veggie broth
-   1 tsp each: turmeric, cumin, chili powder

DIRECTIONS:
-   Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
-   Toss veggies in olive oil and add spices and salt and pepper.
-    Spread onto baking sheet lined with tin foil and bake for 35 minutes (stir once in a while).
-   Let cool a little and add veggies to blender. Add veggie broth ¼ cup at a time until it is the consistency you like. Reheat for about 3-4 minutes.

OPTIONS:
-   Add one large chopped Sweet Potato and reduce the carrots and parsnips to 1 C each.
-   Use an immersion blender instead of a blender.
-   Add a tsp of curry powder to veggies before cooking and remove chili powder.
-   Add a sliced/peeled apple to veggies last 10 minutes of cooking time.

photo by veglibrary.com

MUSHROOM SOUP

-   2 Tbsp of Vegan butter or Olive oil
-   1 onion, chopped
-   5 cups of mushrooms – any kind, a mix is good
-   4 cups of mushroom or veggie broth
-   ½  cup of white wine or sherry
-   1 tsp each: thyme and tarragon and mustard
-   Salt & pepper

DIRECTIONS:
-   Heat up butter/oil in a large pan over medium heat. Add onion and cook for 5 minutes. Add mushrooms and cook for 5 minutes. Add spices and mustard and cook for a minute or two.
-   Add stock and wine, salt & pepper.
-   Bring to a boil and the lower heat to medium low and cook for about 25 minutes.
-   Let cool slightly. Take a bit of the onion/mushrooms out of the pan. Use an immersion blender and blend the rest. Add broth or water if it gets too thick. Add back in the mushroom/onions that you took out. Serve with Vegan sour cream.

Easy Vegan Tacos

photo by cookeatdelicious.com

TOFU TACOS

-   5 whole wheat tortillas
-    8 ounces of extra firm tofu
-   1 Tbsp each: smoked paprika, thyme
-   1 tsp each: cumin, garlic powder, pepper
-    ½ tsp cayenne
-   1 Tbsp Olive Oil

CABBAGE SLAW:
-   1 cup each: red and green cabbage, sliced thin
-   ¼ cup of apple cider vinegar
-   Salt & pepper

AVOCADO CREMA:
-   2 avocados
-   2 garlic cloves, mined
-   1/3 cup of lime juice, fresh or bottled
-   1 ½ Tbsp olive oil
-   Salt & pepper
- Cilantro or parsley, chopped (optional)

DIRECTIONS:
-   Drain and rinse tofu and press it between kitchen towels and weight it down.
-   Preheat oven to 400 and line baking sheet with parchment paper.
-   Combine cabbage, vinegar and salt/pepper.
-   Mix spices: paprika, thyme, cumin, garlic powder, cayenne and pepper.
-   Cut tofu into 1 inch pieces and lightly coat with olive oil. Bake in oven for 10 minutes.
-   Remove tofu from oven and sprinkle with spices.
-   Heat 1 Tbsp olive oi in large pan on medium heat and add tofu. Cook for about 5 minutes per side.
-   Place all ingredients for Crema in blender and blend until smooth.
-  Warm tortillas and add tofu, slaw and crema. Top with cilantro if using.

OPTIONS:
-   Add chopped tomatoes, rinsed and drained black beans, and chopped jalapenos.
-   Replace tofu with black beans, chopped mango and jalapeños.
-   Buy packaged coleslaw.

Thanksgiving Main Dishes

For a lot of families, it is all about the turkey. Our Vegan Thanksgiving is all about the taste! Check out these great ideas for an amazing meat-free dinner.

Our holiday dinners always include a holiday roast from Gardein. They offer full stuffed roasts with gravy and cranberry sauce, or for a smaller meal you can use their delicious individual Turk'y cutlets. Either way you will definitely not miss the meat!

ROASTED ACORN SQUASH WITH WILD RICE

Roasted Acorn Squash
- 2 acorn squash, halved lengthwise and seeds removed
- 1 Tbsp. Vegan butter, melted
- 1 Tbsp. light brown sugar, packed
- salt and pepper

DIRECTIONS:
- Heat the oven to 450 degrees F and place the rack in the center of the oven.
- Place the 4 squash halves, cut side up on a baking sheet, brush each half with the melted butter. Make sure to brush the tops and the centers of each squash so that the entire surface area has been coated. Sprinkle each half with some of the brown sugar and season with salt and pepper. Roast in the oven until just fork tender, about 20-30 minutes.

Wild Rice Salad
- 2 cups freshly cooked wild rice (1 cup uncooked)
- 3/4 cup pecans, toasted and finely chopped
- 1/2 cup dried cranberries, finely chopped
- 1/4 cup fresh basil, finely chopped
- Grated zest of 1 naval orange
- Juice of 2 naval oranges
- Salt and pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS:
- Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees F.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the warm wild rice, pecans, cranberries, basil, and orange zest. Stir well to combine and pour in the orange juice and season with salt and pepper. Taste and adjust seasoning as necessary.
- Divide the wild rice mixture among the squash halves, about a 1/2 cup each. Return the stuffed squash to the oven and continue to bake at 350 degrees F for an additional 20-25 minutes or until the squash are fork tender and golden brown around the edges.
- When ready to serve garnish with additional chopped basil and orange zest if desired

Recipe courtesy of Beardandbonnet.com

Coming up next - it is all about the desserts!

Black Bean Soup - Delicious and Easy!

You can have this on your table in less than 30 minutes. The recipe makes about four servings so there's lots left for the next day. You can also freeze this.

BLACK BEAN SOUP
- 1 Tbsp. Olive Oil
- 1 of each: onion, celery stalk, large carrot, chopped
- 3-4 garlic cloves, chopped
- 2 Tbsp. each: chili powder and cumin
- 1 tsp each: salt and pepper
- 3-4 cups of veggie broth or mushroom broth
- 2 large cans of black beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 C of frozen organic corn (or canned)
- 1 large can of diced tomatoes

DIRECTIONS:
- Heat up oil on medium heat and add onion, celery and carrots. Cook for about 4-5 minutes.
- Add garlic, spices, salt and pepper, cook for 1-2 minutes.
- Add broth, 1 can of beans and tomatoes (with juices) and cook for about 10-15 minutes.
- Blend with an immersion blender or food processor. If it is too thick add more broth.
- Add the last can of beans and the corn and heat for about 3 minutes.

OPTIONS:
- Top with fresh cilantro or diced avocado
- Add 1 cup of pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling) before blending.