[sans] Turkey Day…t-minus uno mas dia and counting…
Good ol’ Turkey Day is in t-minus 1 day and counting…so ya’ll know what that means! Time to spend some QT with the fam, pig out on all the tryptophan you can, and booze it up so that you don’t have to remember all the carnage you just ate nor the family drama that seems to occur every year…
I keed, I keed. ESPECIALLY about the pigging out on tryptophan. So all this build up and what am I gunna give ya?! Drumroll please………………………………
……yeah you got it, vegetarian and vegan Thanksgiving recipes!!!!!!!!! woooooooooot.
Okay so for all the rest of you herbivores, maybe you got lucky and your sweet ol’ mommy or pappy or aunty, whatever, was nice enough to cook you some fleshless dishes to soothe your vegetarian/vegan feasting cravings. WELL yeah I’m not one of them. Hey, I’m not bitter…..much. My mummy means well, but my “extreme vegetarian”-ness/vegan-ness thoroughly perplexes as well as frustrates her when it comes to trying to cook me up something comforting to eat at Thanksgiving dinner…or for any dinner for that matter, but for simplicity’s sake we’re talking about Thanksgiving dinner.
Soooooo lucky me I get to go sniff around for some enticing and relatively easy veggie recipes…and here you guys go, I’m gonna spread the wealth! It’ll be like a cornucopia of vegetarian/vegan love. Har har. Damn I’m corny! Okay enough blabbing. On with the golden recipes:
Here’s a simple side dish that also sounds yummmay and if you’re like me, you’ll like any excuse to buy some extra wine:
WINE-GLAZED BRUSSELS SPROUTS
Serves: 8
The slightly sweet glaze makes Brussels sprouts taste deceptively rich.
- 2 pounds Brussels sprouts
- 1/2 cup dry red wine
- 3 tablespoons honey or maple syrup
- 1 1/2 tablespoons soy sauce or tamari
- 1 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch
Trim the stems from the Brussels sprouts and cut an X into the base, about 1/4 inch deep.
In a small bowl, combine the wine, honey, and soy sauce and stir together. Transfer to a 3-quart saucepan along with 1/2 cup water and the Brussels sprouts. Stir together, then cook, covered, at a gentle simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Uncover and cook, stirring occasionally, for another 10 minutes.
Dissolve the cornstarch in a small amount of water. Stir into the saucepan quickly, then cook for another 5 minutes. Remove from heat and transfer to a covered casserole dish to serve.
Here’s a good sweet potato recipe. And remember, you can always substitute any non-vegan friendly ingredient with a vegan substitute. In this case, you will have to use vegan butter, baby:
MAPLE AND TARRAGON SWEET POTATOES
8 to 10 servings
Maple syrup and tarragon, a sweet herb, are wonderful enhancements for the flavor of sweet potatoes.
- 4 pounds sweet potatoes, peeled and sliced 1/4-inch thick
- 1/2 cup maple syrup
- 1/4 cup nonhydrogenated margarine, melted
- 1/4 cup orange juice
- 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons dried tarragon
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Arrange the sweet potato slices in overlapping rows in an oiled shallow 2-quart casserole. In a small bowl, combine the syrup, margarine, juice, cinnamon, and salt. Pour evenly over the potatoes. Sprinkle the tarragon over the top.
Cover with lid or foil and bake, covered, for 25 to 30 minutes, or until readily pierced with a fork but still firm. Bake another 20 to 25 minutes, uncovered, or until glazed and golden around the edges.
Okay you know what I’m salivating badly and it’s past my bedtime. I will continue on with this post tomorrow…since I’m a bit of a procrastinator if you couldn’t tell by now. And yes I hang my head in shame. I will be the one frantically shoveling items in my grocery cart 1 hour before everyone comes over for the feast. Sigh. C’est la veggie vie. Ta ta for now!
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