This year I decided that I would host Thanksgiving, but I wanted to put a healthy spin on the traditional feast. It turned out great! Below are the recipes that I used.
Since it was just the four of us we didn't need a full turkey. I used a free-range turkey breast and prepared as follows:
Turkey
Ingredients:
- Free range or organic turkey
- Earth Balance Spread
- 1 packet of fresh turkey herbs (rosemary, thyme and sage)
- 1 bottle of Chardonnay wine
- 1 clove garlic
- Rinse the bird with cold water.
- Crush one clove of garlic and melt it in about 2-3 tablespoons of Earth Balance Spread.
- Use the melted garlic butter to coat the bird.
- Stuff the bird's chest cavity with a packet of fresh store bought turkey herbs (rosemary, thyme and sage).
- Pour about 1/3 bottle of Chardonnay over the bird and cover with aluminum foil.
- Bake at 350 for about two and a half hours (20 minutes per pound). Make sure you baste the bird every 20 minutes or so and bake the last 20 minutes without the foil, so the bird can brown up.
Acorn Squash
Ingredients:
- 1 organic acorn squash
- 1 Tablespoon Earth Balance Spread
- 1 cup unsweetened organic apple sauce
- Sprinkle of brown sugar
- Salt and Pepper
Directions:
- Wash squash and cut in half.
- Scoop out the seeds and wash the squash again.
- Place the halves skin side down in a roasting pan.
- Spread half the Earth Balance onto each squash half.
- Fill each half with 1/2 cup of applesauce. (Sprinkle with brown sugar if you want extra sweetness)
- Sprinkle with sea salt and pepper
- Bake for about an hour at 350 until squash is soft.
Kale and Zucchini
Ingredients:
- One bunch of kale
- 1-2 zucchinis depending on size
- Olive oil
- Vegetable broth
- Garlic powder and red pepper flakes
- Sea salt & pepper
Directions:
- Pull the leaves off of the kale stem and chop.
- Chop zucchini in 1/2 inch rounds.
- Heat saute pan with 1 tablespoon olive oil.
- Add zucchini and kale.
- Add about 4-5 tablespoons of vegetable broth (I usually just eye ball this. You want enough that the kale steams and does not burn).
- Add garlic powder, sprinkle of red pepper flakes and salt and pepper to taste.
- Cook on medium heat for about 7-8 minutes until the kale is tender.
My mom brought these items, so I'm not sure exactly what recipes she used. I think she just followed a traditional cranberry recipe and substituted Ezekiel bread for regular bread in the stuffing. In the gravy she used chicken broth instead of water (which adds move flavor). When you are only cooking the turkey breast there really isn't enough dripping to make gravy from the bird.
For dessert I made a vegan pumpkin pie, but with real whip cream (mom supplied this and I didn't want soy-whip, but you can try that).
The recipe for the pie I found on the website vegweb.com . Don't freak out, but there is tofu in this pie (you can't tell I swear it's really yummy).
Tofu Pumpkin Pie
Ingredients:
1 (16-ounce) can pureed pumpkin
3/4 cup sugar or sucanat (or 1/2 cup maple syrup)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1 teaspoon ground allspice, optional
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg, optional
2-3 tablespoons cornstarch to firm up the pie filling
1 package (10-12 ounces) silken/soft tofu
1 9-in unbaked vegan pie shell
Directions:
Preheat oven to 425 F. Blend the pumpkin and sugar. Add salt, spices, cornstarch and tofu, mix thoroughly. Pour mixture into pie shell and bake for 15 minutes. Lower heat to 350 F and bake for another 60 minutes. Chill and serve. Don't use the low fat tofu, then the pie tastes like it was made with tofu. This pie is soooo yummy, it will fool almost anyone. I made it last Thanksgiving for my whole family, I am the only one, and everyone asked for seconds. They begged me to make another one for Christmas dinner. Top with non dairy topping and it will fool any pumpkin pie lover.
Makes: 8 servings, Preparation time: about 1 hour + chilling time, Cooking time: 1 hour 15 minutes
For the crust I used a vegan Graham cracker crust from VegWeb.com. I added cinnamon to mine, a little extra butter (it was too dry) and a splash of maple syrup to sweeten it up. I also used the food processor to make both the pie crust and the pie mix.
Here is the recipe:
Graham Cracker Pie Crust
Ingredients:
1 small package of graham crackers (10 sheets of crackers)
1/4 cup (1/2 a stick) of butter (I use Earth Balance)
Directions:
Preheat oven to 375.
Using a rolling pin, smash all of the graham crackers into very tiny pieces.
Melt the butter in the microwave until it is liquid.
Mix together the melted butter and the smashed graham crackers in a small bowl.
Transfer the cracker and butter combination into a pie pan and press it down until it sticks together. Arrange the mixture until it looks like a pie shell.
Bake in a 375 oven for about 8-10 minutes.
Serves: 1 pie shell
Preparation time: 15-20 minutes
That was the feast! The pie went over surprisingly well. I even bought biscotti as a backup dessert, but everyone liked the pie!
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