Here Come the Holidays! Recipes, suggestions and other good things. (soy, rum)

[sheena12]

I'm a mom who has been a veg*n since 1989. I thought I'd just have turkey on the holidays an then go back to be a vegetarian. For me it didn't work. I prepare the sad dead bird and I felt ...well sad. Others are and I feasted on the yummy sides.

Now over 20 years later I would not think of Holidays and Slaughter at the same time No Never. Uh Uhh.

I have a VERY traditional Thanksgiving, Christmas, Solstice, Halloween, Chanukah, New Year's Eave and Day.

AND no one gets hurt. I'd love to hear your ideas too!

Also, I am an expert at revamping recipes to be veg friendly. A grouchy elderly relative actually preferred my "stuffing" to the one with in the bird!

I'd also like to here more ideas for holiday sweets. I need a good vegan pumpkin pie. They sell it at Wegman's but e will be moving so I'm going to need to be more creative in the diy pumpkin pie department.

Now chocolate walnut rum balls? No one even thinks they are vegan.

[missik999]

I would love to have the recipe for your stuffing!

[bongo]

What a thoughtful offer, Sheena!

Hope we can all share some holiday recipes on here.

[annaegel]

Many of the larger towns/cities have vegan Thanksgiving celebrations. I live in Tampa and we have had for the last 7 years "ThanksVegan". People bring yummie vegan recipes to share with us. You get to try many things you may not even have thought to try. One person brought home made bean sprouts that was really very good. I was always curious about it, but never bought any at the store. Now after trying it at ThanksVegan, I buy them occasionally. Our local Whole Foods donate their vegan desserts and vegan ice cream. We also get donations from Field Roast and Tofurky. It starts at 1:00 to allow people to enjoy a really great vegan meal and be with others who want the same. Then they are able to go to their families who may be eating turkey. When I lived in NYC many years ago, they had something similar. You can check and see if there are anything like this wherever you live. Some people drive to ours in Tampa from pretty far away. One person came nearly 4 hour drive because they did not have anything like that near them.

[LuciaMomof6]

HI Sheena..I sent you a rep "congrats" because I misread the post..I thought it said that you are a new vegan LOL

Anyway, thank you for the post..I love vegan posts because sometimes I feel very alone in my veganism..

Speaking of thanksgiving..I made a tofurkey last year and couldn't get past the smell. I'm not sure why, but I can't stand the smell of pretty much any of the products that are sold to resemble "meat".. I stick with lots and lots of veggie dishes and I am satisfied!

[Cattknap]

Lucia - I'm with you on the tofurkey....I'd rather eat whole, fresh homemade foods - plus most of those fake/vegan meat substitutes have wheat in them - which I cannot have.

Our youngest son and his wife are coming for a visit during Thanksgiving week (we live on different sides of the U.S.)....they requested that I cook a vegan menu although they are not vegan. I thought I would make 3 or 4 dishes that I know are good (my husband and I are fairly newly vegans - 3 months but I try 3 or 4 new recipes a week - I also have Celiac disease so no wheat, barley or rye).

I recently made a really delicious lentil loaf with a spicy barbecue sauce so I thought I would make that along with some yummy stuffed mushrooms (I made them couple of months ago and they were good), roasted vegetables with fresh herbs and lemon, a green salad and I'm trying to perfect a banana/chocolate/peatnut butter sorbet in my Vitamix.

I know - the menu is not very Thanksgiving-like but these are dishes that I know are good, fresh and low fat and they turn out well. I may have some fat-free humus as an appetizer (I make in my Vitamix).

Sheena - I'm not much help on the holiday sweets - other than an occasional serving of sorbet (sweetened with liquid stevia), we don't eat desserts.

I have seen quite a few good sounding recipes for vegan pumpkin pie.

[Cattknap]

Vegan Pumpkin Pie SERVES 8

The pie filling in this recipe needs to set overnight in the refrigerator, so make it the day before you serve it.

Crust½ cup unbleached flour
7 Tbs. whole wheat pastry flour
½ tsp. salt
½ tsp. sugar or granulated sugar cane syrup
½ tsp. baking powder
3 Tbs. canola oil
3 Tbs. soymilk plus ½ tsp. lemon juice
3 to 4 Tbs. water
Filling2 cups canned pumpkin or puréed home-cooked fresh pumpkin (see note)
1 cup low-fat soymilk or rice milk
¾ cup granulated sugar cane syrup
¼ cup cornstarch
½ Tbs. dark molasses or to taste
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
½ tsp. ground ginger
¼ tsp. grated nutmeg
¼ tsp. ground allspice


To make Crust:

1. In medium bowl, combine both flours, salt, sugar and baking powder. In small bowl, mix oil and soymilk mixture.

2. Pour liquid mixture into dry ingredients and mix with a fork until it holds together in a ball. If it is too dry, add some water, a little at a time, until dough is moist enough to roll. (If time allows, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour.)

3. Roll out dough on a lightly floured surface with a lightly floured rolling pin forming an 11-inch circle. Line a 9-inch pie plate with the dough. Flute or crimp the edges with your fingers or a fork. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to use.

4. Preheat oven to 425°F.

To make Filling:

5. In large bowl, mix all remaining ingredients until smooth and blended. Pour into prepared crust and smooth top. Bake 10 minutes.

6. Reduce oven temperature to 350°F; bake until filling is set, about 50 minutes. Set on wire rack to cool, then refrigerate overnight. Top with your choice of dessert topping if desired.

NOTE: If you are going to use fresh pumpkin for the pie, do not use the jack-o’-lantern type; the flesh of these large pumpkins is too watery and stringy. Instead, look for small pumpkins, sometimes called pie pumpkins or other varieties of winter squash. To bake, cut pumpkins in half and remove seeds. Set, cut side down, in a lightly oiled baking pan. Bake at 400°F for 30 to 40 minutes. Scoop out the cooked flesh and purée.

[sheena12]

Originally Posted by annaegel

Many of the larger towns/cities have vegan Thanksgiving celebrations. I live in Tampa and we have had for the last 7 years "ThanksVegan". People bring yummie vegan recipes to share with us. You get to try many things you may not even have thought to try. One person brought home made bean sprouts that was really very good. I was always curious about it, but never bought any at the store. Now after trying it at ThanksVegan, I buy them occasionally. Our local Whole Foods donate their vegan desserts and vegan ice cream. We also get donations from Field Roast and Tofurky. It starts at 1:00 to allow people to enjoy a really great vegan meal and be with others who want the same. Then they are able to go to their families who may be eating turkey. When I lived in NYC many years ago, they had something similar. You can check and see if there are anything like this wherever you live. Some people drive to ours in Tampa from pretty far away. One person came nearly 4 hour drive because they did not have anything like that near them.

I just KNEW that I loved TAMPA! When I have the money together for a second home I just might be your neighbor in the winter months!

[sheena12]

Originally Posted by Cattknap

Vegan Pumpkin Pie SERVES 8

The pie filling in this recipe needs to set overnight in the refrigerator, so make it the day before you serve it.

Crust½ cup unbleached flour
7 Tbs. whole wheat pastry flour
½ tsp. salt
½ tsp. sugar or granulated sugar cane syrup
½ tsp. baking powder
3 Tbs. canola oil
3 Tbs. soymilk plus ½ tsp. lemon juice
3 to 4 Tbs. water
Filling2 cups canned pumpkin or puréed home-cooked fresh pumpkin (see note)
1 cup low-fat soymilk or rice milk
¾ cup granulated sugar cane syrup
¼ cup cornstarch
½ Tbs. dark molasses or to taste
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
½ tsp. ground ginger
¼ tsp. grated nutmeg
¼ tsp. ground allspice


To make Crust:

1. In medium bowl, combine both flours, salt, sugar and baking powder. In small bowl, mix oil and soymilk mixture.

2. Pour liquid mixture into dry ingredients and mix with a fork until it holds together in a ball. If it is too dry, add some water, a little at a time, until dough is moist enough to roll. (If time allows, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour.)

3. Roll out dough on a lightly floured surface with a lightly floured rolling pin forming an 11-inch circle. Line a 9-inch pie plate with the dough. Flute or crimp the edges with your fingers or a fork. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to use.

4. Preheat oven to 425°F.

To make Filling:

5. In large bowl, mix all remaining ingredients until smooth and blended. Pour into prepared crust and smooth top. Bake 10 minutes.

6. Reduce oven temperature to 350°F; bake until filling is set, about 50 minutes. Set on wire rack to cool, then refrigerate overnight. Top with your choice of dessert topping if desired.

NOTE: If you are going to use fresh pumpkin for the pie, do not use the jack-o’-lantern type; the flesh of these large pumpkins is too watery and stringy. Instead, look for small pumpkins, sometimes called pie pumpkins or other varieties of winter squash. To bake, cut pumpkins in half and remove seeds. Set, cut side down, in a lightly oiled baking pan. Bake at 400°F for 30 to 40 minutes. Scoop out the cooked flesh and purée.

So much heartfelt thanks for this! For taking the time to write it out!

[annaegel]

I feel the same way about Tofurkey. However, it disappears at our ThanksVegan. The Field Roast Celebration Roast goes way before the Tofurkey. I just looked up the ingredients on the Field Roast and wheat gluten is the very first ingredients.

Sheena12, if you are ever in Tampa around Thanksgiving, please come to the ThanksVegan. It is held at the Unitarian Church. I don't know what it costs since I always volunteer, but give a donation. It is cheaper if you bring a dish to share enough to feed 10 people. Tampa has a growing amount of restaurants with vegan options. Our best restaurant (Grassroots) closed down to be solely a catering business.

I will have to try that vegan pumpkin pie!