Cranberry Sauce Two Ways

Oh cranberry sauce, the underrated thanksgiving side dish that sometimes feels more like obligation than a joy to eat. But it doesn't have to be that way. With a few simple additions, cranberry sauce can go from the unwanted party guest to a side that shines.

Cranberry sauce is super easy to make, and there are so many ways to flavor cranberry sauce that is about a million times better than the canned stuff. This year I made a few different kinds for thanksgiving gifts–one cranberry-orange style, and one red wine and rosemary style.

Red Wine and Rosemary Cranberry Sauce

2 cups dry red wine
2 1/2 cups sugar
24 dried Turkish apricots, roughly chopped
2 6" springs of fresh rosemary
juice from 2 meyer lemons
zest from 2 meyer lemons
1.5 lbs. fresh cranberries

Combine first 6 ingredients in large saucepan. Bring to boil, stirring until sugar dissolves. Reduce heat to low and simmer 10 minutes. Mix in cranberries. Cook over medium heat until liquid is slightly reduced and berries burst, stirring occasionally, about 10 minutes. Remove rosemary. Cool. Transfer sauce to bowl and serve, cool and refrigerate for up to a week, or can for later use. Yields 3 pints.

Orange-Cranberry Sauce

2 cups orange jucie
2 1/2 cups sugar
Zest from one navel orange
1/8 tsp. cardamom
1/2 tsp. grated nutmeg
2 4" cinnamon sticks
Insides from 1/2 vanilla bean
1 Tbs fresh grated giner
1.5 lbs. fresh cranberries

Combine first 7 ingredients in large saucepan. Bring to boil, stirring until sugar dissolves. Reduce heat to low and simmer 10 minutes. Mix in cranberries. Cook over medium heat until liquid is slightly reduced and berries burst, stirring occasionally, about 10 minutes. Remove cinnamon sticks. Cool. Transfer sauce to bowl and serve, cool and refrigerate for up to a week, or can for later use. Yields 3 pints.

Roasted Rosemary Sweet Potatoes

I'm always at a loss at what to do with sweet potatoes for Thanksgiving dinner (ok, ok, I promise this is my last post about this years Thanksgiving.) But sweet potatoes are tricky for me. Aside from the standard candied, smothered in butter and brown sugar and toasted marshmallows, I don't really recall any other way I consumed them when I was growing up. Scouring the interwebs doesn't provide much relief these days, but i did find a very nice, slightly sweet, slightly savory recipe for roasted sweet potatoes over at Two Peas and Their Pod, and, as almost everything else that was on the Thanksgiving table, the vegan version went faster than it's non-vegan counterpart. It was a little oily, so I would suggest cutting out half a tablespoon of olive oil but other than that, it's pretty awesome. 

Garlic Mashed Potatoes

Now this is the story all about how
Vegans turned thanksgiving upside-down,
And I'd like to take a minute, just sit right there
I'll tell you all about mashed taters that were lighter than air.

See, I was making all the Thanksgiving sides,
But my mum’s tater wishes I just couldn’t abide:
Boil ‘em, mash ‘em, deliver ‘em hot,
And she wanted two versions, on vegan, one not.
“But Ma!” I cried, in a state of shock
“I’ll just use margarine!” I said, as we fought.
No sooner had I hung up the phone in triumph
Another person called and said “Vegan?!? Harrumph!”

“There’s only one reason I come to Thanksgiving Day,
So you better not mess up the taters or I’ll be on my way!”
Now that’s a lot of pressure for one lil’ vegan,
But I hit the kitchen, determined, donning a cute vintage apron.

I turned the oven on to 400,
Filled a stockpot with water and put it on the stove.
Grabbed Yukon Golds and threw ‘em in the water,
And then I opened the refrigerator

Took out earth balance and rice milk, thyme, salt and pepper
And while the taters were boiling, I roasted garlic.
I realized then I didn’t have enough, so I called up my Mum
And said “your wish came true! You make yours and I’ll bring mine”

When all the cooking was done and we finally arrived,
I saw those omni’s look at my taters with tears in their eyes,
See, theirs were bland, no garlic to be seen
And I settled my throne with my taters supreme.

Garlic Mashed Potatoes

Homemade Tofurkey with Mushroom and Wild Rice Stuffing Recipe

Well, the first Vegan/ Non-Vegan Thanksgiving to be had in half a decade has officially come to an end. There were a few hiccups here and there, but it was pretty damned successful in the end. I had good friends to help me cook some damn good food and keep good company. The power went off att my mum’s house, but our good family friends north of Seattle stepped in to host, and the in-laws, the wife, and our good friend Dee made it through the snow to a delicious meal, good friends and family, and a rousing game of Apples to Apples. 

Right out of the oven

We ended up making toast points, “cheddar bay” biscuits, roasted garlic mashed taters, roasted yams with rosemary, green beans with alder wood smoked salt, market spice tea cupcakes (after a failed attempt at a cherry torte, which shall never be spoken of again), and a bitchen’ homemade tofurkey. I will post the rest of the recipes, but I wanted to start with the star of the vegan meal: 
the homemade tofurkey 

Slice o' heaven

with mushroom and wild rice stuffing. Deedra had send me the recipe* from Chow a few weeks ago, and while it’s quite time intensive, it’s not hard, and it is by far the best Thanksgiving main dish I’ve had. The tofu takes on the taste of the sage and thyme, and the savory earthy dressing compliments. This bake will definitely be making an appearance in future Thanksgivings. 

After we had eaten our weight in food, laid on the floor like fat walruses and groaned as our bellies gurgled while processing our gluttony, and had a few glasses of wine, we ate cupcakes and I totally kick serious ass at Apples to Apples. (We have since procured said game, and I welcome some serious game nights. Bring. It. On.) Though it was a bit different from the last few Thanksgivings (no one was referred to as “Fuck Face” all evening), and some east coast faces were missed around the table, in the end, it was a pretty damned good day.

*I used vacuum packed extra firm Wildwood brand tofu, only used 60 oz., and did not drain it in a cheesecloth as instructed. If I had used water packed tofu, I would have, but I think the vacuum packed is so dry it’s a pain in the ass step that can be skipped. I also switched out brown ride for wild rice. It’s a nice change. You just have to add ¼ cup extra of wild rice, as it won’t soak up as much water as brown.

"Cheddar Bay" Biscuits

Just a quick post today between finishing up cooking 8 dishes, showering, nursing my hangover with a cup of coffee and hitting the road north to spend thanksgiving with my mum, in-laws, and some good family friends. These biscuits have been a staple on the table at Thanksgiving for the last 6 years. they have gone through many reincarnations, but I think this year I am so pleased I can call the tweaking quits. They are so damn close to those biscuits they serve at Red Lobster it ain't even funny, proving once again you can have compassion and eat it too!

"Cheddar Bay" Biscuits

Faux Turkey Through the Years

Today I thought I would step back and take some time to reflect on Thanksgivings past, and reminisce about faux turkey dishes I have eaten through the years.

Oh, how I wish peta2 had been around in my early days of flirting with vegetarianism: their thanksgiving checklist might have made curbed my teenage angst a little. Alas, ‘twas not. My first vegetarian Thanksgiving attempt in 1995 was not so successful, I made a Tofurky Roast (it was the new hot product on the market!), had one piece, and went the rest of the dinner sans turkey or faux turkey. I broke the next day and ate bird flesh, feeling terribly guilty about the whole ordeal. Thank goodness the Tofurky Roast and the rest of the ready-made products have improved a bazillion times since 1995, not to mention I picked up a few things about cooking along the way.

Here’s some of my favorites on the market, and from my patchwork cookbook binder

Gardien Savory Stuffed Turk’y

Remember when you could ONLY get this at the deli section of Whole Foods? Oh wait… that was, like, last year. Thank goodness they are now making this for resale. We can stock up and have a thanksgiving feast every month till next year! Seriously, this is, hands down, my favorite ready-made faux turkey product. The outside is breaded and crispy crunchy and buttery flavored, and the inside is juicy melt in your mouth/ freak you out because the texture is so real. Add in the cranberry stuffing and all is good.

Field Roast Celebration Roast

I’m pretty sure this loaf is the older, more refined cousin to the old standard Tofurky Roast. The stuffing, made of the their faux sausage, apples, and squash is pretty much bangarang. Field Roast also just released a new product: the wild rice cranberry fig roast en croute, which looks er-maze-ing.

Mama Gleaton’s Tofu Turkey With Dressing

I made this for the first time in 2005, and fell in lurve. It’s simple, and filled with dressing goodness. Throw some gravy on that and it’s the shit. Freezing the tofu before you make it gives it a meaty texture, and the onions and celery give it a perfect thanksgiving taste.

Homemade Tofurkey with Brown Rice Stuffing

Actually, I haven’t made this, but I am making it this year. It seems a bit time consuming, but with mushroom brown rice stuffing and an orange mustard glaze baked in a spring foam pan, I’m sure the work will be worth it. Better be.

Bacon Cornbread dressing

My mother-in-law makes a mean cornbread bacon dressing. I’ve never actually eaten her version, since I’ve been veg since before my wife and I hooked up, but looking into my her sad puppy eyes our first Thanksgiving away from home and hearing “I miss my mom’s dressing,” I took on the challenge soon after of making a vegan version. As soon as I tasted it, I thoroughly understood her woes, and it’s been a staple at the holiday table ever since. It’s slightly sweet and slightly salty, and easily veganized: proving you don’t have to be a bacon-loving hipster to enjoy such a treat.

Doris’ Bacon Cornbread dressing

Spinach Artichoke Dip

Continuing on with the “here’s some more thanksgiving appetizer recipes I always make” posts, I thought I would share the spinach dip recipe I’ve been using for the last 5 or so years. 2 days of short posts, but I promise a full post tomorrow on what promises to be an awesome dinner I’m whipping up tonight. Stay tuned!

 

Spin dip

Ham and Cheeze Toast Points

There’s a comfort food I come back to time and time again. It’s a quick recipe that is always a crowd pleaser, and generally finds it’s way into my table as an appetizer at Thanksgiving. It’s creamy and rich, hot and melty, and puts any other open-face sandwich to shame. So, while you plan your Thanksgiving menu, don’t forget to include this little gem. 

Ham and Cheeze Toast Points

Crackin' the Crust on the Crème Brûlée

At the risk of sounding like a total hipster, in 2001 my favorite French director, Jean-Pierre Jeunet, released a little flick that we Americans affectionately shortened to Amelie. A simple pleasure, shared by Amelie and myself, is “cracking the crust of a crème brûlée with the back of a teaspoon.” Ah, crème brûlée, you delectable dessert, your caramelized sugar stopping hiding that silky smooth custard, how I’ve missed you. But no more! I even fooled my omni friends with this little recipe. Everything I love about crème brûlée is mine again, and truth be told, I really really like working with cooking blowtorches.  

Pumpkin Crème Brûlée

Fried "Turkey" Balls

The main meal idea for last years Thanksgivingpalooza came to me like a shot in the dark. There I was, lazing about on the couch, watching Diners, Drive-ins and Dives, and Guy Fieri was in Milwaukee, WI at The Comet Café. The Comet has a dish called “AJ’s Compact Turkey Dinner” which, essentially, is a thanksgiving dinner in a croquette. How could I see that and not immediately need to veganize? And I had to change the name, because saying “balls” is just a lot more fun than saying “compact faux turkey dinner.” Everyone deserves to indulge in crass 3^rd grade humor once in a while. The balls were a hit at thanksgiving, and we kept returning to the deep fryer for a few days to make more until our arteries begged us to stop. On another note, if you’re ever in Milwaukee, stop by the Comet, and grab a vegan Salisbury steak, or deep fried vegan ribs. I’ve never had them, but their menu makes me drool. 

The Main Course: Fried “Turkey” Balls

Butternut Squash Ravioli to Tempt the Palate

Our first thanksgiving on the easy coast consisted of my wife and me, a few good friends from long ago that had found themselves on the east coast, and a few new friends we had made in the area. We sat around our little apartment in Old Town, Portsmouth, VA, and ate Mama Gleaton's Tofu Turkey with Dressing (which, by the way, is still one of my favorite recipes), a store bought tofurky, salad, and maybe pudding… honestly, I don’t really remember but outside of the tofu turkey bake, it really wasn’t that impressive, but it did mark our first annual east coast thanksgiving. Five years later and there was no tofurky or pudding to be found, but there was awesome ravioli, that, after a debate over boiling or baking, was plated and eaten before I ever made it to the table. 

Course Two: Butternut Squash, Sage, and "Goat Cheeze" Ravioli with Toasted Hazelnut Sauce

Roasted Yellow Pepper Soup and Roasted Tomato Soup with Hot Pepper Cream

If you ask me what holiday I love most, I will respond “Thanksgiving.” I know, I know, it’s a horrible bastard of a colonized holiday. But for me, it’s just a time to cook for 2 days and share time and food with my good friends. For the last 5 years, I’ve hosted a “friends only” feast, and last year's was by far the most impressive. A full 5-course meal for 16 people, from appies too dessert, and way too much wine in between. The meal lasted 5 hours, including a rock band break before dessert. There was much laughter, much swearing (we all had name tags with pseudonyms like “Fuck Face” and “Ho’ Bag” adorning our shirts) and way too much drinking. I’m not one for traditional celebrations. At any rate, I’ve been meaning to post recipes from last Thanksgiving for about 11 months now. What can I say? I’m a procrastinator. At any rate, it’s high time I posted them, so here’s the first in a long awaited series of recipes from the Thanksgiving 2009 extravaganza!

Course one: Roasted Yellow Pepper Soup and Roasted Tomato Soup with Hot Pepper Cream