Vegan Thanksgiving Help! (745 views)

Whatever you do, don't serve tofurky

My daughter is vegan (and GF, but that's another story), so meshing meals, especially at Thanksgiving, can be a challenge! Almond or cashew milk is a good substitute for regular milk, and Earth Balance and Fleischmann's unsalted (NOT salted) margarines contain no dairy products.  I haven't really found a vegan cheese that I think is worth using. Except for things like mashed potatoes, we tend to roast a lot of vegetables in olive oil.  I've been making a roasted "green bean casserole" that I almost like better than the one with Campbell's Soup, and it's healthier: just mix fresh green beans, quartered mushrooms, and onion wedges in EVOO and roast together.  For a vegan "main dish", I make a pot of herbed gigande beans, which are devoured by everyone.  I actually have the cookbook for this dish on reserve at the library, and I'll post the recipe when I get a chance to check it out.  

We love these mashed potatoes. It says you can sub soy milk for the cashew cream but as far as I'm concerned, the cashew cream is what makes these potatoes so yummy so I wouldn't substitute.

ETA: I don't follow the measurements - I just use my best judgement.

Creamy Mashed Potatoes by Chef Tal Ronnen

Yield: 6 servings
Preparation time: 20 min
Cooking time: 20 min
Total time: 40 min

Ingredients

• 6 large potatoes, diced
• 1 cup cashew cream (recipe follows)
• 3 Tbsp “earth balance” vegan butter
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh chives
• to taste salt and pepper

To make the cashew cream: 

Soak 2 cups of raw cashews overnight. Add the soaked cashews to a blender and fill with water sufficient to cover the cashews by 1”. Blend on high for 2 mins.



Tip: If not using a professional high-speed blender, you might need to strain the cream through a fine-mesh strainer or cheesecloth. Can substitute soy milk for cashew cream if needed.



To make the mashed potatoes: 

Place the potatoes in a large pot and cover with water. Bring to a boil and cook for 20 mins. Drain the potatoes, place in a bowl with the remaining ingredients, and mix until smooth. Serve hot.

Erin, I would love your pie crust recipe and your applesauce cake.  Thank you!

goblum,  I was planning to do Trader Joe's Turkey-less stuffed roast.  Do you think that is a bad idea?  I will definitely incorporate more roasted veggies and supplement Earth's Balance.  Thanks for your help.

I forgot I made these one year and they were great and festive too! Make sure your puff pastry is vegan (I think Pepperidge Farm is but double check) and sub something for the egg.

www.vegetariantimes.com/recipes/roasted-vegetable-cornucopias-with-gravy