Vegan In Situ: Giving Thanks

Vegan Thanksgiving with our closest friends has become a tradition for us in South Florida. Every year it seems to grow and grow, as new friends enter the group and become enticingly intrigued by how we eat and what our food tastes like. Our friend, Kristel especially looks forward to it each year. She is from Ecuador, where Latin America, in general, eats a lot of meat, dairy, and oily foods. Living in America definitely introduces you to many types of cuisines, but here in South Florida, it is easy to find the comfort foods that connect you with home. We are thankful to have such a diverse group of friends and to share our everyday lifestyles with one another. Joining us this year was two friends from Melbourne, FL, plus our friends from Ecuador, Venezuela, Puerto Rico, Nicaragua, and Columbia (in spirit). We all love that we can be apart of something so unique and diverse, and still find common ground with food.

This Year's Menu:

Rustic Veggie Tofu Pot Pie
Butternut Tangerine Pecan Stuffing
Seitan Roulades with Cranberry Walnut Stuffing
Seitan Roast Stuffed With Shiitakes And Leeks
Green Bean and Slivered Almond Casserole
Sweet Potato Casserole w/Brown Sugar Crumble Crust
Mashed Potatoes
Cardamon Lemon Flan

Recipes for these dishes can be found at the above links. Here are a few pictures from the recipes I contributed to Thanksgiving:

Rustic Veggie Tofu Pot Pie

	Roasted Carrots and Red Onion 1 1/2 C. thinly sliced carrots (the recipe uses red carrots. Purple or white carrots, or parsnips would have also been beautiful) 1 med. red onion 2 tbsp. Earth Balance fresh sprigs of rosemary, and thyme
	Baked Tofu extra firm tofu (about 2 C.) 1/4 C. nutritional yeast 1 tbsp. agave nectar 1 tbsp. 24-seasoning blend, or similar (I used Simply Organic brand vegetable grilling seasons) 1/2 tsp. coarse sea salt 2 tsp. apple cider vinegar
	Bake 2 medium sweet potatoes or yams wrapped in foil in the oven for about an hour at 350 degrees Fahrenheit, or until fork tender. A portion of this will be cubed for the filling, and a portion goes towards your crust. This 1/2 was left over, so I ate it while cooking the rest of my dishes Thanksgiving morning.
	Pot Pie Crust (Sweet Potato & Pumpkin Seed) Additional flour will be needed to get the proper consistency. If you have ever made dough before, this should be a given. The photo is before adding about 1/2 C. additional flour, gradually until the dough could be molded into a ball. 1 1/2 C. whole wheat flour 1 tsp. baking powder 1/3 C. sweet potato, mashed/cooled 2 tsp. roasted pumpkin seeds 1/2 tsp. pepper 1/2 tsp. salt 1-2 tbsp. olive oil 1 tbsp. nutritional yeast 1/2 C. water 1/2 C. soymilk extra water for loosening dough (if needed) extra flour for dusting/rolling
	Roux Gravy 1 1/4 C. soy milk, plain 3 tbsp. flour 1 tbsp. spice blend or pinch of fresh herbs
	Gently fold in roasted veggies, baked tofu, 1/2 C. edamame, and 1 med. cubed sweet potatoes into roux
	Add filling to bottom layer of crust that you have aerated with a fork.
	Add top layer of crust over filling and crimp sides. Cut a 'V' in the top for ventilation while baking. Bake for 30 minutes at 375 degrees Fahrenheit.

Butternut Tangerine Pecan Stuffing

	5-7 C. diced bread cubes 3 tbsp. vegan buttery spread 1 C. onion, chopped (white or yellow) 2 C. celery, sliced thin 1/2 C. parsley, finely chopped 1 tbsp. poultry seasoning (spice blend) 1 C. pecans, chopped 1/4 C. pecans, whole 1/2 C. dried cranberries/cherries or chopped apricots 1 med. granny smith, cubed 3/4 C. fresh-squeezed tangerine juice 1 tbsp. tangerine zest 1/4 tsp. dried orange peel (optional) 1/4 tsp. black pepper dash of salt 1 C. butternut squash puree (canned or fresh) 1/2 C. vegetable broth optional: 1 C. fluffy wild rice
	Gently fold bread cubes in a cup at a time. Keep doing this until all cubes are coated with wet mixture and the stuffing is not too moist. I only ended up needing 5 cups of bread cubes.
	Next year, buy a step stool...