A Vegan Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is an important holiday for me since it combines my gratitude for family and friends with food. And I am one lucky person. I have been a vegan for about 14 years now and while other vegetarians and vegans struggle with family meals around Thanksgiving, my family has been astoundingly supportive. There is never any concern about whether I’ll go hungry on Thanksgiving since my parents embrace a full vegan Thanksgiving feast (and they love to let me prepare it!)

Every year I try to bring something new to the table, but there are also must-haves, like stuffing. All these recipes have been developed over the years and every holiday meal ends with full, satisfied bellies. Whether you are just interested in trying something new, have a vegetarian or vegan family member you want to accommodate, or you are vegan yourself, try out these recipes and bring one or two to your Thanksgiving feast. Enjoy!

Whole grain stuffing with buckwheat groats

1 cup Organic Quinoa Grain, dry (or Buckwheat Groats)
1 cup Vegetable Broth
1 cup Water
1/4 cup Margarine (non-hydrogenated)
1 Onion, chopped
6 Celery Stalks, diced
1 tsp Sage, dried
1 tsp Sea Salt
1 tsp Black Pepper
1 Tbsp Parsley Flakes

Bring broth and water to boil. Add quinoa and bring back to boil. Cook over medium heat for 12 minutes, or until quinoa has absorbed all the liquid. In a skillet, melt margarine and cook onion and celery on medium heat until translucent, about 10 minutes. In a large bowl, combine prepared quinoa, onion mixture, and spices. Place in an 8-inch square pan and bake at 350°F for 30 minutes.

Prepared Thanksgiving Gluten Roast

Thanksgiving Gluten Roast
This gluten roast is an excellent meatless option with great taste and texture. Every Thanksgiving, friends request I make this for them. The process may seem daunting, but it is worth it!

Gluten mixture:
4 cups Vital Wheat Gluten Flour
1 Tbsp Nutritional Yeast
1 Tbsp Marjoram
1 Tbsp Onion Powder
1 Tbsp Sage
2 tsp Salt
3 cups Warm Water
¼ cup Tamari
½ cup Oil

Onion mixture:
1 cup Onion, chopped
¼ cup Oil
½ cup Nutritional Yeast
1 Tbsp Paprika
1 cup Tahini
1 tsp Salt

Basting Liquid:
¼ cup Sesame Oil
2 Tbsp Tamari

Gluten Mixture: Mix together all the wet ingredients for the gluten mixture in one bowl. In a separate bowl, mix together the dry ingredients. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry, stirring quickly, forming a spongy dough. Knead the dough a minute so the dough will tighten up a bit.

Onion Mixture: Sauté the onion in the oil until soft and starting to brown. In a small bowl, combine the cooked onion and the rest of the ingredients together.

In a food processor, blend together the gluten and onion mixture, ¼ the amount at a time. Process the mixtures for about 10 seconds. A blender can work as well but you will want to blend in smaller batches. Set the processed dough in a bowl and continue with the rest of the mixture. Slightly blend all the mixtures together with a spoon or your hand. Oil a 9 x 13-inch baking pan and place about 4 cups of stuffing in the middle of the pan and form into a neat mound. Shape the gluten mixture over the stuffing and slightly fold in the edges.

Blend the oil and tamari of the basting liquid together and brush the outside of the roast with it. Use about half the basting liquid and reserve the rest for later. Bake the loaf at 375ºF for 1 hour. Half way through, remove the roast from the oven and brush with the remaining basting liquid.

Crescent Rolls

This recipe using half hard white whole wheat flour and can be found in the Bob’s Red Mill Cookbook which is filled with recipes for every meal of the day. 

1 Tbsp Active Dry Yeast
1 ¾ cups Warm Water
1 cup Mashed Potatoes
½ cup Organic Raw Sugar
1/3 cup Margarine (non-hydrogenated)
2 Tb Cornstarch
3 cups Hard White Whole Wheat Flour
2 ½ cups Unbleached White Flour, plus more for kneading
1 tsp Sea Salt
More margarine for baking, melted

Combine yeast and water in a large bowl, let stand 5 minutes. Add the mashed potato, sugar, margarine and cornstarch into the yeast mixture. Mix the white whole wheat flour, unbleached white flour and salt into the liquid ingredients until incorporated. The dough should be moist but not sticky.  (If it is sticky, add more white flour). Turn dough onto counter and knead until smooth, adding flour as needed, for 8-10 minutes. Place in a greased bowl, cover and refrigerated 4 hours to overnight.

Divide dough into four pieces. Roll out each piece to a 12 inch circle. Spread dough with melted margarine. Cut into 12 wedges and roll each wedge up tightly and place on greased baking sheet. Let rise 30 minutes. Bake at 400°F for 15 minutes. Makes 48 rolls. Recipe can be cut in half for a smaller batch if desired.