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| Vegan Thanksgiving Proper |
I thought it would be wonderful to celebrate my first Thanksgiving as a vegan with an all-vegan meal. My family is not ready for this kind of celebration, so I invited seven friends over on Saturday night to celebrate my way. Despite being the only vegan in attendance, the two vegetarians plus five omnivores were very enthusiastic about the all-vegan menu. My goal was to wow everyone with several vegan versions of classic Thanksgiving dishes. In typical Thanksgiving fashion, this meal was indulgent, and by no means health food. The end result made it all worth it, there were plenty of wows to go around!
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| Tofu Deviled "Eggy" Bites |
For appetizers we started with Tofu Deviled "Eggy" Bites. This is
Bianca's magical recipe, which utilizes an Indian spice, black salt, to simulate the flavor of eggs. Everyone agreed that these were surprisingly authentic, and this platter emptied quickly!
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| Artichoke Dip |
To go with the Tofu Deviled Eggy Bites, my friend Jenny brought Artichoke Dip with pita chips. I highly recommend this recipe from
C'est La Vegan, it was a favorite at the party.
I was going to make a third appetizer,
Lindsay's Sausage Stuffed Mushrooms, but I ran out of time. Sad! I hope to make these for Christmas, if I can wait that long!
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| Pumpkin Nog Martini |
We enjoyed some pre-dinner cocktails of Pumpkin Nog Martinis. This blend of Silk Nog, vanilla vodka, cinnamon, and pumpkin puree were inspired by
Heather's Pumpkin Pie Bliss. I topped these off with Soyatoo Whip, a sprinkle of cinnamon, and a cinnamon stick.
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| Soy and Seitan "Turkey" |
For the main event, I made Bryanna Clark Grogan's Soy and Seitan "Turkey". Unfortunately this recipe has been taken offline, so I don't have a link for you. The base of this "turkey" is a blend of tofu, wheat gluten, and chickpea flour. This roasts at a low temperature for 4 hours in a vegan chicken-flavored basting broth. The result is remarkable, perfect taste and texture, which was enjoyed by all.
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| Green Bean Casserole |
In selecting classic Thanksgiving side dishes, I knew that it had to include a green bean casserole. I chose Susan's recipe, which is rightfully titled
The Best Vegan Green Bean Casserole. This was so fresh and delicious,
way better than the standard cream of mushroom soup and canned green bean variety.
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| Sweet Potato Casserole |
I chose another one of Susan's recipes for the
Sweet Potato Casserole. Many bloggers have praised this recipe, and they were absolutely right to. The light flavors of orange and vanilla are what make this casserole extra special. This was the most talked about dish at the table!
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| Cornbread Scallion Pecan Stuffing |
Thanksgiving would not be complete without some stuffing. I decided to go with a not-so-traditional recipe,
Terry's Cornbread Scallion Pecan Stuffing. Homemade crumbled cornbread meets vegan sausage, leeks, onion, green onion, red bell pepper, chopped pecans, and a bit of cayenne pepper for a substantial, lightly spicy, and meaty stuffing. Delicious!
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| Mashed Potatoes |
Then of course there were mashed potatoes. I used yukon gold potatoes, because they are the creamiest and the skin is tender enough to mash right in. Into the mash went a bit of soymilk, olive oil, and salt for mashed potato perfection!
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| "Poultry" Gravy |
And what is "turkey", stuffing, and mashed potatoes without some gravy? I chose
C'est La Vegan's "Poultry" Gravy, which turned out to be a very good decision. This gravy is so, so good!
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| Roasted Brussels Sprouts |
Last but not least, some roasted Brussels sprouts to round out the meal. I forgot to take a picture of Carolyn's delicious homemade cranberry sauce, but you can spot some on my plate at the top of this post.
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| Steve and Carolyn at the buffet line |
My guests descended onto the buffet line with enthusiasm, and we feasted until we could feast no more! Well, until it was time to serve dessert anyway...
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| Vegan pies with ice cream and whipped cream |
We may have made a bit too much pie, if there is such a thing! Carolyn brought a yummy chocolate pie, and I made the Pumpkin Cheesecake (
recipe from PETA), Southern Comfort Caramel Apple Pie (
recipe from Lisa Marie), and Pumpkin Pecan Pie (
recipe from Fran Costigan). Steve was kind enough to bring the Tempt Vanilla Bean Ice Cream and Soyatoo Soy Whip to top off our pies. Everyone had a favorite -- mine was definitely the Southern Comfort Caramel Apple Pie, oh my goodness!
A big thanks to my wonderful friends who celebrated my first vegan Thanksgiving with me! Thanks also to all of the lovely bloggers that created these outstanding recipes, I could not have done it without you. Happy Thanksgiving!
