Every other year we travel to be with my extended family for a big family reunion. I wanted to make sure we had our own special vegan Thanksgiving dinner even though for us, every day is a day of thanks. We have so much to be grateful for: our love, our health, our family and friends. I am big on tradition and wanted to make sure we had an opportunity to tell each other what we are thankful for.
As for the food traditions, I wanted a meal is really easy to put together, so I roasted the squash and baked the potatoes yesterday. I also soaked the beans and cooked them yesterday. I adapted my mother’s sweet potato pie recipe and used Dandies marshmallows, which are the best part. The whole meal came together today in less than an hour. Lunch was great but the leftovers for dinner are going to be even better!
Thanksgiving 2011 Menu
Three Sisters Soup topped with Toasted Butternut Squash Seeds
Maple Glazed Tempeh
Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Red Onions, Cranberries & Toasted Walnuts
Mom’s Sweet Potato Pie
Three Sisters Soup
serves 4 to 6
1 onion
1 leek
2 carrots
2 cups vegetable stock
2 cups water
1 cup roasted butternut squash
1 cup pinto beans
1 cup frozen sweet corn
S and P
Dash sage
Olive oil
Peel and see the butternut squash, saving the seeds. Dice into small pieces, toss with olive oil, salt and pepper and roast in a 400 oven for 30 minutes.
Clean and dry the seeds. Place on a baking sheet and bake for 5 minutes while the squash is roasting.
Chop the onion. In a big soup pot, saute the onion in olive oil, salt and pepper until it is translucent. Cut the leek into quarters and then small slices. Rinse really well. Peel and chop the carrots. Add both to the onions and season with salt and pepper. Add the stock and water and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and add the butternut squash, beans and corn. Add a dash of sage. Simmer for 5 or 10 minutes. Using an immersion blender, blend about half of the soup. Serve topped with the toasted seeds.
Maple Glazed Tempeh
1 package soy tempeh
1/3 cup maple syrup
1/3 cup safflower oil
1/3 cup tamari
Mix the marinade in a shallow baking dish. Cut the tempeh into triangles. Marinate for 3 hours. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes.
Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Red Onions, Cranberries & Toasted Walnuts
1 dozen Brussels sprouts
1/2 red onion
1 cup dried cranberries
1 cup toasted walnuts
Olive oil
S and P
Chop up the walnuts and place them on a baking sheet. Toast for 5 minutes in a 350 oven. Slice the onions in to semicircles and saute in olive oil, with a dash of salt and pepper. Quarter the Brussels sprouts and when the onions are translucent add the Brussels sprouts. Season with salt and pepper. Add the cranberries and walnuts. Brussels sprouts should be bright green!
Mom’s Sweet Potato Pie
makes 3 individual pies
3 medium sized sweet potatoes
1/2 cup crush pineapple, drained
1/2 cup fresh orange juice
Lots of Dandies marshmallows
Pierce the sweet potatoes witha fork and bake in a 400 oven for 45 to 50 minutes until soft. Peel and place in a mixing bowl. Add the pineapple and orange juice. Mix well.
Fill 3 ramekins with the mixture and place on a baking tray. Bake in a 350 oven for 20 minutes, to heat through. Top with marshmallows and bake for another 10 more minutes until the marshmallows get brown.
Plate it up and be thankful! Enjoy.
This looks good! I've never roasted butternut squash seeds before… I'll do that with the squash I got last week.