Your Thanksgiving Menu

Over the years I have offered up some of my favorite recipes. This year I’ve compiled them all into one post and added a few extras. This way you have a variety of sides, entrees, desserts and beverages to choose from in 1 place.  Vegan, gluten free or just looking for a few healthier options, you can find it all right here. Who knows, you might want to make a few different menus for the whole weekend so have at it!!

Happy Thanksgiving!!

xoxo~The Healthy Voyager

Appetizers & Salads

Raspberry Cranberry Pecan Salad

1 cup raspberries
1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
2/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
10 cups mesclun greens
2 cups dried cranberries
8 to 10 clementines or 4 to 5 oranges, peeled and separated into segments
1 cup caramelized pecans
1 Red onion, thinly sliced

To make vinaigrette, combine raspberries, balsamic vinegar and olive oil in a blender Mix until smooth. Using a very large salad bowl, gently toss the mesclun greens and cranberries. Add the clementines or oranges as well as the onions. Just before serving, add the pecans and toss with just enough raspberry vinaigrette to lightly coat the greens.

Cheesy Stuffed Mushrooms
18 large stuffing mushrooms
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 red pepper
1 green pepper
1 small yellow onion
1/2 red onion
1/4 cup dried cranberries
1/4 cup pecans
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup Shredded vegan mozzarella cheese, for topping

Remove the stems from the mushrooms and chop. Roughly chop the peppers and onions. Add the olive oil to a skillet over medium heat and add the mushroom stems, peppers and onions. Add the garlic powder, oregano, salt and pepper and saute for at least thirty minutes until caramelized slightly. Meanwhile, chop to pecans. During the last five minutes of cooking, add the pecans and cranberries. Then, add the mixture to a food processor and pulse until the mixture has combined into a paste. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F and stuff the mushrooms with the filling and place on a oiled cookie sheet. Top with cheese. Bake for twenty minutes, or until the tops are slightly browned.

Butternut Squash Soup
1 butternut squash
1 large yam
1 onion
1 leek
10 cups vegetable stock
4 large red potatoes cubed (soaked and drained)
1 large yam cubed (soaked and drained)
1 can chickpeas (drained and soaked)
4 tablespoons of maple syrup
1 tsp salt
1/2 to 1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon a pepper
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

Preheat oven to 350° F

Cut squash in half and remove seeds. Rub inside of both squash halves with oil and roast for 45 minutes.

Roast whole bulb of garlic for 30 minutes. Add oil to pot and turn burner to low. Julienne onion, dice leek, and add to pot. Cook on low for as long as possible without burning. 15 to 30 minutes.
Cube yam and potatoes and place in a bowl of water. Soak for 10 minutes to remove starch.

Once onions have caramelized, add vegetable stock to pot. Add potatoes and yam.

Rinse and soak chickpeas in water for 10 minutes and bring soup to a boil.

Drain and add chickpeas. Add salt, pepper, cinnamon, and maple syrup.

When garlic has finished roasting, peel it and add to soup. When butternut squash has finished roasting, scoop squash from peel into the soup.
Simmer soup for 30 minutes or until potatoes and yam are soft. Stirring occasionally.

Remove from heat and blend soup in the pot with a hand blender. Once smooth and creamy, let soup cook for a few more minutes.
Add more maple syrup, salt, and pepper if needed. To make it spicy, add 1/ 8 to 1/4 teaspoon of cayenne pepper.

Serve with garlic toast and garnish with a sprinkle of cayenne, parsley, or both.

Sides

Pumpkin Stuffing
1 medium sugar pumpkin
6 Granny Smith apples – peeled, cored and chopped
1 cup chopped walnuts
1 (16 ounce) can whole berry cranberry sauce
1 (20 ounce) can pineapple chunks, drained
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup golden raisins
1/2 cup dark rum (optional)
2 teaspoons minced fresh ginger root
1 tablespoon freshly grated nutmeg
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Position rack in the center of the oven.
Cut out top of pumpkin, and set aside. Scoop out seeds with a metal spoon.
In a large bowl, stir together the apples, walnuts, cranberry sauce, pineapple, brown sugar, raisins, and rum. Season with ginger, nutmeg, and cinnamon, and mix well. Spoon the mixture into the cleaned pumpkin, and replace top.

Set pumpkin directly on a baking stone or a thick baking sheet. Bake for 1 hour in the preheated oven, or until pumpkin begins to soften. Remove from heat, and stir, scraping the sides gently, so that some pieces of pumpkin fall into the apple mixture. Serve & enjoy ; )

Sage & Onion Cornbread Stuffing
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
1 cup celery and tops, chopped
3/4 lb. cornbread cubes
1 and 1/2 cup vegetarian broth
1/2 teaspoon EACH of sage, thyme, savory and dried rosemary
salt and freshly-ground black pepper to taste

Saute the onion and celery in a large lightly-oiled or non-stick frying pan in the oil until softened, adding a little broth if necessary to keep from sticking. Remove from heat and add the remaining stuffing ingredients. The bread should be moist. Mix well. Grease loaf or tube pans, or a casserole dish, with Asian sesame oil. Pack in the stuffing. Brush with more sesame oil. Cover with foil. Bake at 325-375 degrees for about 1 hour.

Mushroom Gravy
1/2 onion, chopped
1 clove garlic
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 cup sliced mushrooms
2 tablespoon whole-wheat pastry flour
1 cup water or vegetable stock
1 T soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon molasses
1/4 teaspoon each: savory and thyme
Dash of pepper

In a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, saute onion and garlic in oil until soft. Add mushrooms and cook 5 minutes over low heat. Stir in flour; cook over medium heat for 2 minutes. Add water or stock, soy sauce, and molasses. Cook, stirring, until thickened, about 3 to 4 minutes. Season with herbs and pepper. For a richer flavor, replace part of the oil with vegan margarine.

Green Bean Casserole
Beans
2 quarts water
1 tablespoon table salt
1 1/2 pounds fresh green beans, trimmed and cut into bite-size pieces

Bring the water to boil in a large pot. While it’s heating, cut up the beans. Add the salt and beans to the boiling water. Cover and cook for 6 minutes. Drain beans in a colander, and then spray for a minute with cold water to stop the cooking. Let them drain in the colander, shaking every now and then to get off all the water.

Sauce
10 ounces mushrooms (use a combination of any you like)
3 cloves garlic, minced
generous pinch cayenne pepper
Salt to taste
Fresh pepper to taste
2 tablespoons flour
3/4 cup vegetable broth
1 tablespoon dry sherry
3/4 cup soy creamer

Trim and discard the mushroom stems and chop the mushrooms into pieces. Spray a non-stick pan with canola oil and heat it. Add the mushrooms, garlic, cayenne, salt, and pepper. Cook until mushrooms are very soft and exude their juices. Whisk the flour into the vegetable broth and add to the mushrooms along with the sherry. Simmer, stirring, until mixture thickens. Add the soy creamer and simmer until thick, about 5 to 10 minutes. Adjust the seasonings and stir in the beans.

Topping
1 1/2 slices whole grain bread
1 tablespoon vegan butter
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/16 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 3-ounce can of French fried onions
Put the bread, margarine, salt, and pepper into a food processor and pulse until crumbly. Pour into a bowl and add the onions. Stir to combine.

To assemble casserole
Put the green beans into an oiled casserole dish and top with the onion mixture. Bake at 425 F for about 15 minutes. If you are not serving this right away, refrigerate the topping separately. Bring to room temperature before sprinkling the topping on the casserole and baking for about 20 minutes or until hot throughout.

Cranberry Fruit Confetti
2 cups whole fresh cranberries
2 large sweet apples, cored and chopped
2 cups raisins
30 dates, pitted and chopped
2 large persimmons, diced
1 cup pecans, toasted and chopped
2/3 cup toasted pine nuts

Leaving the peels on, wash apples thoroughly, and pulse-chop in food processor until finely minced. Transfer to a large mixing bowl.
Add remaining ingredients to the bowl with the cranberries and toss to distribute evenly. This fruit dish can be made several hours ahead. Serves 8 – 10 as a side dish.
Note: If you decide make this dish a day ahead, don’t add the cranberries until just a few hours before serving. They have a tendency to lose some of their delightful tang.

Creamed Lemony Broccoli
3/4 cup water
3 to 4 tablespoons lemon juice
1/4 cups + 2 tablespoons water
1/2 to 3/4 teaspoons salt or to taste
1 to 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

Garnish
1 slice lemon
Parsley sprig

Put prepared broccoli into a 4-quart (4 liter) saucepan. Add 3/4 cup water, cover, and bring to a boil over high heat. Turn heat down to low, and steam 4 to 5 minutes or until broccoli is just tender.
Transfer broccoli to the food processor. Add lemon juice, water, salt, and olive oil and process until pureed but still textured. Adjust seasoning to taste. Remove to an attractive serving bowl and garnish with a twisted slice of lemon and a sprig of parsley.

Note: For a low fat version, eliminate the extra virgin olive, and add extra water if mixture is too thick.

Carrot & Parsnip Ragout
4 large carrots, sliced
4 large parsnips, sliced
1 1/2 cup water
Salt to taste
Dash of nutmeg

Combine carrots, parsnips, and water in a 3-quart (3 liter) saucepan. Cover and bring to a boil over high heat. Turn heat down and steam until softened, about 5 to 7 minutes.
Using a slotted spoon, transfer cooked carrots and parsnips to a food processor. Add 1/2 to 1 cup water, salt to taste, and a dash of nutmeg. Process to a smooth puree, adding more water if needed.

Garlic Mashed Potatoes
7 potatoes
1/3 cup vegetable broth
2/3 cup water
2 cups chopped onions
4 tablespoons nutritional yeast
1/3 cup soymilk
5 pressed garlic cloves
1 tablespoon dairy-free margarine
2 teaspoons of rosemary
Salt
Pepper

Boil potatoes and onions in a large saucepan for 15-20 minutes covered with water and vegetable broth, or until potatoes soft.
Drain potatoes and onions. Mash.

Add soymilk, nutritional yeast, pressed garlic, butter, rosemary, salt and pepper. Mix together until well incorporated.

Sweet Potato Fries
9 sweet potatoes, peeled and sliced
1/2 cup agave
3 tablespoons grated fresh ginger
2 tablespoons coconut oil
1 teaspoon ground cardamom
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees

In a large bowl, combine the sweet potatoes, agave, ginger, oil, cardamom and pepper. Transfer to a large cast iron frying pan. Bake for 20 minutes.
Turn the mixture over to expose the pieces from the bottom of the pan. Bake for another 20 minutes, or until the sweet potatoes are tender and caramelized on the outside.

Entrees

Mushroom Wellington
Filling:
1/4 cup basmati rice
1 lemon, zest only
1 onion, finely chopped
2 1/4 cup brown cap mushrooms, sliced
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
1 tablespoon chopped fresh tarragon
salt and freshly ground black pepper

Pastry:
9oz ready-rolled puff pastry
vegan gravy, to serve

Cook the rice and lemon zest in a pan according to packet instructions, until tender. Drain well.

Heat the onion and mushrooms and fry for 3-4 minutes, or until softened. Stir in the cooked rice, herbs and cranberries until well combined. Season, to taste, with salt and freshly ground black pepper.

For the pastry, cut an 8in x 12in rectangle from the puff pastry. Spoon the rice mixture down the centre of the pastry. Bring the sides of the pastry together and seal with oil or melted vegan butter. Chill for 30 minutes.

Bake in the oven for 30 minutes, or until crisp and golden-brown. To serve, place one slice of the Wellington onto each of six serving plates. Top with gravy.

Seitan Turkey
1 cup onion (or shallots), diced
2 tablespoon safflower oil, plus additional for oiling pan
1 tablespoon garlic, minced
2 teaspoon ginger, minced
4 cups vegetable stock or water
2/3 cup nutritional yeast flakes
1/4 cup tamari or soy sauce
1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon rubbed sage
3/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
4 1/2 cups vital wheat gluten
3/4 cup unbleached flour

In a non-stick skillet, sauté the onion in the safflower oil, over low heat, for 7 minutes or until lightly browned. Add the garlic and ginger and sauté an additional 2 minutes. Remove the skillet from the heat. Transfer the sautéed onion mixture to a blender or food processor. Add the vegetable stock, nutritional yeast flakes, tamari, toasted sesame oil, thyme, sage, salt, and pepper, and process for 2-3 minutes or until smooth. Transfer half of the wet ingredients to a small bowl and set aside. In a large bowl, place the vital wheat gluten and flour, and stir well to combine. Add some of the remaining wet ingredients to the dry ingredients, stir well to combine, and continue to add the remaining liquid, as needed, to form a firm dough. Using your hands, knead the dough in the bowl for 2 minutes.

Using a little safflower oil, lightly oil (or spray with a fine mist) a 9x5x3-inch loaf pan. Stretch the dough slightly and then press it into the loaf pan. Pour the half of the reserved wet ingredients over the top of the roast. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes, then remove the loaf pan from the oven and pour the remaining reserved wet ingredients over the top of the roast. Reduce the oven temperature to 325 degrees and return the roast to the oven. Bake an additional 20-25 minutes or until all of the liquid is absorbed and the roast is very firm to the touch. Remove the loaf pan from the oven and set aside for 10 minutes to cool slightly. Transfer the roast to a cutting board and using a sharp knife, cut into slices of desired thickness. Transfer the slices to a large platter for service. Serve with vegan gravy.

Stuffed Acorn Squash
2 acorn squash
2 tablespoons vegan butter
Salt and pepper
1/2 cup couscous
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
3/4 pound meatless ground beef or cooked chickpeas
1/2 cup chopped walnuts, toasted
1/4 cup dried cranberries

Preheat the oven to 400°. Cut the squash in half crosswise and scoop out the pulp and seeds. Trim the ends so each half will stand upright. Place both halves in a baking pan, flesh side up, and pour hot water into the pan to reach about halfway up the squash. Add 1/2 tablespoon butter to the center of each squash and season with salt and pepper. Loosely cover the pan with foil. Bake the squash until tender when pierced with a fork, 45 minutes to 1 hour.

Prepare the couscous according to the package directions and set aside. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring, until softened, about 4 minutes. Push the onion aside, add the meat, season with salt and pepper and cook through, about 5 minutes. Stir in the walnuts, cranberries and couscous; season with salt and pepper.

Remove the squash from the oven and, using a spatula, carefully transfer each half to a plate. Pour out any excess liquid from the centers. Divide the couscous among the squash.

Desserts

Maple-Pecan Pumpkin Pie
2 egg replacers, prepared
1 (16 oz) can pumpkin
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup pure maple syrup
1 teaspoon pecan extract
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1 cup soymilk
1/4 cup cornstarch
1  unbaked vegan pie crust
Maple Pecans (below)

Prepare pie shell. Preheat oven to 350 F.

In large bowl or blender, beat egg replacer lightly. Beat in remaining ingredients, except for Maple Pecans, blending well to combine. Pour into pie crust.
Put pan onto a baking sheet (in case of drips). Bake for 60 minutes, or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.
Cool on wire rack and add maple pecans on top

Maple Pecans
Makes 1 cup
4 ounces pecan halves (about 1 cup)
2 tbsp. pure maple syrup
1 tbsp. sugar

Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 350°F

Spread the pecans in a roasting pan and bake until lightly toasted, about 8 minutes.
Pour the maple syrup over the nuts and toss to coat well. Bake, stirring occasionally, until the nuts have absorbed most of the syrup, about 7-10 minutes.
Pour the nuts into a bowl. Toss with a spoon, gradually adding the sugar, until the nuts are coated with the sugar. Cool slightly and break apart any nuts that are sticking together. Pour onto a baking sheet and cool completely before placing on pie.

Apple Pound Cake
2 cups sugar
1 1/2 cups vegetable oil
3 egg replacers
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
2 cups chopped, peeled tart apples
1 cup chopped almonds
1/2 cup raisins

Apple Cider Glaze:
1/2 cup apple cider or apple juice
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
2 tablespoons vegan butter

In a mixing bowl, combine sugar, oil, eggs and vanilla; mix well. Combine the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg; add to egg mixture and mix well. Stir in apples, almonds and raisins. Pour into a greased and floured 10-in. fluted tube pan.

Bake at 350 degrees F for 1-1/4 to 1-1/2 hours or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool for 15 minutes before removing from pan to a wire tack to cool completely.
In a saucepan, combine glaze ingredients; cook over low heat until sugar is dissolved. Prick top of cake with a fork; drizzle with glaze.

Sweet Potato Pie
3 large sweet potatoes
3 tablespoons oil or non-dairy margarine
1/2 cup hot soy milk
2 egg replacers
1/2 cup fructose
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1 unbaked vegan pie crust

Steam the sweet potatoes until tender, then peel and mash.

Preheat the oven to 350°F.

Place the oil in the hot soymilk, and add to the sweet potatoes. Beat until soft and creamy.
Add the beaten egg replacer, fructose, sea salt, vanilla, and nutmeg to the sweet potato mixture, and mix well.
Pour the filling into the crust, and bake for 30 minutes.

Beverages

Butterscotch Cocoa
3/4 oz Butterscotch Schnapps
3/4 oz Coffee Liqueur
5 oz Vegan Hot Cocoa  (prepared)

Mix ingredients in coffee mug, and top with vegan whipped cream.

Fizzy Apple
2 oz Apple Juice
4 oz Soda Water

Pour the apple juice into the old-fashioned glass filled previously with 3 to 5 ice cubes and add the soda. Stir before you serve.

Enjoy on Meatless Monday