It was kind of frustrating because in order to have everything go smoothly, I required the cooperation of my co-workers, and that didn’t happen. It’s not that they were being deliberately uncooperative, but they just sort of did their own thing without checking with me.

Anyway, in the end, the important thing was that 75 families are going to have a decent Thanksgiving meal this year. And it made me realize that Thanksgiving is only 2 days away! So, if you’re still looking for some good recipes, here are some that will make your Turkey Day feast one to remember. Happy Thanksgiving, everyone. May you have a happy, healthy one and, if you’re traveling, get to your destination safely.

www.thepartyanimal-blog.org

Spinach, Red Pepper, and Feta Quiche From Gourmet, March 1994

Brussels Sprouts Gratin from Food Network

Vegetarian Gravy from NPR

Chestnut Stuffing from Gourmet

Homemade Cranberry Sauce, plus 10 Things to do with Leftover Cranberry Sauce

Whole Wheat Bread Rolls from Foodista.com

Apple Galette with Vegan Crust

Vegans can still pick their way successfully through a Thanksgiving meal. Where you can really shine, however, is at dessert time. Over the years, complaints about vegan desserts have ranged from tasteless and flour-y to boring and “hard” to downright “bad” and cardboard-flavored.

But recipes have evolved and been refined. Sugars have been replaced with fruit purees and agave nectar; dairy has gone soy; eggs have been deemed obsolete; and rich flavor has taken over. Vegans can now rejoice at their creations. So sayeth the agave god.

Photo by Alfred Cheney Johnston, 1920 or before

Let the meat-eaters have their turkey, the purists their mashed potatoes with cream and butter, the

vegetarians their quiche. When the coffee is put up and the pies and cakes start making their appearances, it’s time for the vegans to shine. Here are three fabulous desserts that you can whip out: Coconut Cake from Chooseveg.com, Almond Rice Pudding from VegWeb.com, and Butterscotch Brownies from SavvyVegetarian.com. Expect a standing applause.

See you next week for Part 3 of the Countdown to Turkey Day.

Coconut Cake

* For the Cake:
* 8 oz. silken tofu
* 1 lb. plus 5 oz. sugar
* 2 cups coconut milk
* 12 oz. coconut flakes
* 1 cup canola oil
* 1 lb. plus 4 oz. all-purpose flour
* 1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
* 1 1/2 tsp. baking soda

* For the Icing:
* 1 lb. soy margarine
* 1 lb. powdered sugar, sifted
* 1/4 cup coconut milk

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Put the first 5 ingredients into the bowl of a food processor and puree until thick and uniform in texture. Add the last 3 ingredients and process until smooth. Pour the batter into 2 (9-inch) parchment-lined cake pans that have been coated with nonstick cooking spray. Bake for about 1 hour. Let cool.

For the icing, mix the ingredients until smooth. Spread on the cooled cake.

Almond Rice Pudding

Ingredients:

3/4 cup uncooked white or brown rice (*might need to add a little more rice)
1 cup water
1 1/2 cups almond milk (you can substiute plain soy or rice milk with 1 tablespoon almond extract)
1/4 cup maple syrup
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 cup raisins, dried cranberries or dried blueberries (optional, for very different flavor)

Directions:

1. In a medium-sized saucepan, combine rice and water. Bring to a fast boil and reduce heat. Simmer for 10 minutes or until water is absorbed (I found it was much faster than 10 minutes).

2. Stir in almond milk and maple syrup, stirring until the rice mixture is as soupy as cooked cereal (25 minutes roughly at a simmer).

3. Remove from heat and stir in cinnamon and optional dried fruit. Eat warm or room temperature.

*I kept adding more rice because I thought it wasn’t near thick enough, but the simmering time is what gave it that pudding consistency, so be patient!

Source of recipe: This is a slight modification of a recipe from “Vegan Meals for One or Two” by Chef Nancy Berkoff

Makes: 3 Servings, Preparation time: 5 min, Cooking time: 35 min

Butterscotch Brownies

1. 2/3 cup veggie spread (we use Earth Balance)
2. 1 1/2 cups packed brown sugar
3. 1 1/4 cup unbl. wh. flour
4. 1 Tbsp baking powder
5. 1/2 tsp salt
6. 1 tsp vanilla
7. 1 Tbsp egg replacer + 1/3 c soymilk
8. 1/2 cup chopped walnuts
9. 1/2 cup dried unsweetened shredded coconut

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. Oil a 9 x 9 inch baking pan and dust with flour
3. Whip egg replacer with soy milk, or beat eggs
4. Mix flour, baking powder and salt
5. Melt veggie spread or butter
6. Remove from heat and beat in brown sugar and vanilla
7. Beat in egg replacer or eggs
8. Stir in the nuts and coconut
9. Mix in the dry ingredients
10. Spread in pan and bake for about 25 minutes
11. Cool 15 minutes in the pan on a cooling rack, cut in squares and serve

With traditional American Thanksgiving feasts, this would be an issue because one can only feel full on mashed potatoes and peas and carrots for so long. But as people from different cultures have incorporated their beloved dishes and flavors into holiday meals, and as Americans have expanded their palates to include multicultural fare, Thanksgiving is not the meat-and-potatoes affair it used to be.

Take my family, for example. Growing up, Thanksgiving always included such things as lasagna or ravioli; broccoli rabe; stuffed artichokes, mushrooms and peppers; and antipasti, which would be any combination of cheeses, salami and dried sausage, prosciutto, olives, roasted peppers, marinated mushrooms and artichokes, and whatever else the cooks (usually my mother and my aunt) decided to throw in. And the meal (before dessert) would end with pieces of fennel to encourage digestion. With the exception of the above mentioned cured meats, the antipasti, with some fresh Italian bread, could be a meal unto itself.

Vegetarians also have the option of having a Tofurky, a soy-based product made to look and taste like turkey. But, honestly, if you have a diverse enough meal, you don’t even need the “turkey.” If you are a guest, you can always bring a side-dish contribution instead of, or in addition to, dessert, wine, and flowers. Bring something that you know will satisfy you, but make sure that you bring enough for everyone. A quiche is a great idea because it’s filling, elegant, and many people love it, including meat eaters. So, I’m giving you here a trio of quiche recipes from Epicurious.com and Quicherecipes.net. Give them a try–I think you’ll have to fight people off for a piece.

Okay, the countdown is on. I’ll offer some more Turkey Day options next week. Ciao.

Spinach, Red Pepper, and Feta Quiche

From Gourmet, March 1994

1/3 cup plus 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons cold unsalted butter
1 tablespoon cold vegetable shortening
1 1/2 tablespoons ice water plus additional if necessary
1/3 cup sliced red bell pepper
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 cups packed fresh spinach leaves, trimmed and washed thoroughly (about 5 ounces)
2 large eggs
1/3 cup heavy cream or milk
1/3 cup crumbled feta cheese

Preheat oven to 425°F.

In a bowl with a pastry blender or in a small food processor blend together flour, butter, shortening, and a pinch salt until mixture resembles meal. Add water and toss until incorporated, adding additional water if necessary to form a dough. Pat dough onto bottom and one half inch up sides of a 7 1/2-inch tart pan with removable fluted rim or a 9-inch pie plate and bake shell in bottom third of oven until set and pale golden, about 7 minutes.

While shell is baking, in a large skillet sauté bell pepper in oil over moderately high heat, stirring, 1 minute. Add spinach and sauté, stirring, until wilted and tender, about 1 minute. Remove skillet from heat and season spinach mixture with salt and pepper. In a small bowl whisk together eggs and cream.

Sprinkle feta over bottom of shell and arrange spinach mixture on top. Pour cream mixture over spinach and bake quiche on a baking sheet in middle of oven 15 minutes. Reduce temperature to 350°F. and bake until set, about 10 minutes.

Carrot-Tofu Quiche

4 cups of sliced carrots.
2 cups of tofu, mashed.
¼ cup of water, from the carrots.
1 teaspoon of sea salt.
1 small onion, minced.
½ teaspoon of dill seed.
2 tablespoons of chopped parsley.
1 whole wheat pie crust.
2 tablespoons of sesame seeds.

Steam the carrots until they are tender.

Blend together the tofu, water and salt. Use enough water to obtain a thick, creamy consistency like that of mayonnaise (the amount of water needed varies depending on the moisture content of the tofu). Add the minced onion, dill and chopped parsley to the tofu cream. Mix thoroughly.

Spread the tofu-carrot mixture over the crust in a 7-inch by 11-inch baking dish. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and bake at 350°F (175°C) for 40 minutes or until set.

Spinach Quiche

One deep nine-inch pastry shell.
1 packet of frozen spinach, chopped.
2 medium eggs.
½ stick of butter.
1 cup of milk.
1 cup of Swiss cheese, grated.
½ cup of onions, chopped.
½ cup of celery, chopped.
½ cup of cottage cheese.
1 teaspoon of salt.
½ teaspoon of pepper.
¼ teaspoon of nutmeg.

Cook spinach in salted water as directed on its packaging; then drain.

Sauteé the onion and celery in butter until the onion is soft.

Spread cottage cheese over the bottom of the pastry shell. Mix the spinach with the onion/celery mixture and spread over top of the cottage cheese. Sprinkle Swiss cheese over top.

Combine the eggs, milk, salt, pepper and nutmeg, and pour over all.

Bake at 350°F (175°C) 45 minutes.

Traditionally, for me, the day after Thanksgiving has been a day of rest. I don’t do anything, I don’t go anywhere, I don’t see anyone. I’ve been cooking all week and I want is to be left alone. Just me and my leftovers and my holiday movies. That’s it. This year, my parents cooked Thanksgiving dinner and I worked at Macy’s this Friday as a Santaland elf. Yes, I worked at Macy’s on Black Friday. I thought I was going to need tranquilizers. But I’ll talk about that experience another time.

Now, I’ve cooked multi-course Thanksgiving meals for up to 20 people without a hitch. The menu usually consisted of (with variations): Antipasto platters (I am Italian, after all), for which I roasted my own peppers and sometimes marinated my own olives, and which included things like stuffed mushrooms, cheeses, salami, etc.; the turkey (of course); cranberry sauce (homemade); stuffing; green beans almandine; corn; mashed (or other) potatoes; baked squash rings; broccoli raab; salad; and desserts. Sometimes I added side dishes, and my mother always made something(s). And even though I knew full well that everyone would bring a dessert, I still chose to make one or two myself because I enjoy it and I don’t get many opportunities throughout the year to make desserts.

This year, I was in charge of stuffing. That’s it. I did choose, however, to also make fresh cranberry sauce, cipolline (more on that), and a raspberry cheese pie. With only those few items to make, you’d think it would have been a snap. Well, just as the rest of my year has gone, things decided to go their own way. Some things chose not to cooperate. On the upside, I did learn a few things (when you cook for Thankgiving, it gives you the opportunity to really experience cooking for a crowd).

So, without further ado, here are the 5 Things I Learned This Thanksgiving.

1. When making homemade cranberry sauce, don’t skimp on the sugar. Cranberry sauce requires a lot of sugar. Otherwise, it can be so tart as to be unpalatable (for some, anyway). This year, I decided to cut back on the sugar. I used a combination of white and brown sugar, hoping that the brown sugar would increase the sweetness. Didn’t work. The resulting sauce left a bitter aftertaste. I knew I had to add sugar before I brought it to dinner, but I was afraid of grittiness. So, I added brown sugar and stirred it in very well. It was fine.

2. If you’re roasting chestnuts for chestnut stuffing, buy more than you have to because some of them will be rotten.

3. Cipolline. There is no substitute. These are small Italian onions that are available only in fall. They are a delicacy. They have a strong flavor, somewhat bitter, but Italians seem to be fond of that. It’s an acquired taste but one that is prized. I make them agrodolce—sweet and sour—and when done properly, they are addicting. This photo shows what the end product looks like. Anyway, they can be hard to find and I substituted pearl onions. Well, it just isn’t the same. They don’t cook up the same and they certainly don’t taste the same. So, if you’re going to give cipolline a try, don’t bother if you can’t find the real thing. Here’s a recipe.

4. Chocolate just doesn’t melt as well in a microwave as it does the traditional way on the stovetop. I had to melt white chocolate for the raspberry cheese pie and it came out lumpy. Is it because it was white chocolate rather than regular chocolate? I don’t know.

5. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it! I brought my stuffing to my parents’ house. It was assembled and ready to go in the oven just for reheating. It was just right—the texture, the flavor, the dispersal of ingredients. But I thought, “Hmm, I don’t want it to dry out in the oven, so I’ll just add the rest of this vegetable broth.” I had to heat it for close to an hour at 400 degrees just to dry it all out. In the end, it still tasted good, but the texture was somewhat gummy. So, like I said, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.

I hope everyone had a great day on Thursday. And so begins the new Christmas season. What will you be making this holiday?

Until next week, peace.