Is it safe to come out now? *blink blink*During my blog absence this week, I was planning, cooking, and then recovering from the Thanksgiving dinner I hosted for my immediate family. It was the first time I attempted to cook a formal dinner for them and whoo-whee!, was that an experience I'll not soon forget! I feel like I've been initiated into adulthood, LOL!
So what was on the menu for five adults and one toddler?
1. Tofu pups for the kid. It's vegan hot dog wrapped in pizza crust. I knew he'd eat this if nothing else!2. Thai-spiced Pumpkin Soup - This is the first time I've cooked anything with pumpkin since I'm not a fan of the taste. I thought the coconut milk and bit of curry would make it taste more familiar but it just ended up being weird. Oops. "No [pumpkin] soup for you!" - Seinfeld
3. Mashed potatoes with cashew gravy. I loved the cashew gravy! I added some vegan oyster mushroom sauce and it was perfect.4. Roasted brussels sprouts - perhaps a little too roasted? ;-)
5. Quinoa salad with Balsamic Vinaigrette. The quinoa salad had tomato, corn, and apple. Nice and light to balance out the rest of the meal.
6. Chickpea Cutlet Loaf. My pièce de résistance! I saw a few blogs using Veganomicon's chickpea cutlet for their loaf and I thought it was brilliant! I made a double batch of Isa's Doublebatch Chickpea Cutlet recipe so I could have two loaves. For the stuffings, I grounded up half of a Field Roast Meatloaf and sautéed it with onion, then added cornbread, chopped pecans, and Italian seasoning. I think the stuffing was my favorite part of dinner. So yum!
7. Apple pie - I know pumpkin pie is the norm for Thanksgiving dinner, but since we're already having pumpkin soup, I opted for apple pie. The glaze didn't turn out well, making some parts really dark but otherwise it was delicious.So that's my 2010 Thanksgiving dinner, whew! How was yours?
Lastly, food aside, I want to express thanks for all the blessings in my life, especially my family, my wheekers, and this big planet we call home. I am also thankful for terrific vegan community on Twitter and the blogs. You guys rock!
Happy Thanksgiving.
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Sounds delicious! I love the sound of your roast. Happy Thanksgiving!
ReplyDeleteHi Bert!
ReplyDeleteYour meal looks great! I really have to try the cashew gravy. It's a shame about the soup but I am not a huge pumpkin fan either :(
Ooh and I used a regular loaf tin for my garden loaf and it turned out well, I did line it with baking paper.
LOL - congratulations on your "initiation!" Taking on Thanksgiving for your first formal family meal cooking assignment took panache - just choosing a menu out of the vast array of delectable vegan options is daunting by itself! - and it sure looks like you did a delicious job!
ReplyDeleteEven if you didn't care for it, I think the Thai Pumpkin Soup was a very creative way to include seasonal and festive pumpkin in something other than the ubiquitous pumpkin pie. I love pumpkin, but have never had pumpkin soup (just butternut squash soup). I wonder if we pumpkin lovers would consider the taste of that soup "weird?"
Quinoa salad was a great touch, too!
The stuffing has always been my favorite part of Thanksgiving dinner, followed closely by the mashed potatoes and gravy. :-) And yours all look and sound scrumptious! I seem to recall your being a fan of Isa's chickpea cutlets, and they sound perfect for the main Thanksgiving entrée! We're having something similar today, as we've spread our Thanksgiving feasting throughout the long weekend!
I'm glad you enjoyed a fun family gathering and the opportunity to take your cooking to the next level. You did well, Grasshopper! :-) I'm sure Bert is very proud of you, even if he did go into hiding during the festivities. ;-)
Hi! Everything you made looked delish! I also wanted to let you know that you won my TofuXpress giveaway! Congrats to you! Could you email me your mailing address so I can get that to you? Thanks!
ReplyDelete-Kelly
Oh, and my email address is chambersky@gmail.com
ReplyDeleteOh wow, VW!! You won a TofuXpress?! That's awesome!! Congratulations! Can't wait to hear what you think of it!
ReplyDeleteTrina: Thanks for stopping by. Hope you had a great Thanksgiving too!
ReplyDeleteMandee: Thanks for the loaf tip! I shall have to try that loaf recipe. And the cashew gravy is great; it's a nice alternative to the usual mushroom gravy.
Laloo: I've bought a butternut squash, thinking I'd have time to do something with it for Thanksgiving but as you can see, I never did. I'm saving it now to make that pasta recipe from your blog...that is, once I'm done with all the leftovers. Oi!
I've bookmarked that Quinoa and Red Lentil Cutlets recipe too. But I don't have red lentils, only green ones. Wonder if it'll make much of a difference? Let me know how yours go.
Kelly: Awesome! Thanks so much! I've sent you an email. This is so exciting!
Laloo: Thanks! I've never bothered pressing tofu before so I'm excited to try the TofuXpress and see what a difference it makes. Woohoo! :-)
VW ~ we just finished eating those very cutlets today (along with leftover butternut squash!) :-) The red lentils cook faster than the green ones, so they can cook along with the quinoa, which is handy. I'm not sure how that would work with the longer-cooking green lentils. (The lentils are the same, but the red ones have had the husks removed, which is why they cook up faster). The green lentils might also change the color of the cutlets, not sure. I like to add a little chopped celery to mine too, and I omit the pepper.
ReplyDeleteI've only pressed tofu when I want to marinade it, but I've had to do it with towels and stacks of books... messy! That Tofu Xpress looks slick! I'm so glad for you to have won it! :-)
It looks like a great dinner. Can I have what the kids had :-)
ReplyDeleteCiao
Alessandra
Hey, VW! Happy New Year! (almost!)
ReplyDeleteI miss your posts - you spoiled us during MoFo, now where did you GoGo? :-)
Guess what I got for Christmas from my friend Robyn? A Tofu Xpress! I haven't had a chance to use it yet - have you been using yours? I'm psyched!
And did you try the Smoky-Freaky-Mac-N-Cheesy or the quinoa and red lentil cutlets yet?
And most importantly, how are you and the Wheekers doing? Any big plans for tonight? (Not us, we're holing up where it's warm, safe and quiet! LOL)
All the best to you in 2011, VW! xoxo