Complete Vegan Holiday Dinner

Hope everyone enjoyed their Thanksgiving!

Let’s talk about holiday food today. First of all, in no way is it necessary to have turkey on your plate during the holiday season. This practice is outdated, inhumane, and not to mention, unhealthy. Who wants to feel bloated and lethargic after a meal? I’d rather have vegan comfort food that doesn’t make you feel awful after eating it. To make the transition easier, popular plant-based brands like Tofurky and Gardein have come out with their own vegan holiday roasts which are both tastier, healthier, and kinder options. This way, you can still have your turkey dinner without all the cruelty.

Alternatively, some may want to ditch the very idea of a roast at all. I mean, everybody knows that the warm, savoury stuffing is the best part about Thanksgiving or any holiday dinner. In my household, I always looked forward to the holidays for my mom’s famous stuffing. She would make huge batches of it and we would eat it for days on end. I remember thinking that it was one of my most favourite comfort foods. Even before I went full veg, I would frequently lean more towards the stuffing rather than the turkey.

Back in 2014, with my mother’s recipe in hand, I decided to attempt a vegan re-creation of her famous stuffing. To my surprise, it turned out almost identical! Slathered in some vegan gravy alongside a tofurky roast, and you couldn’t even tell the difference.

Fast forward three years later, and here I am, writing this blog post the day after Thanksgiving. I’m very excited to share this recipe with you all today and I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.

This vegan Thanksgiving recipe is a winner, and remains my go-to for any holiday meal. It features a moist and flavourful tofurky roast, savoury vegetable stuffing, sweet and creamy mashed yams, and thyme-roasted veggies. You can also add your favourite vegetable gravy for the ultimate Thanksgiving meal.

Vegan Thanksgiving Dinner

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Serves: 4 Prep Time: 1 Hour Cooking Time: 2 Hours

Ingredients

For the roast:

1 Tofurkey roast or Gardein Roast
3 organic carrots, peeled and cut into sticks
1 bag of yellow mini potatoes, cut in half
2 cloves of garlic, pressed
1/2 red onion, sliced
3 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
1 tbsp. soy sauce or liquid aminos
1 tbsp. dried sage
1 tsp. poultry seasoning
1 bunch of fresh sage
Salt & pepper

For the stuffing:

2 big shallots, peeled and chopped
1 large apple, diced
6 organic carrots, peeled and chopped
1 cup celery, chopped
2 tbsp. vegan butter
3 cups vegetable broth
6 cups dry bread crumbs (from course/day old baquette)
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1 bunch fresh sage
1/2 tsp. dry sage
¾ tsp. Salt
¼ tsp. pepper
2 tsp. Poultry seasoning (or more)

Mashed yams:

2 large yams or sweet potatoes
2 tbsp. vegan butter
1/2 tbsp. Vegenaise
1 tsp. Herbamare or salt
1 tbsp. pure maple syrup
Dash of pepper

Gravy:

1 Vegetable boullion cube
2 cups unsweetened soy/almond milk
1/2 tsp. onion powder
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
2 tbsp. nutritional yeast
1/2 tsp. soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon mustard
1/4-1/2 cup flour, as needed
1 tbsp. vegan butter
Salt and pepper, to taste

Complete Vegan Holiday Dinner was last modified: December 24th, 2018 by themindfulstrawberry

Instructions

Yams:

1. Preheat oven to 400 Degrees F.
2. Place yams on baking sheet (uncovered) and make small holes in yams with fork or knife.
3. Bake for 1-1.5 hrs (until soft all the way through).
4. When yams are done, carefully peel off the skin and transfer yams to a bowl.
5. Smash yams with vegan butter, herbamare or salt, pepper, vegenaise, and maple syrup.

Roast:

1. Preheat oven to 350 Degrees F.
2. Remove defrosted tofurky roast from packaging and place on pan with aluminum foil or casserole dish.
3. Surround the roast with veggies.
4. Prepare a baste in a small bowl of olive oil, soy sauce, dry and fresh sage, salt and pepper, and poultry seasoning.
5. Pour half of the baste over roast and vegetables
6. Cover tightly and cook according to roast packaging (About 1 hour and 20 minutes for tofurky roast).
7. Remove from oven and pour over remaining baste. Cook and cook uncovered for another 10 minutes.

Stuffing:

1. Sauté shallots, apple, carrots, and celery in vegan butter until caramelized.
2. Add 1 cup vegetable broth to cook until absorbed.
3. Add dried cranberries, fresh and dried sage, salt, pepper, and poultry seasoning; mix well.
4. Slowly begin to add the breadcrumbs, one cup at a time, stirring everything together.
5. Pour another 2 cups of broth over the bread. Note: you may need to add more broth to raise (I like mine on the drier side and not mushy, so I don’t add more broth).
6. Transfer stuffing to casserole dish and bake at 375 Degrees F. for 30 minutes or until golden brown and crispy on top.

Gravy:

1. Combine all ingredients in a pot and bring to boil.
2. Cook on medium/low heat until done, adding a pinch of sage.
3. Remove from heat and set aside.

 

 

Complete Vegan Holiday Dinner was last modified: December 24th, 2018 by themindfulstrawberry