EPISODE 108

I know that the holidays look a little different this year, but celebrating nonetheless with the people in your bubble is a fantastic way to connect and to show appreciation for one another. Canadian Thanksgiving was over a month ago, and I took the opportunity to make a special dinner for myself, my roommate, and my boyfriend. We took the opportunity to feast, drink, laugh, dress up, and we had such a lovely evening. It was restorative and a really nice way to break out of our more subdued routine.

I came up with this menu because it encapsulates my favorite components of the meal, it’s pretty healthy and balanced (especially considering what Thanksgiving usually entails), and since three of the dishes are cooked in the oven, at the same temperature, your stove top is free for the gravy and mashed potatoes. You can do a lot of this meal in advance, the pie needs to chill, the potatoes can sit in a bowl of water in the fridge until you’re ready to boil them, veggies can be prepped in advance, tahini sauce can sit in the fridge as well as the gravy… this is a very practical meal. If you’re looking to add to it though, my vegan biscuits, cranberry sauce, and Indian lentil stew would also make for great additions.

Menu

• Vegan pumpkin pie and Coconut Whipped Cream
• Creamy mashed potatoes with Mushroom sausage gravy
• Roasted purple cabbage with herby tahini dressing
• Balsamic roasted green beans
• Lemony roasted chickpeas

Vegan Pumpkin Pie – Crust

• 1 ½ cups finely ground graham cracker crumbs
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• ¼ cup vegan butter/margarine, melted
• ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• Pinch of salt

Instructions – Pie Crust

Preheat the oven to 350F. Combine all the ingredients and pat into a pie pan and bake for 10-15 minutes, until slightly browned. Set aside to cool.

Ingredients – Coconut Whipped Cream

• 1 can coconut cream
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 tablespoon icing sugar

Instructions – Coconut Whipped Cream

Put the can of coconut cream in the fridge overnight, then open the can, scoop around ½ cup of cream into a bowl (do not get any of the clear coconut liquid into this) and then use most of the rest of the can for the pumpkin pie. Keep the coconut cream in the fridge, until you’re ready to whip it up when it’s time to serve the pie. Combine the cream, vanilla, and icing sugar, and whip, using an electric mixer until around doubled in volume. Taste and add more sugar if desired. Pipe onto your pie in rosettes or simply serve in a bowl alongside.

Ingredients – Pie Filling

• 3 tablespoons cornstarch
• 3/4 cup coconut milk (leftover from the coconut cream used to make the whipped cream)
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 tablespoons maple syrup
• ¾ cup light brown sugar
• ½ tsp salt
• 1 ¼ tsp ground cinnamon
• ½ tsp dried ginger
• ¼ teaspoon allspice
• ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg

Instructions – Pumpkin Pie

Preheat the oven to 425F. Whisk together all the ingredients until smooth, then pour into the baked and cooled crust, and cook for 15 minutes. Reduce the heat to 350F and cook for 50-60 minutes or until the pie is set. Let it cool at room temperature, then place in the fridge until fully chilled. Feel free to make this in advance as it gets even more delicious as it sits (and makes for a fantastic breakfast the day after the feast…)

Ingredients – Garlicky Mashed Potatoes

• 2 tablespoons kosher salt
• 6 medium sized russet potatoes, peeled and cut into large chunks
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• ½ cup vegan butter/margarine
• 1 ¼ cups unsweetened non-dairy milk
• 2 bay leaves (optional)
• Salt & pepper

Instructions – Garlicky Mashed Potatoes

Bring a pot of water to the boil, then add the salt, potatoes, and garlic. Cooking the potatoes in the salt will season them evenly throughout. If you prefer, you can omit the salt at this stage and season later, but I advise against it. Cook until they’re extremely soft (around 25 minutes). Drain.

In a small pot, combine the garlic and margarine and cook over medium-low for 5-10 minutes, until the garlic is browned. Add in the milk and bay leaves (if desired – they’ll add a woodsy floral note to the patates) along with salt and pepper and warm through, for 5-10 minutes. I’m using finely ground white pepper which won’t speckle the mashers the way black pepper would, but use whatever you have on hand. Add the buttery garlicky milk to the potatoes and mash (with a potato masher) until smooth and creamy. Taste for salt and pepper, and then serve. Leftovers can be warmed up with a little extra milk and butter.

Ingredients – Sausage and Mushroom Gravy

• 2 beyond meat sausages, crumbled into small chunks
• 2 tablespoons vegan butter (or oil)
• 1 onion, diced
• 1 pack white button mushrooms, thinly sliced (8oz)
• 1 pack portobellini mushrooms, finely chopped (16oz)
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• ½ teaspoon paprika
• 1 tablespoon flour
• ¼ cup red wine (optional)
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 1 ¾ cups vegetable broth, or boiling water + 1 mushroom/veg bouillon cube dissolved together
• ¾ cup non dairy milk
• 2 tablespoons dill, minced (or parsley)
• Squeeze of lemon juice (around 2 tablespoons)

Instructions – Sausage and Mushroom Gravy

Place the sausage in a medium sized pan and cook over medium-high until the sausages are crispy. Remove them from the pan, then add the vegan butter or oil, the diced onion and the mushrooms, and add a pinch of pepper and a tiny pinch of salt (which will help the mushrooms break down), and cook for 5-10 minutes, stirring once or twice, until they’re lightly browned. Add the thyme, paprika, and flour and cook for another minute before adding the mustard and wine (if desired), stir, then add the broth and cook for a few minutes, until the stock is reduced, before adding the non-dairy milk, dill, and lemon juice. Taste for seasoning.

Ingredients – Crispy Roasted Cabbage with Tahini Herb Dressing

• ½ head of red cabbage, cut into 1 inch slices
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 3 tablespoons tahini
• 2 tablespoons water
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon maple syrup
• ½ teaspoon paprika
• 1 tablespoon flour
• 2 tablespoons parsley, chopped
• 2 tablespoons cilantro, chopped
• Salt & pepper

Instructions – Crispy Roasted Cabbage with Tahini Herb Dressing

Preheat the oven to 450F. Combine the cabbage and olive oil and a good pinch of salt and pepper. Toss to combine, separating more of the cabbage leaves. Place in a baking sheet or pan and roast for around 30 minutes, tossing slightly half way through.

Meanwhile, combine the rest of the ingredients; tahini, water, lemon juice, maple syrup, parsley, and cilantro with a pinch of salt and pepper. Feel free to play around with the herbs if you don’t love parsley and cilantro as much as I do. Taste for seasoning then spoon over the cabbage once it’s cooked.

Ingredients – Balsamic Roasted Green Beans

• Green beans
• Olive oil
• Salt and pepper
• Balsamic vinegar

Instructions – Balsamic Roasted Green Beans

Trim the ends off the green beans, place on a baking sheet in a single layer, toss with a little olive oil and lots of salt & pepper and roast at 450F for 10 minutes. Stir, bake for 5 more minutes, then sprinkle with a drizzle of balsamic (around 1 tablespoon/sheet pan), stir, and then roast for two more minutes before serving. The balsamic adds a fantastic sweetness to the earth green beans. I also love this preparation with broccoli. The florets get super crispy and delicious.

Ingredients – Lemony Chickpeas

• I large can chickpeas (19oz) or a jar of chickpeas or 1 cup of dried chickpeas cooked up
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 lemon, zest
• ½ lemon, juice (1-2 tablespoons)

Instructions – Lemony Chickpeas

Drain and rinse your chickpeas, then place in a baking dish, combine with olive oil, minced garlic, lemon zest, and lots of salt and pepper. Roast at 450F for 10-15 minutes then taste for salt and pepper, and finish with the juice of ½ a lemon before serving.

Wishing you a happy holiday season! Don’t forget to check out my virtual cooking lessons, follow me on Instagram, and YouTube, and sign up to my WordPress to be notified when I post new content.