Thanksgiving

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Spiced Orange Ginger Cranberry Sauce

As preparations for a vegan Thanksgiving begin, I thought I would throw a new recipe into the mix. I love cranberries, so I wanted to try making my own cranberry sauce this year. It turned out really well and was easier to make than I thought it would be. After minimal prep time, you just need to occasionally stir this sauce as it reduces on the stove. It really takes very little effort for a yummy addition to your Thanksgiving meal. You can also make it a day ahead and let it cool in the fridge overnight, so it’s one less thing you need to make on Thanksgiving day.

If you want some other ideas for vegan Thanksgiving recipes, check out some of my past recipes. I would really recommend the stuffing recipe. It’s my mom’s recipe and a family favorite!

Sides:

Main Dishes:

Desserts: 

Ingredients:

2 12-ounce bags of fresh cranberries
1 Tbsp grated fresh ginger
1 orange (zest and juice) + about 1/2 cup of orange juice
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 cup white sugar
2 cinnamon sticks
pinch of cinnamon
pinch of nutmeg

Directions:

  • Rinse the cranberries. Finely grate the ginger. Zest and juice the orange. Add enough orange juice to total 1 cup of juice. I used bottled orange juice, but you could use more fresh oranges if you have them on hand.
  • In a large enough saucepan, combine the cranberries, orange zest and juice, ginger, water, brown sugar, white sugar, cinnamon sticks, pinch of cinnamon and nutmeg. Stir to combine the ingredients and coat the cranberries.
  • Bring the mixture to a boil over medium high heat. Reduce it to a simmer and allow it to simmer for 20-25 minutes until the sauce is thickened. Remove from heat, take out the cinnamon sticks, and cool. Serve cool or at room temperature.
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Vegan Thanksgiving Ideas – Mom’s Stuffing Recipe

Here’s one more Thanksgiving recipe for you before the holiday, and it’s one of my very favorites. It wouldn’t be Thanksgiving without my mom’s stuffing. This is the recipe my mom makes every year. Other holiday recipes may come and go, but this is one we can’t seem to be without on Thanksgiving.

I guess I lucked out growing up in a house where stuffing was always made from scratch. I don’t actually know if I’ve ever had stuffing from a box, but I know that’s how many people make it. I would definitely recommend making stuffing from scratch, but if you are set on making it from a mix, Whole Foods now sells a Vegan Stuffing Mix. I did buy one, but haven’t tried it out yet. But really, this recipe is so tasty and not very hard to make, so it’s worth the effort! Thanks Mom for sending me the recipe!

Ingredients:

1 large onion, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
3 Tbsp olive oil plus more if needed
1 large loaf of white sandwich bread
1 carton of vegetable stock
salt
black pepper
dried thyme
dried sage
dried rosemary

Directions:

  • Rip up the loaf of bread into small pieces (roughly 1 inch or so).
  • Heat a very large skillet (cast iron or heavy weight stainless) to medium heat. Pour in enough oil to cover the bottom of the pan (about 3 tbsp). Saute the onion and celery until the onion is slightly golden brown
  • Add half of the bread pieces, about 1/4 tsp salt, several grinds of black pepper, and 1/2 tsp each of dried thyme, sage, and rosemary. Pour enough stock evenly over the bread to moisten the it, but not make it soggy (about 1 to 1 1/2 cups to start with). Stir until mixed well.
  • Add remaining bread cubes and mix well. Add more stock, a little at a time, until it is all blended and moist, but again not soggy. The stuffing will be in clumps, not sticky or wet.
  • Continue to brown the stuffing, adding a little more oil if necessary to keep it from sticking to the pan. Scrape the browned bits from the bottom and turn the stuffing to brown it some more. Taste and add more thyme, sage, rosemary, salt, and pepper as needed. If it gets too dry, add more stock a little at a time.
  • The stuffing is finished when it’s browned and looks a little drier. You can serve it right away, or if you need to keep it warm, turn it into a casserole dish or baking pan. Cover it with a lid or foil and keep it in the oven to stay warm. If you make it ahead of time you can cool it and refrigerate it until you are ready to reheat. Reheat the stuffing in the oven with the cover or foil on until warm, then take the cover off and let the top brown a bit before serving.
  • If you want, you can use the leftover stock to make a vegan gravy to put on top of the stuffing. Mix a little bit of cornstarch or flour with cold water to dissolve it. Bring the stock to a boil and add the flour/cornstarch and water mixture until it reaches your desired thickness. Turn down the heat and let it simmer for a minute or two.
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    Vegan Thanksgiving Idea – Cranberry Orange Chocolate Chip Cookies

    Maybe you’ve noticed that I like cranberry orange as a flavor combo. There’s something about these flavors together that just tastes like fall and Thanksgiving. Add chocolate into that mix and it’s even better! If you’re looking for a vegan dessert to make for Thanksgiving this year, try out these Cranberry Orange Chocolate Chip Cookies.

    Sure, apple, pecan, or pumpkin pie might be more traditional, but if you have to travel to your Thanksgiving destination, pies aren’t the easiest thing to transport. These cookies are easy to pack up and take with you. You can even make them a couple days ahead of time so you have less to prepare on Thanksgiving day. They’ll keep well if you can keep yourself from snacking on them, which I must say is pretty difficult.

    Ingredients:

    2 1/4 cups all purpose flour
    1 tsp baking soda
    1/2 tsp salt
    1 tsp cinnamon
    1 cup of vegan butter (softened)
    3/4 cup sugar
    3/4 brown sugar
    1 Tbsp EnerG egg replacer powder mixed with 4 Tbsp water
    1 1/2 tsp vanilla
    1 tsp orange extract
    zest of one orange
    3/4 cup of dried cranberries
    1 1/2 cups of chocolate chips

    Directions:

    • Preheat your oven to 375°.
    • In a medium mixing bowl stir together the flour, baking soda, salt and cinnamon. Set aside.
    • Zest the orange into a small bowl and set aside.
    • In a large mixing bowl, beat the softened vegan butter with the sugar and brown sugar until creamy. Use a whisk if by hand or medium speed if using an electric mixer.
    • Mix 1 tbsp of egg replacer powder with 4 tbsp of water and stir well until there aren’t lumps.
    • Add the vanilla, orange extract, orange zest and egg replacer mixture to the creamed butter and sugar. Stir until well combined. Use low speed if using an electric mixer.
    • Blend in the dry ingredients adding a little at a time and stirring in between. Once all of the dry ingredients are combined with the wet ingredients, stir in the chocolate chips and cranberries with a wooden spoon.
    • Drop evenly sized balls of dough (about 1-2 tbsp per cookie) onto ungreased nonstick cookie sheets. Bake for 9-10 minutes and check. Bake longer if needed. Mine needed to be in for about 15 minutes, but all ovens vary.
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    Vegan Thanksgiving Idea – Side Dish – Cranberry Citrus Wild Rice

    Here’s another recipe for you to try at Thanksgiving. It’s one that vegans and non-vegans will both enjoy! I came up with this recipe after having something similar at the National Museum of the American Indian. They actually have a pretty good cafe called the Mitsitam Cafe. Mitsitam translates to “Let’s eat!” in the language of the Delaware and Piscataway natives. All the foods in the cafe are indigenous Native American foods from different regions. They even have a cookbook, though it’s not all vegan. If you ever go to the museum, you should stop by the cafe to try it out!

    Cranberry Citrus Wild Rice

    Ingredients

    6 cups of water
    pinch of salt
    1 1/2 cups of uncooked wild rice
    1 orange
    1 lemon
    3 Tbsp brown sugar
    1 green apple
    3/4 cup dried cranberries
    1/4 tsp cinnamon
    dash of pumpkin pie spice

    Directions

    • Add a pinch of salt to the water and bring it to a boil. Add wild rice and cook for 45 minutes. All the water should be absorbed, but if there’s still some left you can drain it off. Stir the rice and place it in the fridge to cool down.
    • Zest the orange and the lemon and then juice them both. Add the zest to the juice. Stir in 3 Tbsp of brown sugar until it dissolves. You can use less if you want it less sweet. You can also substitute agave if you want. Set the mixture aside.
    • Chop the green apple into small chunks. You can peel it first if you want, but I don’t. I don’t mind the skin and it adds some color.
    • Once the rice is cool, add the juice and zest mixture, the apple chunks, and the dried cranberries. Add the cinnamon and just a dash of pumpkin pie spice. Stir well so the juice coats the rice and the spices are well distributed.
    • Transfer to a bowl for serving.
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    Vegan Thanksgiving Ideas – Turkey Replacements

    With Thanksgiving only a week away it’s time for vegan Thanksgiving recipes! Thanksgiving can be a tricky holiday for vegans. I’m lucky to have a vegan friendly family and most of the food we make for the holiday is vegan. But more traditional Thanksgiving dinners aren’t usually particularly vegan friendly.

    Leading up to the holiday, I’m going to dedicate my next few blog posts to sharing some of my ideas about how to have a vegan Thanksgiving. If you need to bring a dish with you to a family dinner or if your relatives are asking what they can make you for Thanksgiving, try out some of these suggestions. Or, if you’re not vegan, but need to feed a vegan on Thanksgiving, you’ll know just what to make! I’m curious to hear about your Thanksgiving ideas and traditions as well. How do you celebrate a vegan Thanksgiving?

    Okay, let’s start with the Turkey. I don’t think you necessarily have to have a fake meat replacement for the turkey. It’s not my favorite part of the meal, and I wouldn’t miss it. But if you or your family want to have a vegan alternative to turkey, I would suggest the Celebration Roast by Field Roast.

    The Celebration Roast has a layer of vegan roast/meat with stuffing in the middle made with butternut squash, apples, and mushrooms. All you have to do is slice and pan fry it with a little bit of oil so it’s gets a little crispy. They also have Original Field Roast loaves in various flavors, which I haven’t tried, but are essentially the roast without the stuffing. You can pick up Field Roast products at Whole Foods.

    I have also tried Tofurky Thanksgiving roasts, but I don’t think they’re as good as the Field Roast brand. They also have a vegan roast/meat exterior with stuffing in the middle. It’s not as convenient to cook. You have to baste it and it cooks in the oven for 1 hour and 35 minutes thawed, or 2 hours and 35 minutes frozen. I don’t think the taste and texture are as good as the Celebration Roast, and the Celebration Roast only takes 10 minutes at most to slice and cook.

    Try out the Celebration Roast for yourself! It’s a tasty vegan alternative to turkey and not much hassle to prepare. And check back for more vegan Thanksgiving ideas over the next week. Up next is Cranberry Citrus Wild Rice. Yum!