Tweet Treats: Pho Broth

Five years ago was the last time I fell ill with a contagious cold or flu type sickness (I’m vigorously knocking on wood that this remains true). Instead, I am now blessed/cursed with a sinus or respiratory infection each year.

Last year I had an upper respiratory infection and this year I’ve got a lower respiratory infection. And like every year, I try to battle it the hippie way with natural remedies only to end up at the wellness center or urgent care to get a prescription for antibiotics and  medications. Here I am still trying to get over this nasty cough, but lucky for you (and me) this year’s natural remedy included pho!

In case you’re not sure what pho (pronounced “fuh”) is, it’s basically a big bowl of Vietnamese comfort food in the form of soup with rice noodles, beef (or other proteins) and lots of garnishes. I haven’t really tried any pho in El Paso, but everyone’s favorites seem to be Pho Tre Bien on the eastside and Saigon Taste on the westside. Eastside newcomer, Pho So 1 has had mixed reviews. What’s your favorite place for pho? I’ve been to Pho 79 in Denver, but that was way too long ago for me to remember.

InstaPho

The following recipe is adapted from a Vegetarian Times recipe which I cut in half, but then added more water to cut the sodium. All of these ingredients are fairly easy to get a hold of with the exception of the vegetarian beef broth. I was able to find it at Sprouts, but you can just use veggie broth if you can’t find it. I found dried shitake mushrooms for less than $3 at Albertsons.

Vegetarian Pho Broth

2 cups vegetarian “beef” broth or vegetable broth
6 cups water
1 large shallot, sliced
¼ cup dried shiitake mushrooms
5 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
1½ tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
6 ¼-inch-thick coins fresh ginger
½ tablespoon brown sugar
½ tablespoon rice wine vinegar
1 teaspoon (or half if you don’t want it so peppery) ground black pepper
1 cinnamon stick
1 star anise

Place all of the ingredients in a medium pot and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer covered for an hour. While the broth is cooking, take the time to prep all of the other ingredients, like soaking the rice noodles. Package directions say they’ll need to soak in hot water for 50-60 minutes, but I soaked mine for about 30 minutes.  After the broth has simmered for an hour, strain it, discard the solids and return the broth to the pot.

Garnish options (which I had none of at the time. I just used cilantro, lime and julienned zucchini & carrots): tofu, scallions, onions, cabbage, sliced chile peppers, lime wedges, bean sprouts, herbs (basil, cilantro, etc.), sriracha, hoisin…whatever you want!

To serve, place the soaked noodles in bowls, ladle hot broth over the noodles and top with garnishes. Slurp away!

Tweet Treats: Cardamom Scented Fall Soup

Follow me on Twitter @epvegsnob & on Instagram @bettyfemme

My faith in El Paso’s vegetarian/vegan restaurant scene was renewed this past October when I attended Opus World Bistro’s vegan wine dinner. I had planned on blogging about the dinner and the restaurant, but I brilliantly forgot (again) to replace the SD card in my camera. I took cellphone pics, but they don’t do Chef Michael Ross’s food justice. The pics are on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook (they’re grouped here>>). I’ll have to return another time to dine and take pictures of regular menu items. In the meantime, you NEED to eat at Opus World Bistro now. While, the wine dinner’s menu items are not on their regular menu, there are plenty of other tantalizing vegan options to choose from. You can view the menu here>>

Prices are a little high, but well worth it. Chef Michael assembles dishes that creatively and deftly make use of seasonal ingredients and textures. As of now, you can print out a coupon from their website. If I still can’t convince you to make it out to the westside and invest in a good meal, you can try making this soup that is inspired from one of the wine dinner dishes. Sweet pea tortellini, cardamom carrot vegetable broth & fresh fennel was the first course and my second favorite dish of the night.

My soup is different, but like I said it’s just an inspired dish. I love the flavors and the complexity the cardamom adds. It’s quick and easy and you can use either butternut squash, sweet potatoes, or carrots. This has to be one of the best soups I’ve created since the Smoky Tomato Chickpea soup I created for Vegan Mofo & the Earth Balance recipe contest.

Cardamom Scented Fall Soup

I placed the cardamom seeds in a tea infuser. You can get cardamom seeds at most grocery stores. I bought mine at Sprouts (they sell them by weight in the spice bins). They are cheapest at Indian & Middle Eastern grocery stores.

¼ cup onion, diced
1 garlic clove, minced
3-4 cups butternut squash, sweet potato, or carrots, ½” dice
2 cups water or vegetable broth
¼ teaspoon caradomom seeds
1 cup frozen peas (optional)
salt & pepper

1. Saute onions until browned, about 5-10 minutes. Add garlic; cook for 1-2 minutes.
2. Add squash, season with salt and pepper, cooking for 5-10 minutes.
3. Add stock or water, bringing to a simmer. Place cardamom seeds in a tea infuser, sachet, or wrap in cheesecloth; add to pot.
4. Simmer for 15 minutes or until vegetables are cooked through.
5. Remove cardamom. Puree in a blender or use a handheld immersion blender.
6. Add peas and simmer for another 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper if necessary.
7. Garnish with cilantro or your favorite herbs.

Tweet Treat: Roasted Carrot Soup

Roasted carrot soup w/cilantro pesto #veganinstagr.am/p/e6rER/

— Lisa Martinez (@epvegsnob) January 6, 2012

A raw carrot is my least favorite vegetable, but a cooked carrot is a whole different story. I had been craving a creamy curried vegan carrot soup that I used to make a lot, but I couldn’t find the recipe. VSEP used to publish a full-on newsletter, complete with articles and recipes, including a delicious curried carrot soup. When I couldn’t find it, I decided to make a simple roasted carrot soup, sans the curry.

It seems to be carrot soup season, as Fairy Healthy Life posted a delicious sounding carrot and apple soup, and Earth Balance posted a creamy vegan carrot soup complete with oats. Here’s a carrot soup I came up with when a couple of purchases and cravings came together:

Roasted Carrot Soup

1 lb. carrots, peeled & sliced into ½″ slices
1 shallot, peeled & thinly sliced (you can also use onions or garlic)
2-4 cups vegetable broth
olive oil, salt, and pepper

• Preheat oven to 400°.
• Place carrots and shallots in a roasting pan. Drizzle olive oil and sprinkle salt and pepper over them. Combine until all vegetables are completely coated.
• Bake in oven for about 30 minutes, or until cooked through and browned.
• Puree carrots with 1 cup of vegetable stock. Add more stock until soup reaches desired consistency.
• Season with salt and pepper if necessary.
• You can also add milk, pureed silken soft tofu, or cashew cream to make it a creamy soup.

The recipe for the cilantro pesto can be found here.

Famous Soup

In case you’re wondering why I haven’t posted in awhile, it’s been due to my Internet connection. My modem stopped working, and thank goodness I don’t have to buy a new one. It was just the power cord. Who knew that a PSP charger cord could save the day?! And who would’ve thought that I would have one laying around in my house? Just another reason to love PlayStation.

 

Anyways, enough about my Internet troubles, on to the food! To make up for my absence, I have a special treat for El Pasoans. Not that this post isn’t for non-El Pasoans, it’s just that this will mean more to those who have ever dined at Jaxon’s. Allow me to provide some background info for those unaware. Otherwise, just skip down to the recipe below.

Jaxon’s Restaurants & Brewing Company has been specializing in southwest cuisine since 1973. Jaxon’s has evolved throughout the years, operating 4 locations throughout the city at one point. Most recently, all that remains are the Airway (central) and Remcon (west) locations. Jaxon’s has garnered various local awards, as well as national award winning handcrafted ales and lagers.

You either love Jaxon’s or you hate it, and I’ve had mixed emotions throughout the years. Their quality and service can be inconsistent at times. I’ve grown to love their brewery and the fact that they have vegetarian options (veggie burgers- black bean patty or portobello mushroom). Lately, their beer offerings have been waning. At one time, they had all 6 or 7 of their brews on tap. The last time  I went to the Remcon location they only had 2 on tap. My favorites are the Andale IPA, Silver Star Light, and Borderland Lager.

Jaxon’s is known for their “famous” soups which consist of Green-Chile Potato, Chicken Tortilla, and Iron Tender Steak. I used to love the Green-Chile Potato soup until I found out that it has chicken stock. It’s a decadent carb lovers dream: rich and creamy potato soup with a good kick, topped with tortilla strips and a large mound of jack cheese. The El Paso Times recently published an article with the recipe, but I’m not sure if it’s really the Jaxon’s recipe, as the source is cited from the Junior League Cookbook. Either way, I was satisfied with my lighter and vegetarian results.

Copycat Potato-Green Chile Soup

The recipe that was published in the EP Times has 4 cups chicken broth, ½ teaspoon salt, ½ cup jalapeno, 1 cup onion, 3 cups milk (may use 1½ cups milk & 1½ cups half and half).

Veganize it by using non-dairy milk for the bechamel sauce, cashew cream in place of the bechamel sauce, or omitting the bechamel sauce entirely (the soup will still have a thick, creamy texture). 

 

1 fresh jalapeño pepper, minced
4 fresh long green chiles, roasted, peeled, seeded and finely chopped (you can also use canned or frozen)
1 small finely chopped onion
2 pounds potatoes, peeled and cut into ½-inch cubes
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups vegetable broth (I used 1 Rapunzel bouillon cube)
2 cups water
2 tablespoons butter
¼ cup flour
1 cup half and half or milk
Cheddar cheese or Monterey Jack cheese, shredded

1. Saute onion for about 5 minutes or until translucent. Add jalapenos, cook for 2 minutes.
2. Add green chile, potatoes, salt, water, and broth. Bring to a boil and reduce heat, simmer 20 minutes.
3. For the bechamel sauce: In a separate pan, melt the butter over low heat, add flour and cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring constantly. Slowly poor in milk while whisking. Cook over low heat until thickened.
4. Puree about half of the potato mixture with an immersion blender or blender.
5. Stir in the bechamel sauce and add freshly cracked pepper. Season with salt if necessary.

Serve with tortilla strips and cheese.

I coated a corn tortilla with cooking spray, cut it into strips, and toasted on a baking sheet for 3-5 minutes on each side in a 400° toaster oven.

Pozole (Take 1)

Menudo and Pozole are traditional dishes that are important in Mexican culture. It’s time consuming to make, so restaurants will usually only serve it on the weekends and households will only make it for special occasions or during Christmas time. Most importantly, it is said to cure any hangover.

The major difference between the two, is the meat content, but this of course varies in each restaurant and household. Menudo is usually made with beef tripe (stomach), and pozole is made with pork and has more hominy (pozole/posole is Spanish for hominy). I don’t really recall my parents making menudo from scratch at home. We usually went out to restaurants to eat it, or we would crack open a can of Juanita’s Menudo.

Yesterday, I thought I would try my hand at making a vegetarian version of pozole. I wasn’t really satisfied with the results, but I’ll share the recipe anyway. It tasted good, but it came out way to thick. Pozole should have a brothy consistency. I didn’t have any room in the pot to add more broth or water. I think I know what I need to do next time, which will include using canned hominy. I bought frozen pozole and didn’t realize it was uncooked (you have to cook it for 2-3 hours!).

Notes on ingredients: I used frozen posole (nixtamal, uncooked hominy) that I bought from Walmart. I also used red chile that I buy at Ardovino’s Farmers’ Market (You can contact them @ 575-650-1237). The package of posole suggested using Alburquerque Tortilla Company Red Chile Puree.

Veg Pozole

This recipe makes A LOT. You might want to cut it in half.

3 garlic cloves minced
1 teaspoon dried oregano, crushed
3 quarts water
2-3 cups mushroom or ‘beef’ broth
24-28 oz. red chile puree
2 lbs. frozen posole corn (nixtamal)
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1 teaspoon onion powder

1. Place garlic, salt, water, spices, and broth in a large pot. Bring to a boil.
2. Prepare chile as directed, and add to pot.
3. Rinse frozen posole and add to pot. Boil for 2 hours.
4. Reduce heat and simmer for another hour, or until posole is cooked through.
5. Adjust seasonings. Serve with diced onions, lime wedges, dried oregano, and crushed red pepper (optional).
6. Serve with bread (bolillos or francesitos) & butter (Earth Balance) that is toasted.

What's missing besides the meat, Mexicans? The onion! I hate raw onion, so I didn't include it. Sometimes radishes are also used as a garnish.

Chickpea Battle

As part of Vegan Month of Food, the Vegan Mofo site has begun hosting weekly Iron Chef challenges. This week’s secret ingredient is chickpeas (dried, fresh, flour, hummus, etc.).

You can imagine the difficulty of creating a recipe that utilizes this extremely versatile legume that is present in so many different cuisines. I had a lot of fun with this challenge and am extremely happy with my outcome. I initially wanted to make a falafel-like pancake, but that was a big fail. When all else fails, you resort to soup, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing.

I used ingredients that were already in my pantry. Here’s a list of them and the substitutions you can make:

• 1/2 cup dried chickpeas. I would recommend using more chickpeas.
• 1 can of Muir Glen Fire Roasted Tomatoes with Chipotle Peppers. This can has been sitting in my pantry just waiting to be used. You can sub whatever canned tomatoes you have on hand, just add about 1-2 tablespoons of canned chipotle, diced. Or use smoked paprika if you don’t want the heat.
• Besan Gram Flour. I bought this for a previous recipe, so it’s been sitting in the pantry unused. You can omit or use all-purpose flour.
• Ground coriander. Either omit, or use fresh cilantro (add at the end).
• Cumin seeds. Omit or use ground cumin.
• Leeks. Omit or use diced onion.

Smoky Tomato Chickpea Soup

1 cup or more cooked or canned chickpeas, divided

1 14.5 oz can of fire roasted tomatoes, pureed (or left as is if you want a chunkier soup)

2 cups water

1½ teaspoons cumin seeds, divided

1-2 tablespoons besan gram flour (chickpea flour)

½ teaspoon ground coriander

2 garlic cloves, minced

¼ cup leeks, thinly sliced

1 tablespoon Earth Balance Buttery Spread, margarine, or oil

salt & pepper

fresh cilantro

Toast spices & flour:

• Toast the cumin seeds in a dry pan until fragrant. Set aside.
• Toast coriander and 1 tablespoon of flour in the dry pan until fragrant. Mix together with 1 teaspoon of the toasted cumin seeds & set aside.
• Grind the remaining ½ teaspoon of cumin seeds in a mortar & pestle.

For roasted chickpeas (optional):

• Preheat oven/toaster oven to 400°.
• In a small bowl, drizzle olive oil over ½ a cup of the chickpeas.
• Sprinkle ground cumin seeds, salt, & pepper  over the chickpeas and toss to coat evenly.
• Transfer to a shallow baking pan & roast in oven until lightly browned & crunchy, stirring occasionally for about 35 minutes.

For soup:

• Heat butter or oil in a medium-sized pot over medium heat. Add garlic & leeks, stirring until garlic is lightly browned & leeks are wilted.
• Add spice-flour mixture & cook until fragrant (less than a minute), stirring frequently.
• Add tomato puree & stir. Add about 2 cups of water. Simmer for 10-15 minutes.
• Add chickpeas. Season with salt & pepper if needed.
• Add more flour if you want a thicker soup.

Garnish with chopped roasted chickpeas & cilantro.

Red Lentils Revisited

When I first became a vegetarian, I tried a lot of different foods that I would never have tried as a meat eater. One of those was red lentils, in which I did not like and have not eaten up until recently. I can’t remember how I made them, but my introduction to them was that of disdain and confusion. They were mushy, bland, and not even red!

It seems like red lentils have grown popular again, and after seeing many recipes and hearing much praise for this legume, I gave them a second chance last month. I must admit that I am now a fan, and love them for their taste, versatility, protein, and quick cooking time.

I can’t recall if I’ve seen red lentils at Albertsons and Walmart, but you can definitely find them at Sun Harvest, Jerusalem International Foods (5360 N. Mesa), Spice Market (5435 N. Mesa), and other import stores around town. Eastsiders can most likely find red lentils at Cielo Vista Natural Market (8900 Viscount), Wan Jia Le (9501 Gateway Blvd. W), and Super Target.

I’m sharing two recipes with you that seem very similar, but really do have different flavors and textures. The first recipe is perfect for tailoring to your preferences, and especially good for getting rid of any vegetables you may have laying around. The original recipe called for zucchini, but I didn’t have any, and I needed to use up a large tomato quickly. I decided to add in frozen peas for texture, and because they’re one of my favorites.

I made the second recipe last night because I wanted to incorporate carrots, red bell pepper, and red lentils together. You may be wondering why I just didn’t make the first recipe since I just told you that you can alter it as you please. Well, I didn’t have any coconut milk and I wanted a slightly different flavor. I loved the flavors and texture of this recipe. It had a sweet, nutty flavor and a golden, rich and creamy texture.

Coconut Red Lentil Curry Over Basmati Rice

Coconut Red Lentil Curry
(adapted from Gourmet Magazine, see original recipe here)
Makes about 6 servings

½ medium onion, finely chopped
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 tblsp finely chopped peeled fresh ginger
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp turmeric
1 tsp salt (less if using vegetable stock)
1 (2 1/2-inch) fresh jalapeño or serrano chile, finely chopped, including seeds
1-2 cups water or vegetable stock
1 cup dried red lentils
1 can unsweetened coconut milk
1 large tomato, roughly chopped
½-1 cup frozen peas (no need to thaw)
1 handful of fresh cilantro

1. Cook onion in oil in a 3½- to 4-quart heavy pot over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until edges are golden (about 6 minutes).
2. Add ginger, garlic & cook, stirring, 1 minute. Add cumin, coriander, turmeric, salt, & chile & cook, stirring, 1 minute.
3. Add tomato, stir, then add in water, lentils, & coconut milk.
4. Simmer, covered, stirring occasionally, for about 10 minutes.
5. Add peas & simmer for about 5 minutes, or until heat through & lentils are tender.
6.Season with salt & serve with cilantro sprigs scattered on top.

Red Lentil Carrot Soup & Basmati Rice

Red Lentil Carrot Soup
(also adapted from Gourmet magazine, see original recipe here)
Makes about 4-6 servings

¾ cup red lentils, picked over & rinsed
2 cups vegetable stock
1 cup water
¼ cup diced onion
2 garlic cloves, minced
½ tsp ground coriander
½ tsp ground cumin
¼ tsp turmeric
½ pkg of baby carrots, diced
1 red bell pepper, diced
cayenne to taste
fresh cilantro

1. Saute onions in olive oil for about 5 minutes or until golden.
2. Add bell pepper, carrots, & garlic; cook for about 5 more minutes.
3. Add coriander, cumin, & turmeric; cook for 1 minute or until fragrant.
4. Add stock & water; bring to a boil.
5. Add lentils & cook, covered for about 15 minutes or until veggies & lentils are tender.
6. Puree in batches, leaving some of the veggies & lentils intact for texture.
7. Add cayenne pepper & season with salt & pepper.
8. Garnish with cilantro & serve with Basmati rice.

Foodie Finds: Mezzetta Products

I’ve recently developed an obsession with Mezzetta products. I want to try every single one of their products, except for the cocktail onions (yuck!). They tout themselves as “the leading producer of glass-packed peppers, olives, and specialty foods in the United States” on their website. My obsession began when Albertson’s had them on sale at 2 for $3. I bought the Peperoncini Slices, Hot Jalapeno Slices, and Roasted Red Bell Peppers. Initially, I wasn’t going to try the jalapenos, but I’ve had a craving for pickled jalapenos. I haven’t used the bell peppers yet, but I love the peperoncini and jalapeno slices. They are crisp, flavorful, and pack the right amount of heat. The jalapenos also come in a “tamed” variety, which is a hybrid of jalapeno and bell pepper, developed for the company by Texas A & M University.

It turns out that Mezzetta is not limited to jarred condiments, but produces pasta sauces as well. Their sauce is on the high end of the pasta sauce spectrum at about $6 a jar! I don’t like to pay above $3 for jarred pasta sauce,  so I was only able to try it when Sun Harvest had them on sale at buy one get one free. I was blown away by the flavor. It was just as good as Rao’s sauces (sold at most grocery stores in El Paso, also priced at $6-8 a jar), which is one of my favorites thanks to Cooking Light’s Pasta Sauce Taste Test article. Both brands of sauce have a heartiness that cheaper sauces don’t come close to providing.

I purchased Mezzetta’s Porcini Mushroom and Tomato Basil sauces. The Porcini sauce was intense! It was rich from the extra-virgin olive oil and earthy from the mushrooms. The sauce combines locally grown (Napa Valley) porcini, champignon, and portabella mushrooms in this voluptuous marinara. I didn’t use all of the sauce for my pasta, so I decided to make a quick soup for lunch (recipe follows). The tomato basil was also amazing, but I didn’t think it had much basil flavor. The only negative aspect of Mezzetta sauces is the sodium content. A half cup serving ranges from 500-560 mg of sodium. Their sauces are so good, I just might shell out $6 to try all 8 flavors (except for Puttanesca of course, it has anchovies).

Quick Creamy Tomato Soup for One

Jarred pasta sauce is my secret to a great minestrone, so it made perfect sense to turn this sauce into a quick and delicious soup.

½ cup Mezzetta Porcini Mushroom sauce (or any other pasta sauce)
¼-½ cup water
1-4 tsp. half & half (or any type of milk)

Combine sauce, milk, and enough water to your desired consistency. Heat over a stove or microwave for about 1 minute. That’s it! Garnish with parmesan cheese and crusty bread.

Icky Goodness

Raw celery is something I have to force myself to eat. It has to be cooked to almost mush for me to enjoy. I rarely buy celery, because when I do, I use a couple of stalks and end up throwing away the rest after it has gone completely limp. I always promise myself that I will find other uses for it, but that hardly happens.

Last week, I bought celery for who knows what, used one stalk for who knows what, and then was determined to use the remainder all in one shot. If you told me you were making cream of celery, I would say ick. You had me at cream, but lost me at celery. Why would someone make a soup entirely of celery?! Sure, there’s Campbell’s, but who actually eats it? Everyone uses it as an ingredient in a recipe.

Well, I had to get rid of the vegetable, so why not? I began browsing my usual go-to sites for recipes, but there weren’t very many (see? I told you, no one wants celery soup). So, I borrowed ideas and cooking times from several and came up with my own, and I actually loved it. It’s rich, creamy, and tasty, but it still has a bit of a celery aftertaste (I’m okay with it). You will most likely have celery breath after eating it.

It’s a simple and fuss-free recipe. It doesn’t cook quickly, but there’s little prep work, little clean up, and you can do other things while it’s cooking. This soup is easily veganized without compromising the rich creaminess. You can use any stock. I like using Massel’s chicken style bouillon powder. I’m freaking out because I’m running out of it and I can’t find it anywhere! I think I bought it on clearance at Albertson’s.

This soup would taste good with pumpernickel bread. You can also try garnishing with Tabasco, sour cream, pita chips, croutons, etc.

Cream of Celery

2 tbsp. butter or vegan margarine
1 bunch of celery, washed, ends trimmed, & sliced (about ¼ inch)
1 small onion, chopped
1 potato, peeled & chopped
2 cups (or enough to cover vegetables) stock of your choice
¼ c. half & half, milk alternative, or cashew cream (optional)

1. Melt butter over medium heat in a large dutch oven or pot.
2. Add celery and onion. Season with salt and pepper.
3. Saute for 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until softened
4. Add potato and cook for about a minute.
5. Add enough stock to cover the vegetables and simmer for about 15 minutes, or until potatoes are cooked through.
6. Puree with an immersion blender or in a blender in batches.
7. Stir in half & half. Season with salt and pepper if necessary.

Look at that. I tried to make little Tabasco swirls. Fail.

Thanks for the Leftovers

It’s now December and the memory of this year’s Thanksgiving already seems so far behind us as we focus on the upcoming holidays. Even so, I still wanted to take the time to share what I made for Thanksgiving. Maybe you can still use the ideas for your upcoming holiday celebrations. What did you make or eat for Thanksgiving?

Cream of Yellow Squash Soup
Some time ago, I had an abundance of yellow squash and needed a recipe to use it. I came across this soup from the Rookie Cookie blog, and it has become one of my all time favorite soups. It has rich complex flavors that are difficult to pinpoint. I of course tweaked it a little to make it to my liking, and you should too because some complained that it was too spicy hot for them. I used only 1/2 an onion, 1 jalapeno, enough vegetable stock to cover the squash (so, less than 5 cups), and half and half instead of heavy cream.
Get the recipe >>

“Turkey”
I decided to try Quorn’s Turk’y Roast, and it was actually really good. Initially, it was a little startling to see that it came in tube form. It looked like cookie dough. I wish I would have read the directions the night before, because it turns out that you can defrost it to shorten the cooking time (I would assume that this also promotes more uniform cooking). After the cooking time was up, I still wasn’t sure if it was done because it hadn’t browned all over like the picture on the package. I took it out anyway, and it was fine. As I mentioned before, I’m not a fan of real turkey so I was happy to find that it didn’t actually taste like the real thing. It had a nice firm texture that wasn’t dry or chewy, and you could taste sage, which gave it a poultry flavor. It reheated nicely, too.

Sides
Onto the most important part of Thanksgiving! Unfortunately, mine were both misses! I attribute it to fatigue and a daylong dull headache. Fortunately, other family members saved the day with their delicious chile con queso, mashed potatoes, and dressings. My mom made a fruity dressing that was unusual at first bite, but really good by the second bite. It had walnuts, cranberries, and apples. I think she just followed the stuffing package directions, but used vegetable stock instead and added the fruits and walnuts. She wouldn’t say, because according to her, she made it up and didn’t like it.

Risotto w/Butternut Squash & Leeks
I was looking forward to this, because it’s been ages since I’ve made risotto and it sounds so fancy. In case you’re not familiar with risotto, it’s made with Arborio rice, which is an Italian short-grain rice. Arborio rice has a high starch content that gives risotto the creaminess that it’s known for.

Regrettably, I decided to use brown rice. I didn’t get enough Arborio rice from Sun Harvest’s bulk foods section (darn those bins!), so at the last minute, I stopped at Albertson’s. They had a short grain brown rice that was on sale and cheaper than Arborio rice. I had my reservations, but I couldn’t resist. It was cheaper, healthier, and the package said it was especially suitable for risotto. If you love brown rice, then you might really like this recipe. If not, just stick with Arborio. My tweakings might have thrown it off as well. I used vegetable stock, half and half instead of heavy cream, and omitted the sage.
Get the recipe >>

Crisp Haricots Vert w/Pine Nuts
This would have been good if I would have actually followed the directions and blanched the green beans. Instead, I steamed them and overcrowded them, so some were overcooked.
Get the recipe >>

Cranberry Orange Sauce
I never knew that I liked cranberry sauce until I made my own. There’s no excuse for not making fresh cranberry sauce. It’s super quick, easy, fun, and you control the sugar content. This cranberry sauce is also great on pancakes, biscuits, and other breads.

1 bag of cranberries
Juice of half an orange
Freshly grated orange zest (entire orange or about ½ tsp.)
½ – 1 cup sugar
1 cup water

Bring water and sugar to a boil, stirring until sugar is dissolved. Add cranberries and simmer, stirring occasionally, until berries just pop, about 10-12 minutes. Stir orange juice and zest, then cool.

Dessert:
Classic (it’s been on the label since 1950. Don’t mess with it!) & Vegan Pumpkin Pie
Once again, I made both pumpkin pies and the majority liked the vegan one better!

Finally, the leftovers
What’s Thanksgiving without the leftovers? I made a sandwich that was so delicious, I had it 3 days in a row!

Thanksgiving Panini
1 whole wheat pita bread
Quorn Turk’y Roast slices, reheated
Swiss Cheese
Cranberry Sauce
Spicy Brown Mustard

Cut the pita bread in half and press each half separately in a Panini press or toast in a toaster oven. Place slice of Swiss cheese on one side of the pita to melt, and spread mustard on the other half. Assemble by topping the mustard side with the turk’y, cranberry sauce, and other pita.

Sorry for the lack of photos and poor quality:

Butternut Squash Risotto w/Turk'y & Cranberry Sauce.

Panini w/Fruit Dressing & Cream of Yellow Squash Soup.