Vegetarian Thanksgiving

I cooked a lot for our vegetarian and vegan Thanksgiving and it was a rarity that

everything turned out well.  Normally, something goes wrong, either something is over-cooked or forgotten.

I tried some new dishes, such as a veggie loaf, that was a success.   The vegan gravy was great.  I made pumpkin and sweet potato pies with crust from scratch, which has become my norm because I’m not happy with the trans fat in pre-made crust (plus it tastes better from scratch).

My veggie preteen son liked everything, particularly the pumpkin pie that “he” made.  My veggie toddler daughter probably liked the sweet potato pie most, followed by the pumpkin pie.  She kept coming by for sweet potato as I was making the pie.

My meat-eating husband thought the food, I think specifically the loaf, was “pretty good.”  I plan to make it again, with potatoes and gravy.  I liked how I could make plenty and have it on-hand for future meals.  It probably freezes well, but we were able to finish it and didn’t need to freeze.  We thought the cold sandwiches made from sliced loaf the day following Thanksgiving were good.  It was a good, healthy option on a busy shopping day.  Following is the recipe for the “meat” loaf I tried out – something I printed out in 2006 and found the new location on the web, referenced below.

“Thanksgiving “Meat” Loaf

Ingredients (use vegan versions):

2 egg equivalents (mix 1 tablespoon arrowroot powder, 1 tablespoon corn starch, and 4 tablespoons water)
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 (12-ounce) box medium-firm silken tofu
1 (1 1/2-ounce) packet vegan dried onion soup mix
3/4 cup walnuts, chopped
1 teaspoon oil
1 1/2 cups onion. chopped
3/4 cup celery, chopped
2 cups mushrooms (use portobello mushrooms for a heartier taste), chopped
1 1/2 teaspoons basil
1 1/2 teaspoons oregano
1/2 teaspoon sage
1 1/2 cups bread crumbs

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Mix egg substitute, soy sauce, tofu, and onion soup mix together in blender.  Add walnuts and blend until smooth. Grease a loaf pan.

2. Heat oil and saute onion, celery, and mushrooms until onions are transparent. Add basil, oregano, and sage while vegetables are frying. Thoroughly mix blender ingredients, cooked vegetables and bread crumbs together in a large bowl.

3. Press into prepared loaf pan. (Or, as user giraelei suggests, “Instead of a loaf pan, I usually use a square cake pan and liberally coat the loaf with ketchup so it gets kind of burnt and caramelized.  Yum!”) Bake for 75 minutes.  Let cool slightly.  Turn loaf out and slice.

Variations: To make it stick together better, try lowering the bread crumbs to 3/4 cup and adding one of the following: 1 extra box of tofu, 1 cup of instant mashed potato flakes, 1 to 1 1/2 cup(s) cooked brown rice or 1 cup burger-style crumbles.

This has become a standard dish at my parents’ house when all sorts of eating habits must be catered to.  Even the most obstinate meat eaters love it.  It is also excellent the next day cold on a sandwich with a bit of mustard.”

Source:  Veg Web