Dairy Free Thanksgiving 2009

Turkey
10 lb Butterball
roasted at 325F for 3 hours
basted with Earth Balance every 30 minutes

Giblet Gravy
giblets from 10 lb turkey
3/4 of a giant onion, peeled and wedged
2 lg carrots, peeled and cut in to 1" chunks
3/4 cup sliced celery
chicken broth
fresh ground pepper
turkey drippings
1/3 cup cornstarch
1/3 cup flour
1/3 cup soy creamer

Rinse giblets and neck. Combine giblets, onions, carrots, celery and 1 cup of water. Cover and bring to a boil over high heat and then reduce to simmer for 15 minutes. Uncover and stir often over high heat until liquid has evaporated and giblets and vegetables are browned and begin to stick to pan, 15-20 minutes longer.
Add 1 quart broth and fresh ground pepper (about 1/3 teaspoon) to pan and scrape brown bits free. Cover, reduce heat and cook 1 hour.
Pour broth through fine strainer in to a measuring cup - if necessary add water to make 1 quart of stock. Remove meat from neck and chop all giblets fine. Feed vegetables to the dog.
When turkey is finished cooking add pan juices to broth. Add hot water to the roasting pan and scrape off bits, pour in to broth.
Bring broth to boil and whisk in cornstarch mixed with equal amount water. If you want it thicker whisk together flour and soy creamer and whisk in to gravy. Season to taste.

Pecanified Sweet Potatoes
These are very loose estimates.
4 large sweet potatoes, baked
mixed with Earth Balance and some brown sugar

Top with a mix of:
1/3 cup Earth Balance, melted
2/3 cup flour
1 cup pecans
1 cup loose packed brown sugar
pinch of salt
1/2-1 teaspoon fresh ground nutmeg
big pinch ground cloves

Bake at in a 2 quart dish at 350 for 40 minutes. Place a piece foil or a baking sheet under the dish in case it drips.

Trader Joe's Cornbread Stuffing
Followed box directions using Earth Balance and adding 1/4 of a giant onion, chopped and an equal amount fine chopped celery that has been sauteed in Earth Balance until translucent. Baked at 350F for 40 minutes

Dairy-Free Mashed Potatoes
5 lb bag of red potatoes
Earth Balance
TJ's soy creamer

Boil whole potatoes (cut large ones in half) in water to cover until they break apart when pricked with a fork. Warm soy creamer and Earth Balance in microwave. Mash potatoes, add EB and creamer as needed. Season with salt and pepper.

Other players:
good old canned Ocean Spray jellied cranberry sauce
steamed cauliflower
dairy-full holiday sauce (Hollandaise Sauce)

And the start of the show. The very best dairy-free rolls I have ever had/made. I followed Angie's Perfect Dinner Rolls on Allrecipies.com with dairy-free subs.

Divine Dairy Free Dinner Rolls

2 1/2 cups warm plain Silk soymilk
4 teaspoons active dry yeast
1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs
1/2 cup Earth Balance, softened
2 teaspoons salt
7 cups all-purpose flour, or as needed
1/2 cup Earth Balance, melted

Directions:
1. Pour milk into a large mixing bowl, and sprinkle yeast over the surface. Allow to rest for 5 minutes. Beat in the sugar, eggs, 1/2 cup butter, and salt; blend thoroughly. Gradually stir in the flour to make a soft dough. Cover bowl, and set in a warm place until dough doubles in size, about 1 hour.
2. Punch down the dough, cover the bowl, and allow to rise again. Repeat this step two more times.
3. Break off 2 to 3 inch size pieces of dough, roll lightly into round shape, and place in prepared baking dish, edges touching. Repeat to make 36 dough balls. Cover and let rise until doubled in size.
4. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Lightly grease a 9x13 inch baking dish.
5. Bake rolls in preheated oven until tops turn golden brown, 10 to 15 minutes. When rolls are finished baking, drizzle melted butter over the top, and serve warm.


Notes: This makes TONS of rolls. I filled my 10x15 baking dish to the brim. We will have lots of leftovers for mini Thanksgiving leftovers sandwiches. My 4 year old loved helping me make the dough balls but it is a very, very stick dough so we kept spraying our hands with cooking spray to keep from sticking to the dough. Remove the rolls from the oven when they are golden - they will continue to cook for a bit after you remove them from the oven. Carefully pull rolls apart with metal tongs. You do not need the full 1/2 cup of melted butter for the tops - maybe 1/4 at the most. These rolls were really fabulous!

Oatmeal Spice Muffins

Adapted from Easy Oatmeal Muffins on AllRecipes.com

Makes 12 small muffins

1 cup soymilk
1 cup oats
1 egg
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 tablespoon pure vanilla
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup white sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon fresh grated nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon cloves
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup flax meal

Topping
your favorite strusel mix of oats, flour, sugar & spices mixed with a fat (Earth Balance in our house)

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C). Grease muffin cups or line with paper muffin liners.
2. In a medium bowl, combine soymilk and oats; let soak for 15 minutes.
3. In a small bowl, beat together egg and oil; stir in oatmeal mixture. In a third bowl, sift together flour, sugar, baking powder, flax meal, spices and salt. Stir flour mixture into wet ingredients, just until combined. Spoon batter into prepared muffin cups until cups are 2/3 full (less than 1/4 cup per muffin). Top with strusel.
4. Bake in preheated oven for 20 to 25 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean.

Chicken Curry Coconut Soup

large onion, chopped
small bunch of celery, sliced
4 large carrots, sliced
1 red pepper, chopped
chicken from a leftover roasted chicken - boiled in water to cover and removed from the bone + broth
3-4 tablespoons low sodium organic chicken broth paste
3-4 tablespoons red curry paste
14 oz can of chickpeas
14 oz can coconut milk
1/2 cup soy creamer

Cook vegetables for 10 minutes, stirring frequently. Add chicken, broth, pastes, and chickpeas. Cook until vegetables are tender. Add coconut milk and soy creamer and heat through. Serve with naan bread.

Vegan Zebra Enchiladas

Vegan Zebra Enchiladas
olive oil
1/2 large onion, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
heart of celery, including leaves, chopped
6 oz mushrooms, chopped
3 small zucchini, chopped
1/2 package soy chorizo
12 corn tortillas
tofu sour cream (recipe below)
Trader Joe's enchilada sauce

Preheat oven to 350

Spray a 9x11 baking pan with oil.

Using a small amount of olive oil cook onion, celery, red pepper and mushrooms over med-high heat until the onion is translucent, add the chopped zucchini and remove soy chorizo from casing and crumble in to pan. Heat through.

Microwave the corn tortillas for 1 minute (wrap in paper towels with a wet paper towel placed on top).

Scoop about 1/2 cup of filling in to each tortilla and pack in to prepared pan. Top each enchilada with a large scoop of tofu sour cream and then drizzle enchilada sauce over the top (looks like a zebra!).

Cook at 350F for 25-30 minutes or until bubbly hot.






Tofu Sour Cream
8 oz silken tofu
1/4 cup vegetable oil
2 teaspoon maple syrup
Juice of 2 limes
1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste
Mix all ingredients in a blender or food processor until smooth.

Chocolate Cranberry Orange Scones (Vegan)

3 cups all-purpose flour
2 Tbsp baking powder
1/4 cup + 1 tablespoon turbinado sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup soy cream
3/4 vanilla soy milk plus 2 tsp apple cider vinegar (mix together and let sit for several minutes)
zest of one large orange

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
In a large mixing bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, sugar, salt, chocolate chips and cranberries. In a small bowl mix the oil, soy cream, and milk with vinegar and zest a large orange in to the liquids, whisk together. Add wet to dry and mix until just combined; the dough should be clumpy and not sticky. Even if there is still a light dusting of flour, that's okay. Drop by large spoonfuls onto a greased cookie sheet and pat the tops just a little bit to round them out; sprinkle with a bit of turbinado sugar. Bake 12-15 minutes until slightly browned on the bottom and firm on the top.

Variations I haven't tried yet:
Berry Scones: Fold in 1 1/2 cups fresh berries.
Maple Walnut: Add 2 tsp of maple extract to the liquid ingredients, add 2 Tbsp of sugar, fold in 1 1/2 cups of walnuts.

Modified from - Urban Drivel: Vegan Orange Chocolate Chip Scones

Vegetable Tortilla Soup

bunch of green onions, chopped
3 large carrots, sliced
4 medium zucchini, sliced
celery heart, including leaves, chopped
1 cup frozen white corn kernels
1 cup chopped frozen spinach
1 cup salsa
2 cans kidney beans, drained
15 oz can tomato sauce
salt & pepper
6 corn tortillas, chopped

Put all ingredients in crockpot and cook on low for 7-8 hours. Serve with sliced avocado & hot sauce on top.

Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies & Vegan Cranberry Spice Cookies

Modified from:
Happy Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients (use vegan versions):

2 cups unbleached flour
2 tsps baking powder
1/2 tsp.salt
cinnamon to taste (optional)
vegan chocolate or carob chips - put in as many as you like
1 cup raw sugar (turbinado #1, sucanat works too but sucks up a lot of the moisture)
1/2 cup canola or vegetable oil
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 cup water

Directions:

VERY IMPORTANT-make sure all ingredients are at room temperature. It will work if they're not at room temp but it works MUCH better if they are. Also while your oven is pre-heating put the cookie sheets you are going to use on top of the oven so they get preheated as well. Preheat oven to 350.

In a large bowl mix flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon (if you choose). Add chips. Make a well in the center and set aside.

In a medium size bowl mix vegan sugar and oil. Mix it well. Add the vanilla and then add the water. Mix it well. Add the wet to the well in the dry. Mix it well but be careful not to overwork it. Add more chips if you need to. Spoon onto ungreased cookie sheets. Put them in the oven. Bake for 5 minutes and then flip and rotate the sheets.(top to bottom,and 180 degree rotation) Bake another 4 minutes and check them.

The cookies are done when they seem a little bit softer then you want them to be. They will harden up some as they cool. I usually go in two minute increments from here untill they get to where I like them.

Take them out when they are done and move them to wire cooling racks. If they split or come apart when you try to remove them let them sit on the pan for 2 minutes before transferring them to the racks.

These cookies have come a long way, lots of time and tasting spent on getting them to where they are now. Vegans and non vegans LOVE them. In the words of my 6 year old son-Mom, you're the greatest because you know how to make the best cookies. Enjoy and let me know if you have questions. Sweet travels.

Serves: almost two dozen

Preparation time: 15 mins?-10 to 12 cooking time


My notes:
For Chocolate chip cookies:
I used cinnamon, added about 1/4 cup of flax meal to the dry ingredients, half a bag of semi-sweet vegan chocolate chips and cooked for about 8 minutes total. Cookies were very soft but stayed together nicely.

For Cranberry Spice cookies:
I replaced 1/2 cup of the flour with wheat germ, added about 1/3 cup flax meal, used a big sprinkle of cinnamon, ground cloves and ground allspice and added about a cup of dried cranberries.

Chicken Tortilla Soup

Chicken Vegetable Soup

Whole roasted chicken carcass with some or all of the meat (we usually eat most of the breasts at another meal)
Water to cover
(you can also add the ends and peels of carrots & onions if you have them)

In a large pot cover chicken with water and simmer for 1.5-2 hours.
Place a colander over a large bowl and pour contents of pot in to colander.
Put pot back on stove, add a tablespoon of olive oil and:
5-6 large carrots - peeled and sliced
5-6 ribs of celery – sliced
1 large onion – chopped

Cook, stirring often while you remove all of the chicken from the bones.
Add broth and chicken back to the pot.
Add broccoli, squash, zucchini, green beans, corn, peas, tomatoes, peppers or any other vegetables.
(you can put the soup in the crockpot at this point or continue to simmer on the stove)
Simmer until vegetables are tender.


To make chicken tortilla soup add:
½ - 1 cup of salsa
Corn
Beans

To serve chicken tortilla soup crush tortilla chips in the bottom of a bowl, top with soup, top soup with slices of avocado, hot sauce, cheese and a couple more tortilla chips.

Hot and Sour Egg Drop soup

Hot & Sour Egg Drop Soup

8 cups chicken broth
2 carrots, sliced thinly
2 large green onions sliced thin (separate whites and greens)
1 bundle of bok choy greens (leafy greens with yellow flowers)
Small handful of Snap peas – trimmed and quartered
1/2 package medium tofu, cut into 1/2-inch dice
6 tablespoons white vinegar
6 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon red chili sauce
1 tablespoon sweet chili sauce
2 teaspoons sugar
2 tablespoons cornstarch, drissolved in 2 tablespoons water
2 eggs, lightly beaten with a splash of water
1 green onion, sliced thinly

Bring the chicken broth to a boil in a large saucepan. stir in carrot, bok choy greens and white parts of the green onion, simmering for about 5 minutes.
Add the vinegar, soy sauce, chili sauces, and sugar - simmer for about 2 minutes.
Pour in the dissolved cornstarch and cook, stirring, until the soup boils and thickens, about 1 minute.
Add tofu, green onion tops and snap pea pods.
Bring soup back to boil and slowly pour in the egg, stirring the soup to create “egg flowers.”
Serve with extra chili sauce for spicing it up.

Variation: Made without tofu, bok choy, snap peas or sweet chili sauce. Added some broccoli slaw, celery and cooked chicken.

Dairy Free Banana Muffins

In a large bowl mix dry ingredients:
2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
1 cup wheat germ
1 cup raw cane sugar
1 tablespoon cinnamon
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt

In another bowl mix together wet ingredients:
6 large bananas, mashed
2 eggs
1 cup apple sauce

Add wet ingredients to dry and mix just until combined. Bake at 350F for 20-25 minutes or until toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean and muffins are golden brown. Makes 24 muffins.

Dairy Free Double Ginger Cookies

Preheat oven to 375F. Cover cookie sheet with parchment paper.

In a large bowl mix together:
1 cup brown sugar
2/3 cup vegetable oil
¼ molasses
1 egg
Approximately 1 tablespoon fresh shredded ginger (shred on a microplane)

In another bowl mix together:
1 cup white flour
1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1 ½ teaspoons baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cloves
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons ground ginger
Approximately ¼ teaspoon fresh ground nutmeg

Add dry ingredients to wet and mix until well blended. Refrigerate for 10-15 minutes.

In a small bowl place:
2-3 tablespoons of granulated sugar for dipping

Squeeze together a small chunk of dough and then roll in to a 1” ball. Dip one side of dough ball in to the sugar and place on the cookie sheet 2” apart, sugar side up. Bake for 7-9 minutes or until cracked on top. Cool on cookie sheet.

Protein Packed Blueberry Muffins

Protein Packed Blueberry Muffins

Ingredients:
Wet Stuff:
• 1 cup flaxseed egg substitute (1/4 c flax meal + ¾ c warm water)
• 2 cups soymilk
• 1/2 cup canola oil
• 1 1/2 cups honey
• 2 Tbsp vanilla

Dry Stuff:
• 3 cups whole wheat pastry flour
• 1 cup wheat germ
• 1 cup flax meal
• 1 cup soy flour
• 2 cups AP flour
• 2 Tbsp baking powder
• 1 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 3 scoops Trader Joe's soy protein powder

Goodies:
• 1 bag TJ's frozen organic wild blueberries - teeny tiny berries

Muffin How-To's:
1. Sift all dry stuff into large bowl and set aside.
2. Whisk all wet stuff together.
3. Blend wet into dry and fold in goodies using a spatula or wooden spoon. Do NOT over mix.
4. Scoop batter in to greased or paper lined muffin tins.
5. Bake at 375 for 18-20 minutes or until muffin springs bake when touched.


Makes 30 muffins


Modified from Best Vegan Blueberry Muffins

Shrimp Spring Rolls with Peanut Sauce

Shrimp Spring Rolls
rice papers
thin shaved cucumber
julienned carrot
fresh cilantro
fresh basil
fresh mint
mung bean threads, soaked and boiled according to package directions
cooked shrimp (I boiled cooked with lime wedges and chunks of ginger)

Peanut Sauce

1/2 cup apple juice, microwaved until hot
1/3 to 1/4 cup all natural creamy peanut butter
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 teaspoons red curry paste
chopped peanuts


Prepare rice papers by soaking in water and wrap up ingredients. Dip in peanut sauce or sweet chili sauce (TJ's brand is good).

Thai-Style Pumpkin Peanut Soup

Thai-Style Pumpkin Peanut Soup

32 oz reduced-sodium chicken broth
1 28 oz can pumpkin
13.5 oz apple juice (I used two Trader Joe's apple juice boxes)
1/2 cup all natural peanut butter
3 tablespoons minced green onions
1 tablespoon grated peeled fresh ginger
1 teaspoon grated lime zest
2 tablespoons red curry paste
1 garlic clove, crushed
cubed tofu
Chopped fresh cilantro
Lime wedges
chopped peanuts

Combine first 3 ingredients in a large pot, and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 10 minutes. Whisk in peanut butter. Stir in remaining ingredients (except for cilantro); cook 3 minutes or until thoroughly heated. Put cubes of tofu in each bowl. Ladle into soup bowls. Sprinkle with cilantro & peanuts and squeeze a lime wedge over each bowl.


Modified from Cooking Light, NOVEMBER 1998

Wheat-Flax Crackers

Apparently these crackers are good. They got a thumbs up from the whole family and my 6 year old asked me if I could sell them in a box. When that idea wasn't going to pan out he insisted I post them on "that blog with recipes for cooking" so other people could make them too.

These were my first attempt at making crackers - they were surprisingly easy and quite good!

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup wheat germ
1/3 cup flax seed meal
1 tablespoon sugar
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 cup water
kosher salt for sprinkling

Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Stir together the dry ingredients. Pour in the oil and water; mix until just combined.
3. In batches roll dough on a lightly floured surface. Roll as thin as possible - no thicker than 1/8 inch. Place dough on an ungreased baking sheet. With a knife, mark squares. With a fork, prick each cracker and then sprinkle with salt.
4. Bake for about 20 minutes, until crisp and lightly browned. Remove from baking sheet to cooling rack. Break in to individual crackers and store in an airtight container.

Next time I will try using more whole wheat flour, olive oil instead of canola and adding some garlic powder and other herbs.

Inspired by this recipe on AllRecipes.com.

Granny's Corn Flour Tortillas

Granny's Corn Flour Tortillas

Good Seasons Copycat Recipe

3 tablespoons dried vegetables flakes
pinch dried parsley flakes
2 grinds sea salt
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/8 teaspoon onion powder
2 packets Splenda
approx 1/8 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
2 teaspoons dry pectin
pinch ground oregano

Mix all ingredients together and store in a cool, dry place until use.

To make dressing add:
1/3 cup your choice of vinegar
1/4 cup water
1/3 cup olive oil
2 tablespoon flax oil


** This needs more work. It is an ok dressing but really tastes nothing like our beloved Good Seasons.

Spicy Asian Sauce

1/2 cup water
1/4 cup ketchup (Trader Joe's organic - not too sweet and has a nice texture)
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 heaping tablespoon cornstarch
2 teaspoons honey
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

Wisk together all ingredients and cook over med-high heat with your choice of meats and vegetables. We have had with a seafood mix and it was incredible. Trying tonight with some beef.

Garden Minestrone

2 tablespoons olive oil
4 large cloves garlic, chopped
2 large onions, chopped
1 bunch of green onions - greens only, chopped
1 small bunch of celery, chopped
4 xl carrots, sliced
2 cups chopped broccoli
1.5 cups chopped chard leaves and stems
2 cans chopped tomatoes, with juice
half a pound frozen green beans
1 can tomato paste
1 can tomato sauce
1 can kidney beans, drained
3 zucchinis, halved and sliced
chicken stock
2 tablespoons dried oregano
1/4 cup dried basil
salt and pepper to taste
1 lb small pasta
grated Parmesan cheese for topping

Add ingredients in the order listed - chopping as you go to give ingredients time to sweat. Chicken stock to cover. Cook soup until vegetables are tender crisp or more done - your preference. Cook pasta in a seperate pan and add as desired to bowls of soup. Top with Parmesan if desired. Makes: dinner for 4 (with seconds all around) for 2 nights and 6 large lunch servings to freeze.