Thanksgiving 2009

Some pictures from Thursday.

The faux turkey:



I used Robin Robertson's recipe for the seitan, and made a pecan/apple sage sausage/orange cranberry/mushroom stuffing.



Sorry that's so blurry.

Autumn rolls from Veganomicon:



From the same book, Autumn Latkes and Horseradish Dill Sour Cream:





Gingerbread Apple Pie from VwaV:



Pumpkin Cheesecake from VeganMoFo last year (not the cake, the recipe):



Brandon made the mashed potatoes and brussels sprouts. He also supplied the comedy and beer.



'Lona supplied the adorable Floridian accent.



Aaron had seconds. I was impressed. I had one plate and passed out.



Warren helped clean up by catching everything I dropped on the floor.



Dessert is always my favorite.





Taz wants to jump up on the table and join us.



And Milo's in the potatoes.

More from the test kitchen

Eggplant Lentil Chili Molé with Fresh Corn and Scallion Cornbread. This was totally worth the week-long hunt for an eggplant.

Thoughts on the impending holidays

It's still unseasonably warm here in Minnesota (jean jacket weather; although I have seen what had to be tourists wearing mittens. I mean really? Mittens?) It's 49°. True Minnesotans are still in their flip flops.

I was approved to have Thanksgiving off, but in exchange, I have to work open to close on Christmas Day. It's only 10am to 8pm, and hello? Double time! I think I can skip seeing Uncle John get wasted for one year. Anyway, I've over-promised for Thanksgiving, so I'm thinking about having it...here. My familiar kitchen with everything I need, my own wonky oven that won't slam shut and turn itself on auto-clean for no reason, and lots of people for the kitties to love on. Is anyone else hosting this year? Pointers? Tips? I might be testing my ideas out on myself before the big day, just so I can improve on it or talk myself out of making a mess of it all.

For those of you in the Twin Cities, there will be a "Turkey-Free/ Healthy Harvest" Thanksgiving potluck on Sunday, November 22 from 6pm-8:30pm at Lake Harriet Methodist Church, 4901 Chowen Avenue S. It's free, and co-sponsored by Earthsave Twin Cities, Animal Rights Coalition, and Alliance for Sustainability. You don't have to be veg*n to come, but they do ask that you bring a vegan dish to share. Bring a place card with the recipe, and your place setting.

I'm playing with the idea of doing cookie boxes for everyone this year, although I recall doing it one year and it was a nightmare. Those of you who feel gypped if they get a homemade present? You have no idea of the tears behind it. Appreciate that shit.

MoFo comes to a close...

I'm writing to you as I wait for my Li'l Gracie to be delivered from Pizza Lucé. Nope, I didn't make dough this morning, and the stupid bus system effed up my attempt to pick up a ready-made dough or crust at The Wedge earlier, so it was either take a bus up to Lund's for an Amy's and scurry home, praying to blog before midnight, or just order a damn Lucé. They do have the best vegan pizza in town, although Galactic comes awful close just because they have vegan cheesecake. Lucé has the vegan chocolate peanut butter rice krispie bar, which is pretty damn delicious, but it's no vegan cheesecake.

Anyway, this year was a lot of fun. I'm a little sad it's over, but at the same time relieved. I can now come home and have a peanut butter sandwich for dinner if I want, and I can finally get to the mountain of mofo dishes in the sink. Also, I can try to resume sort sort of personal life. I have turned down a couple of dates because I had to go home and blog, and once I'm home, I'm home. It's really hard to get me out of the house again. Unless I have to run up the street for a green pepper, but that's important.

I will try to be a more productive blogger (I know, I know...famous last words). I do love cooking and eating and making people happy by filling their bellies with yummy food, so it should be a no-brainer. Also, stick around if you're interested in what's up with Animal Rights Coalition, because we always have something coming up. Looking to get active, and you live here in the Twin Cities? Become a member and hang out with the coolest vegans in town. Also, you get a subscription to VegNews out of the deal, so it's a win-win.

Where's my damned pizza?

Here's some kitties for you:

Cool:


Mischka:


and Bowie, on his 2nd birthday back in June:


And my dinner!!!





Mmmm. Even now as I am sick of pizza, I would never be sick of that bar.

Happy MoFo!
Happy Halloween!

Home stretch...

Second to the last pizza for pizza week, and then VeganMoFo is over for 2009. I still don't have much of an idea of what to do tomorrow. Something Halloweeny, I guess. We shall see.

Today's was easy, though. Chipotle Pizza.



By the way, I can make pizza dough blindfolded, now. I have even stopped measuring as I add ingredients to the machine. In this one, I added one chipotle pepper (from a can), chopped into teeny weenie little bits, and some oregano.



The toppings are: a spicy Italian pizza sauce, tvp burger crumbles, corn, green peppers, onion, Teese cheddar or nacho cheese, and black olives. For some reason, this one took a little longer. Probably due to using a smaller pan, I was forced to have a thicker crust. Yummy!

Happy Birthday, Dad!

Baba Ghanoush Pizza

I really didn't know where I was heading with this, but I knew I wanted to use some sort of white bean spread, and sun dried tomatoes. After salting the eggplant, making the dough, and noticing that I had some fresh mint and pine nuts...it hit me.

Here it is, pre-oven:



And post:



Basically, it's a sun-dried tomato pizza dough, topped with white bean pesto, eggplant, spinach, garlic, cherry tomatoes, and pine nuts. Drizzle on a lemon-tahini sauce (I added a little red wine vinegar because I ran out of lemons), and bake at 400° for ten, and then 475° for five. That way, the eggplant and pine nuts get all roasty-toasty.

French Bread Pizza

Somebody, please find me a vegan cheese that melts. Teese came close, but nope. I am hoping this is something that comes about in the next year. Then again, I usually prefer pizza cheeseless, but the other toppings sort of required that faux dairy topping.



This was super fast and easy to throw together. I used Muir Glen pizza sauce, Tofurkey Italian Sausage (I usually make my own sausages, but Tofurkey has been on sale everywhere, and it's just been so hard to resist!), green peppers, mushrooms, and Teese mozzarella. Which doesn't melt.