And pumpkins!
I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving this year, and I hope you got to spend it with someone you love. Being vegan and eating with an omnivorous family can be a little tense at times, especially if you have recently turned vegan (or vegetarian), but, if you come armed with delicious food and a good attitude, it will work out in the end.
Here's what was on the menu for me:
Pumpkin Scones
1/2 cup sugar
3 1/2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
3 teaspoons powdered ginger
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 cup vegan margarine (such as Earth Balance), softened slightly, but still cold
2 cups pureed pumpkin*
You can use canned pumpkin (just be sure to get 100% pure pumpkin and not pumpkin pie mix), or you can bake your own. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Split the pumpkin in half and remove the seeds and strings. In a rimmed, oven-safe glass dish or roasting pan, place the pumpkins cut side down in one cup of water. Bake for about 90 minutes until the flesh is very tender. Let cool. When safe to handle, and scoop the flesh out into a food processor and puree.
For the scones:
Preheat the oven to 425°F or 400°F convection.
In a large bowl, combine the sugar, flour, baking powder and soda, ginger, and cinnamon. Cut in the margarine (I like to break it up in chunks and basically knead it into the flour with my hands). Once the margarine is incorporated, stir in the pumpkin. Mix well, and knead a few times so that the dough holds together.
Transfer the pumpkin dough to a lightly floured surface. Knead a few more times and form the it into a large circle that is a few inches thick. With a pastry knife, divide the dough into twelve even slices (cut the circle into fourths, then cut each fourth into thirds).
Now here is the only mildly tricky part. Separate the twelve pieces (it can be a little like trying to get the first piece of cake out perfectly!). Place onto a lightly oiled cookie sheet, and bake for about 12 minutes. Cool on wire racks.
Tzimmes with Pecans and Raisins
This dish was great. Everyone loved the pear/sweet potato combination, and it is definitely going to become one of those dishes that I will make every year.
Adapted from Veganomicon.
2 pounds sweet potatoes (about two medium/large), chopped into chunks
2-3 Bartlett pears, chopped into chunks
1/2-1 tablespoon oil
2 tablespoons mirin (get a good one, not the kind with cornsyrup)
1 tablespoon pure maple syrup
1/2 heaping teaspoon cinnamon
3/4 cup pecans, chopped
3/4 cup raisins
Preheat the oven to 350°F.
Lightly oil a large, rimmed baking sheet, and toss in the sweet potatoes and pears to coat. Sprinkle on the mirin, maple syrup, cinnamon, pecans, and raisins, and stir to distribute evenly. Cover with aluminum foil and bake for about thirty minutes. Stir, replace the foil, and bake for about thirty minutes more. Stir every now and then. Serve warm.
Fall Loaf
This lovely loaf will fill your home with the fresh scent of sage.
1/2 cup lentils
1/2 cup barley
1/2 cup rice mixture (such as Lundbergs), or brown rice
1/2 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup almonds, finely ground
1 14 oz. can petite diced tomatoes
1 onion, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
1 slice of whole wheat bread, crumbled
2 teaspoons poultry seasoning (or sage)
1/2 teaspoon ground celery seed
Place the lentils, barley, and rice in a medium-sized pot and cover with about three cups of water. Bring to a boil, cover, and then simmer for 45-55 minutes. Take a peek at them every now and then to make sure they do not run out of water.
When the grains are almost done, sauté the onions in water or oil. Add the celery and sauté one or two minutes more (the celery will add a nice crunch to the loaf, so don't sauté too long).
Preheat the oven to 350°F.
In a large oven-safe dish, toss together the cooked grain, onions and celery, ground almonds, crumbled whole wheat bread, poultry seasoning, and celery seed. Mix well. Then add the tomatoes, including their juice. It depends on how moist your loaf is at this point, but you will probably want to add a cup or so of water. The loaf is going to cook for a while, and you don't want it get too dry.
Bake uncovered for about an hour.
Enjoy!
