Vegan Turkey for Thanksgiving

  

Thanksgiving is tomorrow. I am vegan and my mom is vegetarian.  What exactly are we supposed to do?  We decided to have a barbecue for the husbands, but what about us ladies?  If my mom makes  food, unfortunately I cannot eat it (she loves her cheese and sour cream) but if I make food, we both can eat. Soooooo.....I decided to look into a vegan turkey.  Well nothing really exists except tofu, and I don't eat soy.  I remember once someone gave me a recipe for a Henrietta Ham (Vegan) but I never ate ham and really wanted to make something more turkey like.  I read the recipe and it turned on some light bulbs in my head.  I snuck a taste of this guy already, and it's delicious!  I only cooked the "turkey" for 3 hours last night so that way on Thanksgiving we can heat him up for another couple hours.  I think this should feed about 4-6 people (since it's all nuts).  If you have a large family, I don't know what will happen if you make a giant one, perhaps try several small ones?  Happy Thanksgiving!  Save the turkeys!!!!!!

Vegan Turkey

1 cup Almonds

1 cup Pecans

3/4 cup Cashew Halves

1/4 cup Sunflower Seeds

2 small White Onion (or 1 medium)

3 cloves Garlic

1 Celery Stalk

2 teaspoons Lemon Juice

1 teaspoon Herb Stop's Cumin Powder

1/2 teaspoon Herb Stop's Rosemary Powder

1/2 teaspoon Herb Stop's Italian Seasoning Powder

1/2 teaspoon Herb Stop's Poultry Rub

3 Tablespoons Herb Stop's Brown Flax Seeds (grind into a powder right before making this dish)

1 teaspoon Herb Stop's Himalayan Salt

1/4 teaspoon Herb Stop's Turmeric Powder

1 Tablespoon Maple Syrup

2 Tablespoon Pineapple Juice

a few tablespoons pineapple pieces

Soak almonds, pecans, cashews and sunflower seeds for 3 hours.  

Preheat oven to 250.  Drain and add to food processor (I used a Vita Mix but this took lots of work) with onion and garlic.  Mix until creamy and pureed.  This should not be chunky, it should be fairly smooth.  Add celery, lemon juice, cumin, rosemary, Italian seasoning, poultry rub, ground flax seeds, salt and turmeric to the nut mixture.  Mix by hand until very well mixed.  Using about 2/3 of this mixture create the body of the turkey.  Divide the other 1/3 into 4 pieces.  Shape the drumsticks and wings.  The drumstick will be oval, but most of the mixture will be towards the bottom.  For the wings, I rolled them in my hands into a log and folded part of the top over and pinched the top.  When putting these parts on the body make sure you pinch it all together.  One of my drumsticks fell off while it was cooking, but it was pretty easy to put right back on.  Place turkey onto a slipmat (silicone baking sheet) and into a jelly roll-ish pan. 

Sprinkle some pineapple pieces on top and around the bottom of the turkey.  Mix maple syrup and pineapple juice together.  Baste the turkey with this combination.  It makes the turkey a little sweet and adds some brown color.  Bake at 250 for 3 hours if making ahead of time.  When you take this out of the oven, trim away the bottom of pineapple pieces and dried out syrup.  On the final day, bake for 2-4 hours or until fairly dehydrated, but still moist.

Since I haven't put the turkey back in the oven for a second time, I'm not really sure what the time is yet.  Once it's done tomorrow, I'll amend this post :)

Soaking nuts

ready to blend

molded turkey

molded turkey

molded turkey with pineapple

cooking away

all cooked

ready to eat!

another view

yummy yummy!

"Cheesy" Potato Casserole

Today I realized that I'm stuck in a rut.  I make food with peppers, beans, quinoa and the same ingredients.  So I went to some magazines for inspiration.  In PETA's Animal Times there was a recipe for a neat dish, but it was full of soy, mushrooms and other things I'm not really a fan of.  So I decided to try something out that I've been thinking about - cashews as a tofu replacement.  I knew this was going to take a lot of experimenting but at the end it was so incredibly delicious!  ENJOY.....

"Cheesy" Potato Casserole
1 tablespoon Grapeseed Oil
1 small Yellow Onion - sliced thinly
3/4 cup chopped frozen spinach - thawed
3 small (or one large) Russet Potatoes - sliced thinly
Herb Stop's Smoked Alderwood Salt
3/4 cup Cashews
12 tablespoons Almond Milk
2 tablespoons Nutritional Yeast
1 tablespoons Arrowroot Powder
1 teaspoon Herb Stop's Granulated Onion
1 teaspoon Herb Stop's Pesto Mix
1/4 teaspoon Herb Stop's Turmeric Powder
1/2 tablespoon Olive Oil

Preheat oven to 375.  Oil a pie plate (glass works best) or a casserole dish.

Add grapeseed oil to a large pan.  On medium heat, add onions to pan and cover.  Cook for 10 minutes.Add spinach and cook for 5 minutes.  Add potatoes and cook for another 5 minutes.  Turn off heat and season with Alderwood Salt to taste.

In a vita mix (or blender if you don't have one) combine, cashews, almond milk, nutritional yeast, arrowroot, onion powder, pesto mix and turmeric.  If you enjoy salty food, add 1/2 teaspoon salt.  Start on low and gradually increase speed and blend for a few minutes until nice and creamy.

Toss the cashew mix and potato mix until evenly coated.  Spread evenly into baking dish.  Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes.  Remove foil and bake for 10 minutes - until the top is brown.  Let the dish rest for 5 minutes.

the potatoes, onion and spinach mix

ready for the oven

up close and yummy!

Super Caesar Salad

So I know this blog is called Vegan Is Not Just Salad, but man....I really love salad!!  I love creamy dressings, crunchy veggies...yummmmyyyyy!!!  This salad dressing is incredibly potent, but very reminiscent of my very favorite salad...Caesar.  Traditionally, Caesar Salad is served with only lettuce, croutons and some added cheese -- really none of the things on the dietary "ok" list.  I actually added some non-traditional items - tomatoes, cabbage, scallions, cauliflower and zucchini .  This comes about as close as can be....or so I think :)

Vegan Caesar Dressing/Dip
1 Small Onion - cut into quarters (or 1/2 medium onion)
1 Clove Garlic
1/3 cup Olive Oil
1 - 2 Tablespoons Cashew Butter
1 teaspoon Brown Mustard
The juice from 1/2 lime
Himalayan Salt - optional

Add all ingredients to your Vita-Mix, food processor, blender, etc.  Turn on low for 15 seconds and raise speed slowly.  Blend all ingredients until into a nice creamy dressing.   If making a dressing, use 1 tablespoon of the cashew butter.  If making a dip, use 2 tablespoons.  Since I use my Himalayan Salt Slab to dice the veggies for the salad, I do not add salt.

Super Caesar Salad
1 Romaine Heart - torn into pieces
6 Grape Tomatoes - diced
1 Scallion - diced
1/2 cup Cauliflower - diced
1/4 - 1/2 cup Cabbage - shredded
1 medium Zucchini - sliced into 1/4 inch rounds
1/4 teaspoon Herb Stop's Rosemary Powder
1/2 teaspoon Herb Stop's Sweet Onion Sugar
Grapeseed oil

Heat grapeseed oil on medium high.  Add rosemary and sugar.  Allow to heat until very hot.  Add the zucchini rounds and cook 1-2 minutes on each side until well done (brown and bubbly).  Careful not to cook the zucchini too long or it will become soggy - the idea here is nice and crunchy.  Set aside.

Cut remaining ingredients on a Himalayan Salt Slab (if you have one, if not remember to add some salt to the Caesar dressing).  Add to a bowl and toss with Caesar dressing.  Arrange on a plate and top with the zucchini.   ENJOY!!!!

Diced scallions on top of a Himalayan Salt Slab.  These are not only beautiful, but salt your food with delicious flavor, but also 84 trace elements.  Don't forget to pat your veggies dry before placing them on the slab.

Beautiful little zucchini rounds

another view

Colorful Stir-Fry

Since I cant stand on my foot for long periods of time (until it heals), I haven't been able to really create too many dishes.  Last night tho, I started chopping away for my Vegan Tacos and then I decided to make a little stir fry side dish.  This was so colorful and very yummy!!!

Colorful Stir-Fry
1/2 cup Red Onion - diced into large pieces
1/2 cup Yellow Bell Pepper - diced into large pieces
1/2 cup Orange Bell Pepper - diced into large pieces
1 Scallion - sliced
1/2 teaspoon Herb Stop's Sweet Onion Sugar
1/4 teaspoon Herb Stop's Southwest Mix
Grapeseed oil for frying

Place grapeseed oil in a frying pan and heat on medium high.  Add Southwest Mix and Sweet Onion Sugar. Stir well.  Add onions and sautee for 1 minute.  Add bell peppers and sautee until cooked, but still crunchy.  Turn the stove off and lightly toss in the scallion.  Serve as a side dish.  I garnished this with some diced tomato and chives.

Up close

As a side to my vegan tacos

Veggie Polenta Rounds

As my husband and I strolled down the isles of Fresh & Easy after a very long day of reorganizing the garage, I was pondering dinner on a very empty stomach.  Everything sounded good.  Then I looked up and found the organic polenta.  When I was very sick my diet was limited to polenta in broth and plain potatoes.  The idea of eating polenta a year ago would have made my stomach turn, but now that I'm not forced to eat it, I found myself desiring it!  So, since putting it into soup was not a mouth-watering option, I decided to make these delicious polenta rounds with fresh veggies.  They were very filling and delicious!

Veggie Polenta Rounds
Pre-made Polenta - sliced 1/4 inch thick
1/2 - 3/4 cup Vegan Marinara Sauce
1 cup Cauliflower florettes - slice very high up to get very small pieces
1 cup Broccoli florettes - slice very high up to get very small pieces
2 slices of red onion -1/8 inch thick- separate the outside pieces from the inside pieces
3 scallions - diced
1/2 teaspoon Herb Stop's Sprinkle and Rub
Grapeseed Oil for frying

Dice the red onion outer pieces.  Heat grapeseed oil in a frying pan on medium high heat and add diced red onion. Allow to cook until the oil has absorbed the flavor of the onion (about 2 minutes).  Add polenta rounds and cook until slightly crispy on both sides (about 5 minutes per side).

Cooking the polenta

While the polenta is cooking, heat the marinara sauce in a sauce pan.  In a separate pot with a steamer, add the cauliflower and broccoli.  Steam until cooked but not mushy.  Add the onion centers about 2 minutes before finished so that the onion becomes soft.

When the polenta is finished place on top of a paper towel to absorb some of the excess oil.  In the same frying pan add the veggie mix, Sprinkle and Rub and 2 of the diced scallion.  Sautee on high heat until well coated.

The veggies

Remove the polenta from the paper towel.  Arrange on a plate.  Top with marinara sauce, then cauliflower and broccoli and top with a an onion center.  Sprinkle the remaining scallion on top.  YUMMY!!

The final meal

Saffron Burgers with Roasted Pepper Potatoes

I was craving french fries tonight....uggghhhh.  Because I don't eat deep fried food any more I needed some kind of fun potatoes!!  Then I thought what do I eat with them?  The only thing I had in the fridge that sounded like it would blend was my left over Saffron Quinoa - but what do I do with it?  AH HA!!  Make a burger......but how? I just started mixing and these little burgers were a-mazing!!!  I added a side of steamed corn and placed the saffron burger on a bed of lettuce and onion, topped with brown mustard and tomatoes.  Very Yummy!!!!

Saffron Burgers
1/2 cup Saffron Quinoa
1 tablespoon Olive Oil
2 teaspoons Herb Stop's Taste Without Salt
1 teaspoon Herb Stop's Onion Granules
1/2 teaspoon Herb Stop's Garlic Granules
1 tablespoon Almond Flour
1 tablespoon Tapioca Starch
1 tablespoon Potato Starch
Grapeseed Oil for cooking

Mix all ingredients (except the grapeseed oil) together very well.  Heat grapeseed oil in a pan on medium high.  Form thin patties and cook well on both sides - about 5 minutes each.

Quiona, spices and "flours" well blended

Fully cooked on one side - nice and golden

Roasted Pepper Potatoes
3 small to medium Russet Potatoes - diced
2 Red Sweet Peppers - sliced
1/4 Orange Bell Pepper - diced
2 thick slices Red Onion - diced
1/4 teaspoon Herb Stop's Hungarian Paprika
1/2 teaspoon Herb Stop's Smoked Alderwood Salt
1 teaspoon Herb Stop's Southwest Mix
2 teaspoons Herb Stop's Sweet Onion Sugar
2 tablespoons Olive Oil

Add all ingredients to a bowl and mix well with your hands.  Massage gently for 30-45 seconds.  Add to a jelly roll pan in a single layer.  Bake at 425 for 25-30 minutes - until well cooked.

All the veggies

Right out of the oven

Saffron Quinoa with Stir Fry Vegetables and Cilantro-Cashew Sauce

I have this bottle of saffron in the cupboard and I've been to scared to use it because it's so expensive!  Tonight was the night to break that puppy open!  I decided to make saffron rice (except I used quinoa) with some stir-fired vegetables. I also have been wanting to make this cilantro-cashew-honey sauce that I saw the other day, but have been reluctant because it's quite involved.  Tonight was the night for that too!  I ended up drizzling the cashew sauce over the entire meal and that really made everything delicious!

Saffron Quiona with Stir Fry Vegetables
Saffron Quinoa:
1/4 tsp saffron threads
2 cups water (split in half)
2 tablespoons virgin olive oil
1 cup quinoa
1 teaspoon Himalayan Salt
Stir Fry Vegetables:
1 head of broccoli - cut into florettes
1/4 yellow onion - diced
1/4 orange bell pepper - diced
1/4 yellow bell pepper - diced
1 carrot - cut into thin strips about 1 inch long
1/8 cup cashew pieces

To make Saffron Quinoa:
Add saffron to 1 cup of hot water and allow to steep.  Add oil and salt to a large pan.  Heat on medium high heat and add quinoa.  Cook until the quinoa has absorbed the oil, but do not brown the quinoa (about 3 minutes). Add saffron water and the remaining water.  Heat to boiling and reduce to low-medium heat and cook until the quinoa is fully cooked - about 20 minutes.

To make Stir Fry Vegetables:
Heat a little oil in a frying pan on medium high.  Add cashews and onion and sautee for 2 minutes stiring constantly.  Add broccoli and 1/4 cup water cover and let cook for a few minutes until water is gone and the broccoli is nice and green.  Add the other ingredients and sautee until the peppers are cooked, but not limp.

I formed the quinoa in a small bowl and turned upside down into a plate and surrounded the quinoa in the vegetables.  I drizzled the cashew sauce to the top of everything.

I copied this sauce from a recipe I found online to mimic the avocado egg roll dipping sauce from the Cheesecake Factory.  I took out the black pepper and changed the honey to maple syrup so it would be vegan.

Quinoa cooking with saffron

The layout from the top

Cilantro-Cashew Sauce
1/2 cup chopped cashews
1-1/4 cup fresh cilantro
4 cloves of garlic
4 scallions chopped into 1 inch pieces
2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon Herb Stop's Southwest Mix
2 1/2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon tamarind concentrate
1 cup maple syrup
1/2 teaspoon ground saffron
1/2 cup virgin olive oil

Combine cashews, cilantro, garlic, scallions, sugar and southwest mix in the vita-mix (or food processor) until well chopped very small and well blended.  This should look like a paste.  In a saucepan add white and balsamic vinegar, maple syrup, tamarind and saffron.  Heat on medium until tamarind is dissolved.  Pour into the vita-mix with the cashew mixture and blend until well combined.  Pour the mixture into a bowl and add olive oil.  Stir well by hand.  Refrigerate for 30 minutes then using a whisk blend well until the oil is incorporated.  Use as a dipping sauce or drizzle on top of the Saffron Quinoa meal.  DELICIOUS!

With the cilatro-cashew sauce over the top

Vegan Navajo Tacos

Who doesn't love Indian Fry Bread?  I know back in the day I probably could have lived on it!  Unfortunately, it's incredibly unhealthy - fried, lard and heavily processed.  To make this dish healthier and vegan/grain-free friendly, I used vegan refried beans, lots of beautiful veggies and my Vegan Pancakes.  Keep in mind - this meal is incredibly filling :)

Vegan Navajo Tacos
Grape Tomatoes - cut in half
Red Sweet Pepper - sliced
Orange Bell Pepper - sliced
Yellow Bell Pepper - diced
Lettuce - shredded
Red Cabbage - shredded
Scallions - cut in half lengthwise
Amy's Vegetarian Refried Beans - warmed
Vegan Pancakes

On top of a hot vegan pancake add refried beans, scallions, lettuce, red cabbage, yellow bell pepper, orange bell pepper, red sweet pepper and tomatoes.  Serve hot.

a side view

With a side of roasted corn

Beautiful rainbow of veggies

Vegan Corn Pancakes

These pancakes have always been my favorite. These wonderful guys are incredibly versatile - the options are limitless!  I started making these before I became vegan (with eggs and milk) and I didn't want to give these up so here we are.....vegan pancakes!!!

Vegan Pancakes
1 cup Corn Flour
3/4 cup Almond Milk
1 tablespoon Sugar (for breakfast I use Vanilla Sugar and Dark Cocoa Sugar)
2 tablespoons Oil (I use virgin olive oil because the flavor is very mild)
3 teaspoons Baking Powder
1/4 teaspoon Himalayan Salt
1-1/2 teaspoons Ener-G Egg Replacer
2 tablespoons Water

Mix egg replacer and water until well mixed.  Add the rest of the ingredients and blend well with a whisk.  Heat a greased pan on medium and add 1/4-1/2 cup of the mixture and cook until golden brown.  Flip and allow to cook until golden brown.  Serve warm with any delicious ingredients! YUMMY!!!

Cooking in the pan

Delicious and golden brown

Halloween Twice Baked Potatoes

My husband was on duty last night (Halloween) so I was left to my own devices!  Because I can't eat candy, I also wanted something sweet.  I didn't want to make a huge meal, but I wanted something filling and fun!  ........so here we have it - twice baked potatoes!  Well, sort of.  This was a fun combination of sweet potatoes, purple potatoes and russet potatoes which made those fun halloween colors.

Halloween Twice Baked Potatoes
Approx. 8 oz of purple potatoes
1 giant russet potato
1-2 sweet potato(es)
1 scallion
a few chives
1/4 tsp. garlic granules
1/4 tsp - 1/2 tsp Herb Stop's Clove Sugar
1/4 tsp - 1/2 tsp Herb Stop's Cinnamon Sugar
1/4 tsp - 1/2 tsp Herb Stop's Ginger Sugar
1/4 tsp - 1/2 tsp Herb Stop's Vanilla Sugar
Olive Oil
Almond Milk
Himalayan salt

Wrap up sweet and russet potatoes in foil.  Bake for 1 hour 15 minutes at 375.  Peel purple potatoes and bake until soft - because the potatoes are small it usually only takes 30 minutes or so.  Once the potatoes are done, remove them from the foil and allow to cool until you are able to handle them.  Cut the russet potato in half and scrape out the inside until only a thin layer of potato remains, don't make them to thin or the potato will fall apart.  Set the inside of the potato aside.  Scrape out all of the sweet potato and add to a small bowl.  Add the sugars and blend well - adjust the amount of sugar depending on your taste.  This should be sweet enough to taste like desert.  Add the sweet potato back into one of the empty potato skins and set aside.  Thinly slice the scallion and set aside.  To a medium bowl add the purple potatoes and olive oil.  Depending on the size of the potatoes, the amount of oil will vary - I used about 2 teaspoons.  Mash well.  Add Almond Milk until creamy - I added about 4 tablespoons. Add garlic granules and salt (to taste - I used 1/4 tsp) and blend very well.  Lightly mix in the scallions.  Add purple mix into the other empty shell.  Add both shells back into the oven at 425 for 10 minutes.  While potatoes are cooking, take the russet potato insides and mash well with some olive oil and salt.  Mash very well - this will be your decoration and will hold the potatoes in place.  I used a himalayan salt slab to display the potatoes.  I just spread the russet potato out into an egg shape.  When the put-back potatoes are done place them on the slab on top of  russet potato mix. Sprinkle the purple potato with chives and the sweet potato with some of the sugars.  Serve immediately.  HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!

Hollowed russet potato

Purple potato

Sweet Potato