Ⓥ Vegan Kitchen: Happy Thanksgiving! Ⓥ

It's Thanksgiving weekend here in Canada, so… Happy Thanksgiving Canada! :) 

With my family being a sick we didn't get to do a thanksgiving dinner together, but my hubby and I hosted a Vegan Thanksgiving Potluck at our place with my brother and good friend Tam. Vegan potlucks are the best thanksgivings ever, or for any traditional festive meal. 

[silly face photo reel... life's not complete without one ;)]

Cory made a quinoa kale salad. And I roasted up red kuri squash, parsnips, carrots, and garlic from our garden--and added some sweet potato in there as well. I also made tofu balls and vegan gravy--my usual go-tos for  dinners such as these. Everyone always loves the food, vegan or not, so why the hell not? Beats some poor murdered turkey any day. 

For dessert Tam made the most amazing Lemon poppyseed quinoa flour cake! Sooooo good! 

We stuffed ourselves full of amazing food and enjoyed some great company. All in all, thanksgiving was lovely. :) 

If you're looking for your own ideas for a vegan festive dinner then be sure to check out my other post with suggestions and recipes as well: Holiday Feast. :)

Happy Thanksgiving Canada! Show gratitude wherever you are, you don't need an excuse to give thanks. 

[how many times can I repeat the exact same big goofy smile? Thiiiiss many!]

So, what are you grateful for? How did you spend Thanksgiving--or how do you plan on spending it if you're not in Canada? What are your favourite vegan festive meals? 

Create a nice day!! Much Love and gratitude! :) 

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Ⓥ Vegan Kitchen: Root Vegetable Roast! Ⓥ

This is one of my favourite meals to make, it's the perfect holiday dinner replacement and perfect on a cold cozy evening. It's also not that hard to make, just takes a little preparation chopping up all the veggies. I almost felt a little silly posting this recipe it's so simple, but totally worth sharing, so here we go! ;) 

Root Vegatable Roast

Root Vegetables (I usually like to do any combination of; 1 large Sweet Potato, 1 large Yam, 1 Kuri squash, 4 medium Carrots, 1 large Parsnip)--enough to fill a large casserole dish.

2 tbsp Olive Oil 

Seasoning: 

1 tsp Salt

1 tsp Pepper

1 tsp Garlic Powder

1/2 tsp Cumin 

1/2 tsp Mustard Seed

1/2 tsp Oregano

2 tsp Thyme

Preheat oven to 400℉.

Chop up all your vegetables and place them in a large casserole dish. Sprinkle the seasoning and oil over top and cover with foil, if you don't have a lid. Cook in the oven for about 1 hour, gently stirring about every 20 minutes. 

Makes 4 large, or 6 small servings (depending on the size of your casserole dish). 

I love to make this with Vegan Gravy and Rice "stuffing." Tofu Balls are also a lovely way to complete a Holiday Feast with this recipe. Perfect comfort food and healthy at that! :) 

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Ⓥ Vegan Kitchen: Rice "Stuffing" Ⓥ

A lovely, easy gluten-free alternative to tradition stuffing but still packed full of lovely flavour. 

Rice "Stuffing"

1 cup Brown Rice

1 cup Water

1 cup Vegetable Broth

1/2 tsp Salt

1/4 tsp Pepper

1 tsp Garlic Powder

1 Tbsp dried Parsley

1 tsp Thyme

Optional: add in chopped celery or onion. 

In a medium pot, add all the ingredients together, bring to a boil and then reduce to simmer for about 45 minutes to an hour--until the rice is fully cooked. 

Serve! Super easy! 

Makes approximately 4 servings. 

Goes great with Root Vegetable Roast, Tofu Balls, and Vegan Gravy for a lovely holiday feast! 

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Ⓥ Vegan Kitchen: Holiday Feast Ⓥ

 Okay, so I know this is a bit late since Thanksgiving and Christmas have already passed, however I figure for all those other holiday meals that like to pop up throughout the year this would be useful for you to have anyway. well

When it comes to having a Vegan Holiday Feast, many of us aren't quite sure where to start, especially if you're new to the vegan world. This is to give you some ideas, some of my favourites, and how to make sure your guests will enjoy the meal as--because, hey, vegan food is amazing and it's nice to prove people wrong! ;) 

Replacing the essentials...

Vegan Gravy (recipe here)

Vegan Stuffing: Aside from the thought of anything cooking inside a turkey's privates sounding absolutely revolting, vegan replacements are far healthier and tastier (in my personal opinion). Even back before I was vegan and a carnivorous junky, my mother made this dish Not inside a turkey's butt and it was delicious. All you really need are breadcrumbs, spices, and vegetable broth and it tastes just like any other stuffing. You can even find gluten-free breadcrumbs to keep it gluten-free or flavour a Rice dish with stuffing spices. The Recipe here is great.
Or for something a little different try "Rice Stuffing" Recipe here. 

One of my favourite items to make and serve for any Holiday Feast is a Roast. Carrots, yams, sweet potatoes, potatoes, parsnips, squash, whatever root vegetables you'd like!
Recipe here: Root Vegetable Roast!

You could also make Mashed Potatoes or yams ,or Roasted Squash. 

Tofurky is a lovely turkey replacement. However, if you're allergic to wheat or gluten, like me, then this is not a good option. My favourite thing to make are Tofu Balls (recipe here), and everyone always loves them, I haven't heard anyone not like them yet. 

If you want something non-traditional, I love making Mac 'n' Shews, the most amazing vegan macaroni and cheese recipe ever! 

A Cauliflower bake is another wonderful addition to a Holiday Feast. I'll share a recipe soon from a friend of mine that she made at a potluck back for Thanksgiving. And any other veggie dish is always lovely, and healthy of course!

Really, though, it is not hard to have a Vegan Thanksgiving, Christmas dinner, or any other feast. You don't have to sacrifice anything, you won't feel as if you're missing out on that turkey or any other meat once you try a vegan feast. Give it a try and you'll fall in love with a vegan lifestyle as I have! :) 

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Ⓥ Vegan Kitchen: Vegan Gravy Ⓥ

 This is so simple and easy to make, plus you're not using unhealthy animal fat (yuckyyyy!). I don't know why you'd ever want to use gross meat-stuff ever again. ;) 

This is also gluten-free, although you can make this with just about any flour. :) 

Vegan Gravy

3 cups Vegetable Broth

3 Tbsp Olive Oil, divided

1/3 cup Rice Flour (or any other flour)

dashes of black pepper

3/4 tsp Salt

In a heated medium pot, add the oil along with the flour, stir together. It should become a gooey clump. Add a little more oil if necessary. Toast for approx. 15 minutes in the pan until it smells toasty and turns a medium brown colour. Stir practically the entire time so it cooks evenly. Use a whisk to avoid clumping as well. 

Stream in the 2 cups of broth, whisking constantly so it doesn't clump--the trick is to add the broth slowly, if you do it too quickly it will clump. Whisk until it's thick and smooth. 

Add pepper and salt to taste, parsley is a nice addition as well, feel free to play around with flavours.

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