VEGGIE THANKSGIVING
October 2003
Articles
Harvest Cuisine for a Vegetarian Thanksgiving
By Pat Young
October has to be the loveliest month of the year. Balmy fall breezes still carry solar warmth, while trees offer up their cornucopia of colours. Now that the harvest is all in, this is the time when Canadian families draw together at the family dinner table to give thanks for nature’s gifts. To do justice to this bounty we have gathered some recipes which make fine offerings for a vegetarian version of the traditional Thanksgiving feast. And although these recipes are meat-free, there are many that will appeal to carnivorous guests too.
Squashes of all types are readily available now, and an excellent source of beta carotene and potassium, as well as vitamin C and folacin. This recipe, along with the photo on this page, comes to us courtesy of Foodland Ontario:
ONTARIO VEGETABLE CURRY
This lowfat dish is highlighted by hearty Ontario butternut squash and potatoes, set off by a fragrant mix of spices.
1 Tbsp vegetable oil
1 Ontario onion, chopped
1 sweet green pepper, chopped
2 cloves Ontario garlic, minced
3 medium Ontario potatoes, peeled and cubed
1 Tbsp curry powder
1 Tbsp all-purpose flour
1 tsp ground cumin
1/4 tsp pepper
2-1/2 cups vegetable or chicken broth
2 cups cubed, peeled Ontario Butternut Squash (about half a medium squash)
1 can (540ml) lentils (optional) drained and rinsed
Salt to taste
1/2 cup fresh coriander leaves
Hot cooked rice
In Dutch oven or large saucepan, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add onion, green pepper and garlic; cooking until slightly softened, about 4 minutes. Add potatoes; sprinkle with curry, flour, cumin and pepper; cook, stirring, for 30 seconds.
Stir in broth; bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer 15 minutes. Add squash; simmer, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are tender, 30-35 minutes. Stir in lentils, if using, and cook just until heated through. Season with salt and more pepper to taste. Sprinkle with coriander and serve over rice.
The following recipe comes from A Diet for All Seasons by Elson Haas, MD., (Celestial Arts Pub.; 1995), and is one of his recommended dishes for fine autumn dining.
VEGETARIAN LASAGNA
A hearty vegetarian main course, this dish will satisfy even the most discriminating of dinner guests. (Serves 6)
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 cup minced shallots
1 bunch spinach, chopped
1 tsp nutmeg
12 lasagna noodle strips, cooked al dente (slightly undercooked) and drained
6 cups tomato sauce
2 cups leftover cooked beans
1 cup ricotta cheese, or 1 cup tofu mashed together with 1 Tbsp light miso
Sea salt to taste
Black pepper to taste
Preheat oven to 350oF. Heat oil in a skillet and sauté shallots until transparent. Combine with spinach and nutmeg, and cook 2 minutes.
In a large baking dish, layer lasagna strips, tomato sauce, beans, spinach mixture, and ricotta, until lasagna is used up. Season with salt and pepper. Finish with a layer of tomato sauce and top with ricotta cheese. Cover and bake at 350oF for 20 minutes.
According to food historians, beets have been cultivated since prehistoric times; the Romans were the first to introduce the beet root as food. Beets are a fabulous blood cleansing vegetable, and an excellent accompaniment to any heavy meal. Until I came to Canada I only knew beets as cooked and thinly sliced, steeped in vinegar. It was never a dish I relished. However, there are many more ways to prepare beets, and here’s an unusual one. This recipe comes from the Apple a Day Cookbook by Janet Reeves (Ragweed Press; PEI). It’s easy to prepare and delicious.
QUICK HARVARD BEETS
(Serves 4-6)
2/3 cup apple juice
1/2 cup cider vinegar
2 Tbsp cornstarch
1 Tbsp granulated sugar
1/2 tsp salt
3 cups beets, cooked and cubed.
Combine apple juice, vinegar, cornstarch, sugar and salt. Cook over medium heat until sauce is thick and clear. Fold in beets. Heat thoroughly. Serve hot.
From the same cookbook comes a soup which embraces the most spectacular veggie of the Fall season. The original recipe has been altered to substitute olive oil for margarine, and vegetable broth for chicken broth. Further, when it comes to pumpkin, which can be hard to cut up and peel, well, I’m no purist and will use canned pumpkin!
CREAMY APPLE & PUMPKIN SOUP
(Serves 4)
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp brown sugar
1 large apple, cored and chopped
1 small onion, finely chopped
2 cups pumpkin, cooked and sieved
2 cups vegetable broth
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
1/8 tsp nutmeg
1/8 tsp pepper
1 cup light cream or half ’n half
In a large sauce pan, over medium heat, dissolve brown sugar in the oil. Add apple and onion. Cook gently until onion is soft. Stir in pumpkin, vegetable broth, cinnamon, salt, nutmeg an pepper. Bring to a boil. Boil gently until apples are tender. Remove from heat and cool to room temperature. Pour about 1 cup at a time into blender container and whirl until smooth. Return to saucepan. Stir in cream, and warm over low heat to serve.
Here’s a recipe from a Woman’s World magazine dated October 8, 2002. I’ve used it several times with different vegetables. All you need is 10 minutes prep time and a few simple ingredients to get the perfect combination of vegetables oven- ready. Substitute sweet potatoes, parsnips or even red onions for some or all of the vegetables in this dish.
ROSEMARY ROASTED VEGETABLES
(Serves 4-6)
2 Tbsp olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp dried, crushed rosemary
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 lb red potatoes, cut into 1/2- thick slices
6 oz trimmed and peeled baby carrots, or mini pealed carrots
1 small onion, root end attached, cut into 8 wedges
Preheat oven to 425F. In large shallow baking dish or jellyroll pan, combine oil, garlic, rosemary, salt and pepper. Add potatoes, carrots and onions. Using hands, toss vegetables in oil mixture until well coated. Roast vegetables until tender and just start to brown around edges, 30 minutes.
And for dessert, here’s another recipe from Foodland Ontario which uses two quintessentially Canadian ingredients — squash and maple syrup.
MAPLE SQUASH TARTS
(Makes 2 dozen tarts)
1 cup Ontario Squash, cooked, mashed until smooth
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup Ontario Maple Syrup
1/4 cup brown sugar, packed
2 Tbsp melted butter
1/2 tsp vanilla
Heat oven to 375oF.
In a medium bowl, lightly beat 2 eggs. Whisk in maple syrup, brown sugar, melted butter and 1/2 tsp vanilla until blended. Stir in cooked squash and spoon mixture into 24 thawed 3-inch prepared tart shells. Place on baking tray and bake for 25 minutes or until mixture is puffed and pastry is golden brown. Cool on wire rack.
Of course, a Thanksgiving dinner would not be complete without the traditional pumpkin pie. Here’s a recipe from A Diet for All Seasons that has less wheat than most pies, uses maple syrup as the sweetener, and is dairy-free.
Pumpkin Pie
Crust:
2/3 cup rolled oats
1/2 tsp salt
1/3 cup ground almonds (use blender or food processor)
2/3 cup whole wheat pastry flour (or substitute)
3 Tbsp maple syrup
1/2 tsp vanilla
2-1/2 Tbsp water
Mix dry ingredients in food processor. Mix wet ingredients in a bowl. Combine wet and dry ingredients and mix together well. Pat into oiled pie pan.
Filling:
2 cups pumpkin, puréed
1-1/2 cups soymilk
1/3 cup maple syrup
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ginger
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp allspice
1/8 tsp clove powder
3 Tbsp oat flour, toasted in dry pan
Preheat oven to 350oF.
Mix all ingredients together well or blend in food processor. Spoon into pie crust, smooth, and back for 40 minutes.
Now, before we wish you bon appetit, here’s one decorative idea for the Thanksgiving dinner table. When you’re out shopping, look for those small pumpkins and some large votive or small pillar candles. Cut the tops of about six of them and hollow out the pumpkins, filling each one with a candle. Then wrap the rims of each pumpkin with a wreath of little leaves and berries, which you can either pick from the garden, or buy faux leaves at the local craft store. And there it is, an inexpensive and attractive centrepiece. But don’t forget to blow the candles out when you leave the table.
Bon appetit!
By Pat Young
October has to be the loveliest month of the year. Balmy fall breezes still carry solar warmth, while trees offer up their cornucopia of colours. Now that the harvest is all in, this is the time when Canadian families draw together at the family dinner table to give thanks for nature’s gifts. To do justice to this bounty we have gathered some recipes which make fine offerings for a vegetarian version of the traditional Thanksgiving feast. And although these recipes are meat-free, there are many that will appeal to carnivorous guests too.
Squashes of all types are readily available now, and an excellent source of beta carotene and potassium, as well as vitamin C and folacin. This recipe, along with the photo on this page, comes to us courtesy of Foodland Ontario:
ONTARIO VEGETABLE CURRY
This lowfat dish is highlighted by hearty Ontario butternut squash and potatoes, set off by a fragrant mix of spices.
1 Tbsp vegetable oil
1 Ontario onion, chopped
1 sweet green pepper, chopped
2 cloves Ontario garlic, minced
3 medium Ontario potatoes, peeled and cubed
1 Tbsp curry powder
1 Tbsp all-purpose flour
1 tsp ground cumin
1/4 tsp pepper
2-1/2 cups vegetable or chicken broth
2 cups cubed, peeled Ontario Butternut Squash (about half a medium squash)
1 can (540ml) lentils (optional) drained and rinsed
Salt to taste
1/2 cup fresh coriander leaves
Hot cooked rice
In Dutch oven or large saucepan, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add onion, green pepper and garlic; cooking until slightly softened, about 4 minutes. Add potatoes; sprinkle with curry, flour, cumin and pepper; cook, stirring, for 30 seconds.
Stir in broth; bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer 15 minutes. Add squash; simmer, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are tender, 30-35 minutes. Stir in lentils, if using, and cook just until heated through. Season with salt and more pepper to taste. Sprinkle with coriander and serve over rice.
The following recipe comes from A Diet for All Seasons by Elson Haas, MD., (Celestial Arts Pub.; 1995), and is one of his recommended dishes for fine autumn dining.
VEGETARIAN LASAGNA
A hearty vegetarian main course, this dish will satisfy even the most discriminating of dinner guests. (Serves 6)
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 cup minced shallots
1 bunch spinach, chopped
1 tsp nutmeg
12 lasagna noodle strips, cooked al dente (slightly undercooked) and drained
6 cups tomato sauce
2 cups leftover cooked beans
1 cup ricotta cheese, or 1 cup tofu mashed together with 1 Tbsp light miso
Sea salt to taste
Black pepper to taste
Preheat oven to 350oF. Heat oil in a skillet and sauté shallots until transparent. Combine with spinach and nutmeg, and cook 2 minutes.
In a large baking dish, layer lasagna strips, tomato sauce, beans, spinach mixture, and ricotta, until lasagna is used up. Season with salt and pepper. Finish with a layer of tomato sauce and top with ricotta cheese. Cover and bake at 350oF for 20 minutes.
According to food historians, beets have been cultivated since prehistoric times; the Romans were the first to introduce the beet root as food. Beets are a fabulous blood cleansing vegetable, and an excellent accompaniment to any heavy meal. Until I came to Canada I only knew beets as cooked and thinly sliced, steeped in vinegar. It was never a dish I relished. However, there are many more ways to prepare beets, and here’s an unusual one. This recipe comes from the Apple a Day Cookbook by Janet Reeves (Ragweed Press; PEI). It’s easy to prepare and delicious.
QUICK HARVARD BEETS
(Serves 4-6)
2/3 cup apple juice
1/2 cup cider vinegar
2 Tbsp cornstarch
1 Tbsp granulated sugar
1/2 tsp salt
3 cups beets, cooked and cubed.
Combine apple juice, vinegar, cornstarch, sugar and salt. Cook over medium heat until sauce is thick and clear. Fold in beets. Heat thoroughly. Serve hot.
From the same cookbook comes a soup which embraces the most spectacular veggie of the Fall season. The original recipe has been altered to substitute olive oil for margarine, and vegetable broth for chicken broth. Further, when it comes to pumpkin, which can be hard to cut up and peel, well, I’m no purist and will use canned pumpkin!
CREAMY APPLE & PUMPKIN SOUP
(Serves 4)
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp brown sugar
1 large apple, cored and chopped
1 small onion, finely chopped
2 cups pumpkin, cooked and sieved
2 cups vegetable broth
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
1/8 tsp nutmeg
1/8 tsp pepper
1 cup light cream or half ’n half
In a large sauce pan, over medium heat, dissolve brown sugar in the oil. Add apple and onion. Cook gently until onion is soft. Stir in pumpkin, vegetable broth, cinnamon, salt, nutmeg an pepper. Bring to a boil. Boil gently until apples are tender. Remove from heat and cool to room temperature. Pour about 1 cup at a time into blender container and whirl until smooth. Return to saucepan. Stir in cream, and warm over low heat to serve.
Here’s a recipe from a Woman’s World magazine dated October 8, 2002. I’ve used it several times with different vegetables. All you need is 10 minutes prep time and a few simple ingredients to get the perfect combination of vegetables oven- ready. Substitute sweet potatoes, parsnips or even red onions for some or all of the vegetables in this dish.
ROSEMARY ROASTED VEGETABLES
(Serves 4-6)
2 Tbsp olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp dried, crushed rosemary
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 lb red potatoes, cut into 1/2- thick slices
6 oz trimmed and peeled baby carrots, or mini pealed carrots
1 small onion, root end attached, cut into 8 wedges
Preheat oven to 425F. In large shallow baking dish or jellyroll pan, combine oil, garlic, rosemary, salt and pepper. Add potatoes, carrots and onions. Using hands, toss vegetables in oil mixture until well coated. Roast vegetables until tender and just start to brown around edges, 30 minutes.
And for dessert, here’s another recipe from Foodland Ontario which uses two quintessentially Canadian ingredients — squash and maple syrup.
MAPLE SQUASH TARTS
(Makes 2 dozen tarts)
1 cup Ontario Squash, cooked, mashed until smooth
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup Ontario Maple Syrup
1/4 cup brown sugar, packed
2 Tbsp melted butter
1/2 tsp vanilla
Heat oven to 375oF.
In a medium bowl, lightly beat 2 eggs. Whisk in maple syrup, brown sugar, melted butter and 1/2 tsp vanilla until blended. Stir in cooked squash and spoon mixture into 24 thawed 3-inch prepared tart shells. Place on baking tray and bake for 25 minutes or until mixture is puffed and pastry is golden brown. Cool on wire rack.
Of course, a Thanksgiving dinner would not be complete without the traditional pumpkin pie. Here’s a recipe from A Diet for All Seasons that has less wheat than most pies, uses maple syrup as the sweetener, and is dairy-free.
Pumpkin Pie
Crust:
2/3 cup rolled oats
1/2 tsp salt
1/3 cup ground almonds (use blender or food processor)
2/3 cup whole wheat pastry flour (or substitute)
3 Tbsp maple syrup
1/2 tsp vanilla
2-1/2 Tbsp water
Mix dry ingredients in food processor. Mix wet ingredients in a bowl. Combine wet and dry ingredients and mix together well. Pat into oiled pie pan.
Filling:
2 cups pumpkin, puréed
1-1/2 cups soymilk
1/3 cup maple syrup
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ginger
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp allspice
1/8 tsp clove powder
3 Tbsp oat flour, toasted in dry pan
Preheat oven to 350oF.
Mix all ingredients together well or blend in food processor. Spoon into pie crust, smooth, and back for 40 minutes.
Now, before we wish you bon appetit, here’s one decorative idea for the Thanksgiving dinner table. When you’re out shopping, look for those small pumpkins and some large votive or small pillar candles. Cut the tops of about six of them and hollow out the pumpkins, filling each one with a candle. Then wrap the rims of each pumpkin with a wreath of little leaves and berries, which you can either pick from the garden, or buy faux leaves at the local craft store. And there it is, an inexpensive and attractive centrepiece. But don’t forget to blow the candles out when you leave the table.
Bon appetit!