Thanksgiving Preview: Dessert Sampler Platter

Planning your menu for Thursday's Vegan Thanksgiving? Make sure to include these three favorites! This year I added a few special toppings to the traditional treats- crystallized ginger and dark chocolate drizzled on the pumpkin brownie and caramel-coated walnuts mounded on the gilded pumpkin pie. Recipes linked below!

Pumpkin Pie, Dutch Apple Pie, and Old-fashioned Oil Pie Crust:  http://theveganette.blogspot.com/2010/11/pie-time.html

Pumpkin Pie Brownie from Post Punk Kitchen: http://www.theppk.com/2007/09/pumpkin-pie-brownie/

Say tuned for pictures from our Thanksgiving feast! Enjoy yours and please, hold the turkey!
NRG

Baked Tofu Melt with Red Peppers and Greens

It turns out I had completely forgotten about hot sandwiches. That is, until last night, when I enjoyed the most amazing marinated tempeh sandwich of my life at Angelicas! Four slices of tempeh were marinated, baked and arranged onto chunks of crusty baguette, smothered in sauteed mushrooms and gravy and loaded with red cabbage kraut. Served with a mound of mashed potatoes and a pile of wilty spinach, this plate was a completely perfect introduction to the savory, complex, and rich flavors of our much-loved holiday cuisine.

Reunited with my love for messy open-faced sandwiches, I browsed through the creations of yore to find this tofu melt made earlier this year. Marinated tofu was baked while greens were sauteed with garlic, onions, and red peppers. The layers were then assembled on a home-made halved baguette, topped with daiya mozzarella, and placed in the oven until the "cheese" was melted to perfection.

Marinated Tofu
3 cloves garlic (finely minced)
1/2 onion (diced finely)
1/3 c. soy sauce
pinch of sugar or squeeze of agave
splash of lemon or lime
1 Tbs. olive oil
lots of freshly ground black pepper
1 lb. extra-firm tofu (sliced)

Drain and press the tofu. Slice into desired thickness and arrange in a shallow dish. Mix all of the marinate ingredients together and pour over the tofu slices. Let the slabs marinate for a half an hour or more, flipping to make sure the slices are completely marinated. Bake at 450 for 10-15 minutes, flipping once.

See another recipe for baked tofu here- Fire Escape Sandwich

Enjoy!
NRG

Brunch for the First Snow

In case you've had your head in a hole all week, we here in the Northeast experienced our first wintery blast last weekend. My roommates and I spent the morning preparing endless rounds of espresso and rotating around our popping radiators surrounded by a sprawl of front pages and slippers. The grey cocoon of light and buildings quieted the city and lengthened my morning dream state into a whole day of records and poetry only to be interrupted by a short frolic outside and last-minute costume preparations. We also enjoyed this delicious brunch of rosemary homefries, tofu scramble, and (of course) warm applesauce. Wintery vegetables are perfect for tofu scramble and this one was super spicy, filled with peppers, mushrooms and collared greens.

6-12 Red potatoes, diced
1 tsp salt
1-2 tsp rosemary
a few dashes of smoked paprika or Old-Bay type spice
3 TBS olive oil
3 TBS earth balance

Boil the potatoes in salty water until just almost done. Drain all of the water. In a large skillet heat the margarine and olive oil together until hot. Add the potatoes, rosemary, and salt. Let the potatoes sit undisturbed in the hot oil for a few minutes or until crispy. Turn to brown other side. Add pepper, salt, and herbs as desired.

Enjoy!
NRG