In this weekly series we have been discussing the benefits of a vegetarian diet including: better health, food safety, global food crisis, frugal living, animal rights (turkey), public health and the immense contribution of meat/livestock production to climate change/resource depletion
As you contemplate your Thanksgiving menu consider the plight of turkeys. About 46 million turkeys are estimated to be raised for Thanksgiving in US from our Turkey-Industrial Complex. We can make a difference by having a humane Thanksgiving and choosing some of the many vegetarian holiday options.
Macca's Meatless Monday/Meatless Advocates is a solution oriented activist group, with solutions for some of the most pressing issues of our time including: climate change, global food/water insecurity and public health. Here we don't just talk about the severity of the crisis. Armed with knowledge about how our actions can contribute we become part of the solution.
UPDATED with GREAT NEWS! Just found out Proposal which I submitted to MIT climate CoLab received a special judges commendation!!! Woo Hoo! Check it out here! I guess this means we'll be submitting proposal to the United Nations in NYC and to the US congress and will be in treehugger!!!!
I was inspired to create this series my former Beatle and vegetarian advocate Paul McCartney(Macca) who partnered with the Meatless Monday campaign to promote less consumption of meat. We not only discuss the many advantages of a less meat diet we also do some cooking, share recipes and listen to great Beatle music!
I'm a little late with my Meatless Monday post this week but as promised here is first of my Thanksgiving diaries. Although Thanksgiving falls on a Thursday there is no reason why we can't have a delicious, healthy and Earth friendly holiday. Let's make this a holiday that we can all be thankful for..even turkeys. In last years Thanksgiving diary there are links to all my previous Thanksgiving posts. This year I have some new recipes that would make great Thanksgiving entrees or side dishes and would be perfect for upcoming holiday meals.
ASPARAGUS GRUYERE TART
During the holidays I like to call forth my inner Martha Stewart and get a little fancy. This indeed is a Martha recipe and would work as entree or starter . This is easy but impressive. Serves 4 as entree.
Flour, for work surface
1 sheet frozen puff pastry (thawed)
5 1/2 ounces (2 cups) Gruyere cheese, shredded
1 1/2 pounds medium or thick asparagus
1 tablespoon olive oil
Salt and pepper
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. On a floured surface, roll the puff pastry into a 16-by-10-inch rectangle. Trim uneven edges. Place pastry on a baking sheet. With a sharp knife, lightly score pastry dough 1 inch in from the edges to mark a rectangle. Using a fork, pierce dough inside the markings at 1/2-inch intervals. Bake until golden, about 15 minutes.
Remove pastry shell from oven, and sprinkle with Gruyere. Trim the bottoms of the asparagus spears to fit crosswise inside the tart shell; arrange in a single layer over Gruyere, alternating ends and tips. Brush with oil, and season with salt and pepper. Bake until spears are tender, 20 to 25 minutes.
Store-bought puff pastry works well in this savory tart; thaw it according to package instructions. Emmentaler or Fontina cheese can be substituted for the Gruyere.
TRI-COLOR CAULIFLOWER SALAD
This is from Mary Ann Esposito of Ciao Italia, one of my fave Italian cooks. This beautiful dish can be salad or side and works very well with the rich entree recipes I've included. Serves 4-6
2 cups yellow cauliflower, separated into small florets (or use purple)
2 cups white cauliflower, separated into small florets
2 cups green cauliflower, separated into small florets
2/3 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1/3 cup white balsamic vinegar
Salt to taste
1/2 cup diced scallions or use 2 shallots, minced
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 cup golden raisins
1/2 cup diced black oil-cured olives (optional)
Blanch the cauliflower florets in salted water for 1 minute. Drain and shock in a large bowl of ice water for a minute. Drain into a shallow bowl.
Whisk the olive oil, vinegar, salt, scallions and garlic together. Pour over the cauliflower and toss well. Sprinkle the raisins and olives over the top. Cover with plastic wrap and allow to marinate for 30 to 45 at room temperature before serving.
STUFFED SQUASH
Serves 4; yes, you can halve or double the recipe and may nuke squash rather than bake.
2 small- to medium-sized acorn squashes (or dumpling squashes or small kabocha), halved lengthwise and seeded
5 tablespoons butter or vegan butter (1 tablespoon of which should be softened to room-temperature)
salt and freshly ground pepper
approximately 1 cup finely sliced leek, white and pale green parts
1/3 to 1/2 cup white wine, dry vermouth (I always keep a bottle of dry vermonth in my fridge even after opening it lasts forever), or vegetable stock
8 ounces fresh wild mushrooms, tough stems removed and sliced
2 to 4 tablespoons mixed fresh herbs — a combination of sage, thyme, rosemary and lovage is nice
2 cups fresh breadcrumbs, preferably sourdough or whole wheat sourdough — I use fresh bread and break it into small, irregular pieces in the food processor
1/4 cup lightly toasted and coarsely chopped walnuts or pecans
Preheat the oven to 375°F. Put the squash halves on one or two baking sheets, cut side up, and rub the tablespoon of softened butter on the insides until they're evenly coated. Season them with salt and pepper and roast them until they're very tender when pierced with a fork, about 40 minutes. (You can do this in advance and refrigerate the roasted squash until you're ready to proceed with the recipe, but let it warm up a bit at room temperature before you go ahead with the final cooking).
Increase the oven temperature to 425°F (or preheat it if you roasted the squash in advance).
Melt the rest of the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the leeks and the mushrooms and sauté until they soften, about 5 to 10 minutes. Add the herbs and the breadcrumbs and sauté a few minutes more, until the crumbs begin to brown. Stir in enough wine or stock to moisten the stuffing. (It shouldn't be dry-looking but you shouldn't be able to see liquid in the pan, either.) Stir in the nuts and season the stuffing with salt and pepper.
Mound the stuffing into the squash halves and bake them until they are crisp on top, about 10 to 15 minutes.
WILD MUSHROOM and KALE QUICHE with OAT CRUST
A healthy and easy Thanksgiving entree! Serves 6
For crust:
Oats- 1/2 cup
Flour- 1/4 cup
Milk- 3 tablespoons
Butter- 3 tablespoons, diced
Salt
For filling:
Eggs- 6 large
Caerphilly cheese (can be substituted with gruyere, swiss)- 2 oz, crumbled or shredded
Nonfat evaporated milk- 6 oz
Oyster mushrooms- 1 cup, chopped
Shallots- 1-2, chopped
Kale- 5-6 stalks, chopped
Butter- 1/2 tablespoon
Olive oil
veggie broth
Dry mustard- 1 tablespoon or less to taste
Herbs de provence- 1 tablespoon
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
For crust- combine oats, flour and salt together in food processor. Pulse to combine. Add cold butter and milk to food processor and pulse to a coarse texture. Press crust into pie plate and bake in the oven for approximately 10 minutes until crisp. Let cool and then add in cheese.
For filling- saute shallots with olive oil and butter until translucent. Add mushrooms and kale to pan with shallots. Deglaze pan with a little chicken broth and cover until kale is wilted. Once done, let mixture cool.
In a bowl, combine eggs, milk, dry mustard, herbs de provence and cooled vegetable mixture and whisk together. Pour filling into pie plate with crust and bake at 350 degrees F until knife comes out clean, about 30- 40 minutes.
WILD MUSHROOM BREAD PUDDING
This is one of my all time fave recipes h/t Tyler Florence Makes a great brunch entree serves 8
1 1/3 cup heavy cream
4 eggs-organic free roaming
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 loaf crusty Italian bread, cubed (ciabatta is good here)
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, plus more for buttering baking dish
2 shallots, sliced
4 pounds mixed wild mushrooms, cleaned and sliced
3 tablespoons chopped chives
3 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves
3 tablespoons fresh rosemary leaves
4 tablespoons grated Parmesan, plus more to top
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
On a sheet pan put cubed bread. Toast it in the oven until golden brown, about 5 minutes.
In a large saute pan melt the butter and saute the shallots until just wilted. Add the mushrooms and saute until browned, about 6 minutes. Remove from heat and reserve.
In a large bowl make custard, whisk together the cream with the eggs and season with the salt and pepper.
Add toasted bread cubes along with the chives, thyme and rosemary to the egg mixture. Stir in the sauteed mushrooms and mix in the grated Parmesan.
Transfer the mixture to a 9 by 13-inch baking dish, top with more grated Parmesan, to taste.
Bake for 45 minutes or until the top is golden brown and the custard is set.
BAKED PUMPKIN with ROOT VEGETABLE STEW
Serving the stew out of a pumpkin placed in the middle of the table makes a dramatic and beautiful main-dish presentation then serve pieces of pumpkin along side stew. Serves 6
1 medium sugar pumpkin
1 cup barley
2 1/2 cups water
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, chopped
6 shiitake mushrooms, thinly sliced
1 large parsnip, chopped,
2 large carrots, chopped
1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1/4 cup water or broth (add more if needed)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon oregano
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Cut out top of pumpkin and scoop out seeds with a metal spoon.
Grease a shallow baking dish with olive oil and arrange the pumpkin and top cut side down. Bake until tender but not mushy, about 40 minutes.
Place the barley and 2 1/2 cups water in a saucepan. Bring to a boil, then lower heat and cover. Cook until the barley is tender and the water is absorbed, about 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, in a frying pan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion and mushrooms and cook a few minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the parsnip and carrots; reduce heat to low. Add the water and cover. Cook until vegetables are tender, about 5 minutes. Add the chickpeas, salt, pepper and oregano, and stir well to combine. Add the cooked barley and simmer.
To assemble, carefully pour the stew into the pumpkin.
CRANBERRY PIE
This is my favorite holiday pie and I usually bake a few during the holidays. These turkeys are the only ones that will be on my table :)
4 cups fresh or frozen cranberries
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 tablespoons flour
1'4 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons water
1 tablespoon melted butter (or use Earth Balance for vegans)
1 recipe plain pastry
wash berries and chop in food processer and mix with next 5 ingredients.
Line 9" piepan with pastry, pour in filling and arrange strips of pastry over top in lattice design. Bake in hot oven 450 F 10-12 minutes reduce to 350 F and bake about 30 minutes longer.
PLAIN PASTRY
2 cups sifted flour
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup shortening
4 to 6 tablespoons ice cold water (start with 4 add more if needed)
mix this in a processer with pastry blade until dough forms then cut in half and roll out into 2 rounds one to line the piepan and the other for top crust or for any cutouts you like.
NANTUCKET CRANBERRY PIE
Can't have too many cranberry pies and this is a cross between pie and cake. It's delicious and so easy!
For the Filling:
Butter, to grease the pie plate
2 cups fresh or frozen cranberries
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup walnuts, chopped
For the Topping:
2 eggs-organic free roaming
3/4 cup butter or vegan butter (Earth Balance), softened
1 cup sugar
1 cup flour
1 teaspoon almond or vanilla extract
For the Filling: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Place the cranberries in a buttered, 10-inch pie plate. Toss the sugar and walnuts over the berries.
For the Topping: Cream the eggs and the butter with the sugar. Add the flour and almond extract to the mixture, lightly tossing with a fork.
Pour the topping over the cranberry mixture and bake for 35 to 40 minutes. Serve warm with whipped cream
"Cold Turkey" John Lennon
"So Bad" Paul McCartney
What have you all been cooking? What are you cooking for Thanksgiving? Please share your recipes and fave Beatle music here.