Pumpkin seed coated “cutlets” can be a showcase for the vegetarian holiday table.
The Thanksgiving table is often filled with vegetarian side dishes, but many home cooks also want to prepare a stunning vegetarian “centerpiece” dish for the holiday meal.
For some, that means buying turkey substitutes like the Tofurkey roast from Turtle Island Foods in Hood River, Ore. The roast, made from a blend of tofu and wheat protein, is described as having a turkeylike texture and flavor. A number of other firms, including Seattle’s Field Roast Grain Meat Company and VegeUSA in Monrovia, Calif., also offer faux-meat turkey that can be ordered online or purchased at natural or specialty food stores like Whole Foods or Trader Joe’s.
“Many vegetarians eschew having any meatlike dish at their table, but plenty do want to have a more traditional Thanksgiving,’’ says Colleen Holland, the co-founder and associate publisher of VegNews magazine. “If I were hosting my own Thanksgiving, I think I would want a fancy dish as an ode to the tradition of having that beautiful centerpiece dish on the table.’’
But instead of buying a faux-meat roast, consider making your own vegan entree that can hold its own next to a turkey or be the star of the table all by itself. For the Well Vegetarian Thanksgiving series, VegNews has offered three popular entrees from its new VegNews Holiday Foods eCookbook, an all-digital guide to some of the magazine’s most popular vegan dishes. Consider making vegetarian cutlets, battered in crunchy breadcrumbs and pumpkin seeds. For a classic meat-free main course, make a homemade seitan roast. And for a real crowd-pleaser, serve up some holiday manicotti, made without eggs or dairy products.
“It’s not every night that you might put a seitan roast on the table,” Ms. Holland says. “But Thanksgiving is the time for serving something special and different.”
Find all the recipes below, and be sure to check out our interactive recipe page featuring all the dishes in the Well Vegetarian Thanksgiving series.
VegNews Magazine’s
Pumpkin Seed Battered ‘Cutlets’ With Cranberry Cabernet Sauce
This hearty entree has it all: tantalizing cutlets battered in crunchy, seasoned bread crumbs, all covered in a robust, rich sauce. This lovely centerpiece dish, created by the VegNews contributing chef Tal Ronnen, has been known to leave meat-eating relatives begging for seconds.
Cranberry Cabernet Sauce:
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 large shallot, diced
4 sprigs thyme
1/4 cup dried cranberries
Salt to taste
Pepper to taste
1 cup Cabernet wine
1 cup vegetable
stock
1 tablespoon arrowroot powder
2 tablespoons water
3 tablespoons nonhydrogenated margarine, divided
Pumpkin Seed Battered Cutlets:
1 tablespoon minced fresh sage
1 cup toasted, shelled pumpkin seeds
1 teaspoon paprika
1 cup panko (Japanese) bread crumbs
2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
Salt to taste
Pepper to taste
12 vegan “chicken” cutlets, thawed
1 cup unbleached white flour
2 cups unsweetened soy milk
Olive oil
1. Make the sauce. In a sauté pan over medium heat, heat olive oil. Add shallot and sauté for 3 minutes. Add thyme and cranberries and sauté for another 2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Add wine and scrape the bottom of the pan, then cook until the liquid is reduced by half.
2. Add vegetable stock and reduce by half again. In a small bowl, combine arrowroot and water. Add the arrowroot mixture to the pan, stir well, and continue to cook for 2 minutes. Turn off heat and whisk in margarine, 1 tablespoon at a time. Remove thyme stems before serving.
3. To make the cutlets, use a food processor to combine sage, pumpkin seeds, paprika, breadcrumbs, nutritional yeast, salt and pepper until well incorporated.
4. Dredge each cutlet in flour, dip into soy milk, and then into seasoned breadcrumbs.
5. Heat olive oil in a large sauté pan. Using medium-high heat, sauté cutlets on each side until browned and crisp. Serve with the cranberry Cabernet sauce.
Yield: Six servings.
VegNews Magazine’s
Seitan Roulade With Oyster Mushroom Stuffing
This savory entree by the VegNews food columnist Robin Robertson is filled with flavorful stuffing and covered in a zesty marinade, making it a classic, meat-free main course. This homemade wheat meat comes together in less than 10 minutes and makes the perfect plant-based substitute in stews, stir-fries and sandwiches.
Seitan:
1 cup vital wheat gluten flour
3/4 cup vegetable stock
Roulade:
1 pound uncooked seitan (see recipe)
1/2 cup soy sauce
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 small yellow onion, minced
1 cup oyster mushrooms, coarsely chopped
1 cup vegan sausage, cooked
and crumbled
1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley
1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme
Salt to taste
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
4 cups finely diced bread
1. Make the seitan. In a large bowl, combine flour and vegetable stock. Stir to make a soft dough. Knead for 3 minutes and let rest for 5 minutes.
2. Place seitan in a shallow baking dish. Cover with soy sauce and marinate for 30 minutes at room temperature.
3. Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. In a large skillet over medium heat, heat olive oil. Add onion, cover, and cook, stirring a few times until softened, about 5 minutes.
4. Add mushrooms, vegan sausage, parsley, thyme, salt and pepper. Stir for 5 minutes longer, then transfer to a large bowl. Stir in the bread and mix well. Add a small amount of water if the stuffing mixture is too dry. Set aside.
5. Place the uncooked seitan (reserve the marinade) between two sheets of plastic wrap and roll out with a rolling pin until it is approximately 1/4 inch thick. Using your hands, spread the stuffing over seitan to within 1/2 inch of the edges, then roll it up. In a lightly oiled shallow baking pan, place rolled seitan seam-side down. Pierce in several places with a fork.
6. Pour the reserved marinade over the roast and bake uncovered for 40 to 45 minutes, basting once after 20 minutes. When the surface of the roast is firm and golden brown, remove from oven and let rest for 10 minutes.
7. Using a serrated knife, cut the roast into 1/2-inch-thick slices. Arrange on serving platter and serve with remaining marinade and your favorite vegan gravy.
Yield: Eight servings.
VegNews Magazine’s
Louie’s Holiday Manicotti
With dairy products omnipresent in many favorite Italian dishes, it takes some culinary brainpower to make vegan manicotti that is almost indistinguishable from the original. This dish, created by the Italian father of a VegNews’ staffer, is a crowd-pleaser and a wonderful addition to a large family holiday dinner.
1/4 cup olive oil
1 large yellow onion, minced
7 garlic cloves, minced
1 1/2 cups cashews, soaked in hot water for 20 minutes, then drained
3 cups water
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
3/4 teaspoon salt,
divided
1 29-ounce can white hominy, drained and rinsed
8 ounces silken tofu
1/2 cup breadcrumbs
4 cups puréed butternut squash
1 pound vegan mozzarella, shredded and divided
2 packages manicotti
pasta, cooked and drained
Freshly minced parsley, for garnish
1. In a large saucepan over high heat, add olive oil. Sauté onion and garlic until onions are translucent.
2. In a blender, process cashews and water until completely smooth, then add sautéed onions and garlic and process again. Add nutmeg and 1/2 teaspoon salt, and set sauce aside.
3. In a food processor, combine hominy, tofu, breadcrumbs, remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/3 cup sauce until the consistency of ricotta is reached. Transfer mixture to a large bowl, and add butternut squash and 1/3 cup vegan mozzarella.
4. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Coat bottom and sides of a 9-by-12-inch pan with a small amount of sauce. Fill pasta tubes with hominy mixture (by hand or using a pastry bag) and arrange in pan. Cover manicotti with sauce, then top with remaining vegan mozzarella. Cover pan with aluminum foil and bake for 30 minutes or until bubbly. Sprinkle with parsley and serve with extra sauce on the side.
Yield: Eight servings.
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