 1000 Chapel Street New Haven, CT (203) 562-3888 |
"A Vegetarian Restaurant Since 1975"
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Thanksgiving dinner for vegetarians |
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Thanksgiving dinner for vegetarians looks a lot like Thanksgiving
dinner of non-vegetarians because there are always so many vegetable
side dishes to choose from. The conundrum for most people though is what
to serve as the main dish, the protein component, but it's really easy
these days with the soy and wheat gluten "meats." so readily available
in every supermarket.
Most years I make a stuffed acorn or butternut squash using a
meatless soy based Italian sausage mixed with Italian bread or
cornbread, with apples, herbs and spices, giving the stuffing a lot of
flavor and protein. I love stuffed squash, but this year my vegetarian
niece Carolyn and I will be eating Tofurky Roast and honestly, I don't
know what took me so long to try it. I think it was the name. Although I
love tofu, somehow the name Tofurky sounded like I'd be eating a turkey
shaped hunk of tofu, but I was wrong. It's made of soy protein and wheat
gluten, which is the protein part of wheat flour, and it's what adds
structure to bread dough and the dense texture to this roast. I decided
to prepare a Tofurky Roast last week as a "dry run" before the actual
holiday, not wanting to "waste" one of my favorite meals and it's really
tasty. You can buy Tofurky in the frozen foods section at Edge of the
Woods in New Haven and at Trader Joes in Orange. The Tofurky Roast also
has a ring of delicious wild rice and herb stuffing through the center.
It requires simple baking. The instructions call for basting the roast with a soy sauce mix which is tasty enough, but I prefer the flavor when I basted it with A-1 Steak Sauce mixed with a little extra virgin olive oil. Just follow the directions, but remember to either defrost the roast a day before or plan to roast it for a little more than three hours. For side dishes I am preparing a Three Berry Sauce made with organic cranberries, raspberries, strawberries, and fresh orange juice for a less tart version of traditional cranberry sauce, that is loaded with flavor, Vitamin C and other healthful antioxidants. It's delicious spooned warm over the roast. This year I'll make my Chai Mashed Sweet Potatoes using organic red jewel sweet potatoes and local maple syrup with a sprinkle of cardamom, ginger, and cinnamon, and a little soy milk. They contain so little fat (only from the soymilk) yet taste so rich and are abundant in Vitamins A C, and B-6, potassium, fiber, and the added health benefits from using tea bags in the cooking water, hence the name Chai, which is the Indian word for tea. Organic Lacinato kale, also called Tuscan kale is my green vegetable for this year. This Braised Organic Tuscan Kale is made using local shallots, a little extra virgin olive oil, and a squeeze of fresh lemon juice, which I like to add just before serving for a nice bright flavor, and also because kale is loaded with iron and the vitamin C in the lemon juice helps metabolize the iron. Kale is also a wonderful source of Vitamins A and C, folic acid, and calcium. |