A Veg Turkey From: http://why-veg.com/tag/vegan/ |
Two of the dishes that may be the hardest to successfully
replace or recreate at the VGF holiday table are: a satisfying main dish and
stuffing. Compounding this problem is
that to many, this is part of/the whole/the only reason to be having this
dinner anyway. But don’t despair! Being open to replacing the traditional roast meat and it’s breadcrumb stuffing,
rather than recreating them, leaves many
more avenues open to experiencing delicious (and usually more healthful) alternatives.
Alternatives?! No, I am not saying that instead of ham
you should be happy with a beancurd and kale casserole. Rather, I mean being happy with a dish that
fulfills all of the scrumptious functions
of, let’s say a roast turkey, can be had without, let’s say, relying on the
main dish being sculpted like a turkey.
Personally, I find the ‘fake drumsticks’ and the like to be deeply disturbing
(and keep in mind, I still eat meat, occasionally – the hubbie is the veggie; see
the first post for details).
So, I guess that is my long and drawn-out point: you can
recreate or replace. If you desire the
meaty chew and the slather-it-in gravy attributes of the roast beast, then by
all means make a main that has those qualities (see homey & substantial
below). If you really just want a
meatless main that is visually appealing and elegant enough to win over {your significant other’s} {special people}, go for a version of the ‘elegant
& contained’ option below. Breading/Stuffing/Dressing will be covered in 'Part 3'
Making a Meatless Main
Press-In Crust ready for filling |
For something
elegant and contained, try a savory tart or individual tartlets. A lovely seasonal combination of chanterelles,leek and kale (and one of my favorites) is great place to start, but any of
your favorite vegetables roasted or sautéed could take their place using the same press-in crust.
Shmeat Loaf with Mmmm mushroom gravy |
For something
homey and substantial, try a meatless loaf that can be presented more like
a roast and served with traditional accompaniments like gravy and cranberry
sauce. Shmeat Loaf is a crowd pleaser,
for vegetarians and omnivores alike – it and the Mmmm mushroom gravy are both
vegan(!) too, but you’d never notice.
You can make this ahead of time too and just reheat in the oven the day of your feast.
For something comforting
yet refined, try a layered dish of grains and vegetables in a pretty
oven-to-table dish. While calling it a ‘casserole’
conjures up images of Tuesday tuna surprise, more sophisticated dishes like the
classic Italian tiella di verdura sound
as special as they taste. I found just such
a recipe in Nancy Harmon Jenkins’s New
Mediterranean Diet Cookbook that I’m dying to try. Here is a very similar version, albeit
without the rice (which you could easily layer in, or substitute with millet or
quinoa).
Eggplant Timpano |
Or the slightly more labor-intense but parcel-perfect
Eggplant Timpano featured in this Tuesday’s FoodDay in the Oregonian.
Somewhere between comforting
and contained is the tamale, a Mesoamerican staple of the Christmas
table. Tamales consist of a filling,
either sweet or savory, surrounded by a corn-based dough and them steamed in a
leaf wrapper (corn husk, banana or plantain leaf) which is removed before
eating. The sky is the limit when
considering fillings so these can be very fun to experiment with. There is even a local food cart, Koi Fusion,
that is making tamales with an Asian twist, filling them with longbeans, daikon,
short-rib and some fabulous spices. I
know the short-rib is less-than-vegetarian, but you get the point.
The ingredient list is short, and their only need a small
tweak to make vegetarian or vegan as you like.
The corn base is actually masa, a special treatment of dent corn (as
opposed to sweet corn) with lime to remove the husks and, as it turns out,
unlock some of the bound nutrients in the kernels. Most well-stocked grocery stores now carry
masa, a common brand is Maseca which also makes a blend of masa especially for
tamales, though this is not crucial and you can use just masa (I don’t know
what makes them different). Traditionally
made with lard, you can substitute vegetable shortening, coconut oil or
vegetable oil to make them vegan. We are making these today, so I will post it
soon! If you have access to a copy of The Veganomicon by Moskowitz &
Romero (truly, the vegan bible) I am using their recipe as a base – you can
find it on page 59. Otherwise try this
recipe from Vegetarian Times
Note: They mention that ‘masa for tamales’ contains fat, presumably they mean
of animal origin, and so to use plain masa instead. The ingredient list on my bag of Maseca for
Tamales states only: “selected corn treated with lime”. If you are unsure
however, uses plain masa.
For the first in this series, check out Part 1 - aka 'The Crazy Season is Upon Us'