You've seen a yummy smorgasbord of my Vegan Thanksgiving recipes over the past few weeks, but now the real work begins! The first step to achieving your perfect feast is menu planning.
Project: Menu. Crafting a delicious, diverse and elegant menu is a fun project that requires analysis, inspiration and a sprinkle of heart. Designing a menu is like putting together a puzzle with too many pieces. You have all the parts, but you also have to know when to edit. You must decide which recipes end up on the chopping-block floor. Double check on any food allergies or special diets. Also consider how many guests to expect and how casual or formal you want your feast to be. Here is my personal menu, shopping list and cooking schedule for Thanksgiving 2009...
***11/24 Update: Made my first and hopefully last menu change: the seitan is OUT and a new tofu dish is IN! Cranberry-Soy Braised Tofu Steaks, to go inside my stuffing fillo purses. The stuffing will sit on top of these braised tofu steaks. See a recipe quip of my new main dish in the main dish proteins post. It is towards the beginning, sorry I do not have a image...yet!)***
...that's the easy part, now onto the ingredients list:
Kathy's Thanksgiving Feast 2009-Shopping List Ingredients
*This is a quick overview of ingredients needed per menu section-always double check the actual recipe for your own needed ingredients*
Appetizers
Dr.Cow Raw Tree Nut Cheese Tasting
Perfect Butternut Squash Dip
Radishes w/ Butter and Peas Shoots
Arugula-Wrapped 'Sausage' Bites w/ Rustic Mustard
Veggie Crudite, Grain Crackers, Crostini Bread
Ingredients: cheese (ordered online), squash, garlic hummus, maple syrup, dried orange peel, soy creamer, sea salt, pepper, sage, radishes, grain crackers, vegan buttery spread, pea shoots, Field Roast Sausage (2 flavors), arugula lettuce, whole grain mustard, celery, stem carrots
Bevies
Fresh Pressed Pear-Ginger Shooters
Pomegranate & Satsuma Mandarin Bellini Bar
water/wine/juice ~ chai/cocoa/tea/espresso
Ingredients: bosc pears, fresh ginger, satsuma mandarin oranges, prosecco, sparkling water, tea, cocoa, soy milk, chai concentrate
Dinner
Citrus Cranberry Sauce
Preserved Lemon Roasted Fennel
Citrus Sage Roasted Butternut Squash
Hearty Herb Roasted Forrest Mushrooms
Vegan Marshmallow Candied Sweet Potatoes
Arugula w/ Preserved Lemon-Macadamia Oil Dressing
Red Wine Marinated Seitan w/ Mushroom Shallot Gravy
Apple Sage 'Sausage' Chestnut Stuffing Fillo Purse
Tempeh ‘Bacon’ Shiitake Jalapeno Stuffing
Triple Spiced Potatoes Au Gratin
Cracked Pepper Spelt Biscuits
Golden Orchard Quinoa
'Buttered' Peas
Ingredients: whole fresh cranberries, vegan sugar, satsuma mandarins, tangerines, fennel bulb, preserved lemon (in fridge), EVOO, apple cider vinegar, sea salt, pepper, fresh sage, fresh cubed butternut squash, fresh rosemary, thyme, mixed forest mushrooms, sweet potatoes, vegan marshmallows, vegan buttery spread, arugula, macadamia oil, red wine, soy sauce, seitan, shallots, vegetable broth, maple syrup, panko bread crumbs, tempeh, liquid smoke, shiitake mushrooms, jalapeno, day-old bread cubes (whole wheat), celery, yellow onions, parsley, agave syrup, cumin powder, poultry seasoning, dried cranberries, pistachios, pecans, cashews, walnuts, vegan fillo dough, trio of white potatoes, fresh ginger, paprika, cayenne, soy milk, sour cream, arrowroot, vegenaise, garlic powder, vegan white cheese, coconut oil, spelt flour, whole wheat flour, yeast, black pepper-thick, quinoa, fuyu persimmons, cinnamon spice blend, fresh or frozen peas, sugar pumpkin-whole, apple cider
Dessert
100% Vegan Pumpkin Cheesecake w/ Rice Cream Whip
Low Fat Pear Pecan Right-Side-Up Cake
Dark Chocolate Espresso Mousse
Ingredients: vegan graham pie shell, vegan cream cheese, canned pumpkin, rice whip cream, sugar, raw cashews, raw pecans, raw brazil nuts, cinnamon spice blend, bourbon vanilla extract, pears, whole wheat flour, arrowroot, vegenaise, maple syrup, cayenne, salt, vegan chocolate pudding mix, vegan dark chocolate bar, silken tofu, espresso,
Final Ingredients List to buy (items not yet stocked):
*This list will obviously be different for you, but this is a good way to organize your shopping list...
PRODUCE
pears
fresh cubed butternut squash
satsuma mandarins and tangerines
fennel bulb
whole fresh cranberries
mixed forest and shiitake mushrooms
sweet potatoes
arugula
shallots
jalapeno
fresh or frozen peas
radishes
pea shoots
fuyu persimmons
celery
parsley
fresh ginger
onions
trio of white potatoes
fresh sage
fresh rosemary
PANTRY/BAKING
vegan chocolate pudding mix
vegan dark chocolate bar
vegan marshmallows
day-old bread cubes (whole wheat)
grain crackers
vegetable broth
coconut oil
vegan graham pie shell
canned pumpkin and squash
raw cashews, pecans, brazil nuts, pistachios
prosecco, sparkling water, red wine
REFRIDGERATED
silken tofu
vegan buttery spread
seitan
tempeh
sour cream
vegan white cheese
garlic hummus
soy creamer
Field Roast Sausage (2 flavors)
vegan cream cheese
rice whip cream
And lastly, the schedule of when to prep, pre-make or cook what...
Thanksgiving Schedule
Tues: Shop/Finalize table settings/Guests/Cleaning
*This is my personal schedule, you can craft your own how you choose*
Wed: prep/make-ahead items
100% Vegan Pumpkin Cheesecake, Low Fat Pear Pecan Right-Side-Up Cake, Dark Chocolate Espresso Mousse, Perfect Butternut Squash Dip, veggie prep crudites, Citrus Cranberry Sauce, Candied Sweet Potatoes, stuffing prep, Potatoes Au Gratin, quinoa, prep preserved lemon dressing
Thurs:Finish day-of prep recipes
beverages, plate radish apps, saute/plate sausage app, roast fennel-squash-mushrooms, toss/cook buttered peas, seitan and gravy, roast prepped sweet potatoes, toss arugula salad, bake stuffing and fillo purses, warm gratin and quinoa, make biscuits
Appetizers
Dr.Cow Raw Tree Nut Cheese Tasting - Done-ordered online
Perfect Butternut Squash Dip - make one day ahead
Radishes w/ Butter and Peas Shoots - day of make
Arugula-Wrapped 'Sausage' Bites w/ Rustic Mustard - day of make
Veggie Crudites, Grain Crackers, Crostini Bread - prep ahead
Bevies
Fresh Pressed Pear-Ginger Shooters - make day of
Pomegranate & Satsuma Mandarin Bellini Bar - made to order
water/wine/juice ~ chai/cocoa/tea/espresso - buy day before
Dinner
Citrus Cranberry Sauce - day ahead
Preserved Lemon Roasted Fennel - day of
Citrus Sage Roasted Butternut Squash - day of
Hearty Herb Roasted Forrest Mushrooms - day of
Vegan Marshmallow Candied Sweet Potatoes - prep day before, cook day of
Arugula w/ Preserved Lemon-Macadamia Oil Dressing - day of
Red Wine Marinated Seitan w/ Mushroom Shallot Gravy - marinate day before, cook day-of
Apple Sage 'Sausage' Chestnut Stuffing Fillo Purse - prep day before, cook day of
Tempeh ‘Bacon’ Shiitake Jalapeno Stuffing - prep day before, cook day of
Triple Spiced Potatoes Au Gratin - day before
Cracked Pepper Spelt Biscuits - day of
Golden Orchard Quinoa - day before
'Buttered' Peas - day of
Dessert
100% Vegan Pumpkin Cheesecake w/ Rice Cream Whip - day before
Low Fat Pear Pecan Right-Side-Up Cake - day before
Dark Chocolate Espresso Mousse - day before
So there you have it, my planned out Thanksgiving feast schedule from list to plate. It's always good to have a plan, but it's also important to stay flexible. What is the fuyu persimmons aren't ripe? What if I burn my tempeh bacon? What if the sweet potatoes take an hour longer than expected? And what if the store is all out of vegan cream cheese?! Have a nice back-up plan and plan on making more than you'll need. You can always drop a few recipes last minute if your cooking attempts gets discombobulated. Good luck planning your menu-I'd love to hear what scrumptious menu highlights you've planned for this year! Leave them in the comments of tweet me.
