Vegan Thanksgiving Spread!

I'm very excited to share my Thanksgiving with you! I was completely psyched everything turned out so well, and that my family enjoyed it too. I was crazed cooking all day, and the pumpkin pie didn't even get put in the oven until after the meal, but hey, we had tons of great food! I think we have some new traditions on hand...

Apple Cider Glazed Brussels Sprouts, Tempeh, and Greens

Sweet, warm Fall flavors. Filling and healthy. This dinner is a variation on a tempeh & Brussels sprouts dish I've made a few times before, but with plenty of fresh apple cider mixed in - perfect for a cool Fall day.

Roasted Sweet Apples and Brussels Sprouts

This dish was 100% inspired by the above ingredients. I saw this giant bushel of these beautiful and cute little lady apples, right next to this big box of fresh, perfectly green Brussels sprouts at the grocery store, and that was it. I got both ingredients and decided they needed to be eaten together.

Brussels Sprouts and Maple Almond Tofu

I saw this monstrosity of a Brussels sprout stalk at Trader Joe's yesterday, and just had to get it. I *might* have looked a little odd walking home from the store with it. And then I *might* have taken some silly pictures with it (sorry, evidence withheld).

Seriously, this thing was huge.

The stalk actually yielded about 3-4 cups of Brussels sprouts! With all those sprouts, I had to come up with a recipe to use them in. I thought I'd try 'em out paired with a maple tofu recipe I found on Finding Vegan. I used about 2 cups of them for the recipe here. So many sprouts, so few mouths to feed.... we'll be eating them for the next few days ;-)

If you have an aversion to Brussels sprouts, see my post of different cooking methods for them- and try them roasted. Totally different flavor- takes out all of that bitter bite and replaces it with that awesome roasted veg taste. Mmmm.

Beautiful Brussels Sprouts!

Recipe for tofu and topping adapted from The Mighty Vegan's maple dijon tofu. This is also inspired by the tempeh and Brussels sprouts recipe I posted earlier (from Lux Hippie). I wanted to incorporate the Brussels sprouts in a new way since I had them. Luckily this recipe is a keeper, and worked well with the Brussels sprouts!

Ingredients:
Serves 4.
For the tofu:

• 1 package extra firm tofu, drained (I drain the package and then press the tofu with a paper towel a few times on each side to remove the excess water)- don't use softer tofu, it will fall apart!
• 1/2 cup maple agave syrup
• 1/2 Tbsp Dijon mustard
• 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
• 1/2 tsp sea salt
• 1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil

For the almond topping:

• 1/2 cup coarsely chopped almonds
• 1/4 cup quick-cooking oats
• 1/8 cup flour
• 1/2 tsp sea salt
• 1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1 Tbsp maple agave syrup

For the Brussels sprouts:

• ~2 cups Brussels sprouts, cut into quarters lengthwise (yep, QUARTERS)
• 1 Tbsp Olive oil
• 1 Tbsp Maple or plain agave syrup
• Dash sea salt

Steps: 

1. Combine the syrup, oil, pepper flakes, and salt for the tofu marinade by whisking together. Slice the block of drained tofu into ~1 inch thick slices, and marinate the slices in the sauce for about an hour (or do ahead and store in the fridge for a few hours!). After the hour, make sure you save the marinade. I started the next steps after about 30-40 minutes into the marinade time.
2. Combine the dry almond topping ingredients in a food processor until coarsely chopped; add in the oil and syrup and pulse. Set aside for step #5.
3. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Quarter the Brussels sprouts and toss with desired amount of oil, syrup, and sea salt. Time it so you start cooking the Brussels sprouts when the marinating time is about over. Place the Brussels sprouts on a cookie sheet and cook in oven for 20 minutes, stirring at least 1-2 times during the process.
4. While the sprouts are cooking, heat a little olive oil in a pan and cook the marinated tofu slices until golden brown on each side. (Try not to bring too much marinade into the pan at this point; it will make the cooking time much longer on the tofu to get it fully cooked & brown).
5. After the sprouts have cooked 20 minutes, reduce oven temp to 375. Place the tofu on another cookie sheet, this one lined with parchment paper, and spoon the almond topping on the slices. Place the tofu cookie sheet in the oven for about 10 minutes (you can leave the sprouts in as well to keep warm, just give them another stir).
6. While the tofu is in the oven, put the marinade in the pan you cooked the tofu in, and simmer on low to make it into a thicker syrup. (You may want to check that your Brussels sprouts don't get charred; when they are quartered like this, I've found that 25 minutes at 400 is perfect).
7. Remove tofu from oven. I plated by putting a slice or two of the tofu over the Brussels sprouts, and then drizzling with the marinade.

BIG thanks to Mighty Vegan for an awesome tofu recipe. The flavors of the almond crunch topping, sweet maple, and tangy Dijon blend so well. It was delicious, filling, and perfectly complemented by those roasted Brussels sprouts.

The complete dish. YUM!

 Notes: The original recipe had a little fresh rosemary in the almond topping; I didn't have any, but I bet it would be good.

I had plenty of marinade left, so if you are running low on ingredients, feel free to halve the marinade if you are serving for two. The leftover tofu would be fine cold the next day for lunch without it.

Speaking of leftovers, I also had some extra almond topping- which would actually be GREAT on some coconut ice cream, or over baked apples. I love multi-purpose recipes!

Almond-crusted tofu coming out of the oven!

Another thing I learned through this dish: good tofu takes time. I've been eating tofu for over 12 years, and what I've realized is that while you can eat it after merely opening the package, if you want it to really taste good, you need to spend some time on it! In this recipe, in addition to letting it marinate for 1 hour, the pan-cooking probably took about 10-12 minutes to get it nice and golden, plus the additional 10 minutes in the oven. But oh my it was worth the wait ;-) This recipe does NOT get my "quick and easy" label, but then again, it wasn't difficult... just a tad bit time consuming.

Sweet & Tangy Brussels Sprouts & Tempeh

Not too long ago I discovered the secret to yummy Brussels sprouts made at home - roasting 'em. So when I saw this recipe from Lux Hippie, called "Bitchin' Brussels Sprouts," I knew I had to try it out. She had me at bitchin ;-)

Ingredients:
Recipe adapted from Lux Hippie's Bitchin Brussels Sprouts

• 1 lb Brussels sprouts, cut lengthwise into quarters
• 2-3 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
• 1/2 red onion, coarsely chopped
• 4 oz tempeh cut into bite-sized cubes
• 1/3-1/2 cup chopped walnuts
• 1 and 1/2 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
• 2 Tbsp soy sauce
• 1/2 tsp Dijon mustard
• 1 heaping Tbsp brown sugar
• 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
• Sea salt to taste

Steps:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
2. In a large bowl, combine the olive oil, vinegar, soy sauce, mustard, brown sugar, red pepper, and salt, and mix well.
3. Add the rest of the ingredients and toss until well coated.
   
4. Spread on large baking pan and cook for 20-25 minutes, stirring halfway through.
   

YUM!

Roasting always gives veggies a wonderful flavor, but the sauce in this recipe adds so much to it - slightly sweet, slightly tangy, with a tiny kick from those red pepper flakes. It all blends so well. A new, easy dinner fave!

Thanks to Mandi from Lux Hippie for this kick-ass recipe!

Roasted Brussels Sprouts

Brussels sprouts have somewhat eluded me.... most times when I try and make them at home, they come out tasting bitter and well, just not that good. Steaming them has not worked for me. Sauteing them has generally not worked, except for one time when I added so much garlic butter I was fairly horrified. But I do love Brussels sprouts. They have become my new measuring stick for how good a restaurant is (if they can make Brussels sprouts taste amazing, they have my vote).

Last night we decided to try roasting them. I think we have a winner.

Ingredients:

• 1-2lbs fresh whole Brussels sprouts
• 1-2 Tablespoons canola oil
• 1 Tablespoon butter
• Sea salt
• Lemon-pepper seasoning
  

Steps:

• Heat oven to 450
• Slice the Brussels sprouts into halves and place onto a cookie sheet
• Drizzle oil sparringly over the sprouts and mix to lightly coat
  
• Sprinkle lemon-pepper seat salt over the sprouts and place them face down on cookie sheet
  
• Cook in middle rack in oven for 40-45 minutes, until outer leaves look slightly browned and crispy
• Toss in a little bit of butter and sea salt
  

Notes: You can always add a little more oil mid-way through cooking if the sprouts appear to be drying out. But I like to start out conservatively to avoid using too much oil and try to keep it as healthy as possible! These came out tasting great.