Signs of Change

Well, it’s December, and as I both predicted and anticipated, there is change. A lot of change. Please let me catch you up on what’s been happening since September.

Shortly after my little camping adventure, I lost the key to the restaurant. I was at work teaching fitness in our local senior center. I had all of my keys dangling from various little rings on my big key ring and I closed my fingers around the one I needed. As I moved to open a closet, something caught somewhere and three keys flew off of one of the smaller rings. Two fell right at my feet. The third whizzed across the room and fell through a crack in the floor. That was the first sign. There was no way to retrieve that key. I had to confess to my boss that the key was gone. She offered to have another key made, but I chose instead to use the combination lock box to get in to work. I’ve never lost a key before and felt guilty; asking to use the lock box must have been that part of me deep inside that knew I was not going to need that key anymore.

Around the same time that I lost the key, I started receiving a lot of calls for private fitness training work. I had taken a break from private clients for both a change of pace and also to take the job at the restaurant. Because it’s hard for me to say no to folks who need help, I began to accept private clients again. The work is rewarding in every way—to see someone who was unable to get out of bed progress to being able to do that seemingly simple movement—or to see someone who had trouble with balance begin to walk once more with confidence, rather than fear—or to be able to work with someone who is serious about their fitness and health goals and moves forward with unrelenting drive and commitment—it brings me great joy. And income. It’s a win-win that I seemed to have forgotten, with all the excitement around being lead cook in a restaurant.

Then, in November, my dear life partner Bill had a biopsy resulting in a diagnosis of cancer. Treatable, probably, and also a wake-up call for remembering how much I treasure him and our time together. It only made sense to end my time at The Whale’s Jaw Cafe so that I could focus on the other passions in my life—Bill and senior fitness. Guess that’s why I didn’t ask for another key…

It’s hard to do everything. I was working so many hours that I barely had time to relax at home, to take care of myself (and Bill, and my mom) and experience the other aspects of life I had been missing while I was putting in so many hours in someone else’s kitchen. I’ll also have more time and energy to work on growing our nonprofit https://www.foreverybody.life which, by the way, is offering a free month of classes right now!

I guess what I’m trying to say is that there are signs. All the time. We just need to pay attention to them and decide what those signs mean. For me, the loss of the key was blatant. I pushed against that sign for a little while before the other signs began to wave like impatient battle flags, signaling me to make my move.

I know there is more change coming. I’m waiting and watching for what is coming next, all the while being in the moment, loving being present with Bill, my clients and classes. Winter solstice and the darkness of the season bring the opportunity for reflection, seeking light and the best of what is real in this life. I’m waiting and also not waiting; more focused on being. It feels good. Better than good. It feels right, and exactly where I want to be.

In other news, I made this beautiful cranberry pear pie with candied pecans to take to a holiday party tonight. I had time, my own amazing kitchen and the desire to create. I know you can’t have a piece, and I likely won’t get one either, but it sure came out pretty! If you’d like the recipe, leave a comment and I will share it with you.

Wishing you a happy, peaceful winter solstice, a glorious holiday season, and the desire to recognize and act on the signs of change in your own life.

Namaste,

Elizabeth

The Essex County Garden Club Winter Event

Prepped and packed, I drive in the icy twilight to South Hamilton.  It is easy to find the hostess’ house and I navigate the long driveway, park, and take a deep breath.  This is my biggest gig so far, this group of 25 women coming out in the bitter cold to listen to me talk about and watch me cook vegetables.  I am not nervous, but even so,  butterflies dance in my belly as I open my trunk and gather three heavily loaded bags to bring into the kitchen.  Leslie, the hostess, emerges from her garage to greet me with her bright welcoming smile.  She offers to carry one of the bags and I allow this, beginning what is to be an evening of both humble submission and powerful opportunity.

I have been allowed to arrive early and have an hour and a half to set up.  Using some of Leslie’s kitchenware and some of my own, I fill a large pot with water and set it on the gas range.  I place steamer baskets in two smaller pots and add enough water to meet the bottom of the metal steam baskets.  I empty my bags and cover the counter with bowls of vegan Alfredo sauce with mushrooms, chopped, diced and spiral sliced winter vegetables and my large cutting board.  I take out my three best knives and lay them in a tidy row atop the board.  I ask for a pretty plate to arrange the raw cookies I have made for the end of the event, and I am given a beautiful white pedestal dish.  I arrange organic sugar-coated, heart-shaped cookies so that what is already pretty and delicious is now looking absolutely gorgeous.  She takes the cookies and puts them in her dining room with the other goodies for munching.  I sneak in and take them back to the kitchen.  I am going to save them for the end.  I want to tell about these treats, how easy they are to make, and how amazing a raw vegan cookie can be.  I want to have their full attention when they take the first bite of that cookie.

Nina, the event planner for the club, arrives a little while later.  She is the reason I am here and the butterflies that have been fluttering inside me rest quietly.  I feel more comfortable now that her sweet familiar face in the room as I finish setting up.

I take the spiral slicer out and place it on the roomy granite-topped island counter.  I know this will impress even the most doubtful of the attendees.  I have a beet, a carrot and a sweet potato all ready to turn into colorful vegetable noodles.  I transfer cooked quinoa to a glass bowl for heating.  I transfer the creamy, spicy sauce to the biggest bowl I can find and it is filled to the brim.  I wonder if I have made too much.

Before I can think about maybe being nervous after all, the door opens and opens and opens and suddenly the kitchen and dining room are packed with women.  They chat, fill their glasses with wine and set out appetizers and desserts—carrots and celery and dip, crackers and cheese, trays of cookies and brownies.  I am starving, so I cut up a carrot, open my jar of homemade ginger Nama Shoyu dressing, dip my carrot sticks in, and nibble.  And wait.

At last, Nina stands beside me.

“Are you ready to get this going?”

I nod, and she tries to quiet the room.  She taps the side of a glass bowl with one of my knives.  She taps it again.  Someone notices, and pushes out a powerful “Shhhhh.”  All conversation stops.  Well, almost all.  I take a deep breath as Nina introduces me.  She tells them she used to stalk me at our CSA pick up and we all laugh.  I’m on.

I am lightheaded as I look at how many women stand in front of me, waiting for me to begin.

But I do.  I ask how they take care of their kids—if they give them music lessons, enroll them in sports, send them to good schools.  I ask them if they monitor their homework, their computer time, their television time.  Some nod, others don’t.  Then I ask them if they cook with their kids.  I see lots of heads nodding.

“What do you cook with them?  What do you make together?”

“Cookies!”

“Brownies!”

“Cupcakes!”

And I’m in the thick of it right away.  I ask if they cook dinner with their kids.  If they teach them how to prepare vegetables—to wash, scrub, peel, chop, roast, steam—-and the room is quiet.  I boldly remind them that what their kids put into their bodies is one of the most important things to think about.  I try not to sound preachy as I suggest that cooking time can be together time, family time, teaching time.  So that when their kids grow up, they know how to feed themselves with healthy food.  Healthy food that will nourish their bodies the same way all the other things we all see as important nourish their minds, spirits and bodies.

As I talk, I set up for the roasted vegetables, making sure the oven is preheated, spreading diced beets on a large baking tray and drizzling them with garlic olive oil.  I ask a woman to help me and she puts the tray in the oven, setting the timer for me.  I set up the rest of the roasting vegetables, showing off the Brussels sprouts I have harvested from my garden just the other day.

Brussels sprouts harvested from my winter garden, with carrots, onions, sweet potatoes, and red potatoes, ready to roast. Photo credit: Heather Robb

I answer questions about kale and kale chips, peeling, chopping and steaming vegetables all the while.  The first big hit of the evening is the spiral slicer.  No one can believe how perfect and beautiful carrots and beets are when they are turned into noodles.  I slice a carrot, then I get a volunteer to slice the beet.  I help her a bit and in a moment, glossy, deep-red strands of beet pile up on the counter.  I take my kitchen scissors and cut the long strands a bit to make them more manageable.  I get them into the boiling water.  Carrots first, 3 minutes.  Beets next, 5 minutes.  I drain them, then sample them out, ladling the Alfredo sauce on top.  The chatter that had started up again is gone as each woman tastes the small plate of food she receives.

“How did you make this sauce?”

“Why is it so creamy if you didn’t use cream?”

“How can this be vegan?  Isn’t there cheese in here?”

I pause and talk about cashew cream and nutritional yeast, how to make what is often dairy-based taste just as good, if not better, vegan.  There are a lot of questions about nutritional yeast, and I do my best to answer them.  I do not have all the answers, but can easily direct.

Then the steamed vegetables are done and I pour them into a bowl.  I shake and pour the ginger Nama Shoyu dressing over the steaming bowl, then plunge my hands in to toss the dressing.  I hear gasping, but it’s really not that hot.  Nina and another woman offer to plate the samples.  Heaping scoops of quinoa pillow the pile of glistening dressed vegetables.  The room grows quiet again as the women taste what they have been given.

Mixing Ginger Nama Shoyu Dressing into steamed vegetables
Photo credit: Heather Robb

“Oh!  This dressing!  What is it?”

“Can I have this recipe?”

“Is there ginger in here?”

The dressing is the second big hit.  It’s a recipe I kind of stole from the restaurant Life Alive in Lowell, MA.  There are two newer branches, one in Cambridge and one in Salem, and it’s one of my favorite places to eat.  I always get the same thing—the Goddess bowl, which is their signature dish.  I am addicted to the dressing.  I am so addicted that I have spent hours trying to duplicate it.  I finally nailed it a few months ago and now can share it with confidence, even if I have to sheepishly confess that it is absolutely not my recipe, only an adaptation of theirs.

I remember to talk about GMO foods, the “Dirty Dozen“, and, of course, I include bits and pieces of my vegan life.  I talk openly and honestly about the nutrients in food, the importance of a varied diet.  I offer information about general health, what is not good about dairy products, and explain exactly what vegan means:  no animals.  No animal products.  So, yeah, no cheese, so yogurt, no butter, no  fish.  I was asked if I miss any of it.

Not for one second.

The timer goes off for the roasted vegetables.  The woman whom I have volunteered to be in charge of the oven turns and pulls two heavy trays of roasted beets, Brussels sprouts, onions, carrots, potatoes and sweet potatoes from the dark, high heat.  I take each tray and do my best to fill the last giant bowl without dropping anything on the floor.  The trays are heavy and I am already tired.  I sprinkle the vegetables with fresh rosemary that I have cut from my garden this same morning, and add a bit of salt and pepper.  I steal a Brussels sprout and a sweet potato chunk before the final round of sampling begins.

The women eat and chatter, and I stand back, wondering if I have missed anything.  My notes have been tossed to the back counter, unneeded.

I space out for a minute and then notice a tall, gorgeous woman passing around a tray of chocolate-dipped macaroons.  I go over to her and touch her shoulder. I know  she has taken the time to make this beautiful, time-consuming dessert, and it breaks my heart to say these words.  I say them anyhow.

“Um, please.  Would you mind holding back on those?  I have a little dessert and I am afraid that if everyone eats one of those, they won’t have room to try mine.  You could pass them out after…”

Her face flushes and she looks down, then up at me.

“Oh, I’m sorry!  I didn’t know.”

I honestly could cry as I look at her, but I hold steady.

“That’s okay.  Thank you for bringing those.  They look great.  Mine are really small—so everyone will still have room for yours after.”

The pedestal with the heart-shaped raw vegan ginger cookies is passed around.

“What’s in here?”

“These are really good!”

“Is is nutmeg?  Do I taste nutmeg?”

With the last of my “crowd energy”, I give the ingredients and tell them there is a link to the recipe on my blog.  They line up to collect my card and I promise each eager face that I will post right away and include the recipe for the dressing.

Energized by a couple of my cookies, I work the crowd afterward.  I thank everyone for coming, and seek out the women who have helped me throughout the evening.  I am touched by their excitement for my cooking and by their welcoming smiles, their food confessions, their desire to make even small changes in the way they prepare food and eat.

I return to the counter, prepared to clean up and find that the women have done it for me.  Everything is washed, dried, and stacked neatly for me to pack up.  Nina and I are the last to leave, and she offers to carry one of the bags out to my car. I tell her that would be great.

Ginger Nama Shoyu Dressing (adapted from Life Alive restaurant’s version)

Ingredients:

fresh garlic cloves, peeled and pressed to fill a 1/4 c measure

1/2 c plus a little more fresh ginger, peeled and chopped coarsely

3 T Nama Shoyu

2 T lemon juice

1/2 t sea salt

1 c olive oil, or a mixture of hemp and olive oil

Method:

In a powerful blender, add the garlic cloves, the ginger, the Nama Shoyu, and the sea salt.  Add 1/3 c of the oil.  Blend on medium-low until everything starts to move around. Turn off blender and scrape down sides if necessary.

Turn the blender back on medium speed, then to high and blend until smooth.  Take the little inner cap off of the blender cover and slowly drizzle in the remaining oil.  Turn blender on high and blend only long enough to emulsify the dressing.

Transfer dressing to glass jar or bottle and refrigerate until ready to use.  Keeps at least two weeks in the refrigerator.

This is amazing drizzled onto warm steamed vegetables, although it is also good on cold salad.

Shhhh…Secret Vegan Cooking Class

I am preparing for my fourth vegan cooking talk and demonstration.  The secret is that it is not technically a vegan cooking class—I have been invited by the Essex County Garden Club to talk about how to use winter vegetables.

The back story: Last spring I joined a CSA.  I bought one share for our family and had the pleasure of visiting Alprilla Farm each Wednesday afternoon to choose whatever I desired.  Each week I brought home a giant bag packed to the brim with the most beautiful organically grown vegetables.  The selection was vast—eight or nine types of greens and heirloom tomatoes, several types of beets, onions, carrots, peppers, kale and squashes.  Cauliflower, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, potatoes, beans, soy beans, and much, much more.  Whenever I arrived, I met someone new and fun to talk with about how to prepare and eat the bounty offered.  I met a woman named Nina who seemed to be on my schedule and she would follow me around, asking what to do with celeriac, or how I managed to get my kids to eat kale.

It turns out that she is the event planner for the Essex County Garden Club.  One afternoon, she asked if I would be interested in sharing my knowledge about vegetables—why they are good to eat and how to prepare some of the more daunting ones—and I knew it would be a wonderful opportunity to teach how to cook vegetables.  It would also be a chance to share vegan cooking with a lot of people— a chance to be on the offense about being vegan!  I knew I would be be able to show the beauty in the way I choose to eat without having to do anything other than be myself.

So I’m in my kitchen.  I want to show off, thus I have been prepping all day.  I clean, peel and dice beets, carrots, red potatoes and sweet potatoes.  I wash kale and tear the leaves from the stems.  I spiral slice beets and carrots.  I make ginger nama shoyu dressing for steamed vegetables.  I scurry out to my garden and cut fresh rosemary and sage.  The show-stopper will definitely be the beet and carrot “noodles” turned from the spiral slicer because I also make my delicious vegan Alfredo sauce with mushrooms.

I make raw ginger cookies for dessert sampling, too, taking the time to press out the dough and cut hearts with a cookie cutter, because it’s close to Valentine’s Day and I love to share these amazingly simple and flavorful treats.  (And because Nina, who came to one of my vegan cooking classes here in my kitchen and tried one before, asked so nicely.)

Raw Ginger Cookies

The plan is to roast some vegetables in garlic olive oil, steam some and serve with quinoa and ginger nama shoyu dressing, and boil the noodles and serve with the Alfredo sauce.  Then cookies.  I know everyone will ask for the sauce recipe, so here it is.

Prep for Essex County Garden Club
Vegan Alfredo Sauce with Mushrooms top center and middle row second bowl in

Vegan Alfredo Sauce with Mushrooms

Ingredients:

1/2 c cashew cream*

3 T olive oil or flavored olive oi, divided (I like to use mushroom sage oil for this recipe, but plain is fine)

1  12 oz pkg sliced mushrooms

1 large sweet onion, diced

1/8 t crushed red pepper flakes

generous pinch freshly grated nutmeg

1 c peas, fresh or frozen

2 c vegetable stock or vegetable broth

1/3 c nutritional yeast

1/4 c minced fresh sage leaves

1/4 c orange juice concentrate

3 c raw baby spinach

salt and pepper to taste

Method:

Heat 2 T oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.  Add mushrooms, turn heat to high, and cook, tossing every few minutes, until mushrooms begin to brown and they release their liquid.

Heat the remaining T oil in a small skillet over medium heat.  Add the onion and cook about 7 minutes, or until onion is soft and beginning to brown.

Add the cooked onion to the mushrooms.  Add nutmeg and crushed red pepper flakes, stir, and cook for another minute.  Add the vegetable broth or stock and bring to a boil.  Stir in the peas.  Cook for 2 minutes.

Stir in the cashew cream and the nutritional yeast.  Reduce heat to low and cook for about 5 minutes more.  Add the sage and the orange juice concentrate.  Stir well to incorporate.  Remove pan from heat and fold in the baby spinach.  Grind a generous amount of black pepper into the sauce, taste, and add a little salt to taste.

*another way to make cashew cream:  soak 1 c raw cashews in cold filtered water for at least an hour but overnight is fine, too.  Drain, rinse, and drain again.  Pour soaked cashews into a blender and add 1 c filtered water.  Blend until smooth.  Use for this recipe.  Freeze any leftovers for next time.  Keeps at least 3 months in freezer.

All packed up and ready to go. No room left in the fridge! Notice that somehow my kombucha scoby jar is front and center on the top shelf.

Baked Tofu Ricotta-Stuffed Manicotti

Tomorrow is the big day!  I can barely wait to run the Twin Lights Half Marathon.  I am trying my best to rest and relax, which is work for me.  This morning looks perfect for a long run—the sun is out, the temperature hovers around 50 °,  and I am going crazy from resting.  I stick with my plan, though, and make a date for a lunchtime bike ride with my husband. What to do with myself for the morning?  Cook!

Carb-loading has never been a big concern for me, but this time, since I am working from a plan for this race, I figure I should follow some advice from Runner’s World and other runners.  I am also still succumbing to food daydreams.  My visions of roasted tomato sauce lavishly enveloping thick pasta stuffed with creamy ricotta and garlicky vegetables have reached a pinnacle and I must prepare this pre-race feast for dinner tonight.

Baked Tofu Ricotta-Stuffed Manicotti

Ingredients:

1 pkg manicotti pasta

For the tofu ricotta:

1 pkg firm or extra-firm organic tofu*

juice of 1 lemon

1 tsp dried marjoram

1/4 c nutritional yeast

1/4 tsp freshly grated nutmeg

1/8 tsp crushed red pepper flakes

1/4 tsp sea salt

For the vegetables:

3 T olive oil

1 medium sweet onion, diced fine

4-5 cloves garlic, minced

1 c grated carrot

1 small red bell pepper, diced fine

1 16 oz. pkg frozen spinach (I prefer the loose frozen spinach—that big frozen block just irritates me.  Too hard to defrost!)

1/4 tsp ground black pepper

1/4 tsp sea salt

sprinkle/pinch crushed red pepper flakes

10-12 large fresh basil leaves, minced

For the sauce:

8 cups tomato sauce of your choice (I used the final container of last summer’s roasted tomato sauce from my garden. You can use any sauce you like.)

Method:

Bring a large pot of water to a boil.  Add the pasta and cook for 7 minutes.   Drain, rinse, and set aside.

While the pasta is cooking, prepare the vegetables and tofu ricotta:

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet.  Add the onions, garlic, carrots and red bell pepper.  Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until onions begin to soften and turn golden, about 10 minutes.  Add the spinach, black pepper, sea salt and crushed red pepper flakes.  Continue to cook until spinach is no longer frozen.  Turn off heat, stir in the minced basil leaves and set aside.

While the vegetables are cooking, prepare the tofu ricotta:

In the bowl of a large food processor, combine the tofu, lemon juice, marjoram, nutritional yeast, nutmeg, crushed red pepper flakes and salt.  Pulse to combine, scraping the sides if needed.  Process for 30-60 seconds, or until tofu mixture is mostly smooth.  Taste and correct seasonings.

Combine the tofu ricotta with the vegetable mixture, either in the skillet or in a bowl.

To assemble:

Spoon half of the tomato sauce into a large baking or lasagna pan and spread it evenly over the bottom of the pan.  Fill each of the manicotti pasta tubes with the tofu ricotta and vegetable mixture.  Place each tube in the baking pan on top of the tomato sauce.  Continue filling the tubes until you either run out of pasta or filling.  (I ran out of pasta, so cooked some jumbo shells to use up the rest of the filling.)    Spoon the remaining tomato sauce over the manicotti.  Cover the pan loosely with foil and bake at 350 degrees F for 30 minutes.  Serve as an entree with a leafy salad.  These freeze well, too and heat up nicely in either the oven or the microwave.

*If there is one food to buy organic only, it’s tofu.  Most of our country’s soy is GMO and grown in toxic fertilizers, pesticides and chemicals that do not wash off.  It’s worth paying the extra quarter or so for the organic version.

Super Bowl Sunday Shepherd’s Pie

I thought about calling this recipe Unemployed Shepherd’s Pie, but did not want to put a negative spin on the poor shepherds…it’s just that because it’s vegan, I think shepherds would have different jobs, like maybe seitan kneaders and bakers, or perhaps sheep’s rights activists.  Whatever I call it, this recipe is fantastic.  The tender vegetables and chewy seitan enveloped in smooth white sauce, then smothered in rich, creamy mashed potatoes are hearty and completely satisfying.  I have made one to take to my friends Eric and Charlene so we can have a yummy dinner together before they watch the game and we watch the commercials!

Super Bowl Sunday Shepherd’s Pie

Super Bowl Sunday Shepherd's Pie

Ingredients:

4-5 medium potatoes, scrubbed and cut in half

2 T vegan margarine, such as Earth Balance

1/3 c unsweetened almond, soy or hemp milk

1/3 c each vegan margarine and whole wheat pastry flour

2 c water

salt and pepper

1 c frozen peas

4-5  carrots, scrubbed, trimmed and diced

1-2 tsp olive oil

1 medium sized sweet onion, diced

1 1/2 c cooked seitan*

Method:

Place the potatoes in a large pot and cover them with cold water .  Turn heat to high and bring potatoes and water to a boil.  Reduce heat to simmer and cook the potatoes until they are fork-tender, about 20 minutes.

While the potatoes are cooking:

Saute the onion in 2 tsp olive oil in  a medium skillet over medium heat until translucent, about 5 minutes.  Remove from heat and stir in the peas and seitan.

Steam the carrots in a pot on the stove top or in a covered bowl in the microwave for about 3 minutes until fork-tender.  Drain and add to the onion, pea and seitan.  Set aside.

Make the roux for the white sauce:

In another medium sized  non-stick skillet, melt the 1/3 c vegan margarine over medium heat.  Sprinkle with the 1/3 c flour and stir the flour into the margarine.  Keeping heat on medium, continue to cook the vegan margarine and the flour together until the mixture begins to turn a rich, golden color, about 7-8 minutes.

White sauce:  Turn heat under the roux pan to high.  Slowly add the 2 c  water as you continue to stir, incorporating the water into the roux until the sauce is smooth and begins to thicken.  A whisk is a great tool for this, but a wooden spoon also works well.  Stir in 1/2 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp black pepper.  Allow the white sauce to cook for a few more minutes.  Taste and correct seasoning.  Remove from heat.  Pour into the onion, peas, carrots and seitan pan and stir well to coat everything with the white sauce.  Return pan to low heat and cook about 5 more minutes, until thickened.  If sauce seems too thick, stir in more water, a couple of tablespoons at a time, until the consistency pleases you.

Finish the potatoes:

Drain water from cooked potatoes.  Add the 2 T vegan margarine and the 1/3 c almond, soy, or hemp milk.  Mash with potato masher or whip with electric mixer until potatoes are well mashed/whipped.  Add salt and pepper to taste and stir.

Preheat oven to 350 ° F.

To assemble the pie:

Spoon the filling for the pie into a deep casserole or deep baking dish about 8 or 9 inches round.  Scoop the mashed potatoes on top, being careful not to mix them into the filling.  I use a spatula to gently smooth the mashed potatoes over the filling.

Drizzle the top with a little olive oil if you wish and bake at 350 °F  for 30-40 minutes, until sides are bubbling and center is hot.

Serves 5-6 hungry people.  I suggest a big, green salad as a side dish.  A couple of nice accompaniments are green tomato piccalilli  and cranberry chutney or cranberry sauce.

Enjoy the game!

*I make my own seitan.  The recipe link above is a quick and easy one.  I always double it, as seitan freezes well, and it’s a delicious, chewy source of vegan protein.  For this particular recipe, I did not use thyme in the seasoning.  I used 1 tsp each of dried marjoram and sage, 1/2 tsp each of onion and garlic powder.  I reduced the tamari by half, replacing that liquid with sodium-free vegetable broth.   I made the seitan a day ahead and stuck it in the refrigerator until I was ready to use it today.

Come to My Virtual Table

Okay.  I never should have mentioned the squash turnovers and pan-fried dumplings if I didn’t want to write the recipes down!  Emails, phone calls, even people I’ve bumped into on the street want to know how to make them.  Here they are. You can make the filling ahead, or  both recipes in their entirety  if you want to get a head start before the big day.  And if you decide to serve them on Thanksgiving, I will think of you at the table with me, sharing our new tradition of eating vegan, even on the holidays.

Squash Filling for Pan-fried Dumplings and Phyllo Turnovers

Ingredients:

1 medium-large butternut squash, washed, cut vertically, and seeded

olive oil for sauteing

1/2 a large sweet onion, minced fine

1 large, tart apple, peeled, cored and diced fine

1/4 c dried cranberries

2 tbsp. unsweetened, shredded coconut (optional)

2 tsp. ground cinnamon

5 tbsp. fresh sage, bruised and minced fine

1/8 tsp. fresh grated nutmeg

1/3 c walnuts, chopped fine (Trader Joe’s sells them already chopped fine— what a gift!)

3 tbsp. maple syrup

salt and pepper to taste

Method:

Preheat oven to 400° F. Line a cookie sheet with aluminum foil, spray with non-stick cooking spray, and place the squash on it, cut side down.  Bake on center rack in oven for about 50 minutes, or until the neck of the squash feels tender when you press down on it.  Remove from oven and set aside to cool.  When cool enough to handle, turn halves over and scoop out the squash.  Alternatively, peel the skin off the squash when it is cool enough to handle.  (Tip:  if the squash gets really cold, the skin is harder to peel off.  I usually do it as soon as I can handle it without getting burned.)

Place the squash in a large bowl and mash it gently with a fork.

While squash is roasting, prepare the remaining ingredients for the filling.  Into a large non-stick skillet set over medium heat, drizzle about 2 or 3 tbsp. olive oil.  Swirl the olive oil around the pan and add the onion.  Cook for about 5 minutes, or until the onion begins to turn translucent.  Add the apple, the cranberries, and the coconut.  Cook for about 3 more minutes, then add the sage, nutmeg, and cinnamon.  Stir and remove from heat.  Add the walnuts, salt and pepper, maple syrup, and stir again.

Spoon the ingredients from the skillet into the squash and mix gently until well combined.  At this point, you can stop and refrigerate the filling for up to 3 days.  Otherwise, proceed with the rest of the recipe.

For the Pan-fried Dumplings:

1 pkg. wonton wrappers from the grocery store (found near the tofu and soy cheese, etc., usually in the refrigerated produce section)

or

1 pkg. vegan rice wonton wrappers from an Asian market

about 1/3 of the recipe for the squash filling (you will use the rest for the phyllo turnovers)

1 small bowl of water

canola oil or safflower oil for frying

Method:

On a large, flat surface, such as a cutting board or smooth counter top, lay out about 1/4 of the wrappers.  Keep the rest of the wrappers under a clean, damp towel to keep from drying out.

Using a small spoon, place about 3/4 – 1 tsp. of filling in the center of each wrapper.  Working with one dumpling at a time, dip your finger into the water bowl and coat half of the edge of the dumpling.  Fold the dry edge over the wet edge and press firmly to create a seal.  Take the two corners of the dumpling and press them together until they are sealed.  Place finished dumpling on a wax paper covered large platter.

Continue making the dumplings until the first batch is finished.  Cover them with plastic wrap or more waxed paper and place in refrigerator.

Repeat with laying out the next 1/4 package of wrappers and so on, until you have used up all the wrappers.  Or you can stop when you have made half the package.  You can freeze the dumplings at this point* and finish them right before you are ready to serve them.

To Cook the Dumplings:

Heat a heavy, non-stick skillet that has a lid over medium-high heat.  Pour in a generous dollop of oil ( I use about 3 tbsp.) and swirl it around the pan.  Add some dumplings.  You should fill up the bottom of the pan, but the dumplings should not touch each other.  Cook until the bottoms of the dumplings are nice and brown, about 2 minutes.  Add about 1/4 water and cover the skillet immediately.  Shake the skillet to prevent the dumplings from sticking and continue to cook until the water is gone, about 2-3 minutes.  Remove skillet from heat, carefully remove dumplings from pan and arrange on a platter.  Continue to cook the dumplings in batches until your platter is full or until you have had enough cooking and want to eat some.

Serve with cranberry chutney and cashew cream for dipping.

*to freeze dumplings, freeze the cookie sheet with the dumplings on it.  When frozen, put the dumplings in a freezer storage bag.  They will keep for a couple of months before they start to suffer from freezer burn…)

For the Phyllo Turnovers:

1 pkg. Phyllo dough, defrosted overnight in refrigerator

olive oil

squash filling

Method:

Preheat oven to 350 ° F.

Open the phyllo dough and unroll it.  Phyllo usually comes in two individually wrapped plastic tubes.  Only open 1 tube at a time.  Place phyllo dough under a lightly damped dish towel to keep it from drying out.  There are a couple of different sizes of sheets of phyllo dough in the markets.  It doesn’t matter which size you buy, but you will have to figure out whether you will be cutting the dough into quarters or thirds.  Whatever size turnover you get is fine. (I am sure there are instructions for using the phyllo dough right on the box.  Go ahead and follow them if it’s easier. Just make sure to use olive oil instead of butter for the brushing)

Fill a small bowl with olive oil.  Have the squash filling close by.

Lay one sheet on phyllo dough on a large cutting board.  Dip a pastry brush into the olive oil and lightly brush the dough all over with the oil.  Place another sheet of dough on top of the first, being careful to line it up closely on top of the first sheet.  Brush lightly with oil.  Add a third layer to the second, and brush with oil again.

With a the tip of a sharp knife, cut the dough length-wise into three or four sections.  Spoon about 2 tbsp. of the squash filling at the base of each section.  Turn the bottom corner of the dough up and then fold at a 45 degree angle.  Continue folding the dough back and forth, corner to corner, as you would fold a flag, until you reach the top of the section.  You should have a small, plump triangle when you are through.  Fold the other two or three sections in the same way.

Transfer the turnovers to a lightly oiled baking sheet and brush them with a little more olive oil.

Repeat process with the phyllo dough until you have either used all the dough or all the filling.  You should have enough filling to finish off the phyllo.  If not, wrap the phyllo carefully in plastic and refrigerate for future use.

Arrange the turnovers close to each other on the cookie sheet, but don’t let them touch.  When your cookie sheet is full, start another one if necessary.

The turnovers can be baked right away for about 20-23 minutes, or until golden brown and crisp.  If you want to make them ahead, they can be frozen in the same manner as the dumplings, then heated from frozen right before serving.  They might need a couple of extra minutes in the oven.  They can also be reheated at the same temperature, but just for 10 minutes or so.

Serve with cranberry chutney, cashew cream, or cashew cream dolled up with some freshly chopped sage  for a little more “Thanksgiving” taste.

Vegan Thanksgiving

I made cranberry chutney this week—- a double batch.  My mother-in-law found the recipe in the Boston Globe a few years ago, back when we ate turkey and all the usual Thanksgiving fare.  I have never really liked turkey, or much else of the traditional Thanksgiving dinner, but can’t get enough of the condiments.  I load up my plate with butternut squash, the “green ‘du jour'”, a little stuffing, and lots of olives, cranberry sauce and green tomato piccalilli.  My Nana’s recipe that my mom and I make each year is my favorite, and I could always eat a little turkey if it was buried beneath the sweet and sour family secret recipe. (My mom would never speak to me again if I shared it, but if you want a jar, it can be arranged…)

This year is different.  We are going to my sister’s house and joining her with her family and my parents for the holiday.  I offered to bring the vegetables and let my sister do the bird, the stuffing and the dessert, but she demurely declined, letting me know in no uncertain terms that she would be preparing the traditional dinner and I was welcome to bring whatever food I was comfortable eating.  No problem if there were duplicates.

I thought this over for a while, trying not to let my feelings get hurt— after all, she is not vegan, nor is anyone else who will be sitting around her table.  I was stuck, though.  Why would I bring “the usual” if she was already doing it?  And really, what is Thanksgiving if not about eating in celebration of being thankful?

The more I thought about it, the more I realized that without turkey being the focal point of the meal for me and my family,  I didn’t have to make mashed potatoes, mashed squash, plain old green beans or peas, and stuffing.  Why not make something amazing, delicious, and special that reflects the way we eat?  I set out to test a few recipes in preparation for my family’s vegan holiday debut.

I cannot list all the recipes I have read and tried, although they were all tasty and would work for the holiday.  The criteria:  whatever I bring has to work with the condiments!  With my family’s input, I have decided to make cranberry cornbread, Tal Ronnen’s Corn Chowder (oh my goodness— rich, thick with cashew cream, zesty with chipotle pepper, satisfying with purple potatoes, and crisp, fire roasted corn),  turnovers made with phyllo dough and stuffed with roasted butternut, walnuts, apples, fresh sage, caramelized onions, and dried cranberries, and mini squash-stuffed pan-fried dumplings.  The cranberry chutney and piccalilli for dipping the turnovers and dumplings will be one part of the tradition we will keep this year, with the addition of a bit of cashew cream.  For dessert, I have decided on a pumpkin pie with a chocolate-lined crust.

So, menu decided, I called my friend Michelle to see if she was home.  I wanted to drop off a jar of the chutney.  She shares with me the bounty of her garden, tons of vegan recipes, and a deep-rooted love of good food and cooking.  When I showed up at her door, she ushered me in, insisting I try her latest Thanksgiving trial meal.  Maple Tofu with Stuffing and Apple Cranberry Chutney nearly broke my heart.  She placed the plate in front of me and I sighed, breathing in the sweet and savory cloud of steam drifting up off my plate.  She thrust a toasted slice of her homemade potato bread in front of me and I was in Thanksgiving heaven.  This meal tasted so delicious that I ate until it was gone, heading home a bit later knowing I would only be able to keep my family company at the dinner table that night— I was absolutely stuffed and happy.

I am duplicating that dinner tonight, beginning a week-long vegan Thanksgiving.  I am definitely thankful this year— to be invited to my sister’s beautiful home with all the family that I love, to be able to cook and transport a meal that I am comfortable eating, and finally, that I made that double batch of chutney.