Thanksgiving Plate

One o’clock = Cornbread made in an iron skillet
Three o’clock = 1/2 sweet potato the way I like ‘em. Plain.
Six o’clock = Green beans & cremini mushrooms in wine and garlic*
Eight o’clock = Red-skinned mashed potatoes** with Diner Gravy (the original way)
Ten o’clock = Seitan Roast with Diner Gravy
In-the-middle = Oven-roasted brussel sprouts and garlic*
Not pictured = cranberry sauce and apple pie

*Thanks Vegan with a Vengeance
**My secret to the best mashed potatoes on the planet: a touch of white pepper (1/2 tsp maybe).

Just-In-Case Cabbage

I’ve been neglectful. I’m sorry. I try to post on a regular basis, about once a week, but sometimes things happen. I hate when I miss, because I become riddled with guilt over not posting near enough. How am I ever gonna up my game if I can’t even make a once/week commitment? Bleh. I’m unreliable. We’re all gonna have to realize that.

So when your life gets too damn busy, and you need a quick and dirty, vegetabley side-dish, this is your answer. It’s plain, it’s simple, yet, it’s pretty damn delicious. Momma used to make this when we were growing up and I’ve always liked it. I like cabbage. Raw, cooked, stuffed, whatever. I’m calling it “Just-In-Case Cabbage” because it really is a nice fall-back side.

Just-In-Case Cabbage

1 Tbsp. canola oil or vegan butter
1/2 to 1 yellow onion, sliced into strips*
1/2 to 1 head cabbage, sliced into strips
1-2 Tbsp. fresh dill, chopped (or 1-2 tsp. dried dill)
Salt and pepper to taste

Heat oil or butter in deep skillet over medium-high heat. Add onions and sautee for about 3 minutes. Add cabbage, then dill. Sautee until cabbage reaches desired consistency, about 3-5 minutes. Salt and pepper to taste.

*Use the ratio 1/2 onion to 1/2 head of cabbage to 1 dill; 1 onion to 1 full head cabbage to 2 dill. I’d say the 1/2 portions serve about 2 people, the whole portions serve a family of 4-6 depending on what other items are being served.

Seitan, Mashed Potatoes, Cajun Collards, and Brown (Diner) Gravy

You do realize that the seitan and mashed potatoes are simply an excuse to make gravy? Gravy that is so flippin’ good, you could very well drink it. Or put it in a bowl and eat it as soup. Mmmmm, gravy soup. I’ll get on that. In the meantime, I’ll share one of my favorite gravy recipes. And if you want to health it up, which you will, because the healthy part is just as awesome, make some Cajun Collards to go with. In fact, I command you to make the collards to go with. You won’t regret it!

Brown (Diner) Gravy (from the Chicago Diner Cookbook)

This recipe is made in three parts: the dry spice mix, the roux, and the final gravy. The dry spice mix will last several months stored in an air-tight container. Having it already prepared makes gravy-making quick and easy whenever you’re ready for it.

Spice Mix:
2 1/2 cups nutritional yeast
1/3 cup dried parsley
1 1/2 Tbsp. salt
1 1/2 Tbsp. dried dill
2 1/2 Tbsp. celery seed
2 1/2 Tbsp. onion powder
2 tsp. basil
2 tsp. oregano
1 tsp. rosemary

Mix all ingredients together in a medium-sized bowl. Store in an air-tight container.

Roux:
1/3 cup mild vegetable oil
1/3 cup flour

Heat oil in saucepan, then add flour, stirring constantly with a whisk until flour browns and develops a nutty aroma. Roux burns easily, so be very careful not to over-cook.*

Gravy:
4 cups light vegetable stock
1/3 cup tamari or soy sauce
1/4 cup spice mix

In a medium pot, bring vegetable stock and soy sauce to a high simmer. Gradually whisk in cooled roux and whisk until desired thickness.**

*Maybe it’s cheating, but I often cook my roux in the microwave: Put the oil and flour in a glass measuring cup, stir, and heat on high for 2-3 minutes. Stop. Stir. Then, heat in 30 second increments until browned. You can do this ahead of time and let it sit until you’re ready for it. Much easier!

**I have discovered that letting the roux cool down (maybe 20 minutes) is the key to a thick gravy. [Adding hot roux to the liquid will still taste yummy, but your gravy will stay more soupy.]

Cajun Collards (from Vegan Planet by Robin Robertson)
(Serves 4)

1 1/2 lbs. collard greens
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1 small yellow onion, minced
1 celery rib, minced
1/2 large green bell pepper, seeded and minced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 can (14.5 oz.) diced tomatoes, drained*
1 tsp. dried thyme
1/4 tsp. filé powder
1/4 tsp. cayenne
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Cook the collards in a pot of boiling salted water until tender, 20-30 minutes. Drain, then coarsely chop and set aside.

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion, celery, bell pepper, and garlic. Cover and cook until softened, about 7 minutes. Stir in the tomatoes, thyme, filé, and cayenne. Add the collards, season with salt and pepper to taste, and stir to coat the collards with the onion mixture. Simmer until the flavors are blended, about 10 minutes. Serve hot.

Garlic Sesame Kale

Oh boy. My brain is all over the place tonight. Should I start posting by theme? Like tonight could be the start of the side dish theme. Or should I continue posting by whatever random item I’m cooking at the moment? I don’t know. I haven’t decided, and I’m all over the place.

I’ll tell you one thing I do know. This Garlic Sesame Kale is a side dish that might just upstage your main attraction. I tasted something similar at our local food co-op and decided that I should try recreating it myself. I love that this side is rich in calcium and might be good for my skin. But the main reason you should try this is because it tastes hella good.

Garlic Sesame Kale

1 Tbsp. sesame oil
1 Tbsp. sesame seeds
1 Tbsp. garlic, minced or crushed
4-6 cups kale, wash, shake excess water off (do not dry), then separate from stems
Splash soy sauce or splash vegetable broth or salt to taste

Heat sesame oil in deep skillet over medium heat. Add sesame seeds and cook until seeds start to turn darker in color. Add garlic, stir until well-mixed and cook for about 30 seconds. Add kale, cover, and steam for 10-12 minutes. When kale has softened, add salting agent (soy sauce, vegetable broth, or salt) and toss well until leaves are covered with garlic and sesame seeds. Heat for 30 more seconds. Serve.

Creamy, Southern Potato Salad

I’m a snot. I admit it. In fact, I’ve admitted it more than once just today. Being a snot means that I frown on recipes that take the easy way out (”egg replacer for one egg”). C’mon, gimme a meaningful substitution. Or several. Subs that are so subtle, my un-culinary self doesn’t even know what they’re doing, or how they work, or which part of the recipe is a substitute for the properties I’m omitting. Like the binding agent, the fluffing mechanism. Keep me guessing, because “one egg replacer” isn’t gonna make me guess at all. It makes me 100% certain you were a lazy bum. C’mon.

So after almost two years of being a substitution snot, I decided to veganize one of my favorite recipes. And guess what? There is just one, simple, easy substitution – that’s right, just one – that takes this fave-o-mine straight to vegan-licious.

Now I’m thinking, in all fairness, I probably have to take all that snobbery right back. Or. Do. I?

Creamy, Southern Potato Salad* (PotSal**)

8 redskin potatoes, boiled and cut into chunks
1/2 yellow onion, diced
1/2 green bell pepper, diced
1/4 c. dill pickle relish
3/4 c. mayonnaise substitute (I used Vegenaise)
3-4 tsp. mustard
salt and pepper to taste
1/3 c. sliced green olives, optional
paprika, optional

Mash potatoes in large bowl until desired consistency. Add onion, bell pepper, dill pickle relish, mayo substitute, mustard, and salt/pepper. Mix until combined. Smooth and layer top with green olives and/or sprinkle with paprika. Both are optional and both are delicious either alone or in combination. (For a more tangy PotSal, add more mustard; creamier, add more vegan mayo.)

*Recipe altered from high school BFF’s sister’s recipe
**I call Potato Salad, “PotSal”, because it’s fun and makes people take a second look.