Baba Ghanoush

Mmmmm. This dip is great with pita bread. It has tahini and garlic so similar to humus.

1 large eggplant, halved lengthwise
3 garlic cloves, slivered
1/4 cup tahini
2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
1/2 tsp salt
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Lightly oil a baking pan and set aside. Make small slits in the cut sides of the eggplant and press the garlic into the slits. Transfer the eggplant halves, cut-side down, to the prepared baking pan and bake until soft, about 30 minutes.  Set aside to cool.
Scoop the cooked eggplant flesh into a food processor. Add tahini, lemon, salt and cayenne. Process until smooth.
Transfer to a bowl. Sprinkle with parsley if you want. I also sprinkled with black sesame seeds.

Happy Thanksgiving Day my fellow Canadians!!!!! My Dinner Menu....

This has to be one of my favourite meals EVER. So good. I am so full right now and in my happy place.


Starter
Curried Pumpkin Soup

Main
Pastry Wrapped Portobello Mushrooms with Brown Sauce
Sweet Potato and Apple Gratin
Sesame Stuffed Spaghetti Squash

Dessert
Ginger Molasses Bread with Blueberries, topped with cashew creme


Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!!! And happy eating.

Ginger Molasses Bread with Blueberries and topped with Cashew Creme

The cashew creme is heavenly. So rich and good. Way better then whip cream. The bread is very 'molassesy' and reminds me of ginger bread houses and men. Another great thanksgiving recipe. Family approved.

GINGER MOLASSES BREAD WITH BLUEBERRIES
1 cup warm soy milk
1 tbsp cider vinegar
2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 cornmeal
1/2 cup sugar
1 tbsp ground ginger
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup dark molasses
1/2 cup blueberries

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly oil a loaf pan.
In a small bowl, combine the warm soy milk and vinegar and set aside.
In a large bowl, combine the flour, cornmeal, sugar, ginger, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Mix well.
Add the molasses and the soy milk mixture to the four mixture and stir until the batter is just mixed. Fold in the blueberries and transfer to pan.
Bake until firm and a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean, about 1 hour. Let cool slightly before removing from the pan, then continue to cool on a wire rack before slicing.

CASHEW CREME
1 cup unsalted raw cashews
1/4 cup almond milk
1/4 cup maple syrup
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
Process all ingredients until smooth and creamy, making sure there are no cashew bits. Transfer to a bowl and refrigerate until chilled.

Sesame Stuffed Spaghetti Squash

WOW WOW WOW.  You have to try this one. Amazing and it looks great. Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

SESAME STUFFED SPAGHETTI SQUASH
1 large spaghetti squash
1 tbsp oil
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 medium red bell pepper, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
1 tsp grated fresh ginger
1 medium carrot, grated
1/2 cup frozen peas, thawed
3 tbsp minced fresh cilantro
1/3 cup tahini
3 tbsp shoyu
1 tbsp sesame oil
1/2 cup water
2 tbsp black sesame seeds, for garnish

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Pierce the squash with a fork and place it on ungreased baking sheet. Bake until just tender, about 45 minutes. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool. Lower the oven temperature to 350. Lightly oil a 9 X 13 inch baking pan and set aside.
When the squash is cool enough to handle cut it in half lengthwise and remove the discard the seeds. Use a fork to scoop out the "spaghetti" strands and reserve along with the shells.
In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onion, bell pepper, and garlic. Cover and cook until tender, about 5 minutes. stir in the ginger, carrot, and peas and cook, uncovered, 1 minute longer. Add the reserved squash pulp and cilantro and set aside. Ina small bowl, combine the tahini, shoyu, sesame oil, and water, stirring until well blended. Stir as much of the sauce into the stuffing mixture as needed to moisten. Toss gently to combine.
Spoon the mixture into the squash shells and arrange them in the prepared pan. Cover tightly with foil and bake until hot, about 20 minutes. Drizzle with any remaining sauce and garnish with black sesame seeds.

Sweet Potato and Apple Gratin

Everyone in the family loved this one. Perfect Thanksgiving dish. The combination of yams and apples works very well.

1 cup water
3 tbsp vegan margarine
2 lbs yams, peeled and grated
1 large granny smith apple, peeled and cored, and grated (I used 2 medium granny smith apples)
1 1/2 tbsp light brown sugar
1 tsp ground all spice (I didn't have so I used 1/2 tsp nutmeg)
1 tsp ground cinnamon\1/2 salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground pepper
2 tbsp coarsely ground pecans

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Lightly oil a large gratin dish or 10 inch square baking pan and set aside.
In a large saucepan, bring the water to a boil over high heat. Add 2 tbsp of the margarine, stirring to melt. Add the yams, apple, sugar, allspice, cinnamon, salt and pepper. Mix thoroughly, then spoon the mixture into the gratin dish.
Dot with the remaining margarine. Bake until firm and crisp around the edges, 50 - 60 minutes. During the last 10 minutes of baking, sprinkle with pecans. Serve immediately.

Pastry Wrapped Portobello with Brown Sauce

This recipe tastes good but also looks great. The stuffing inside is great and the brown sauce is amazing. We put the brown sauce on potatoes too.

PASTRY WRAPPED PORTOBELLOS

5 large portobello mushrooms, lightly rinsed and patted dry
2 tbsp olive oil
1 medium bunch of green onions, chopped
1/2 cup finely chopped walnuts
1 tbsp shoyu
1/2 cup dry unseasoned bread crumbs
1/2 tsp dried thyme
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1 sheet frozen puff pastry, thawed

Stem the mushrooms and reserve. Carefully scrape the gills out of the mushrooms and set 4 of the mushroom caps aside. Chop the fifth mushroom and the reserved stems and set aside.
In a large skillet, heat 1 tbsp of the oil over medium heat. Add the chopped mushrooms, green onions, and walnuts, and cook, stirring for 5 minutes. Transfer to a large bowl and set aside to cool.
In the same skillet, heat the remaining 1 tbsp of oil. Add the reserved mushroom caps and cook until they soften slightly.Sprinkle with shoyu and cook until the liquid evaporates. Set aside on paper towels to cool and drain any liquid.
Add the bread crumbs, thyme and salt and pepper to taste to the cooked mushrooms mixture. Mix well, then set aside until completely cool. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
Roll out the puff pastry to make a 5 inch square. Centre each mushroom cap on the pastry square, gill side up. Press 1/4 of the stuffing mixture into each mushroom cap. Fold the pastry over each mushroom to enclose, overlapping slightly. Press the edges together to seal. Set the bundles, seam side down, on a baking sheet. Use a small knife to cut a few small steam vents in the tops of the pastry. Bake until the pastry is golden brown., about 12 minutes. Serve immediately.

BASIC BROWN SAUCE
2 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 cup chopped yellow onion
1/2 cup finely chopped carrots
1/2 cup finely chopped celery
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 cup all purpose flour
2 cups veggy broth
1/4 cup dry red wine
2 tbsp tomato paste
1/2 tsp dried basil
1/2 tsp dried thyme
2 tbsp soy sauce

In a large sauce pan, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onion, carrots, celery,and garlic. Cook, stirring, until softened and lightly browned, about 10 minutes.
Add the flour and stir constantly until the four is absorbed into the oil. Cook for another minute and add 1 cup of the broth.
When the mixture thickens, stir in the remaining 1 cup broth; the wine, tomato paste, basil, thyme, and soy sauce. Stir until the mixture becomes smooth. Cover and simmer over low heat for 10 minutes.
Puree the sauce in the saucepan with an immersion blender. Serve hot.

Curried Pumpkin Soup

This is my new favourite soup. I topped it with roasted cashews and parsley. Very very good.

CURRIED PUMPKIN SOUP
1 tbsp olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
1 tsp fresh grated ginger
1 tbsp hot or mild curry powder
1 tbsp sugar
2 cups pumpkin puree
3 cups vegetable broth
Salt
1 (13oz) can unsweetened coconut milk
1 tbsp minced parsley (garnish)
Chopped roasted cashews (garnish)

In a large soup pot, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and cover and cook until softened, about 7 minutes. Stir in the ginger, curry powder, and sugar and cook for 30 seconds over low heat, stirring constantly. Stir in the pumpkin, broth, and salt to taste and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer, uncovered, until the flavours are blended, about 15 minutes.
Use a hand held blender to puree the soup and season with salt and pepper to taste. Add coconut milk and heat until hot.
Ladle into soup bowls, sprinkle with parsley and cashews and serve.