Does any one have any good ideas for a vegetarian main dish for Thanksgiving dinner that children will like.?!
I made this for Halloween and not having been a Vegetarian for long myself I wasn't certain how I would feel. But it was very enjoyable and not that difficult.
‘Chicken’ and Mushroom Duxelle en Cro?te
For the Mushroom Duxelle:
1/2 cup vegan margarine (try Earth Balance brand)
4 Tbsp. chopped shallots
2 fresh garlic cloves, minced
1 lb. fresh assorted mushrooms, chopped
Dry white wine sufficient to deglaze
1 1/2 Tbsp. chopped fresh parsley
1/2 tsp. chopped fresh rosemary
1 1/2 tsp. chopped fresh thyme
Salt and pepper, to taste
3/4 cup soy milk
? In a heavy sauté pan, melt the margarine and sauté the shallots for 3 to 4 minutes. Add the garlic and sauté until lightly browned.
? Add the mushrooms and sauté for 10 minutes, stirring frequently, then reduce the heat and simmer until all the moisture has evaporated. Deglaze the pan with the white wine.
? Add the parsley, rosemary, thyme, salt, and pepper and continue to simmer for 1 to 2 minutes. Add the soy milk and stir until incorporated. Adjust the seasonings. Allow to reduce, stirring frequently, until thickened enough to be used as a filling.
For the Mirepoix:
2 Tbsp. vegan margarine
1/2 cup diced onion
1/4 cup diced celery
1/4 cup diced carrots
1 lb. vegan chicken strips, chopped (try Morningstar Farms Meal Starters Chik’n Strips)
Salt and pepper, to taste
? Melt the margarine in a small saucepan over medium-low heat and cook the vegetables, stirring often, for about 5 minutes. Stir in the vegan chicken.
? Continue cooking until the vegetables are tender but not browned. Season with the salt and pepper and set aside.
To Assemble:
1 box puff pastry sheets
1 Tbsp. vegan margarine, melted
? Preheat the oven to 350°F.
? Lay out a sheet of puff pastry on a lightly greased baking sheet. Spread the mushroom duxelle on top, leaving the edges clean. Top with the mirepoix, then roll up and transfer to a lightly greased baking sheet, seam side down.
? Spread the melted margarine over the top. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, until lightly browned.
Makes 4 servings
I used Soy Gluten with Shiitake Mushrooms 8oz package from Havista instead of the fake chicken strips.. found it at my local Chinese Market. Also I didn't have all the herbs but added more thyme.
It turned out excellent and reminded me somewhat like a mushroom meat stuffing pastry dish. Liked it so much I'm going to make again for Thanksgiving.. or might wait until Christmas. But definitely again. Also made Creamy Chive Mashed Potatoes, Sweet Potatoe Pie and a few others from the site I've provided!
Everything was delicious!
Answers: Yes..
I made this for Halloween and not having been a Vegetarian for long myself I wasn't certain how I would feel. But it was very enjoyable and not that difficult.
‘Chicken’ and Mushroom Duxelle en Cro?te
For the Mushroom Duxelle:
1/2 cup vegan margarine (try Earth Balance brand)
4 Tbsp. chopped shallots
2 fresh garlic cloves, minced
1 lb. fresh assorted mushrooms, chopped
Dry white wine sufficient to deglaze
1 1/2 Tbsp. chopped fresh parsley
1/2 tsp. chopped fresh rosemary
1 1/2 tsp. chopped fresh thyme
Salt and pepper, to taste
3/4 cup soy milk
? In a heavy sauté pan, melt the margarine and sauté the shallots for 3 to 4 minutes. Add the garlic and sauté until lightly browned.
? Add the mushrooms and sauté for 10 minutes, stirring frequently, then reduce the heat and simmer until all the moisture has evaporated. Deglaze the pan with the white wine.
? Add the parsley, rosemary, thyme, salt, and pepper and continue to simmer for 1 to 2 minutes. Add the soy milk and stir until incorporated. Adjust the seasonings. Allow to reduce, stirring frequently, until thickened enough to be used as a filling.
For the Mirepoix:
2 Tbsp. vegan margarine
1/2 cup diced onion
1/4 cup diced celery
1/4 cup diced carrots
1 lb. vegan chicken strips, chopped (try Morningstar Farms Meal Starters Chik’n Strips)
Salt and pepper, to taste
? Melt the margarine in a small saucepan over medium-low heat and cook the vegetables, stirring often, for about 5 minutes. Stir in the vegan chicken.
? Continue cooking until the vegetables are tender but not browned. Season with the salt and pepper and set aside.
To Assemble:
1 box puff pastry sheets
1 Tbsp. vegan margarine, melted
? Preheat the oven to 350°F.
? Lay out a sheet of puff pastry on a lightly greased baking sheet. Spread the mushroom duxelle on top, leaving the edges clean. Top with the mirepoix, then roll up and transfer to a lightly greased baking sheet, seam side down.
? Spread the melted margarine over the top. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, until lightly browned.
Makes 4 servings
I used Soy Gluten with Shiitake Mushrooms 8oz package from Havista instead of the fake chicken strips.. found it at my local Chinese Market. Also I didn't have all the herbs but added more thyme.
It turned out excellent and reminded me somewhat like a mushroom meat stuffing pastry dish. Liked it so much I'm going to make again for Thanksgiving.. or might wait until Christmas. But definitely again. Also made Creamy Chive Mashed Potatoes, Sweet Potatoe Pie and a few others from the site I've provided!
Everything was delicious!
Lasagna
There's a good recipe for stuffed acorn squash in the original Moosewood cookbook, but that might not look appetizing to a kid. You could modify it into more of a casserole by cutting the squash into chunks without the skin and baking it with the stuffing over the top. It;s a little sweet, which might be appealing.
Last year I made a Quorn roast, which can be sliced up just like turkey and smothered in vegetarian gravy. I don't think it's vegan, so I have to come up with something new for myself this year, but kids might like it because it looks "normal." And anything that you can drown in gravy and smoosh into mashed potatoes is at least relatively kid-friendly.
There is veggie turkey! It looks somewhat normal! Internet searches really help. Have you visited peta2.com???
Tofurkey! It's really good
stuffed tomatoes or bell pepers are really good.
You can always have a tofurky or just tofu it's self.
or you can go with the traditional veggie lasagna.
I've never tried Tofurkey, so my Thanksgiving "main dishes" are often just larger portions of yummy side dishes, but it never seems inadequate (and they are vegetarian versions of things I really enjoyed as a child, so they should be kid-friendly, too).
Things that are probably already vegetarian: cranberry sauce/salad; mashed potatoes; green beans (not cooked with bacon/ham, of course, but that is an easy modification); whatever bread you're having.
Things that can be made vegetarian with good results: dressing!! (Don't stuff it in a turkey, obviously, just use vegetable broth instead of chicken, and if you are avoiding eggs, leave them out or use an egg replacer); dumplings (same thing -- cook them in vegetable broth/stock, and most recipes don't call for eggs/milk anyway).
If you're looking for a more substantial "main dish," I once brought Tamale Pie (kind of like chili with a cornbread topping) to a Thanksgiving dinner to share and it went over well with everyone, while being perfectly substantial as a main dish for the veg-heads. Here is a link to the recipe that I used: http://vegweb.com/index.php?topic=6117.0... You could omit the green chilis to keep the spice level down for the kids, if you think they would prefer it that way, and I omitted the egg replacer altogether, if that would make it easier for you.
Hope you have a successful veggie Thanksgiving!