Vegetarian for Thanksgiving? It's soooo easy.

In Whole Foods the other day, I saw a Thanksgiving offering by Field Roast that you can slip in to any holiday menu to satisfy - and I mean truly satisfy -  the vegetarian in your guest list. I mean, go ahead with your normal omnivore menu, but serve one of these right along side. Just be careful if you have a true ‘vegan’ attending - since they don’t do dairy or eggs either. But most vegetarians I know - do eggs and dairy.

Now, I could swear that the one I saw was actually called some kind of Turkey Roll, but it really looked yummy, and I would have liked it. Make it and serve with a vegetable broth based gravy, thickened with a roux.

Another thing you could do, is take a couple of those mini pumpkins or fancy squashes - and stuff them with a great mix of whole grain bread, brown rice, cooked barley, nuts, seeds, raisins or dates, dried fruit, celery, onions and other veggies. Why not roasted veggies? Or do an Italian artichoke and tomato sauce theme? Then bake it to tender goodness and serve.

Savory squash stuffed with millet.

Vegan stuffing tips and tricks

Quorn - a pretty yummy meat substitute - also has a turkey loaf type product out.

See, there are options beyond a Tofu Turkey.

How to 'brine' your Thanksgiving turkey for moist, flavorful meat

What to do with roast chicken and turkey leftovers

Leftover roasted poultry offers up a vertible bonanza of possibilities:

Open face hot chicken or turkey sandwiches on whole grain bread, with a bit of gravy and cranberry sauce. Serve with a nice salad.

Hearty turkey or chicken noodle soup.

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Simple, inexpensive dinner tonight

I had some dandy looking carrots, and Mr. Maven had been to Costco and bought far too many apples. Men should not be allowed to go grocery shopping at Costco unsupervised. You wouldn’t believe what my refrigerator looks like.

We both love glazed carrots and putting crisp apples with them just seems right. I make this quite often in the winter months. This time I added a handful of Spanish Marcona almonds, some golden raisens and a nice drizzle of The Ginger People’s Ginger Syrup (available at Whole Foods in the Asian aisle). The seasoning is simply salt, and some of Penzeys’ Tuscan Sunset Seasoning.

I first microwaved the carrots to barley al dente, while cutting up the apple and assembling the other ingredients. Heat your non stick pan before adding a couple tablespoons of canola oil. Simply sautee the apples and carrots for about five minutes, add the almonds and raisens, then the Ginger Syrup. Toss and let cook a few minutes longer until they’re all nicely caramelized and yummy.

There was also a large piece of cooked turkey breast in the meat tray, which I cut up and sauteed with some fresh baby spinach. Seasoning of choice: Penzey’s Ozark Seasoning.

Then I simply heated up some Bush’s Baked Beans. Accompany it with some nice crusty bread and a glass of white wine.

Dinner was on the table in under 20 minutes. Take that Rachel Raye.

Thanksgiving dinner: Easy make ahead turkey gravy

For more flavor, after roasting the turkey you can skim the drippings from the pan and add them to the gravy just before serving. It’s best to discard the strong-tasting liver before using the giblets. This recipe makes enough to accompany a large turkey and still have plenty for leftovers.

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Cooking technique: How to Carve Turkey

Learn to carve a turkey with Professional Chef Gordon Drysdale and Cooking.com

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