A vegan thanksgiving menu that everyone will want to try from Jackie Kearney's new book My Vegan Travels.
Macadamia Crumble Pots with squash and chickpeas
To make the crumble topping
120 g/scant 1 cup plain/all-purpose flour
80 g/scant 1 cup jumbo oats
1 teaspoon freshly chopped thyme
80 g/3 oz. vegan ‘margarine’, such as Stork, chopped into pieces
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon white pepper
60 g/ ½ cup macadamia nuts
To make the filling
1 squash, peeled and chopped into 2-cm/3/4-inch cubes
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 small white onion, chopped
400-g/14-oz. can chickpeas/ garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained
1 litre/4 ¼ cups vegetable stock
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
250 g/9 oz. fresh spinach (or 100 g/3. oz. frozen)
1 tablespoon freshly chopped thyme
4 fresh sage leaves, finely chopped
1 teaspoon cornflour/cornstarch
½ –1 teaspoon salt, to taste
½ teaspoon white pepper
1 baking sheet, lightly oiled
5–6 individual pots
Serves 5-6
Preheat the oven to 200ºC (400ºF) Gas 6.
Place the squash on the prepared baking sheet, drizzle over the oil and use your hands to ensure the pieces are well coated. Place in the preheated oven for 20–30 minutes, until it is golden brown with caramelized edges. Remove from the oven and reduce the temperature to 180ºC (350ºF) Gas 4, if you are planning to cook the pots immediately once prepared.
Meanwhile, prepare the crumble topping by placing the flour in a large bowl. Add the oats, thyme, salt and pepper, and mix well. Then add the margarine and, using your hands, rub the fat into the dry mixture to create a crumbly texture. Try to use the tips of your fingers so that the margarine doesn’t go too soft. Roughly chop the macadamia nuts and add to the crumble. Mix well, then set aside. In a large, deep frying pan/skillet or wok, saute the onion for about 10–15 minutes over low heat until soft and translucent. Add the chickpeas/garbanzo beans, stock, mustard, spinach and herbs. Bring to a simmer for a few minutes.
Mix the cornflour/cornstarch in a little water and add to the pan, so that the mixture thickens slightly, then add the roasted squash, salt and pepper. Mix well and then taste to check the level of seasoning.
Fill the individual pots about three-quarters full with the roasted squash filling. Then top with a few tablespoons of the crumble mixture. If preparing in advance, the pots can be chilled or frozen at this stage.
To finish, place the pots on a baking sheet and bake in the preheated oven for 30–40 minutes until the crumble top is golden brown and the filling is starting to bubble underneath.
Savoy-Wrapped Quinoa Roast
1 tablespoon olive oil or coconut butter
1 red onion, diced into 5-mm/ ¼ -inch pieces
½ courgette/zucchini, diced
1 carrot, diced
1 leek, finely sliced
5 chestnut mushrooms, diced
100 g/generous ½ cup quinoa or couscous
750 ml/3 cups vegetable stock
150 g/1 ¼ cups cashews
1 thick slice of wholemeal/ whole-wheat or seeded bread
6 outer leaves from a Savoy cabbage, thick stalk ends trimmed
1 flax 'egg' or egg replacer
120 g/4 oz. silken tofu
1 tablespoon freshly chopped thyme and marjoram (or ½ teaspoon dried herbs)
120 g/4 oz. vegan ‘feta’ or ‘ricotta’ (optional)
salt and white pepper, to taste
loaf pan, oiled
Serves 6
Preheat the oven to 190ºC (375ºF) Gas 5.
Heat the oil or coconut butter in a pan and add the onion, courgette/zucchini, carrot, leek and mushrooms. Cook for 8–10 minutes until soft.
Simmer the quinoa for 4–5 minutes in vegetable stock. Drain and set aside.
Toast the cashews in a dry frying pan/skillet, then bash (or blitz in a food processor) into small pieces.
Avoid over-blitzing the nuts to a powder or you will lose the texture. Blitz the bread into crumbs. Blanche the cabbage leaves for 2 minutes. Set aside.
Mix the vegetables, nuts, breadcrumbs, flax 'egg' and tofu together. Add the fresh or dried herbs and season to taste with salt and white pepper.
Line the loaf pan with the cabbage leaves, using five large leaves to cover the bottom and saving one leaf to seal the top. Half-fill the loaf pan with half of the mixture, firmly pushing it down with the back of a spoon. Crumble the vegan cheese (if using) over the filling, then add the remaining filling on top, again pushing down to create a firm shape.
Fold over the edges of the leaves to cover the top of the roast, and then place the last leaf on top and tuck it into the sides. Cover the pan with foil and place on a baking sheet. Bake in the preheated oven for 15 minutes, then turn over, foil-side down on the baking sheet, and bake for 10–15 minutes more.
Turn it the right way up again and remove the foil lid. Turn it out onto a board and serve.
Pecan Crumble Cookie and Ice-Cream Sarnie
TO MAKE THE COOKIES
180 g/generous 1½ cups pecans, roughly chopped
320 g/2½ cups plain/all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda/baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cornfl our/cornstarch
160 g/5½ oz. coconut oil or vegan butter
150 g/¾ cup soft brown sugar 2 flax ‘eggs’ or egg replacer
½ vanilla pod/bean, seeds scraped (or use ¼ teaspoon vanilla paste)
60 g/2¼ oz. vegan suet
450 g vegan ice-cream
2 baking sheets, lined
SERVES 6
Preheat the oven to 170°C (340°F) Gas 4.
Place the chopped pecans on a baking sheet and put in the oven for approx. 15 minutes until lightly toasted. Set aside.
In a medium bowl, mix together the flour, bicarbonate of soda/ baking soda, cinnamon, salt and cornflour/cornstarch. Then in a large mixing bowl, beat together the coconut oil or vegan butter with the sugar until it’s fluffy, light and creamy. Carefully beat in the flax ‘eggs’ and vanilla, and then add the flour mixture, to make a fairly stiff dough. Add the toasted pecans and suet and mix well.
Wrap the dough in clingfilm/plastic wrap and chill in the fridge for several hours, or overnight is preferable. The longer the chilling, the better the cookie crumbles.
Remove the dough from the fridge and let sit at room temperature for 20–30 minutes. Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F) Gas 4.
Break off chunks of cookie dough and roll into balls, according to the size you prefer. Make 12 balls for large cookies or 20 or so for smaller cookies. Lay on the lined baking sheets leaving plenty of space between the dough balls.
Bake the cookies in the preheated oven for 10–12 minutes, rotating the sheets halfway through, until the cookies are slightly golden brown around the edges. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 5 minutes on the baking sheets. The cookies will deflate slightly as they cool. If they look too puffy, flatten them gently with the back of a spoon. Transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool.
When ready to serve, remove the ice-cream from the freezer and allow to soften slightly for 10–15 minutes. Place a small scoop of ice-cream on a cookie. Spread slightly to ensure it almost reaches the edges. Top the ice-cream with another cookie, and, using your palm, gently press down to create a sandwich. Serve immediately.
For more vegan recipes, check out My Vegan Travels by Jackie Kearney.