We love to do a big Thanksgiving the only way it should be done: vegan!
One of our favorite mushrooms, the mighty maitake, returns in this spread as the centerpiece. Za’atar spice blend combines classic Thanksgiving flavors with Middle Eastern nuances to surprise the palate. The maitakes are accompanied by a flavorful dressing, savory gravy, and sweet and tangy cranberry sauce for a deliciously healthy plant-powered Thanksgiving!
This is really 4 recipes. None of them are hard or time consuming on their own, but 4 dishes is still 4 dishes, so grab a friend or family member and dive in!
The best plan of action is to pit and soak the dates for the cranberry sauce while you make the cornbread. Once the cornbread is in the oven, make the cranberry sauce and set it aside to cool. Then work on the dressing, gravy, and maitakes.
Takes: 2 Hours
Makes: 8 Servings
Cornbread (all of the cornbread is used as an ingredient in the Dressing below):
1 cup unsweetened plant-based milk (we used Oatly)
1 tsp apple cider vinegar
1 cup cornmeal
½ cup all-purpose flour (or GF all-purpose flour)
2 tsp baking powder
½ tsp salt
3 Tbsp avocado oil + a little more to oil the skillet
Method:
Preheat oven to 350. Lightly coat a small cast iron skillet with avocado oil. Combine milk and apple cider vinegar, and set aside. In a medium bowl, combine cornmeal, flour, baking powder, and salt. Stir in oil and milk & vinegar mixture. Pour into skillet. Bake 40-45 minutes, until cornbread is golden brown on the bottom and can be easily lifted out of the pan in one piece.
Set aside to cool.
Dressing:
1 Tbsp ground flax seed
2 ½ Tbsp water
6 Tbsp vegan butter, divided
1 cup celery, chopped fine
1 cup yellow onion, chopped fine
1 clove garlic, minced
1 cup sprouted wheat bread or GF bread
Cornbread (see above recipe)
1 tsp salt
1 tsp dried parsley
1 tsp dried sage
1 tsp dried thyme
½ tsp dried marjoram
½ tsp dried rosemary
¼ tsp nutmeg
¼ tsp pepper
1 ½ cup vegetable broth
Method:
Combine flax and water. Set aside. Melt 4 Tbsp butter in a medium saucepan. Cook celery, onion, and garlic in butter 5-10 minutes till tender and lightly browned. Turn off heat. Crumble wheat bread or GF bread and all cornbread into the pan. Add salt, parsley, sage, thyme, marjoram, rosemary, nutmeg, and pepper. Stir in flax & water mixture. Stir in vegetable broth. Pour into 8 x 8 baking dish and bake at 350 for 45 minutes. Brush the top with 2 Tbsp melted butter and bake 15-20 more minutes until lightly browned.
Cranberry sauce:
1 12 oz package of cranberries
1 cup pitted medjool dates, soaked for 1 hour
4 cardamom pods
1 tsp cardamom powder
Juice and zest of 2 mandarin oranges
1 cup water
1 sprig of mint for garnish (optional)
Method:
Combine all ingredients except mint in a pot and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium and stir and smash until well combined, about 10 minutes. (Hint: use a potato masher while stirring for great results.)
Shiitake gravy:
¼ cup vegan butter
1 cup chopped yellow onion
1 clove garlic, cut into 4 pieces
2 cups chopped shiitakes
5 sage leaves
1 Tbsp fresh thyme leaves
1 tsp fresh rosemary leaves
½ tsp salt
½ tsp pepper
½ tsp dried marjoram
¼ tsp nutmeg
2 Tbsp nutritional yeast
2 ½ cups vegetable broth
Method:
Melt butter in a medium saucepan. Add onion, garlic, and shiitakes, and cook over medium heat for 5 minutes. Add sage, thyme, and rosemary and cook 5 minutes. Stir in salt, pepper, marjoram, nutmeg, nutritional yeast, and vegetable broth. Turn off heat and blend with an immersion blender till smooth. (If an immersion blender isn’t available, let the mixture cool, put into a blender, and blend thoroughly. Return to the pan.) Turn up heat and cook 10 minutes or so until the gravy is thickened and reduced.
Maitakes:
2 lbs maitake mushrooms
4 Tbsp za’atar spice blend
1 tsp avocado oil
Salt to taste
Microgreens for garnish
2 cast iron pans of equal size (or 1 cast iron pan and a brick or 2 wrapped in tinfoil)
Method:
Cut ½ inch or so off the bottom of the maitakes, leaving enough stem for the tops to stay connected. Sprinkle a generous coating of spice blend over the mushrooms. Coat the bottom of a cast iron pan with oil and place over medium-high heat. When pan is hot, add the mushrooms. Use the Wicked Healthy mushroom pressing technique by placing the other cast iron pan (or brick wrapped in foil) on top of the mushrooms. Cook with the pan on the mushrooms for 3 minutes. Flip the mushrooms, sprinkle on more spice blend, and press with the pan again; cook with the pan on the mushrooms for 3 minutes. Repeat this 2 more times for a total of 4 3-minute rounds (12 minutes total). Depending on the size of your pan it may take a few batches. Sprinkle with salt to taste. Place on a plate and garnish with microgreens.
Place all the dishes on the table and enjoy!