Monday, November 20, 2006

Thankfully...

...I've made something to post! The past couple of weeks have been kind of hectic and I've made nothing worth posting. The good thing is that I've been getting aquainted with the gym in my office. The bad thing is that we've been eating a lot of boring food lately.

Since M and I are going our separate ways for the holiday, we thought it would be nice if we did a pre-Thanksgiving feast. I toyed with the idea of a Tofurkey, but they're kind of pricey and well...I've heard some mixed reviews. I decided that since we won't be home, we should just use up what we have in the fridge/pantry and make something wonderful out of what we had.

The Menu

Stuffed Tofu
I used the idea from Susan's post and just stuffed with a different filling and used a different marinade. I think the only thing that remained the same was the tofu and method of preparation.

I marinated my tofu with a little water, a spoonful of Vegebase some thyme, garlic bay leaves and a little sesame oil.

Quinoa Stuffing
I love quinoa. I like it better than rice even, so I thought it would be great as stuffing. Here's what went into mine.

4 cloves garlic, minced
4-6 scallions, snipped
3 ribs celery, finely chopped
2-3 medium carrots, finely chopped
2 cups veggie broth (I used water mixed with Vegebase)
1 tsp thyme
1 tsp fennel seeds
1 cup quinoa

Saute veggies until they start to soften slightly (about 5-7 minutes). Add broth and quinoa and bring to boil. Lower heat and simmer until most liquid is evaporated.

Cranberry Sauce
Easier than easy, here's how I make mine.

1 cup fresh cranberries
1 cup orange juice
1/4-1/5 cup sugar

Set it to boil and then reduce to low. Let it cook until most of the liquid has evaporated and it starts to look like jelly. :) It took mine about an hour... Keep it covered for maximum effect.

Roasted Broccolini
I had a pound of broccolini in the fridge that might have been wasted had I not made use of it! All I did was wash it, trim the ends and throw it into a foil pouch and into a 350 degree oven for about 20-30 minutes. It took the same about of time as baking the tofu with the stuffing, coincidentally enough...

Lemon Garlic Broccoli
We had some leftover steamed broccoli, so I just quickly sauted in a pan with a little Earth Balance, some fresh lemon (I used the juice from one small lemon), garlic and dried Italian seasoning. Yum!

Herb & Garlic Beer (cider, actually) Rolls
This was a mix that I have had forever. No really. I am almost positive I got it at the Duty Free Shop the last time I went to Canada on the way home and I was trying to use up the rest of my Canadian currency so I bought random things there. I love the Duty Free shop...they sell the most random things there (mostly maple syrup, tshirts and alcohol, but still). I decided that the mix should be used, so I mixed the dry stuff with some Magner's (I had no beer, only cider) and baked it in a muffin tin instead of a loaf pan. I'm really not much for white flour, but I knew these would find a place in M's heart (he ate two with dinner). The cider with the herbs and the garlic made a great combo.

And here it is all plated!




I'll be doing a lot of cooking for the holiday, so stay tuned! :)

20 comments:

Mary Worrell said...

Everything looks so good!

Anonymous said...

I love the fact that the broccoli and broccolini takes up most of the plate! Veggies rock.

Candi said...

Awesome job!! I loved Susan's stuffed tofu blog and hope to make it myself. I like that quinoa idea too! (such good stuff!)

wheresmymind said...

Despite not being a vegetarian...those look like some yummy plates of food!

bazu said...

Yum, yum, and more yum! I'm desperately trolling the blogs looking for last minute Thanksgiving ideas. I love broccolini so much.
And, hey, great minds DO think alike- I love duty-free shops too! Sometimes I think it's the coolest thing about driving to Canada. hee hee.

aTxVegn said...

Where's the pies?!!! Just kidding (sort of). Wonderful looking meal. Broccoli AND broccolini - yum! I prefer quinoa over rice too.

Happy Thanksgiving!

laura k said...

Delicious! Lots of work, but delicious! I bet the quinoa made a great stuffing.

jess (of Get Sconed!) said...

Gorgeous sounding and looking.

Dori said...

No tofurkey, what you have going on here looks so colorful and appetizing I would be thankful for a little. I'll finally have the opportunity to cook up a little food tommorrow - yeah! (I've missed my kitchen)

Anonymous said...

i was missing your post! i want some of your food now lol. great post.

bazu said...

Hey! I just came back to say have a great time in Vegas! I can't wait to hear about it when you get back. =)

Anonymous said...

oh - I think quinoa in stuffing is a great idea. I love the flavour.

Carrie™ said...

Such a colourful meal. Everything looks delicious. I can't wait to see what you post for your holiday cooking. I will be staying tuned!

Mikaela said...

A gym in your office? You are *so* lucky.

:) Mikaela

Vicki's Vegan Vice said...

nikki, this looks so great & i agree about the quinoa - major yum!

urban vegan said...

Your picture makes me wish I'd stayed home for Thanksgiving....at least to eat some yummy vegan treats.

MeloMeals said...

Your feast looks amazing!

Anonymous said...

The food looks so delicious. I just love broccolini. Yummy!!!!The quinoa stuffing sounds fab. I'll have to try it!!!!

theONLYtania said...

You are back! That's great about the gym too :-) The dogs are sooo cute! I want a purse dog hehe.
Those muffins look great.. it's weird that whenever I make food that I see other people make on their blogs, mine never looks the same haha.
It's so neat looking out there in the desert, was it warm this time of year? Good luck with the macrobiotic thing.. I'm not exactly sure what that is.

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