Thanksgiving :: Leslie Durso

Archive for Thanksgiving

Swiss Chard Puffs

By Leslie · Comments (4) · November 21st, 2012

Need a super easy fabulous appetizer for your Fall get together? Well, I’ve got one that’s simple, easy, and very tasty! Love the combo of the chard and cashews! When I came up with these I was actually going to use a different nut and when I saw cashews sitting there, I said, why not give those a try!? So glad I did! I hope you enjoy!

Swiss Chard Puffs

What you’ll need:

2 sheets of puff pastry, defrosted

1 lb. swiss chard, chopped

1/4 cup halved or roughly chopped unsalted cashews

salt and pepper to taste

What you’ll do:

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.

On a floured cutting board, lay out the puff pastry and cut into 2 1/2 to 3 inch squares and lay on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper.

In a frying pan, saute the swiss chard in a little olive oil. After about 2 minutes, add in the cashews. Season with salt and pepper to taste. When the chard is soft, dollop a spoonful of chard mix onto the center of each puff pastry square.

Bake for 10-15 minutes or until the puff pastry “puffs” and turns golden. Serve warm

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Categories : Appetizers, featured, recipes, Thanksgiving, Vegan

Vegan Pumpkin Pie with Chocolate Crust and Coconut Whipped Cream

By Leslie · Comments (7) · November 15th, 2012

Hard to believe this velvety rich pumpkin pie is eggless but it is! To add to the decadence, I used Hail Merry chocolate macaroons for the crust, but you could easily substitute with your own cookie crust or traditional pie crust.

Vegan Pumpkin Pie with Coconut Whipped Cream

Makes 1 10 inch pie

For the pie:

1 3.5 oz. package of Hail Merry chocolate macaroons

29 oz. can of pumpkin or roasted pureed pumpkin

2 cup plain soy or almond milk

1 cup of sugar

1/4 cup corn starch

2 tsp. ground cinnamon

1 tsp. ground ginger

1 tsp. salt

For the coconut whipped cream:

1 15 oz. can of coconut cream (I like Trader Joe’s brand)

3 Tbsp. powdered sugar

1/2 tsp. vanilla

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

Press the macaroons in a 9 inch pie pan evenly.

Using a hand mixer, blend the pumpkin, milk, sugar, cornstarch, and spices until very smooth. Pour into the pie crust and cover the crust with foil. Bake for 60 minutes.

For the coconut whipped cream:

Refrigerate the can for 6 hours or overnight. Open the can and scoop out all the white solid “stuff” and place in a mixing bowl. Whip with the powdered sugar and vanilla until it light and fluffy.

Comments (7)

Categories : Desserts, featured, gluten free, recipes, Thanksgiving, Vegan

Can-Free, Dairy-Free Green Bean Casserole

By Leslie · Comments (3) · November 15th, 2012

Green Bean Casserole is a staple on so many Thanksgiving tables, but who needs cans when you can make it fresh? This recipe is super easy and so much more tasty when made from scratch.

Green Bean Casserole

Serves 8

1 1/2 fresh green beans, washed, trimmed, and cut into 2 inch pieces

3 tbsp. butter substitute like Earth Balance

4 oz. mushrooms, chopped

1/2 onion, finely diced

2 garlic, diced

1 tbsp. flour

1 cup plain soy milk

1/4 tsp. nutmeg

salt and pepper

1 vidalia onion, halved and sliced

4 tbsp. flour

a pinch of paprika

a pinch of cayenne

Mix the flour, paprika, and cayenne in a bowl and toss the onion slices in. In a frying pan, heat a inch of oil on high. Shake the excess flour off the onions and fry in batches quickly until golden then let sit on a paper towel to absorb oil.

Steam the green beans until soft, but still crunchy (you’re going to bake them so they will cook more), set aside.

In a sauce pot, on medium heat, melt the butter and add the mushrooms, onion and garlic. Saute until the onion is soft and translucent. Add the flour and nutmeg and stir continuously until it becomes a paste like consistency and tan colored. Carefully add the soy milk and continue to stir continuously. Toss the green beans in the sauce and pour into a casserole dish. Top with the crispy onions, cover with foil and bake for 15 minutes on 350 degrees.

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Categories : featured, recipes, Thanksgiving, Vegan

Creamed Spinach Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms

By Leslie · Comments (2) · November 14th, 2012

My Grandmother’s Creamed Spinach is a legendary staple on my family’s Thanksgiving table (and very non-vegan lol!). I tried my hardest to veganize her recipe and this is the closest I could get… Grandma’s recipe calls for cream of mushroom soup and since I clearly wasn’t using a canned dairy-based soup, I thought, why don’t I just put it in a mushroom? Voila! I hope you enjoy!

Creamed Spinach Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms

Makes 24 mushrooms

24 mushrooms, I used “stuffing” mushrooms which are medium size portobellos

3 tbsp. butter substitute like Earth Balance

1/2 onion, finely diced

2 garlic, diced

1 tbsp. flour

1 cup plain soy milk

1 1/2 lb fresh spinach, chopped

1/4 tsp. nutmeg

salt and pepper

Place the chopped spinach in a large frying pan. Do not turn on the heat. In a sauce pot, on medium heat, melt the butter and add the onion and garlic. Saute until the onion is soft and translucent. Add the flour and stir continuously until it becomes a paste like consistency and tan colored. Carefully add the soy milk, and nutmeg, and continue to stir continuously. When the flour is dissolved pour the sauce over the spinach in the frying pan. Turn the pan on medium heat and toss until the spinach has wilted.

Scoop the spinach mixture into the mushrooms and place on a cookie sheet. Bake at 350 for 15-20 minutes. Serve warm.

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Categories : Appetizers, featured, recipes, Thanksgiving, Vegan, Vegetables: Mushrooms, Vegetables: Spinach

Wild Mushroom Gravy

By Leslie · Comments (1) · November 6th, 2012

Mashed potatoes without gravy is like me without my puppy Pepe. Not the same! Coming up with an equally yummy vegan version of this rich and deep wild mushroom gravy that’s been a fave on my family’s Thanksgiving table for years was not so easy. But this gravy will have vegans and meaties alike calling ‘pass the gravy’ all dinner long!

Wild Mushroom Gravy

Serves 4 – 6

What you’ll need:

1 small to medium onion, halved and diced

2 cloves of garlic, minced

2 tbsp. butter substitute like Earth Balance

1 medium portobello mushroom, chopped

4 oz. wild mushrooms, sliced (these could be crimini, shitake, oyster or whatever you like)

2 tbsp. flour (for gluten free, just use more cornstarch)

1 tbsp. cornstarch

1 1/2 cups vegetable broth

2 tbsp. soy sauce

salt and pepper to taste

What you’ll do:

In a large frying pan, on medium low heat, melt the butter and add in the onions, portobello mushrooms and garlic. Add a pinch of salt. Saute for about 2 minutes. Add the wild mushrooms and saute for another couple minutes. Add the flour and mix until dissolved.

Add in the vegetable broth and cornstarch. Stir to dissolve all the cornstarch. Let cook for another couple minutes and add the soy sauce. Taste and season.

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Categories : featured, recipes, Side Dishes, Thanksgiving, Vegan, Vegetables: Mushrooms

Quinoa Stuffed Sweet Potatoes

By Leslie · Comments (42) · November 6th, 2012

It’s Fall!! Well, sort of… Here in Southern California where the temperatures are said to reach the 90′s this week it hardly feels like mid October! But none-the-less I wanted to share with you a super easy and fabulous Fall recipe I whipped up the other night when some friends came over for dinner. This would make a perfect protein substitution for Thanksgiving or a fabulous side dish for those veggies and gluten-free’s coming over for dinner. I hope you enjoy as much as we did

Quinoa Stuffed Sweet Potatoes

Serves 8

What you’ll need:

4 sweet potatoes

1 cup quinoa

2 cups vegetable broth

1 tbsp. butter substitute like Earth Balance

1 tbsp. olive oil

1 small onion, diced

2 cups kale, broken into 1 inch pieces

1/2 cup toasted slivered almonds

1/4 cup (plus) dried cranberries

salt and pepper

What you’ll do:

Bake the sweet potatoes in a 350 degree oven for 1 hours or until fork tender. While they are cooking, make your filling. Cook the quinoa in the vegetable broth. And while that is cooking, saute the onion in the butter and olive oil with a pinch of salt until soft. Add in the kale, almonds, and cranberries and saute until the kale is soft, about 3 minutes. Add the finished quinoa to the frying pan and mix together.

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Categories : Entrees, featured, gluten free, Quinoa, recipes, Thanksgiving, Vegan

Creamy Mashed Potatoes

By Leslie · Comments (1) · October 30th, 2012

Thanksgiving is on it’s way! I’ve been cooking up a storm of new recipes and when I thought about which one to post first, I thought I’d start with one of the ultimate staples that will probably appear on every American table. Mashed potatoes. You have to love them, they are the foundation on which you can pile just about everything lol! So here is how I make mine

Creamy Mashed Potatoes

Serves 4

1 lb. potatoes (I like a 50/50 combo of yukon gold and red potatoes)

4 tbsp. butter alternative (like Earth Balance)

1/4-3/4 cup plain soy milk

salt and pepper to taste

What you’ll do:

Boil the potatoes with the skin on in salted water until fork tender, about 25 minutes depending on the size of your potatoes. Drain and peel if you are not fond of the skins. I personally peel about half of them cause I like a little skin Place the potatoes back in the pot or a large bowl with the “butter”. Mash with a potato masher and add the soy milk a 1/4 cup at a time until you get your desired consistency. Today it took about 1/2 cup. Add salt and pepper to taste and serve immediately.

Helpful tips & ideas:

- If you like your potatoes extra smooth, you can use a hand mixer. Just be sure to not raise the power above medium. If you whip them on high the potatoes will become “gluey” and gross.

- Feel free to stir in ingredients! Mashed potatoes are delicious with sauteed leeks stirred in or chopped green onions.

- One of my favorite things is using half sweet potatoes and half yukon gold potatoes, they turn out amaaaazing! Def give it a try!

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xoxo

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Categories : featured, gluten free, recipes, Side Dishes, Thanksgiving, Vegan, Vegetables: Potatoes

Vegan Creamy Butternut Squash Soup

By Leslie · Comments (0) · October 24th, 2012

I don’t know about you, but I love that it’s finally Fall in Southern California! Right around this time, I start to freeze and jar seasonal fruits and veggies to store up for wintertime so I can make delicious soups like this. Here’s a fun video on Dasani Facebook page showing you how!

Enjoy my easy-peasy Creamy Corn & Butternut Squash Soup – great as a make-ahead meal or a yummy Thanksgiving soup. By the way, the longer it sits the better the flavor develops.

Creamy Corn and Butternut Squash Soup
Serves 4
What you’ll need:
1 medium onion, diced
2 cloves of garlic, chopped
1 large butternut squash (about 1 lb.), peeled and diced
3 cobs of corn, kernels removed
4 cups vegetable broth
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper (or more if you like the heat)
Salt and Pepper to taste

What you’ll do:
Drizzle about 1/4 cup olive oil in a large pot and set heat on medium. Add in the onions and toss. When they get soft after a couple minutes, add in the squash and garlic and a big pinch of salt and pepper. Stir and let sit while you take the kernels off the corn. Add the corn from 3 of the cobs to the pot along with the broth. Let simmer for 20-30 minutes or until the squash is tender.
Very carefully, transfer the soup to a blender and in batches puree and return to the pot. Season with the cinnamon and cayenne. Taste and season as necessary. Keep the soup on low heat.
Serve warm and you can swirl with some vegan yoghurt if you want to be fancy

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Categories : Dasani ECOmmunity, featured, gluten free, recipes, Soup, Thanksgiving, Vegan

Apple Pot Pie

By Leslie · Comments (2) · November 22nd, 2011

How is a girl suppose to reinvent one of the best desserts ever? Last night, I was thinking of all sorts of different ways to spin the classic apple pie. Because I love individual size desserts so much, I decided to make personal apple pot pies. They turned out pretty cute and I think they would be a super fun way to try something a little different this Thanksgiving without changing the classic too much. I used my Mom’s famous apple pie recipe and one cup ramekins for the perfect serving size.

Apple Pot Pies

Serves 6

What you’ll need:

1 packaged vegan pie crust or my favorite recipe from The Joy of Baking

Apple Filling:

1 cup sugar

1/3 cup all-purpose flour

½ tsp. nutmeg

1 tsp. cinnamon

Dash of salt

8 cups thinly sliced pared tart apples

3 tbsp. butter substitute like Earth Balance

Heat oven to 400 degrees.

Prepare pastry dough.

In a large bowl, stir together sugar, flour, nutmeg, cinnamon and salt. Mix with cut apples.

Divide the apples up into the ramekins filling them as high as you can. Then dot them with butter.

Cut circles out of your dough and cover the apples. Make slits in the crust to allow steam to escape. Bake for 20 minutes or until crust is beautifully golden.

I prefer to serve these guys warm, but room temp is also fine.

Enjoy!

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Categories : Desserts: Pie, recipes, Thanksgiving, Vegan

Thanksgiving

By Leslie · Comments (1) · November 17th, 2010

Ok, guys, Thanksgiving is upon us and it's time to get those menu's planned, that decor done, the wine a flowing! (or cider!)

So, there are some great recipe ideas that I have already posted, but this week and next I'm going to supply all sorts of really great ideas for making your Thanksgiving fantastic!

Here are some of my favorite Thanksgiving recipes I've already posted:

Popovers

Bowtie Pasta Crunchies

Pumpkin Dip

Mixed Green Salad with Honey Mustard Vinaigrette

Creamy Butternut Squash and Corn Soup

Cauliflower Couscous

Yummy Warm Quinoa

Twice Baked Potatoes

Buttermilk Mashed Potatoes

Cauliflower Mash

Mushroom Gravy