Thanksgiving Dinner (A Little Early)

On Thanksgiving Day, if we get-together with the family, we usually bring a nontraditional dish like burritos or a pasta bake. But before the actual day, we enjoy several Thanksgiving themed meals. Vegan.com always posts an amazing looking spread from Robin Robertson. Here's what we had last night.

Seitan en Croute, Garlic Smashers, Roasted Asparagus and Madeira Sauce

The Seitan en Croute is surprisingly easy to make and can be prepared ahead of time except for the baking. The Madeira Sauce is rich and multi-layered. I can eat it off a spoon and be quite happy, but when it's with the seitan and the Garlic Smashers, it's almost transportive. Roasted Asparagus is one of our go-to sides, and it's great paired with the seitan. There are a few roasted carrots nestled by the mashed potatoes, too. This is elegant, easy, wonderfully delicious and would be appropriate for any celebration. I'm already planning to make the Seitan en Croute again for either Christmas or New Year's Eve. And maybe Valentine's Day, or whenever I want to show people how well we eat as vegans. Really, that Seitan en Croute makes me want to have omni guests for a dinner party. Besides these recipes, there are several others over at Vegan.com such as Triple Cranberry Relish and Rum-Spiked Sweet Potatoes with Pomegranate Pecans. For dessert, how about Ginger-Dusted Pumpkin Cheezecake?

Most of these recipes are from Robin's new book, 1000 Vegan Recipes. If you decide to buy it through Amazon, it would be great if you did so through the Vegan.com page to help keep that site going strong.

For more terrific recipe links, check out the list over at Your Vegan Mom. At the top of her list is this e-book from Nava Atlas, A Bountiful Vegan Thanksgiving. The book features recipes from some favorite vegan authors such as Isa Chandra Moskowitz, Dynise Balcavage, Bryanna Clark Grogan and others. The fact that the proceeds benefit some wonderful charities makes the book even more awesome. I keep flipping through my copy trying to decide what to make first.

And... the book contest winner is #4. Congratulations, Vegyogini! Please email me your mailing address so I can get Sweet Utopia in the mail to you. I look forward to seeing what you make with it. Thank you to the Book Publishing Company for making these book contest giveaways happen. Stay tuned for another one soon.