The Feast

Friends, I'm sorry for the absence. We've had quite a time here at Casa Vegan Eats & Treats. Our sweet little Snoopy dog had a major back injury (slipped disc) about 10 days ago... he was paralyzed and we had to rush him to a vet about 2 1/2 hours away in the middle of the night for an emergency surgery. The great news is that he's home and seems to be recovering well - though the whole recovery can take at least 6 weeks. So, my energy and attention has been elsewhere ...

Here he is in his pen. In this moment, he is resting on my lap while I type, which is definitely better than crying in his pen! Send him your healing thoughts!

Now that Snoopy is at least well enough to rest on my lap, I've got lots of great blog posts stored up to share, so let's start with Thanksgiving! This year, Snoopy was still at the doggie hospital, so I was really grateful to have so many culinary projects to distract me. Our family dinner is always done potluck-style... everyone brings some part of the meal. I really like that tradition because everyone has something to contribute, and also no one is too stressed out.

As always, I was in charge of the vegetarian entree. We didn't have too many vegetarians at this year's gathering, but two of them (my aunt and her boyfriend) prefer to eat no-sugar, no-salt, no-oil. So, I made a really great Three Sisters Polenta Casserole (from Healthy Hedonist Holidays) - and made 2/3 of it with salt and oil and 1/3 of it in a smaller dish without. The whole plan worked perfectly! The casserole was delicious: butternut squash, pinto beans, chili powders, corn, bell peppers... mmm! Very cozy and autumnal.

I also made a Pumpkinseed Pesto and Ancho Chili - Mole Gravy that went with the casserole, but I forgot to take a separate pic of those.

I also decided to make a Sweet Potato & Chipotle Gratin from Healthy Hedonist Holidays, but honestly, I didn't think it was much of a hit. I thought it was just so-so, and the flavors didn't really come together in a great way. Oh well! It's still always fun to try something new.

It turned out my mom and I BOTH made vegetarian dressing - oops, we should have coordinated! Nonetheless... since when is too much dressing a problem?? :) I made mine, based roughly on this little recipe from years ago - it's got apples and walnuts and sage and thyme. I love it!

Also, I made dessert! Although, weirdly, not many people wanted dessert this year... which was sort of a bummer. But at least it meant more delicious leftovers for us! First, I made a pumpkin pie. I always always use the recipe from Voluptuous Vegan, which is the same one in Vegan Pie In The Sky. I really love pumpkin pie. Also, it turns out that pumpkin pie is really a delicious breakfast the next day.

And - finally - I made an Apple-Pear-Quince Galette with orange zest and dark rum. SO GOOD. I got this recipe years ago from a magazine (though I added the quince), and over the years I tweak it a little this way or a little that way. It is just absolutely gorgeous and delicious. And, also very good for breakfast.

Here's my whole plate - (now you can see the mole gravy and pumpkin seed pesto) - compete with garlic mashed potatoes, my mom's delicious cranberry sauce, and all the fixin's. Plus, there was a giant salad that I enjoyed for my 2nd course.

I hope you had a great Thanksgiving. Truly, one of the things I am most grateful for is the joy of being a vegan and the wonderful friendships I have formed through the online vegan community. Thanks for reading my little blog!!! :)