The potato salad was easy enough to prepare and make. The night before Thanksgiving, I prepped the potatoes by peeling and cubing them and then placing them in a large bowl with cold water. After that, I placed the bowl in the refrigerator and left it there overnight. This removes the starchiness from the potatoes, which is a tip I learned from Alton Brown's show "Good Eats." I love that show because Alton explains the how and why of cooking. Definitely helpful for an amateur cook like me. For the vegan mayonnaise called for in this recipe, I used Original Vegenaise, which is a really great substitute for real mayonnaise. It has the same texture as the real thing, but it's non-dairy and cholesterol-free. It also tastes like the real thing, so there's no love lost for mayonnaise. My boyfriend and I liked the way the potato salad tasted since it was light enough on our stomachs, but my family wasn't too fond of it because they were used to my mom's way of making it, which is thick enough to serve as an actual meal. It's tough competing with my mom's cooking.
For the turkey, I went with Quorn's Turk'y Roast after reading reviews that said it's the best turkey substitute available. I purchased this at Simply Food a couple of weeks ago when they had a 15% sale off all their groceries and frozen food items. When you open it, you'll find that it's a small log that should be enough for 2-3 people. The box has instructions on the side on how to prepare it and I just followed those instructions to the T. I did have to make my own turkey dry rub which was easy enough to make. I loved how it only needed to be in the oven for an hour! I actually made this right before feasting time so that we could eat it when it was nice and hot. I also added some veggies in there just so the turk'y roast wouldn't feel so lonely. My boyfriend and I ate majority of the turk'y, but my family did try it as well and we all agreed it tasted like turkey. It tasted so much like turkey I wished I had made some gravy just to give it more juiciness.
The vegan bibingka was the real winner for the day. I took the recipe from Filipino Cooking Abroad by Eleanor Laquian and Irene Sobrevinas. It's actually my sister's ancient-looking cookbook, but she was nice enough to lend it to me. The only things I had to substitute in the recipe were the grated cheese, butter, and eggs. For the cheese and butter, I used Daiya Cheddar Style Shreds and Earth Balance Original Buttery Spread, which I've blogged about before here. I went with Ener-G Egg Replacer (which I purchased at Simply Food as well) as my egg substitute. It's made using potato and tapioca starch, and so easy to use because you just mix it with 2 tablespoons of hot water and viola, you made an egg! It's only used for baking though, so don't use it to make scrambled eggs.
So Thanksgiving 2011 was a success. After eating all that food, I surprisingly made my way to bed and proceeded to sleep the afternoon away.
Vegan Potato Salad
Serves 6 - 8 small bowls
4 medium potatoes, peeled and cubed
1/8 cup dill pickles, finely diced
1/2 stalk celery, finely diced
1 1/2 scallions, white and green parts, sliced thin
1 tablespoon dried dill
1 cup vegan mayonnaise
1 tablespoon mustard
2 tablespoons pickle juice
salt and pepper to taste
Place the potatoes in a bowl filled with cold water. Make sure the potatoes are completely covered in water. Let it soak in the fridge overnight. The next day, wash the potatoes and place them in a large, deep pot. Cover with cold water, add a pinch of salt, and bring to a boil. Cover potatoes and simmer on low until they are tender, 15-30 minutes. Do not overcook. Drain potatoes and plunge them in cold water to cool quickly. Cover potatoes and chill in refrigerator until needed. Combine all ingredients except potatoes in a large mixing bowl. Gently stir in potatoes. Adjust salt and pepper to taste. Chill and serve.
Turk'y Roast
Serves 2-3
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 teaspoon onion salt
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
1/16 teaspoon ground allspice
1/16 teaspoon paprika
Preheat oven to 375°F. In a small cup, mix olive oil and dried herbs. Remove roast from outer box and inner tray and soak roast in bowl of warm water for 1-2 minutes. Carefully cut off the end clips and remove the plastic film around roast. brush roast with oil and herb mixture. Place roast in roasting bag and tie bag. Make several slits in the bag to vent. Place on baking tray and place on middle shelf. Bake 35 minutes, turn roast over, and then bake for additional 35 minutes until the roast is nicely browned. Remove from oven and let stand 5 minutes before slicing and serving.
Vegan Bibingka
Serves 6-8
3 egg substitutes
1 cup sugar
1 1/4 cups coconut milk
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup shredded vegan cheese
2 tablespoons melted vegan butter
Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease and line bottoms of two 9" layer pans with parchment paper. Sift flour, baking powder and salt together. Beat the egg substitutes until light and frothy. Gradually add sugar (about 1/4 cup at a time) beating well after each addition (about 5 minutes). Add flour mixture alternately with coconut milk. Beat to blend thoroughly. Pour mixture in lined pans. Bake 15 minutes in preheated oven. Sprinkle top with shredded cheese. Bake 10 to 15 minutes more. Brush top with butter as soon as it comes out of the oven and sprinkle with sugar if desired.
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