Meatless Monday with Vegan Thanksgiving Dinner and Happy World Vegetarian Day

Welcome (back) to the Miratel blog and thank you for stopping by for a Meatless Monday vegetarian recipe share that happens to fall on World Vegetarian Day which kicks off Vegetarian Awareness Month. The Meatless Monday pledge aims to reduce meat consumption 15% by eliminating it one day per week for the betterment of the planet. Miratel considers support of this great eco-movement part of its CSR business strategies as it spread awareness of the impact of food choices on our environment. Vegetarian Awareness Month hopes to get people to extend that idea for more than one day per week.

With the Canadian Thanksgiving falling during Vegetarian Awareness Month this coming weekend, we’re highlighting a few of our favourite traditional recipes that will make for a delicious holiday dinner. These recipes are from a variety of sources so feel free to click the links and read more from these great websites. So without further ado.

Hippie Loaf from Happy Herbivore (serves 4)

• 15 ounces black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 whole onion, diced
• 2 whole garlic cloves, minced
• 1 whole carrot, minced
• 2 whole celery stalks, minced
• 1 cup mushrooms, coarsely chopped
• 1 cup quinoa, cooked
• 1 tbsp italian seasoning
• 3 tbsp brown rice flour
• 2 tbsp ketchup
• 2 tbsp tamari

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350F. Grease a standard bread pan and set aside. Mash black beans in a large bowl and combine all ingredients until evely combined. Transfer to pan and pat down firmly and tightly using a spatula. Bake 45 minutes to one hour, until firm and browned on the outside. Allow the loaf to cool and firm up before serving, about 15 to 20 minutes.

Tasty Thanksgiving Vegan Stuffing from (She Knows) Miso Vegan (serves 6)

• 6 sticks of celery, finely chopped
• 1 medium onion, finely chopped
• 1-1/2 (14-ounce) cans vegetable broth
• 3/4 cup + 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 5 tablespoon soy sauce (add more for taste as you’d like)
• 3 ounces pecans, chopped
• 1 tablespoon of dried parsley
• 1 tablespoon dried rosemary
• 1 tablespoon dried sage
• 1 tablespoon dried thyme
• Small loaf of bread, torn into small pieces and dried

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a pan, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil. Add and saute celery and onion until onion is slightly translucent. Add all other ingredients, except for the bread. Fill a 9″ x 13″ casserole dish with the bread cubes and pour hot oil mixture over them. Mix well and flatten. Bake 35 minutes covered, then 10 minutes uncovered.

Vegan Thanksgiving Gravy from What Would Cathy Eat (serves 6-8)

• 6 medium shallots, unpeeled
• 4-6 cloves garlic, unpeeled
• 3 tablespoons + 1 teaspoon olive oil
• 4 ounces cremini (a.k.a. baby bella) mushrooms, thinly sliced
• 1 teaspoon fresh thyme
• 3 tablespoons all purpose flour
• ½ cup dry marsala
• 2 tablespoons low-sodium tamari
• 3 cups vegetable stock
• 1/4 teaspoon ground sage
• 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast
• ½ teaspoon Dijon mustard
• ¼ teaspoon black pepper
• ¼ teaspoon salt, or to taste

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375. Toss the shallots and garlic with a teaspoon of oil and place in a baking dish. Cover with foil and roast for 40 minutes. Remove garlic, but if shallots are not completely soft, roast for another 15 minutes. Remove from pan and allow to cool, then squeeze the soft insides out of the skin into a food processor. Deglaze the roasting pan with a tablespoon of water or additional marsala and add to the food processor. Puree until smooth. In a large skillet, heat the remaining olive oil over medium heat. Saute mushrooms and thyme until mushrooms are very soft, about 5 minutes. Stir in the flour and cook, stirring, for 3 minutes. Add the marsala and mix well, then whisk in the vegetable broth. Add remaining ingredients, including the pureed shallots and garlic. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Adjust seasoning to taste.

Chocolate-Pumpkin Bread Pudding from Chloe Coscarelli at NYTImes (serves 14)

• 1 cup coconut milk
• 1 15-ounce can organic pumpkin
• 1/2 cup brown sugar (can use maple syrup)
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 1 1/2 teaspoons nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon cloves
• 10 cups cubed day-old bread of your choice (about 10 to 12 slices of sandwich bread, depending on the thickness of slices)
• 3/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips (Guittard and Ghirardelli are among those that are nondairy)
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar

Powdered sugar for dusting (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease 14 4-ounce ramekins (single-serving ceramic dishes) or a 9-by-13-by-2-inch baking dish.
2. In a blender, process coconut milk, pumpkin, brown sugar, salt and spices until smooth. In a large bowl, toss the bread cubes with the pumpkin mixture and chocolate chips until each bread cube is coated.
3. If using ramekins: Evenly sprinkle about 1/2 teaspoon brown sugar into the bottom of each greased ramekin. Fill each ramekin to the top with the mixture and lightly press it down with the back of a spoon. If using a 9-by-13 baking dish: Fill the baking dish with the mixture and lightly press it down with the back of a spoon. Evenly sprinkle about 2 tablespoons brown sugar over the top of the bread pudding. The brown sugar will help the pudding to caramelize on the edges. (Steps 1 through 3 can be done up to three days in advance; store covered in the refrigerator.)
4. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until top is lightly browned. If using ramekins: Let the pudding cool a few minutes, then carve around the edges with a knife to loosen and unmold. Garnish with powdered sugar if desired and serve warm. If using a 9-by-13 baking dish: Let the pudding cool a few minutes before serving. Cut into portions, then garnish with powdered sugar if desired and serve warm. The pudding can be baked right before serving or earlier that day and then reheated for 8 to 10 more minutes right before serving.

These recipes represent some basic traditional Thanksgiving fare made vegan and you can choose the hot and cold other side dishes to fit your meat-free dietary desires.

If you haven’t already, we encourage you to visit the Meatless Monday website and join us in taking the Meatless Monday pledge today. Spread the word at home and at work to promote CSR business initiatives and make your green call centre, office, factory, shop, restaurant or salon even greener.

Enjoy your Thanksgiving weekend my fellow Canadians and Happy World Vegetarian Day to all.

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Miratel Solutions is a Toronto call centre, eBusiness, and letter shop mail house specializing in professional fundraising services including telephone fundraising, online fundraising, lottery services, donation caging, donation processing and other donor management services. We are committed to our CSR business values in all contact centre services and mail house operations and advancing the missions of the nonprofits we proudly serve.