Thanksgiving Day: My Food & Recipes

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How are you doing today?  Are your pants feeling kinda snug?  How did Thanksgiving Day go for you?  Mine was busy!  I did yoga at home and went for my own version of a Turkey Trot.  Alison & Madeline, you’ve got nothing on me you hot & sweaty hotties, you!   I trotted around my neighborhood in hot, windy weather.  And worked really hard on our Scott’s food.  As I mentioned before, I made him a turkey.  Yes, Skylar and I are veggie-heads, but Scott is not, and as so I honored his request and whipped up a birdIf I do say so myself, for a vegan especially, I did a pretty spiffy job.  I’ll get to that…

But first, I am glad you enjoyed my post on Gratitude yesterday and again, I am sooo thankful for everything and everyone I have in my life.  Everything from my husband and daughter to yoga to my faithful blog readers Check it out if you missed that post.

But let’s move on to my Thanksgiving Day Food & Recipes!!!

Ginger Roasted Sweet & White Potatoes
Slice Potatoes no more than 1/2 inch wide in any part of the potato
Lay in baking tray.  I use a foil-lined 9×13 pan.
Liberally douse in EVOO
Liberally add Ground Ginger Root Powder, 1-2 Tbsp
Salt & Pepper to Taste
Cover with another piece of foil on the top or a lid & Roast at 375F for 45 minutes
Uncover & Flip/Toss potatoes
Roast anywhere from 15 to 30 more minutes depending on how crunchy you like your taters

Seasoned, Oiled, Uncooked Potatoes

Sliced Sweet Potatoes and White Potatoes oiled and seasoned in foil lined pan

Up close of prepared potatoes

Seasoned, oiled, and cooked to perfectionRoasted Sweet Potato Fries.

Roasted Sweet Potatoes out of oven
Close up of Sweet Potatoes out of oven

And Roasted White Potato Wedges.

White Potatoes after being roasted in foil lined pan
Close up of white potatoes after roasting in pan

Then there was Stuffing
2 c Seasoned Breadcrumbs, 1 c Vegetable Stock, Sage, Thyme, Rosemary, Onion, Garlic, Parsley, S & P
Cooked on the stovetop

Close up of Homemade Stuffing

 Voila

Close up of Stuffing after it was prepared

Moving right along to the Turkey.  I cooked this for Scott based on his dietary choices and path.  It’s not my choice or path, but I am a great wife, what can I say.  And I rewarded myself with a little Amex action on Black Friday, ahem…

The Bird
Seasoned liberally Mrs Dash’s Lemon Pepper Seasoning Blend
1/4 c Kosher Salt Rubbed onto the Bird (lots fell off into the chicken stock)
2 Cups of Chicken Stock
1 Tsp Paprika
1/4 c EVOO doused over the top

Prepared Turkey in Large Dutch Oven

Roasted it in my covered Le Creuset Cast Iron Dutch Oven at 375F for about 2 hours.  Then I let the turkey sit in the Dutch Oven (which has a tremendous amount of carryover heat and additional cooking occurs) for another 30 minutes.

Finished Roasted Turkey browned in large dutch oven

Took it out.  And was a little scared of what to do with it.  But with rubber gloves and a sharp knife, I managed.

Finished turkey on white cutting board

Also found this.  Let’s Make a Wish I don’t have to handle carcass til next year.

Hand holding wishbone from turkey

And if I do say so myself, I did a great job on the bird!  I had no interest in eating it, but I was proud that I made it look pretty!

Plated thanksgiving meal of potatoes, stuffing and turkey

How did it taste? Scott said it was awesome and thanked me profusely!  

Close up of sliced turkey on plate

I also made gravy with chicken stock to complete Scott’s meal.  At one point today, my stovetop saw more action than it ever has before.  High raw, all vegan, not much use usually for the stovetop.

Gravy being made on stove in pan with whisk

Here’s the gravy.  No lumps.   Just the weird gravy skin phenomenon that happens. If you look really closely you can actually see the steam coming up.

Gravy poured into dish showing smoothness

All together now:  Turkey & Gravy, Sweet Potatoe Fries & White Potato Wedges, and Stuffing.

Plated thanksgiving meal covered with gravy

My meal was what I wanted.  Oh, I should mention, I detest stuffing (it’s the seasoning, the gluten, the everything, just not for me).  And, roasted veggies are just meh, usually, for me.  But a kale salad with cauli & tomatoes and dressed with my Homemade Vegan Slaw Dressing was right up my high raw, all vegan alley.

Kale salad with vegetables topped with Homemade Slaw Dressing

I also had no interest in trying to recreate a vegan version of a traditional Thanksgiving meal by way of making a lentil loaf, a chickpea burger, a nut pate trying to imitate chicken or turkey salad, or any other “creative” endeavor.  I don’t enjoy those kinds of foods enough to go to the work and much prefer largely raw, crunchy, greenery & veggies, so that’s what I had.  And I loved it!

Up close of Kale salad on white plate

But Mama Pea, you rock girl.  I would have gladly eaten your food that you cooked, I just didn’t want to embark on that ambitious endeavor myself.  Call me Dessert Girl, not Entree Lady.  

Speaking of which, for dessert, I decided to forego the No-Bake Vegan Pumpkin Pie…

Slice of No-Bake Vegan Pumpkin Pie topped with whipped cream
Side view of whipped cream topped Pumpkin Pie

…and instead made my Raw Vegan Apple Crumble.  Delish!

Raw Vegan Apple Crumble in clear container

Some of you have written me telling me you were going to bring this to your Thanksgiving Celebrations.  I am soooo excited to hear the reviews!!!  Fill me in!!!

Raw Vegan Apple Crumble in clear container on countertop
Side view of Apple Crumble showing layers in clear container

We all enjoyed our food.  

Young girl smiling wearing pink shirt

And we were grateful to spend the day together, just the 3 of us, as a family.

Young girl in pink smiling

 Yoga Today is an Astavakrasana Variation

Woman doing Astavakrasana Variation yoga pose

Tip of the Day:  I know that it’s really tempting to start shopping for everyone on your list now that the Hanukkah and Christmas season is fast approaching, but your loved ones don’t need that extra sweater or pair of slippers, little nephew Timmy won’t remember that you went into debt buying him that Superhero Action Figure and Aunt Betty won’t remember next year whether it was you or your sister who bought her that really nice expensive bottle of perfume. 

Point being, next year the gifts we gave this year will be long forgotten and you’re left holding is the bill.  I am not saying don’t give; I am saying give within your means, don’t overextend yourself, don’t rack up credit card debt.  Instead, maybe take a Saturday afternoon and go on a baking rampage.  Give everyone a dozen cookies or make cute re-useable mason jars filled nuts or dried fruit. with or buy a cheapie photo album and stuff it with a dozen 4 x 6’s photos of you, your kids, or special times you’ve shared with that relative.  Just scale the ‘Tis The Shopping Season back somewhat in order to stay true and honest to your own current needs & reality.

What’s your take on gift-giving?  Do you tend to go overboard and regret it later?  Do you have family members who are bold enough to actually ask you for certain gifts?  Or do you have someone who’s so historically hard to buy for you drive yourself crazy trying to find “the perfect gift”?  How would you feel about giving something smaller like homemade cookies or a homemade cute photo album?  Would that pass muster or would you still feel like you “have to do something more”?  Why? Fill me in!

Stay Tuned For My Weekly Highlights & Recipes Recap Post…

About the Author

Welcome to AverieCooks! Here you’ll find fast and easy recipes that taste amazing and are geared for real life. Nothing fussy or complicated, just awesome tasting dishes everyone loves!

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Please note: I have only made the recipe as written, and cannot give advice or predict what will happen if you change something. If you have a question regarding changing, altering, or making substitutions to the recipe, please check out the FAQ page for more info.

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