The holidays are an interesting time for new vegans or vegetarians and their families. Traditions rule, and that means stuffing, gravy, and all of the holiday trimmings. What to make for the plant-eaters? We’ve run into our fair share of less than inspired freezer aisle veggie “options”, and we’re here to say there is a better way!
Having lived in both the north and the south, we call it either dressing or stuffing interchangeably. Whatever your kitchen names it, the dish is a holiday staple… and it needs to be great! A perennial favourite for both our Thanksgiving or Christmas dinners, this vegan stuffing recipe combines fresh herbs, apple, and crunchy walnuts to pull the side-dish into centre stage. Vegans and vegetarians (and their hosts), sigh no more at the holiday dinner table! This will be the star of the show…
Whether it accompanies a traditional holiday bird or stands alone, this dressing is absolutely delicious. To make it a main meal of it’s own accord, prepare & bake it as described. When it’s time to remove the tinfoil, scoop the dressing into a fully baked fall squash or pumpkin, returning it to the oven under a low broil to crisp the top.
A generous helping each of delicious miso gravy and homemade cranberry sauce are essential, and together round out a new and wholesome take on traditional favorites.
Enjoy amongst your best friends and family!
Apple & Herb Thanksgiving Dressing
A delicious dressing made with whole grain bread, apples, walnuts & fresh herbs, perfect for your vegan or vegetarian Thanksgiving dinner. Easy to make and impress your guests! Serve with delicious miso gravy and homemade cranberry sauce.
- 8 cups of 1/2 inch whole grain bread cubes*
- 1.5 tbsp. olive oil
- 1 large onion (diced)
- 1 1/2 cups chopped celery
- 1 tbsp crushed garlic cloves
- 1 large apple (skin on, diced)
- 1.5 tbsp each of fresh sage (thyme and rosemary**)
- 1/2 cup walnuts (chopped)
- 2-3 cups low sodium vegetable stock
- Preheat oven to 375 F / 190 C
- Toast the bread cubes on a baking tray until golden and crunchy
- Heat up the olive oil in a heavy pan and sauté the onion, celery, garlic and apples until soft and fragrant.
- In a large bowl, mix the toasted bread cubes, sautéed mixture, fresh chopped herbs and walnuts.
- Pour over two to three cups of stock and combine well until the bread cubes have absorbed the liquid, and the stuffing forms together when pressed down.
- Place into a baking dish and cover with tinfoil, baking for 25 minutes.
- Uncover and bake for an additional 15 minutes or until the top is golden and crunchy.
*try a mixture of breads like walnut cranberry and whole wheat
**The fresh herbs really make this stuffing, if available the poultry herb blend is perfect to use
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In Vancouver there is a restaurant called The Naam. It’s a quirky vegetarian institution, open 24/7, and is the perfect place to meet friends for an inspired and healthy meal regardless of the hour. One of the most popular dishes is the Dragon bowl, made with the secret-recipe Naam miso gravy. The popularity can’t be understated; it’s even sold by the bottle.
The Sails & Spices take on this addictive, easy, and healthy vegan gravy recipe is here for you to enjoy on a dragon bowl, smothering roasted vegetables, or alongside apple-walnut dressing for a wonderful Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner.
Vegan gravy is boring? Not a chance.
When we are invited over to someone’s house for thanksgiving we always find it helpful to offer to bring the gravy if they are not vegetarian, and everyone loves trying this miso gravy and discovering how tasty it is!
One year I accidentally I made this gravy exceptionally spicy (a few too many tablespoons of sriracha), and even though everyone found it quite delicious it gave quite the kick. Since then the running joke in our family is don’t make the gravy too spicy! Unless that’s what you like of course.
Absolutely Delicious Miso Gravy
This healthy and delicious miso gravy is great for Thanksgiving dinner, over roast veggies, with poutine or fries, and Dragon or Buddha Bowls!
- 1/2 large onion, diced
- 5 small white or brown mushrooms
- 1.5 tsp. chopped or grated ginger
- 1.5 tbsp. chopped or crushed garlic
- 1 tsp. rosemary
- 1 tsp. thyme
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 2 tbsp. (optional) sesame oil
- 1/2 tbsp. Sriracha (or another chili paste)
- 2 tbsp. apple cider vinegar
- 2 tbsp. tamari or soy sauce
- 1 tbsp. agave nectar or maple syrup
- 3 cups low sodium vegetable broth
- 1/2 cup white flour ((could substitute for 1/4 cup cornstarch) )
- 1/2 cup cold water
- 1/4 cup miso paste
- Dice the onion and sauté with 2 tbsp of the olive oil in a medium saucepan for 5 minutes, until translucent.
- (Optional) Dice the mushrooms and add to the onions, and saute for another 5 minutes until they start to release their juices. Don’t worry non-mushroom lovers, this is all going to blended up together to contribute to the beautiful umami taste.
- Add ginger, garlic, rosemary, thyme, and continue to sauté until golden. Add the remaining 2 tbsp olive oil to help sauté everything together.
- Add the sesame oil (optional), Sriracha (to taste), apple cider vinegar, tamari or soy sauce, agave or maple syrup, and broth. This is such a versatile recipe, the more flavours you have to add the better it will taste, but if you need to substitute something generally you will still get good results.
- Whisk it all together, bring to a boil, and simmer on med-low for 15 minutes (or longer if you have time). Note that most of the flavour is going to come from the miso that is added at the end so you are aiming for a nice base flavour to accompany the saltiness of the miso.
- In a small bowl, mix the flour and water together until smooth, making a slurry. Add the slurry to the gravy in a thin stream while whisking, and simmer for an additional 5-10 minutes until thickened. Slurry can be tricky to work with since it changes consistency depending on how long you heat it for, once the gravy cools down, and the type of flour you use. Add more if necessary after boiling for 5-10 minutes (or when reheating to serve).
- Remove from the heat, and stir the miso paste into the gravy. To make your life easier you can loosen the paste in a bowl with a little liquid before adding to the gravy. By adding the miso paste at the end of cooking you preserve more of the nutritional value.
- Blend the gravy together in a blender or using a stick mixer to make it smooth.
- Taste and adjust the seasoning as necessary.
For this recipe it’s helpful to note that 4 tbsp = 1/4 cup to help with measuring out ingredients.
Servings – some people suggest 1/3 cup of gravy per person, so this recipe could serve 10 people.
This recipe also freezes well so we will often do a double batch and freeze it in 2 cup servings to use later over a bowl of veggies and rice. A quick blend will help get the right consistency when you are reheating it.
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When you live abroad, perspective is found equally in the new things you discover and the familiar things you miss. On our first thanksgiving in Australia, we had a heck of a time finding cranberries for the ubiquitous holiday sauce. Persistence paid off that year, and we cheerfully brought home the bright red berries to make this simple staple family heirloom of a recipe. It’s so good, we almost didn’t want to let the recipe out…
The beauty of the sauce is in the simplicity and brightness of taste. The addition of whole holiday spices and orange zest set this version apart. Whether you’re new to cranberry sauce, or used to the tinned variety, prepare to hear your tastebuds sing.
Serve alongside a traditional Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner of smashed potatoes, apple-walnut dressing, roasted vegetables, and plenty of miso gravy.
Homemade Cranberry Sauce
This is the recipe we use time and time again when we are looking for a quick and easy, deliciously tart, cranberry sauce to serve along side our special holiday meal.
- 10 oz 284g bag of fresh or frozen cranberries
- zest from 1 orange
- juice from 1/2 orange
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 4 cloves
- 1/4 – 1/3 cup natural sweetener like maple syrup (coconut sugar or honey)
- Combine the cranberries, orange zest, orange juice, cinnamon stick, cloves and sweetener in a small saucepan, and simmer for 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- The sauce is ready when the cranberries have burst and start to thicken together.
- Taste for sweetness and adjust as needed.
- Remove the cinnamon stick to serve.
