Help with Vegan, Kosher Thanksgiving menu & products, please

[Diane in Bexley]

In my quest to accommodate both the vegan and kosher eaters this year at Thanksgiving, I am seeking soy or vegetable based products to substitute for the chicken stock, milk, butter, sour cream and other things I normally put in mashed potatoes, vegetable casseroles, etc. for the holiday. I realize that I can't please everyone but I am trying. I have access to Whole Foods, TJs and Giant Eagle for products. Can someone please recommend brand names for these substitute products that are of highest quality? I also have to please "regular" eaters who are picky and don't want negative reviews from them. Our menu is attached, any comments would be helpful. I realize not everyone will eat everything, but trying to make sure everyone can eat SOMETHING. Thanks!

My menu is as follows:
Drinks
1. Cosmopolitans with Raspberry Cordial
2. Screwdrivers
3. Wine

Appetizers
1. Hot artichoke/cheese dip with crackers
2. Guacamole dip with tortilla chips
3. Homemade cheese wafers
Salad
1. Spinach, red onion & clementine salad with lime vinaigrette dressing

Entrees
1. Kosher turkey with celery/onion/mushroom cornbread stuffing
2. Mashed potatoes
3. Gravy
4. Apple/acorn squash casserole with cornflake crumbs
5. Green beans with almonds
6. Homemade rolls
7. Relish tray (marinated artichoke hearts, assorted olives, pickles)
8. Homemade cranberry relish with cognac
Desserts
1. Cold poached pears with raspberry sauce
2. Apple pie with crumb topping

[paprkutr]

I think it is great that you are making this dinner. I don't want to be a downer, but are these people really kosher? If so, they may not eat your food since, I am assuming, that you don't eat kosher. I see that you are serving a lot of cheese items, and if they are truly kosher they will not eat this with the turkey. I like the idea of having a vegetarian offering, or maybe a piece of poached salmon, and that way the kosher people could eat all the milk products.
I hope that you have a great dinner. Oh by the way I use Mocha Mix all the time as a substitute for milk in my baking and cooking.

[Diane in Bexley]

P, I grew up in a kosher, Orthodox home so I know how to keep kosher. My DD (the kosher one) is modern and not so strict that she won't eat really good cheese. If you recall kosher dietary laws, you CAN eat dairy prior to eating meat as long as there is a sufficient time period prior (we wait an hour). Also, I use brand new aluminum foil pans to cook in, kasher my oven and use glass plates/dishes as well as silverware kept especially for this purpose.

As I have been doing this for a long time, my DD (my sous chef) and I have a routine. Would the Lubavitche Rebbe eat at my house? I don't really care, as long as my DD, the kosher one, is happy.

[cheesecake17]

I think it's really great what you're doing.. bringing the whole family together. You're really going out of your way to make everyone happy-- hope everyone appreciates!

[toveggiegirl]

I agree. You are clearly working hard to accommodate everyone in your family. I'm sure it's going to be a great meal.

[paprkutr]

I am sorry that you took my posting in the wrong way. As I didn't know you were jewish, let alone grew up in a kosher home, I was trying to help by pointing out some things, that someone without your knowledge would not know. I personally grew up in a kosher home and keep a kosher home, but eat out. I don't eat pork or shell fish, but I do try a lot of things. I live in a very religious area, and I know that a lot of my neighbors would not eat at my house, as I am not kosher enough for them. I hope you enjoy your dinner!

[alpidarkomama]

Forget Tofutti! Here's a GREAT pareve sour cream recipe:

1 package silken tofu
1 tbsp rice vinegar
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp apple cider vinegar
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar
1/4 cup oil

Purée it all in the food processor.

We've come to actually PREFER it to dairy sour cream. :)

[Cherylptw]

I like your menu & I'm neither vegan or keep kosher, however, since you are going to the trouble to please everyone (and I commend you on that note), why not provide a vegan entree for those who won't be partaking in the turkey? A vegetable pot pie or pasta with a mushroom or veggie ragout would be nice. Sure, the vegans could make do with sides but going just a bit over would help them feel like they're getting a complete entree.

A couple of sites which might help with some ideas:
http://www.peta.org/living/vegetarian-living/two-week-vegetarian-menu.aspx

www.eatingwell.com

[cheesecake17]

I believe the vegan entree is the squash casserole..

[Cherylptw]

Really? No offense, but seems like a side dish to me.....

[cheesecake17]

Individual stuffed acorn squashes or a casserole is a pretty common vegetarian entree. Plus most of the sides will be vegan as well..

[Cherylptw]

I'm familiar with vegan/vegetarian dishes; I've cooked both for people who don't eat meat and those that do. The OP asked for comments, I gave her my opinion & still stand by that. However, I am in no way putting down the OP's menu.

[debbiel]

Squash dishes are pretty common main dishes in this mostly vegetarian house, whether stuffed half squashes or squash casseroles.

[Diane in Bexley]

Thanks for your concern, Cheryl. There will be 1 vegan and 1 kosher person. If they are still hungry or don't feel enough food is provided, I always keep veggie patties in the freezer. Thanksgiving is a lot of work to prepare for 9 people and I have enough to do without adding more food.

What I really am looking for is suggestions for dairy substitutes for milk, cream cheese, butter, sour cream - stuff to make the food taste palatable for the other people,so I can save myself some time by having less overall work to do and many, many dishes to prepare. Thanks!

[paprkutr]

I think you have the best advice. Tofutti products are pretty decent and will work well, as well as mocha mix, unsalted margerine. I think everything will turn out great.

[will47]

First of all, I thank you for looking out for your friends and relatives who have special dietary preferences.

Making a vegan version of the stuffing wouldn't be too hard, and then you can cook it outside the bird (for the vegetarians). Energ egg replacer (kosher / parve) and soy or almond milk will work pretty well for the cornbread, or ground flaxseed whizzed with some water and oil if you don't want to spring for a whole box of the egg replacer powder.

A great appetizer (tried and true in my family) that should be vegan and should also be easily made kosher is this mushroom lentil and walnut pate (originally from "Totally Dairy-Free Cooking" by Louis Lanza:
http://www.indiadivine.org/audarya/ve...
also a big fan of olive tapenade.

I do mashed potatoes - usually I use soy or almond milk (and / or reserved potato cooking water), and I'll often use olive oil in addition to (or instead of) margarine. I know your vegan guests will love you if you make a vegetarian gravy. I did a roux / mushroom based one last year that was great.

The rough method I used, from the notes I made last year:
frozen porcini, fresh chanterelles, fresh cremini mushrooms - stems, little bits, whatever
1 onion, chopped finely
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
1-2 Tbsp margarine and some olive oil
~ 2 Tbsp flour
soy sauce
veg stock
nutritional yeast
salt and pepper to taste

brown mushrooms in pan in batches, removing each batch after browning
deglaze pan with white wine after all batches are done, and reserve the wine. to the wine, add a little soy sauce and veg stock or water
sauté onions in medium heat with a liberal amount of oil and / or margarine, until translucent / limp. add mushrooms and increase heat. add salt and fresh black pepper to taste.
push onions to the side, add more oil and / or margarine, and add flour to create a roux. (I think this is an odd order to do things in, but it seemed to work quite well)
add liquid and whisk with a roux whisk, adding more water or stock as necessary. add more black pepper and some nutritional yeast.

Sounds like a great menu, but if you have time, you might make some roasted vegetables - either brussels sprouts, cauliflower (sliced thin across the whole head, tossed with a tiny amount of olive oil, salt and pepper), or a root vegetable mix.

[side note: I wasn't worried about making the gravy kosher, but I think there is kosher nutritional yeast available. That said, would probably taste fine without it]

[toveggiegirl]

I haven't tried this recipe for Mashed Potatoes With Caramelized Onion and Olive Oil but it sounds great (and has very positive reviews). I would imagine that the onions add a great depth of flavour so you won't miss the butter quite as much.

http://www.food.com/recipe/mashed-pot...

[Diane in Bexley]

Thanks for the responses so far. So, how should I do the mashed potatoes so that they will be edible for both kosher and vegan? Some veg broth, and Tofutti Sour Cream? Should I add some Tofutti Cream Cheese? I am planning on roasting some garlic and adding some chives to beef up (LOL) the flavor. Any other suggestions? Thanks!

[cheesecake17]

My family likes mashed potatoes with knish filling flavors- a little warm broth, lots of carmelized chopped onions, and deli mustard. You can skip the mustard and add in roasted garlic.

I like to use mushroom broth (Pacific brand) in stuffings and in dishes where the earthy flavor would complement. No- chicken broth is pretty good also. If you're making a vegan gravy, you could use the mushroom broth and add in some sauteed mushrooms for a mushroom gravy. That way it could be used by the turkey eaters for the turkey and the vegan for the mashed potatoes.

The Tofutti cream cheese and sour cream are also available in Whole Foods. I've seen Trader Joe's run out of the sour cream and I've never seen the cream cheese there.
Not sure what you would use for cheese in the cheese crackers though?

To bake the apple pie, use either Earth Balance or Fleischmann's margarine. Both work very well.

[Diane in Bexley]

I was thinking Crisco (veg shortening) would be OK to make the crust flaky and tasty. Is this not a good idea?

[cheesecake17]

Crisco works too. My grandma uses half Crisco and half margarine. Crisco doesn't have much flavor to add to the crust, but it does make a flaky crust.

Would you consider making a crisp with the same topping instead of a pie?

[will47]

I was going to say the same thing - a crisp might work better than a pie. Or make a pumpkin pie with just a bottom crust - the pie filling part will be spiced, so the flavor of the crust isn't as important, and you can get a great texture with non-hydrogenated shortening and / or margarine.

[just_M]

Crisco has a butter flavor that according to Alton Brown (and me) tastes more buttery than butter in baked goods. I've never tried it in anything like mashed potatoes but isn't margarine just shortening w/added water and flavoring? I have used it in place of oil in pancakes. Could be worth a taste if you have it for your pies anyway.

[goodhealthgourmet]

try MimiCreme - kosher and vegan.

http://www.mimiccreme.com/

[GilaB]

I've had very good results with MimiCreme in mashed potatoes (and creamy soups, bolognese sauce, cream sauces, etc.) You can also buy it on Amazon, where it's eligible for free shipping with a $25 order - get the six-pack of pint containers, rather than the quart-sized ones, because a quart is an awful lot of cream (substitute) to go through in 7-10 days.

[milklady]

I have made successful pareve mashed potatoes with broth, and lots of margarine (nucoa or earth balance) and sometimes either roasted garlic or truffle oil to make them special.

[Berheenia]

I have friends, with vegetarian family members, who swear by this stuff, no chicken broth. It tastes like chicken! I buy it at WF. It costs a little more than the stuff at TJ's.

http://www.imaginefoods.com/content/o...

[just_M]

I swear by that stuff and I am not even close to a vegetarian! It actually tastes more "chickeny" then most chicken broths.

[LauraGrace]

Agreed! I'm also very non-vegetarian, and I have it on hand all the time.

[valerie]

My son can eat limited amounts of dairy. For a butter substitute, I use Earth Balance. For sour cream, I buy Tofutti Better Than Sour Cream. And for cream cheese, I buy Tofutti Better Than Cream Cheese. All are available at Trader Joe's.

Milk is a tough one. Rice milk is pretty generic in terms of flavor, but it's rather thin/watery. It's okay for baking, but I'd be reluctant to use in mashed potatoes. I never liked cooking with soy milk as it has a funky flavor.

[alpidarkomama]

I always like rice milk in mashed potatoes. We make our own soy milk now, though, so I never buy rice milk. I like mashed potatoes with just some water and Earth Balance mixed in.