Allen - Vegan for the Holidays: Celebration Feasts for Thanksgiving Through New Years Day

ZEL ALLEN 2012 Zel Allen Photos 2012 Book Publishing Company All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be reproduced by any means whatsoever, except for brief quotations in reviews, without written permission from the publisher. Cover and interior design: Scattaregia Design
Cover and interior photos: Andrew Schmidt, Warren Jefferson
Food styling: Barbara Jefferson, Ron Maxen Book Publishing Company
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Summertown, TN 38483
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bookpubco.com ISBN: 978-1-57067-284-2 Printed in the United States of America 18 17 16 15 14 13 12 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Allen, Zel. Vegan for the holidays : celebration feasts for Thanksgiving through New Years Day / Zel Allen. p. cm.

Includes index. ISBN 978-1-57067-284-2 (pbk.) -- ISBN 978-1-57067-926-1 (e-book) 1. Vegan cooking. 2. Holiday cooking. Title. Title.

TX837.A379 2012 641.5636--dc23 2012011942 Printed on recycled paper Book Publishing Company is a member of Green Press Initiative. We chose to print this title on paper with 100% postconsumer recycled content, processed without chlorine, which saved the following natural resources: For more information on Green Press Initiative, visit greenpressinitiative.org. Environmental impact estimates were made using the Environmental Defense Fund Paper Calculator edf.org/papercalculator.

To Reuben, who nourishes me
with constant inspiration
and sweet, loving support. REUBEN, MY LIFE PARTNER, CHEERLEADER, LOVING HUSBAND, and 24/7 supporter team, earns 200 percent of my love and appreciation for having such steadfast faith in my cooking endeavors. He never let me give up when I had a bad day and my Apricot, Date, and Hazelnut Sticky Pie failed for the fourth time in a row.

Vegan households across the country may also want to thank Reuben while they feast their eyes on this delicious treat at dessert time. Chuck, Bruce, Amy, and Gregg, my four fabulous offspring, are always in my heart and earn my loving appreciation for their continued encouragement of my creative efforts. Great big bear hugs to Amy, who spent three precious days of her vacation to apply her cooks eye reading through the manuscript with me and offering a multitude of creative suggestions. My faithful recipe testers belong to a very impressive category of human beings dedicated to making this a better vegan world. Because Ive incorporated many of their thoughtful suggestions, I felt I had my own staff of kitchen elves. Their efforts have been so invaluable, and I remain indebted to them.

Sincere thank-yous to Alberta Knaack, Aoife McGuirk, Arlene Zsilka, Betty Bobu, Bev Hahler, Bianca Phillips, Chris Summers, Midge Constantino, Cyndi Leedy, Tammy Allen, Del Edwards, Nancy DeVries, Fay Kahn, Yvonne Fide, Gina Sengupta, Joanne Mitchell, JJ Loyonnet, Kathi Schilling, Lane Goldman, Leona Minckler, Lenore Skomal, Marilee Collins, Lee Yeager, Mark Cantin, Michael Montroy, Michelle Monteleagre, Patty and Jim Moore, Tom Peacock, Michael Pickel, Doug Watkins, Saul Beaumont, Sue Hansen, Sharon St. James, Stacey Matrazzo, Susan Lasken, Tami Kettle, Ted Lai, and Yael Kisel. Appreciation goes to Patrice Fisher for helping me present the Kwanzaa introduction with accuracy and inclusiveness and for directing me to a great resource. When Cynthia and Bob Holzapfel of Book Publishing Company accepted this, my second cookbook, for publication, I was elated and nearly burst with joy. I owe them my deep gratitude for welcoming Vegan for the Holidays into the BPC family and showering it with nurturing support. Over the years Ive been co-publishing the Internet magazine Vegetarians in Paradise with my husband, Ive reviewed numerous vegan books and am keenly aware of the sharp eye and intuitive sense it takes to be a good editor.

My cup runneth over with not one, but two exceptional editors. Carol Wiley Lorente, editorial director, took my unpolished manuscript and honed and shaped it into its present shiny, sleek form, while copy editor Terry Christofferson made sure none of the delicious ingredients went astray. Another leg of the publishing team is Chef Ron Maxen and photographer Warren Jefferson. While Chef Ron prepared and styled the holiday dishes, Warren applied his art with skilled camera work, resulting in brilliant, colorful, and enticing photos. Working with Warren were Barbara Jefferson and Andrew Schmidt.

WITH AN IDEA SIMMERING IN THE BACK OF MY MIND FOR SOME TIME NOW, I feel this is the right time to bring it to a boil, finish it off, plate it, garnish the platter, and present it at the holiday table. WITH AN IDEA SIMMERING IN THE BACK OF MY MIND FOR SOME TIME NOW, I feel this is the right time to bring it to a boil, finish it off, plate it, garnish the platter, and present it at the holiday table.

Braising, roasting, and sauting in my kitchen is an abundant crop of indulgent recipes harvested just for the holidays. While many of us take pleasure in cooking throughout the year, we know the holiday season is that special time when those who seldom cook a meal from scratch will haul out the chopping block, mash some potatoes, and consult the family about vegetable preferences. These past four years, Ive poked a spatula into every nook and cranny of my kitchen, gleaning ideas to infuse plenty of spice into those special festive meals when people come together with friends and family to celebrate the holidays. My aim is to offer vegan holiday foods that are just as delicious, innovative, and elegant as their hallowed meat-based counterparts. Holiday dishes for the festive vegan table center on fresh foods harvested from nature and prepared from scratch and are far more healthful and lower in saturated fat than traditional fare. Because my family and I share the holidays with friends and other family members who are not vegan or who may have only rarely tasted festive dishes without animal ingredients, I want to provide celebration foods anyone would be proud to serve.

And because the eyes are the first to experience the feast, I unleash the usual boundaries and think extravagantly: A holiday meal doesnt have to cost more; it simply has to look that way. Imagine the praise when serving a lavish-looking dish that makes everyone inhale audibly and exclaim with sounds of delight. Fresh from the oven to the Thanksgiving table are some delectable, hearty, and innovative entres, such as the picturesque, voluptuous wild rice, vegetable and nut-filled Thanksgiving Phyllo Pie, along with a lavish feast of cranberry appetizers, side dishes, and even beverages. For Thanksgiving, Id originally planned to include a recipe for mashed potatoes, but then I shed that idea because most people already know how to prepare them. Then I had second thoughts and included it with the Thanksgiving side dishes we simply cannot leave behind. To offer a truly memorable stuffing, I prepared a pot of wild rice, combined it with shiitake mushrooms, pecans, and the perfect balance of seasonings to bring a bountiful bowl of Savory Sourdough and Wild Rice Stuffing to the table.

Dessert is that richly spiced old standby, Williamsburg Pumpkin Pie, along with Apples n Cream Pie. Fondly, we can join together to raise cups of silky smooth Pumpkin-Apple Nog to end the meal with a toast. While some choose to celebrate Christmas with simple, everyday comfort foods, Ive adopted the philosophy that celebration foods ought to stand apart from our day-to-day fare. Holidays are distinguished from ordinary days and beg for foods infused with novel touches, such as Pear and Butternut Bisque with Cranberry-Pear Compote. I still bring the leafy greens to the table but with dazzling touches like those featured in the Spinach Salad with Beets and Pomegranates, brazenly decked out in bold Christmas colors and served with a knockout Cranberry-Pomegranate Dressing.

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