Canadians celebrate Thanksgiving on Oct. 14, and theres no better day to feast with family and friends. Although I typically look forward to a traditional turkey, sometimes it can get a little repetitive.
Im not suggesting you swap the turkey out for tofu, unless youd rather celebrate Meatless Monday, but there are some simple things you can do to revamp the holiday menu.
Find an alternative to cranberry sauce
I love sweet and savoury so Ive always been a fan of cranberry sauce, but for a change try an apple or pear relish. They contain more natural sugars than cranberries so you dont have to add much to sweeten it. If youd like more tartness add some lemon juice or apple cider vinegar. If you like the red colour and want some texture, add pomegranate seeds.
Change the bread for the stuffing
Day old white bread works fine, but why not explore? Just make sure youre choosing a bread with tight holes so it absorbs the butter, liquids and flavour. You want the stuffing moist, light and fluffy and some people swear by potato bread croutons. For a Southwestern twist try cornbread, and for something sweeter use challah bread or brioche.
Remember to toast the bread to dry it out and cook the stuffing separately. Cooking it inside the turkey causes all sorts of problems since it is prone to bacteria and the turkey will finish cooking before the internal temperature of the stuffing is reached.
Make a smaller portion of mashed potatoes
Smaller portion anything on Thanksgiving sounds taboo and I could never ditch the beloved mashed potatoes. However the Fall harvest is here and parsnips, squash and pumpkin are great alternatives. I actually bake my stuffing inside acorn squash halves, so you can eat the bowl too talk about sustainability.
If youre not into cooking at all, consider dining out at one of the many lovely restaurants serving Thanksgiving dinners (for a sampling, see page 10), including Graze Restaurant (3910 Fraser), which offers a Vegan Thanksgiving on Oct. 13 for $30/person. Happy Thanksgiving!
Find Mijune at the Taste of Yaletown kick-off on Oct. 16 and at Vancouver Aquariums Toast to the Coast event celebrating sustainable seafood on Oct. 18. She will also be at the Vancouver Home and Design Show Oct. 18 20. Find her emceeing cooking demonstrations at the show for chef Makoto Ono from PiDGiN at 11:30amandchef Matsu from Miku at 4pm on Oct. 20.
Find out more about Mijune at FollowMeFoodie.com or follow her on Twitter @followmefoodie.
