HUGE bowl of stuffing with glimpses of tofurkey, brussel sprouts and apples & squash. Happy Thanksgiving!!
This Thanksgiving was a really great one! It has been quite the amazing year!
I am so thankful for my life and what this last year has brought. Although I have taught just a few yoga classes, cooked just a few meals and had literally just brief moments alone with myself (things that I always valued and still do) I am brimming with happiness and joy! There are not words to express how much I love these two angels, being their mama, how much I love my husband and how much I love being present to him being the world’s greatest and most loving father!
SO much has gone on this year with birthing and loving twins as well as buying and renovating a house all while the 4 of us live in a small 1 bedroom apartment and still this has been the best year ever. It has come with its frustrations and tensions but at the same time has brought such an overwhelming love between us and our children as well. I feel so blessed to have the amazing experience of raising and being raised by my children. Each and every moment has been amazing, even when I don’t have any free seconds, (Like right now as I type this I am still the “mama jungle gym” with the babies climbing all over me!)
This Thanksgiving we all gathered at my Sister-in-Laws apartment. Lots of great food and great family fun! (imagine her 4 year old twin girls running around everywhere and my twins crawling in every direction!)
I made enough brussel sprouts and stuffing as if there were 3x as many people but believe me, the leftovers did not disappoint us 🙂 I made my go-to brussel sprouts recipe, with 3 pounds of brussels.
Last year during my pregnancy when I was finally feeling well enough to cook again the first thing I made was Butternut Squash Cornbread Stuffing. So it only felt right to make stuffing again after another long departure from the kitchen! This year though I asked my mom for her amazing recipe and we were very happy with the results 🙂 (you can always halve or third the recipe if you don’t feel like you need enough stuffing for an army!)
The best thing (besides the stuffing of course!) is that this mixture can be prepared in advance and refrigerated or frozen until ready to use. It can also be used at a vegan/vegetarian side dish, a condiment or a bread spread. We have used it for spreads on sandwiches, a relish for vegan hot dogs, an easy tofu scramble recipe and in a pasta sauce so far this last week alone!
Also a great thanksgiving leftover idea (Inspired by the Thanksgiving sandwich as Terri’s): take a wrap, spread cranberry sauce all over, and add tofurkey and stuffing. ENJOY!! We loved these!
Whole Lotta Stuffing!
Mom’s Stuffing – Vegan
- 1/2 cup oil (your choice)(I used olive)
- 3-4 lbs of chopped onions
- 5 stalks of celery
- 10 garlic cloves, chopped
- 3-4 peppers, chopped (assorted colors, if possible)
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Basic recipe for 3 boxes or bags of bread stuffing (I used some corn and some multi-grain) (I used about 1.5 cups of margarine & a 32 ounce box of veggie broth. My mom says to use slightly less broth and butter than specified on the package to compensate for liquid in vegetable mixture.)
- Saute onions until soft – about 15 minutes.
- Add celery and garlic and continue to cook another 15 minutes.
- Drain mixture into a large colander or strainer, reserving liquid. Pour liquid back into pot, add peppers and saute for about 5 minutes.
- Add onion mixture back into pot and cook for 2 minutes to blend flavors.
- Add salt and pepper to taste.
- Day of serving stuffing, prepare according to box/package with broth and margarine. (see my notes above) Add onion mixture and bake in a casserole dish (or several) according to the package. (Mine was 350 degrees for 30 minutes)
the onion mixture! fyi: my mom makes hers finer which is better for using it as a spread
Stuffing: Pre-baking
Marisa's Healthy Kitchen 