Vegan holiday feast for anyone at your table

 When my husband Wes and I are invited for Thanksgiving dinner by friends, the inevitable question is, “What will Wes eat?” For holiday feasts or even a casual dinner invitation, my husband’s vegetarian diet stumps the average home cook.

So I always bring two to three vegetarian dishes to add to the mix so our host can relax and Wes won’t be stuck eating another super-sized green salad and overdosing on carbohydrates.

What follow are recipes designed by award-winning restaurateur and author Mark Reinfeld of Blossoming Lotus Restaurant in Kapa‘a. For any home cook looking for something colorful and flavor filled, these are reliable options with proven results.

I have to confess, before testing the recipes I had never made wild rice, baked tempeh or even stuffed a mushroom — and this coming from a woman who has lived with a vegetarian 14 years. The recipes are easy, rich and toothsome. Flavors blend well and the variety of textures make the menu interesting and satisfying.

I did stray from two of the recipes slightly. One was in the blue corn-crusted tempeh. After searching five markets on the island for blue corn meal with no success, I used yellow corn meal as a substitute. The other was an oversight while shopping for ingredients — instead of buying wild rice, I bought a mixed blend of wild and brown rice. This was an accident, but a fortuitous one with fine results. Just remember to follow the instructions on the package if you switch up on the rice for Reinfeld’s recipe.

Vegan Thanksgiving menu

• Spinach Stuffed Mushrooms

• Organic Mixed Green Salad with Toasted Pecan Vinaigrette

• Blue Corn Crusted Tempeh with Shiitake Mushroom Gravy

• Acorn Squash with Wild Rice Pilaf

• Cranberry Sauce

• Pumpkin Pie with Dairy-free Maple Whip

Acorn Squash with Wild Rice Pilaf

Time to prepare: 30 minutes prep. / 1 hour cooking

Yield: 4 servings

2 medium acorn squash

1 cup wild rice (3 cups cooked)

4 cup water or vegetable stock

1/2  teaspoon sea salt

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 medium onion, diced (1 cup)

1/2 cup celery, chopped

1 tablespoon garlic, minced

1 cup pecans, toasted & chopped

1/2 cup cranberries, dried

1 tablespoon Italian parsley, minced

1 teaspoon sage, fresh, minced

1 teaspoon rosemary, fresh, minced

1 teaspoon thyme, fresh

1 teaspoon vegetarian Worcestershire sauce (optional)

2 teaspoons soy sauce, or to taste

1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

Sea salt, to taste

Black pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Rinse squash well, slice in half, scoop out seeds and place face down on a well oiled baking sheet. Bake until a knife can pass easily through any part of the squash, approximately 45 minutes. Set aside. Place wild rice and four cups filtered water or stock in a large pot and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat to simmer and cook until rice kernels are open and just soft and chewy, approximately 50 minutes. Drain well. While squash and rice are cooking, place oil in a large sauté pan on medium high heat. Add onion, celery and garlic, cook for five minutes, stirring frequently. Add remaining ingredients and cook for five minutes, stirring frequently. Add water or stock if necessary to prevent sticking. Place in a large bowl with drained wild rice and mix well. Stuff into squash and bake for 10 minutes. Variations: Substitute roasted chestnuts for pecans. Add one-half cup corn and one-half cup sliced mushrooms.

Pistachio Blue Corn Crusted Tempeh

with Mushroom Gravy

Time to prepare: 25 minutes prep. / 20 minutes cooking

Yield: 4 cutlets

16 ounces tempeh, sliced into 4 cutlets

1 tablespoon water

2 teaspoon soy sauce

1 recipe creamy tahini marinade (below)

Crust

1 cup pistachios or pecans, roasted no salt

1/2 cup blue corn chips, crumbled

2 tablespoons blue corn meal (or substitute with yellow corn meal)

1 tablespoon coconut, shredded and toasted, optional

1 teaspoon cilantro, minced

1/2 teaspoon cumin

1/4 teaspoon chili powder

Pinch crushed red pepper flakes

Sea salt to taste

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place soy sauce and water in a nine-by-13 inch casserole dish, add tempeh cutlets and allow to sit for five minutes before flipping. Let sit for another five minutes. Prepare Creamy Tahini Marinade and pour over tempeh cutlets. Let sit for at least 20 minutes. Cutlets may also be marinated the day before the dish is prepared. Place dish in the oven and bake for 10 minutes.

While tempeh is marinating and baking, place crust ingredients in food processor and process until chopped fine. Remove tempeh from oven, cover liberally with crust mixture, return to oven and bake for an additional 10 minutes. Remove from oven, and serve while hot.

Spinach Stuffed Mushrooms

25 minutes prep. / 20 minutes cooking

12 to 15 stuffing mushrooms

1 recipe lemon herb marinade (below)

1 tablespoon olive oil

1/4 cup shallots or onion, minced

1/2 cup cremini mushrooms, diced

1 large bunch spinach, steamed and drained to yield 1/2 cup

1/4 cup tomato, chopped

1 teaspoon basil, minced

1 teaspoon Italian parsley, minced

1 tablespoon nutritional yeast (optional)

3/4 teaspoon soy sauce (optional)

1/2 teaspoon mirin (optional)

1/2 teaspoon garlic, minced

Pinch crushed red pepper flakes

Sea salt to taste

Black pepper, ground to taste

3 tablespoons bread crumbs for garnish

3 tablespoons pine nuts, toasted for garnish

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Wipe clean stuffing mushrooms, remove any stems and place in a shallow baking dish with Lemon Herb Marinade for 20 minutes or longer. While mushrooms are marinating, place oil in a small sauté pan on medium high heat. Add shallots and cremini mushrooms and cook for five minutes, stirring frequently. Add tomatoes and spinach and cook for three minutes, stirring occasionally. Add remaining ingredients, except pine nuts and bread crumbs, mix well and remove from heat. Spoon a small amount of mixture into each mushroom, top with bread crumbs and pine nuts, bake until mushrooms are slightly soft, approximately 10 minutes. Be careful not to overcook.

Lemon Herb Marinade

1 cup water

2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

1 tablespoon soy sauce

1 tablespoon minced Italian parsley

Combine all ingredients in a shallow dish and whisk well.

Pecan Vinaigrette

Time to prepare: 20 minutes

Yield: 3 1/2 cups

1 cup water

1 cup pecans, toasted

1/2 cup safflower or sunflower oil

1 tablespoon maple syrup or agave nectar

5 teaspoons apple cider vinegar, raw

1 tablespoon soy sauce, or to taste

1/4 teaspoon garlic, minced (optional)

Place all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth. Serve with a large organic mixed green salad with all of your favorite veggies such as tomato, cucumber, grated carrots, red onion slices, olives and more.

Creamy Tahini Marinade

3/4 cup water

1 tablespoon Soy sauce

1/4 cup creamy tahini

1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice

Combine all ingredients in a small bowl and whisk well

Shiitake

Mushroom Gravy

Time to prepare: 10 minutes prep. / 15 minutes cooking

Yield:  3 1/2 cups

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 cup onion, diced

3/4 cup Shiitake mushrooms, sliced thin

1 1/2 tablespoon garlic, minced

2 cups water or vegetable stock

1/4 cup soy sauce, or to taste

Pinch nutmeg, ground

Pinch cayenne pepper

Roux

2 tablespoons spelt flour

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 tablespoon filtered water

Create a roux by placing spelt flour in a small bowl. Add two tablespoons olive oil and one tablespoon filtered water, whisk until a thick paste is created. Set aside. Place one tablespoon of olive oil in a large sauté pan on medium high heat. Add onion and garlic, cook for five minutes, stirring occasionally. Add mushrooms and cook for five minutes, stirring occasionally. Add remaining ingredients except roux mixture and cook for five minutes on low heat, stirring occasionally. Add roux mixture and cook until gravy has a thick consistency, approximately 10 minutes, stirring frequently.

Cranberry Sauce

10 minutes prep / 15 minutes cooking

Yield: 2 1/2 cups

4 cups cranberries, fresh or frozen

1 cup filtered water

1/4 cup sucanat or organic sugar

1/4 cup orange juice, fresh squeezed

2 tablespoons maple syrup or agave nectar

3/4 teaspoon cinnamon powder

1/2  teaspoon ginger powder

1/4 teaspoon allspice powder

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg, ground

Pinch cardamom powder

1/4 cup pecans, chopped (optional)

Place cranberries and filtered water in a three-quart pot over medium heat and cook for five minutes, stirring frequently. Add orange juice, sucanat, maple syrup and cook for eight minutes, stirring frequently. Add mirin and remaining ingredients, cook for three minutes, or until cranberries have “popped” and the sauce thickens. Variation: For a sweeter version, replace water with fruit juice, such as apple or pear.

Pumpkin Pie

with Dairy-free Maple Whip

20 minutes prep. / 1 hour cooking plus pumpkin cooking time

Yield: Nine-inch pie

1 pre-made nine-inch pie crust

1 medium pumpkin (1 3/4 cups cooked)

3/4 cup almond butter

1/4 cup soy milk

1/4 cup maple syrup

1/4 cup sucanat or organic sugar

3 tablespoons molasses

2 tablespoons arrowroot powder

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/4 teaspoon cardamom powder

1/4 teaspoon allspice powder

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg, ground

1/8  teaspoon clove powder

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cut pumpkin in half and remove the seeds. Place face down on a well oiled or parchment paper lined baking pan. Bake until a knife easily goes through the skin and the flesh of the pumpkin, approximately 45 minutes. Scoop out one and three-quarter cups pumpkin, place in food processor or blender with remaining ingredients and process or blend until smooth. Pour mixture into pie crust and bake until top is firm to touch, approximately one hour. Filling may puff up and rise above crust line as it bakes. It will fall back down as it cools.

Dairy-free

Maple Whip

12.3 ounces silken tofu

3 tablespoons maple syrup or agave nectar, or to taste

2 teaspoons lemon juice, fresh squeezed

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Pinch cardamom powder

Pinch cinnamon powder

Place all ingredients in a food processor or blender and process until smooth.

• About the author: Mark Reinfeld is the founding chef of the  Blossoming Lotus Restaurant, voted ‘Best Restaurant on Kaua‘i, and a recipient of a 2006 platinum carrot award given by the Aspen Center of Integral Health to ‘Americas Top Healthy Gourmet Chefs.’ He is a recognized authority in the field of healthy cuisine. Mark is the co-author of “Vegan World Fusion Cuisine,” winner of nine national awards. His latest book,  “The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Eating Raw” he co-authored with Jennifer Murray and Bo Rinaldi is available through booksellers everywhere.