Does your family look forward to a big Christmas turkey every year? Are you thinking of substituting it for something vegetarian?
More people are opting for vegetarian holiday meals these days. Regardless of your reasons, you can substitute a tasty roast or main dish for the traditional Christmas turkey. Here are some ideas.
1. Glazed Tofu Roast
Make a slice-able roast from tofu.
Ingredients:
-1 pound of firm tofu
-3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
-1/2 teaspoon pepper
-1/4 teaspoon dried sage
-1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
Glaze:
-3 tablespoons olive oil
-1 tablespoon bottled or homemade barbeque sauce
-1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
-2 tablespoons apricot jam
-1 tablespoon sesame seeds (optional)
Directions:
Drain and rinse the tofu. Place it in a blender or food processor with the pepper, sage, and thyme. Blend until smooth. Pour the tofu mixture into a paper-towel lined colander (use 2 layers of paper towels). Place more paper towels on top of the tofu mixture. Set the colander over a bowl to drain. Refrigerate for 2 hours or more.
Remove the top layer of paper towels. Place a greased baking sheet over the top of the colander. Invert the colander and you should have a colander-shaped tofu loaf on the baking sheet. Remove the bottom (now top) layers of paper towels.
Bake the dome-shaped loaf at 350 degrees for half an hour. While it bakes, make the glaze by mixing all ingredients. Remove the tofu roast and baste with half the glaze. Return the roast to the over for 15 minutes; baste with the rest of the glaze and bake for another 15 minutes.
2. Stuffed Pumpkin or Squash
A glorious stuffed pumpkin at the center of the Christmas dinner table is sure to evoke admiration. No one will miss the turkey!
Ingredients
-1 medium pie pumpkin
-6 tart apples, such as Pink Lady or Granny Smith
-1 cup chopped walnuts or pecans
-1 16-ounce can of cranberry sauce with fruit (not jelly)
-1 20-ounce can of chunked pineapple
-1/2 cup packed brown sugar, evaporated cane juice, or Sucanat
-1/2 cup raisins
-2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger root
-1 tablespoon cinnamon
-2 teaspoons ground nutmeg
Cut off the top of the pumpkin but don’t throw it away. Scoop out the seeds and stringy pulp (save the seeds for roasting and eating).
Peel, core, and chop the apples. Mix them with the nuts, cranberry sauce, pineapple, sugar, and raisins. Add the spices and stir well. Spoon this mixture into the hollow pumpkin. Put the top back onto the pumpkin.
Place the whole pumpkin on a greased baking sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour. Remove from the oven and gentle stir the filling of the pumpkin to incorporate some of the cooked pumpkin flesh with the filling.