Vegan Pumpkin Spice Bread

Although our plans changed at the last minute we ended up having a great Thanksgiving Day after all.

Last night after realizing that we probably shouldn’t risk getting Isaac’s grandparents sick, I asked Isaac what dish that he was most disappointed about missing out on (since we weren’t going to this family’s dinner) and without hesitation he said sweet potatoes with marshmallows. Being the lovely girlfriend that I am, I whipped up another orange dish to go along with the others. You know I love my orange vegetables.

I used a recipe for candied sweet potatoes with marshmallows that I found here and went to work.

Isaac loves the marshmallows so instead of using 2 cups I used the whole bag…

It turned out quite nice.

I also baked a loaf of vegan pumpkin spice bread.

I followed this recipe almost exactly, only adding in 1 cup of whole wheat flour instead of using only all-purpose. I don’t think it made much of a difference taste wise, but the bread was extremely moist and very tasty.

And here’s an easy butternut squash salad that I threw together.

It had organic spring mix, garbanzo beans, red onion, carrots, roasted butternut squash pieces, and was coated with a tahini dressing.

So we were totally ready to spend the day playing board games and eating all our orange foods when we got a phone call from some friends. Being unconcerned about Isaac’s contagiousness they invited us over for a vegetarian Thanksgiving and of course, we couldn’t turn the offer down.

We made our way over to their house and were greeted with a quaint holiday set-up.

The center piece was made with purple basil and rosemary. Quite simple, but so pretty and aromatic. I loved it.

And the food….. oh the food….

As I mentioned, the meal was completely vegetarian, which was really cool. The star of the show was definitely the tofukery.

Definitely not your typical tofurkey!! To be honest, I’ve heard that tofurky prepared per package directions isn’t all that delicious but our friends have perfected the art of the tofurkey. They take the standard tofurky roast you can buy at the store, remove and dispose of the stuffing, thinly slice it, add lots of additional ingredients (veggies and spices), bake it up, and ta-da- the best tofurkey eva.

I’m not one to eat a ton of faux-meat products but it was fun to have “turkey” for Thanksgiving and it tasted wonderful. The carrots, red peppers, onions, sage, rosemary, and other seasonings made this dish taste similar to a baked turkey. I could definitely see the opportunity to fool some meat eaters into thinking they were eating actual turkey.

Meet the man behind the infamous tofukery.

There were stuffing muffins on the menu. Crispy edges for all.

My plate with a little of everything- including homemade cranberry sauce, mashed potatoes and beans.

Everything was so delicious we all couldn’t stop saying, “_____ is so good, oh man, ______ is good as well.” And dessert was just as fabulous! I had a slice of chocolate pie with homemade whipped topping and a piece of pumpkin bread.

It was the perfect meal.

Although we weren’t able to spend Thanksgiving with our families as we have in years past, it turned out to be a wonderful day! The weather was gorgeous, we were able to spend time with one another and share a homemade meal with friends. For all this I am thankful.

Just remember no matter what life throws at you there’s always something to be thankful for!

Now, I’m just keeping my fingers crossed that Isaac will get better soon. He was feeling a bit more energetic today but had a fever so we’re going on our 4th night of sleeping in separate rooms. It stinks. Plus, I need my cuddle buddy back.

I hope your Thanksgiving Day was very happy!

- Brittany