Vegan (Treats) Thanksgiving, Part 2 of 2: Dessert Wrap-Up

After we lost a week of civilization to Hurricane Sandy and another catching up, Thanksgiving kind of snuck up on us this year.  Planning dinner was relatively easy since we knew we'd go traditional (sometimes we buck tradition and go Italian!), but dessert hadn't really crossed our minds until after all our favorite dessert-makers had called an end to holiday ordering.

A week prior, I found myself at Vegan Treats gorging on just about anything I could get my hands on. 

How do you improve upon a glazed chocolate donut?  Top it with chocolate cookie crumbles and chocolate drizzle!

And I certainly couldn't pass up a holiday themed sprinkle donut.

I also tried all of their cake ball/truffles of the day: chocolate caramel, red velvet, and chocolate hazelnut and I've decided they should offer a box of these for Valentine's Day.  You're welcome.

A cannoli:

Oh, and ice cream; I always get ice cream.  On this day, chocolate and cake-batter ice cream:

Then we spied this little feller in the case.  There was the issue of no Thanksgiving dessert...and once VM heard it was a cannoli cake the order was placed.

Since we'd decided to forgo the traditional Thanksgiving dessert, I had the forethought to bring that kind of stuff home for a fall treat.  There is no rule that says these things are only for the holidays, people!  A pumpkin cheesecake streusel.

And a pumpkin cheesecake.

Also, another triple chocolate donut!

Believe it or not, that same weekend, I was lucky enough to see Vegan Treats again (Hi Ashley!) at the Brooklyn Renegade Craft Fair Holiday Market.  I didn't initially intend to get anything else...but, well-

so much goodness in one place

Can you see what looks like a peanut butter bomb in the bottom, right, corner of this picture (the real peanut butter bombs are in the top, left corner)?

Instead of peanut butter drizzle, it was sporting some kind of cooking crumb garnish.  When I inquired, I was told that it was a Speculoos bomb.  Yes, you heard that right: SPECULOOS BOMB!!  As in Biscoff!!

Unfortunately, it knocked around in my totebag all day, so by the time I arrived home it had kind of exploded within the container.  Completely my fault, you understand.  I don't have to tell you I ate it anyway, right?  Well, I did.  Danielle said that it might be better than the peanut butter bomb and I am here to confirm that besides being a vegan baking genius, she is absolutely right!  Regardless of how it looked by the time I ate it, I can assure you that the taste was not affected in the least.  Phenomenal!

They couldn't possibly be more deserving of this top honor.

yep

And then, just a few short days later, it was time to dig into the chocolate-turkey topped cannoli cake.

As you can see, the turkey's eyes melted from what we'd already consumed earlier that same day.

love the waddle

To our surprise, it was a chocolate cannoli cake!  We'd just assumed...

So many fantastic elements: 3 layers of chocolate cake interspersed with two layers of chocolate chip cannoli cream filling, then iced with buttercream and drenched in a chocolate shell.

As for the turkey, he tasted like a tootsie roll.

Much thanks to Vegan Treats' for the incredible desserts, as well as to the entire staff for always being so incredibly kind to my family.

Vegan Thanksgiving, Part 1 of 2: Dinner

Oy; I'm full.  Not surprisingly, Thanksgiving day was filled with lots of cooking and tons more eating- so much so that I have to break it down into two posts: one for dinner and one for dessert.

VM's napkins: veganized

Dinner:

Truth be told, I don't like my food touching.

Especially gravied items; they belong on a separate plate!

We went extremely traditional this year, starting with green bean casserole from the PPK:

It never disappoints.

VM has always made awesome vegan mashed potatoes, but her new trick is to add horseradish- making them taste just like even better than the non-vegan wasabi mashed potatoes from Lucky Cheng's, circa 1999bv (before vegan).  VM's famous horseradish mashed potatoes!

I had some farmar sweet potatoes languishing, so I cubed and roasted them skin-on with cinnamon and nutmeg, then mashed them with butter, maple syrup, salt, and cinnamon sugar.  AB's so-so, sweet, sweet potato mash.

Because Thanksgiving is as good of an excuse as any to make brussel sprouts...we did.  But, we didn't roast them this time; instead, I tossed them in safflower oil with salt, pepper, garlic, and red pepper flakes, and sautéed them stove-top for 15 minutes.  They tasted very similar (better) than the ones from Blossom, and I loved the vibrant green.

I forgot the chestnuts!!

VM has always made vegetarian, creamed corn stuffing, but she's long since veganized it.  On a good day she'll prepare them in balls rather than a casserole.  A day when a dead turkey is roasting in her oven is not a good day.

Okay, okay; our mushroom gravy is from a can.

But our cranberry is homemade by my boss, who does something terrific with orange zest to make an orange/cranberry chutney of sorts that I really like...and I am not a fan of cranberries (never craisins).

And, finally: our "main course" was chickpea cutlets from Veganomicon- easily doubled on PPK. Cause what are you gonna do with a single batch?  Not enough, that's what.

I really didn't overdo it.  The problem arose when I was effectively done, but then decided to have a little more mashed potatoes...and stuffing...and green bean casserole.  Then I was not only done, but done for.  Despite my own gluttony, it was a wholly successful spread and I'll be eating leftovers for at least a week.

89 doesn't really eat at the table; she was just posing for posterity.

Don't get me wrong; I did manage to have dessert...hours later.  But, I'm a professional.  I'll let you digest dinner for now and catch you later with part 2.

Happy Thanksgiving.