home for the holidays

Back in the day, Thanksgiving was my favorite holiday. It was a time for my family to come together and sit around, eat, drink, and be merry. As the years marched on and our family grew apart by distance and holiday travel made it difficult to see one another, the holiday lost a bit of it’s shine. That, coupled with finally opening my eyes to the true horror story of what Thanksgiving really was (sorry, being a Debbie Downer again) and more recently, my parent failing health and eventual passing, it has kind of become a trash holiday to me.

But if I’m being completely honest, I still love it. Why? Because to me, when I think of thanksgiving, I will always think of family (and food) and all the beautiful moments we had together. The holiday will probably never be to me what it once was, but will always hold those beautiful family memories close to my heart and treasure the best parts of the holiday.

Even before going vegan, I kind of despised the turkey part. To me, the star of the show was my mom’s cornbread dressing (yes, dressing…we’ve never called it stuffing). Of course, her’s was filled with lots of meaty bits that I wouldn’t want to eat now, but I cannot deny that it was the most delicious dressing that I have ever eaten.

My version is an meatless ode to my mother that follows her methodology of dressing making. An although it is a bit different, it still hits all of those delicious flavor notes that I warmly remember. In fact, the last few Thanksgivings that I had with my mom and dad, I was the dressing maker and they were always quite pleased with it.

This recipe is easy, but there are a few steps involved that take a bit of time to make this dish the most delicious.

Skill Level- Easy

Shopping List:

• Mushrooms

• White or Yellow/ Brown Onion

• Garlic

• Celery

• Bouillon Paste or Cube

• Plant Milk

• Vegan Butter

• Olive Oil

• Worcestershire Sauce (vegan)

• Flour

• Cornmeal

• Just Egg or Flax Seeds or Can of Chickpeas ( for the liquid )

Equipment:

• 9” x 13” baking dish

• Large skillet or frying pan

• Large bowl

• Cutting board

• Knife

• Scale and or measuring spoons and cups

  
  Makes enough for about 6-8 servings.

Products used:

Links provided below-

1. Silk Extra Creamy Oatmilk- it really doesn’t make much of a difference here, but Silk is my go to milk.

2. Better Than Bouillon No Chicken Base- you can certainly use your favorite stock or bouillon, but this is my preference to drive home that poultry-like flavor.

3. Miyoko’s or Melt Organic Butter Sticks- Up until a couple of months ago I was a real ride-or die Flora butter fan, but unfortunately they stopped production here in the U.S. It’s a bummer, but I also enjoy Melt and Miyoko’s. I’m using salted butter because that is what is readily available for most people at this time, but feel free you use whatever is your favorite.

4. Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt- the chef’s salt ( for various reasons that I won’t get into here). It contains 53% less sodium than standard salt, so I suggest using half the amount if you’re using Morton, Pink Himalayan, or table salt.

5. Robbie’s Worcestershire Sauce- I don’t really have a preference here, this is just what was in my store. If you can’t find vegan Worcester sauce near you, you can leave it out. It does add a nice umami flavor to the dressing, but you could probably substitute with a teaspoon of soy sauce or miso… I haven’t tried, but seems like it may work (if you try it, let me know). Otherwise, just skip altogether.

6. Just Egg- I use this as my binder, but in the past have used oil and aquafaba as my replacer and that works just fine. I have never used a flax egg in this recipe ( I often steer clear of flax cause it can change the flavor of things) but I think it’s nutty quality could work well with this dish.

   
   

Helpful Notes:

Stock- Can you just use the veggie stock in the box?  Yes.  Will it taste the same?  No.  I like to use the celery and onion flavor because first off, that was the way I was taught and second, I tried the stock in a box route and to me, it just did not impart the flavor I was looking for (a lot of box veggie stock has tomato which doesn’t work well with this imo).  If the celery and onion part is too much, I suggest just using a chicken style bouillon paste or cube or if you can’t find that, mushroom or garlic based stock will do.

Salt- Diamond Crystal Salt (my salt of preference) contains 53% less sodium than standard salt, so as I mentioned above, you should use half the amount called for in the recipe if you’re using Morton, Pink Himalayan, or table salt. However, the saltiness level of food is very subjective. So no matter what you use, err on the side of caution (you can always add more), and don’t forget to taste your final product to see if adjustments are needed.

Cornbread- I suggest making a day ahead of making the dressing (for ease and to help the bread dry out a bit) but it is not imperative. I like to break it up with my hands into smaller pieces, but not too fine, so that it retains some nice texture.

Egg Replacement- An egg replacement is needed to help bind the dressing together. In the past, I have used a mixture of oil and aquafaba (the liquid you find in a can of chickpeas) to replicate the fat and protein you find in an egg. However, this year, I have started to use the liquid egg replacer, Just Egg, to do the same job with good results (by the way there are other Just Egg-like products on the market, but I can’t recall the names). I do believe that this is a good place to use the flax egg (1 tablespoon of flax meal + 3 tablespoons of water) if you prefer, but I have never tried it myself. If all else fails, you can try using just oil (3 tablespoons), to bind like I do in the cornbread recipe.

Other Add-Ins- This is a very paired down version of the holiday dressing that I often make, but I must admit, it’s my favorite. That being said, I have enjoyed this dressing with vegan sausage and sautéed collard greens.

Make Ahead- You can make your dressing the day before you want to eat and cook the day of your feast. Just make, assemble in your dish and store covered in the refrigerator until time to cook.

Prep:

• Make the cornbread at least an hour ahead of making the dressing- making the day before is optimal.

• If making the onion and celery stock, make at least 1 hour ahead of making the dressing. This is also good to do the night before so that you can just assemble the dressing easily when ready to make.

• Wipe mushrooms to remove dirt and debris (if using whole) and cut into thick slices

• Finely dice garlic and chop onion and celery.

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 onion (brown or white), chopped + divided

• 5-6 cloves garlic, finely chopped

• 6 celery stalks, chopped + divided

• 6 C water (or veggie stalk if not using bouillon paste or cubes )

• 2 T Better than Bouillon No Chicken paste

• 8 oz. baby Bella or Cremini mushrooms

• 2 T + 1 tsp. extra virgin olive oil

• 1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce (vegan)

• 88 ml (6 T ) JustEgg- can sub with 2 flax eggs (see helpful notes above) or 3 T aquafaba + 2 T oil

• 1- 2 tsp.  salt (to taste)

• 1/2 tsp. pepper, divided

• Cornbread (see recipe here )

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375° F

Prepare and bake cornbread, set aside and let cool. See cornbread directions here.

Stock

You want to start this an hour to an hour and a half before you are ready to make the dressing.  Don't worry, it is easy, you just need time for the stock to cook and reduce.

1. Cook for about an hour or until onions and celery is soft and half of the liquid has reduced.  Set aside to cool.

2.  In a large stock pot, add 3 stalks of celery, half an onion, garlic, and water-bring the mixture to a boil.

3. Once the mixture is boiling, bring the heat down to a medium high setting ( you want a moderate boil) and the bouillon paste or cubes (refer to your package directions for the appropriate amount for 6 cups of water). 

4. Reduce the heat to medium- low to simmer for about an hour or until onions and celery are very soft and the liquid has reduced by 1/3 to 1/2 the amount.  Set aside to cool.

Dressing

1. Chop the remaining onion and celery, along with the mushrooms.

2. In a large saute pan, heat 2 tablespoons of oil.  Add the onions, celery, and mushrooms- let the mixture cook until the onions are translucent and mushrooms are lightly golden.  

3. Add the teaspoon of Worcestershire sauce,1 teaspoon of salt, and 1/4 tsp. of pepper (or to taste ) and cook for about 1 minute more. Set the veggies aside to cool for about 5 minutes.

4. In a large bowl, crumble the cooled cornbread until large chunks are gone (but don't get crazy- you want to keep some texture with some bigger pieces).  

5. Cut up any remaining large pieces of onion or celery in the cooled stock and give it a good mix.

6. Add the stock (including softened celery and onion pieces ) along with the remaining pepper to the cornbread pieces and mix with your hands (or spoon )- I like to start with half of the liquid and keep adding until the mixture is moist (sorry) and sticks together when pressed between my fingers.

7. Do one last check for seasoning and add more salt and pepper if needed.  

8. Add whichever egg replacer you’d like (JustEgg, flax eggs, or aquafaba and oil mix) then combine the mixture well with your hands or a spoon.  

9. Add 1 teaspoon of oil to the bottom of a 9 x 13 baking dish, then put it in the oven for about 2- 3 minutes to let oil heat in the pan.  

10. Take pan out of oven and brush the oil over the pan, then spoon the cornbread mixture into pan ( be careful not to burn yourself ).

11. Smooth the mixture with a spoon evenly in the pan, then cover with foil and put in oven on middle rack. Bake for about 50 minutes, then remove foil and bake another 10 to 15 minutes or until the top crisps up a bit and gets slightly golden brown.

12.  When done, remove the dressing from oven and let cool in the dish for about 5 minutes- serve hot with all your holiday fixings.

13. Enjoy! 

Storage and Use

1. Place the leftover dressing in an air-tight container and store in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.

2. Reheat in the oven on 350° F for 15-20 minutes or in the microwave for 2- 4 minutes.

I hope you try this recipe and enjoy with your family or friends.

Happy Holidays to you!

xx Debbie, Shorty, + Sophie