Vegetarian Thanksgiving for Two

This is the follow up to my earlier Thanksgiving for Two post with the recipes. All recipes make 2 large servings.

Stuffed Acorn Squash:

This recipe is a combination of recipes from DK’s stuffed Acorn Squash & a recipe from Vegetarian Times. I followed DK’s method for baking Acorn Squash and my squash was done in about 26 minutes.

Ingredients:
Acorn Squash – 1 small
Quinoa – ¼ cup
Wild Rice – ¼ cup
Scallions – 4, chopped (I used 1 huge Texas scallion)
Carrot – 1 small, chopped fine
Walnuts – 2tbsp, chopped
Cranberries – 2tbsp
Garlic – 1 clove, minced
Sage – 2tsp, finely minced
Salt & Pepper – to taste

Method:

• Preheat the oven to 375ºF.
• Cut the squash into two, place the cut sides down on a baking sheet and bake for 30 minutes. Remove from oven and keep aside to cool.
  
• Next prepare the stuffing: Heat 1tbsp oil in a sauté pan; add garlic and sauté till fragrant.
  
• Add chopped scallions and carrots and cook until carrots are tender, about 8-10 minutes.
  
• Scoop the flesh out of the squash making sure you leave a little bit behind so that it doesn’t collapse when you add the stuffing. Add the acorn squash to onions & carrot mixture and cook for another 2 minutes.
  
• Add sage, walnuts & cranberries, season with salt & pepper. Place the squash on the serving plate and spoon the stuffing. Enjoy!!

Next up is Sour Cream Mashed Potatoes.

Potatoes – 2 medium, chopped into 1” pieces
Sour Cream – 2tbsp
Vegetable Broth – as needed
Chives – 3tbsp
Salt & Pepper – to taste

Method:

• Take potatoes in a saucepan and add water to cover; bring to a boil and simmer on medium flame for 10-15 minutes or until potatoes are fork tender.
  
• Drain well and return to the same pan.
  
• Add sour cream, 2tbsp chives, salt & pepper. Use a potato masher to mash the potatoes; I left them a little chunky. Add broth if the mash is too dry. Garnish with the leftover chives.

Then I made Caramelized onion stuffing by Taylor Florence from Food network website.

Ingredients:
Onions – 2 medium, chopped
Corn muffins – 3, chopped
Sage – 2tbsp
Heavy cream – 3tbsp
Veggie broth – 3tbsp
Soy milk – ¼ cup
Salt & Pepper – to taste

Method:

• Heat 1tbsp oil in a sauté pan; add onions and sauté for about 10 minutes on medium flame until lightly golden and caramelized. Mix sage and keep aside.
  
• In a small bowl, whisk soy milk, heavy cream & veggie broth.
  
• In a larger mixing bowl add the chopped corn muffins & onions; season with salt & pepper. Pour the wet ingredients onto the corn mixture. Mix well and spoon into a greased baking dish. Bake in a preheated 375ºF oven for 20 minutes. Serve hot.

For dessert I made mini pumpkin cheesecake tarts from this recipe.

Ingredients:
For the Crust:
Chocolate graham crackers – I used about 30 tiny bear crackers
Sugar – 2tsp
Unsalted butter – 4tsp

Cheesecake Filling:
Cream cheese – 6 oz., softened
Pumpkin puree – 1/3 cup
Sugar – 1/3 cup
Egg – 1
All-purpose flour – 1tbsp

Ground Cinnamon, Nutmeg & Allspice – 1/8tsp of each (You can substitute with ½tsp pumpkin pie spice)

Salt – pinch
Semisweet chocolate – 1oz. chopped

Method:

• Preheat oven to 350ºF.
  
• In a food processor blend the chocolate crackers with sugar until finely ground, almost like bread crumbs. Add melted butter and pulse until moistened.
  
• Transfer the crumb mixture into the tart pans, half in each pan. Gently press into the bottom and along the sides. Bake until fragrant and slightly firm, about 7 minutes. Set aside to cool.
  
• Wipe the food processor and get it ready to make the filling. Blend the cream cheese until smooth. Add pumpkin puree, sugar, egg, flour, spices & salt. Blend until combined. Set aside.
  
• Melt the chocolate in the microwave until soft in 30 second increments. Add 1/3 cup of cream cheese mixture and stir to combine; set aside.
  
• Pour the remaining cream cheese mixture into the tart pans. Add dollop of the chocolate mixture and using a knife make swirls.
• Bake for 20-25 minutes or until the cheesecake is set but jiggles when slightly shaken. Cool completely. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours. Enjoy!!