My Thanksgiving Menu

I am very excited about this year's Thanksgiving menu.  I always have much fun and joy looking for recipes this time of year.  There is always lots of inspiration and ideas in my cooking magazines, favorite blogs, and online sites like Pinterest.  This year, I am taking a recipe from one of my favorite vegan chefs and owner of Crossroads (my favorite vegan LA restaurant), Tal Ronnen: Sage and Pumpkin Seed Veggie Scaloppini.  It is elegant and beautiful, topped with a cranberry cabernet sauce that is perfect for the holiday - and it looks fairly easy to make.  Bonus!

Tal Ronnen's Sage and Pumpkin Seed Veggie Scaloppini
Makes 6 servings

Ingredients:

For the Cranberry Cabernet Sauce:
3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
1 large shallot
4 sprigs of thyme
1/4 cup dried cranberries
1 cup cabernet
1 cup faux chicken stock or vegetable broth
1 tbsp arrowroot
2 tbsp water
3 tbsp natural butter substitute
salt and pepper to taste

For the Cutlets:
12 (3 pkgs) seitan or Gardein chick'n scallopini (frozen) or Gardein 12 (3 pkgs) chick'n fillets (fresh)
1 tbsp minced fresh sage
1 cup toasted pumpkin seeds (without shells)
1 tsp paprika
1 cup panko breadcrumbs
2 tbsp nutritional yeast flakes
Unbleached white flour
2 cups unsweetened soy milk
Olive oil for sautéing
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
For the cranberry cabernet sauce, heat the oil in a sauté pan.  Add the shallots and saute for 3 minutes.  Add the thyme and cranberries and saute for 2 minutes.  Season with salt and pepper.  Add the cabernet and scrape the bottom of the pan, then reduce the liquid by half.  Add the stock and reduce by half.  Mix the arrowroot with the water and add to the pan.  Stir well and continue to cook for 2 minutes.  Turn heat off and whisk in the vegan butter 1 tbsp at a time.  Remove thyme stems.

For the cutlets, in a food processor, process the sage, seeds, paprika, bread crumbs, yeast, salt and pepper until well incorporated.  Thaw the frozen meat substitute.  Dredge each cutlet in flour, then dip into the soy milk and then into the breadcrumbs.  Saute on each side until browned and crisp.

I plan to serve it with the Brussels Sprouts from The Lemonade Cookbook, alongside some mashed potatoes, stuffing, sweet potatoes, and my family's typical favorites.

I have been pinning lots of yummy looking recipes and other Thanksgiving inspiration on my Pinterest board "Thanksgiving."  Check it out here.  Happy cooking!