Thanksgiving Cometh Soon.

Before I say anything about food I just want to thank Earth for answering my calls for a low pressure system and some sweater weather. Finally. It’s been hot here in Southern California pretty much all of the autumn season so far. I mean, we didn’t really start having summer until August and I feel that’s why we’re getting a late start with the cool weather. Beginning yesterday, we had rain and daytime temps below 70°F. Yay!

Because of this awesome weather, I spent almost the entire day in my kitchen. I made a few different things that I’m excited about and am going to share here on this very blog in the next week or two. Just think cranberries, pumpkin, mock turkey, rosemary, creme fraiche (lalalalaaaa, hohohhohoooo, Fraiche!) etc etc.

Until then, I have something else to share. This is a work in progress, sort of, so if any one decides to make this and you have any helpful advice, please send it my way!

Thanksgiving Turkey Sliders w/ Cranberry Mustard

Adapted from Sunset Magazine

Ingredients:

3 tbsp Earth Balance

4 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 to 3/4 lbs mixed mushrooms, stems removed and sliced–I would have loved to use chanterelles, but I went with creminis and shiitakes

1/2 yellow onion, sliced

salt & pepper to taste

1/2 recipe turkey style seitan, ground (recipe found here) The seitan recipe has a lot of ingredients, but it’s really delicious and totally worth making so go for it! Alternatively, you could use Match, Yves or another chicken or turkey style faux meat

1/4 c red onion, diced

1 1/2 tbsp fresh thyme

1/2 tbsp fresh sage, chopped

1/4 c Vegenaise, plus extra for the bunz

2 tsp Ener-G Egg Replacer

1/4 c whole wheat breadcrumbs

2 tbsp olive oil

about 2 cups baby arugula

buns or dinner rolls

cranberry mustard–recipe follows

Method:

First, make the seitan. Once the seitan is finished and cooled down a bit, squeeze out any excess liquid and pulse it a couple of times in the food processor to grind it up. Add the red onion, fresh herbs, egg replacer, Vegenaise and breadcrumbs to the ground turkey mixture. Set aside.

Next, grab your Earthy B and heat it over medium heat. Add your garlic and saute until fragrant. Then add the onions and mushrooms. Saute about 8 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste and set aside.

Back to the turkey. Moisten your hands and take a small handful of the turkey mixture and form it into a patty. I tried this recipe without the breadcrumbs first and the patties did not hold together very well. The breadcrumbs really help, feel free to add more if the mixture feels too wet. Once you’ve made some patties, heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Saute your patties for a few minutes and then flip. You want them to have a nice golden color.

Now toast your buns.

Assembly:

Spread the top of the buns with a little Vegenaise. Add about a tbsp cranberry mustard on the bottom, then arugula, then mushroom mixture and then the turkey burger. Face stuffing commence.

Cranberry Mustard

Ingredients:

8 oz fresh or frozen cranberries

1/4 c water

1/4 c agave, brown rice syrup or local unheated honey

2 tbsp stone grown or spicy brown mustard

Method:

Combine cranberries, water & sweetener together in a saucepan over medium-low heat. Cook about 8-10 minutes, stirring occasionally. The berries will start to pop and the sauce will reduce. Remove from heat and let cool a bit. Add mustard and stir until combined