First Vegetarian Thanksgiving

OK... so this was a substantial stretch for me. I did my homework and found the Quorn Turk'y Roast to be recommended over Tofurky... If you want the "skinny" on this product, find it in this interesting blog posting: http://notmeat.blogspot.com/2007/11/quorn-turky-roast.html
I knew key sides would be the make or break factor so a good stuffing and gravy were essential. AND, what a patient, beautiful brown boxer waiting for dinner by the fire!! Good doggie!!

Pre-Thanksgiving Pizza

Ahhhh, for the love of pizza...

While trying to use up things in the fridge before Thanksgiving shopping, I threw together this tasty morsel. Lacking pizza sauce, I used a light dressing of salsa. Add onions, black olives, green pepper and roasted red pepper, it was delicious.

Beefy Pasta

Cleaning out the fridge to get ready for Thanksgiving came down to a heartwarmng pasta dish. A trio of peppers minced and used as garnish gave the plate nice color.

Pumpkin Bread & Vegetable Pasta

Re-did a pumpkin bread from Trader Joes but this time added some delicious, fresh walnuts that I picked up at a local farm and, also, added some dried cranberries. Turned out great. And, I got back to a delicious rotini and veggie bake that I always love but have not made in quite a while. The feta cheese makes it rich and the slight carmelization is wonderful. Some added basil, fennel seed and extra garlic really add great flavor.

Tomato-Lentil Soup

With the fall chill in the air, I thought this would be a heart warming soup. I always like recipes with few ingredients and this fits the bill. I used a "fire roasted" type of tomatoes that gave depth and dimension to the dish. It turned out delicious, vegan and very nutritious.

Roasted Squash Pizza

This is one of the most delicious pizza's I've ever made... Starts with a rosemary infused pizza dough, a bunch of chopped mushrooms, diced roasted winter squash and seasoned with fennel, red pepper flakes and ground pepper. A few days ago, I did pretty much the same pizza with a thyme infused pizza dough and it too was wonderful.

Crabbing in Seaside.

It was such a beautiful day last Monday that I had to make a trip to the coast to go crabbing. The fall colors were spectacular on the drive over there and it was t-shirt weather with no wind on the 12th Ave. bridge where I usually go. And, there was bounty.