Photo of the Vegan Thanksgiving event. Photo by Maksim Panov.
West Chester University’s Veg Out club held an entirely vegan Thanksgiving feast last Thursday outside of Sykes on the dining terrace to celebrate the upcoming Thanksgiving break. The club was restarted this year by President Joshua Filer and has already held 15 events to raise awareness about plant-based nutrition, environmental sustainability and animal welfare. The Thanksgiving event was also hosted with the goal to feed vegan or plant-based students a full meal, as many don’t feel the meal plan provided by the university includes many nutritious options for them. As a vegetarian myself, I can say that this event provided me with many equally nutritious and delicious options. Below are some recipes from the event that West Chester students made themselves (all of which are vegan, of course).
Pecan Pie
Ingredients
Dough:
• 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon sugar
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon (optional)
• 1/2 teaspoon ginger (optional)
• 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg (optional)
• 1/3 cup vegan butter
• 1/4 cup vegetable shortening
• 1/3 vegan milk (or more if needed)
Filling:
• 1 can of unsweetened full-fat coconut milk
• 5 tablespoons cornstarch
• 2 1/2- 2 3/4 cup chopped pecans (depending on how much you like)
• 3 tablespoons vegan butter
• 1/2 cup brown sugar (or white sugar)
• 1/3 cup + 2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract
Instructions:
• Make the dough: Add the flour, salt, sugar and optional spices to a large bowl and mix to combine. Cut the shortening and butter into cubes and add to the bowl. Using a fork or pastry cutter, cut the fat into flour mixture until the mixture is crumbly in texture and the shortening and butter are the size of small pebbles. Slowly pour in the milk and mix until you can form a ball with your dough.
• Roll the dough: Place a tea towel down on your work surface and sprinkle with flour or sprinkle your work surface directly with flour. Place your dough onto your floured work surface and roll out the dough until the dough is rectangular in shape and about 1/8 of an inch thick.
• Form the dough: Grease a 9” x 11” baking sheet. Lightly flour your dough and then fold in half and fold in half again. Place and unfold your dough on the baking tray. Make sure the dough covers the entire surface of the tray and cut any of the excess dough off.
• Par bake the dough: Preheat the oven to 350° F then par-bake your crust for 8 minutes, then take the crust out of the oven and let it cool.
• Make the coconut milk slurry: Mix your coconut milk (if the cream and liquid are separated, mix until the mixture is smooth) and cornstarch together and set aside.
• Make the filling: In a small pot, add the pecans and toast them over medium heat. Add your butter to the pan and mix to allow the butter to melt. Let the butter and pecans cook together for 1 minute or until the pecans look fully coated and toasted. Add your sugar and maple syrup and mix to combine. Then add the coconut and cornstarch mixture and mix to fully incorporate. Finally, add the vanilla extract and mix until everything is fully incorporated.
• Bake your pie: Add your filling to the par-baked pie crust and bake for 30 minutes, or until the filling appears to be mostly firm when lightly shaken.
• Cool the pie: Let the pie cool on the counter until it reaches room temperature, then cover the pie and store it in the fridge overnight.
• Serving: You can serve the pie directly from the fridge for a firmer consistency or let the pie sit to become room temperature for a more caramel-like consistency. Serve your pie with non-dairy whipped cream or ice cream or just on its own!
— Recipe provided by Melina Schauerman, Vice President of Veg Out
There are many Tofurkey and vegan turkey options at the grocery store. Here’s how to make some tips on how to make one:
Tofurky Plant-Based Roast and Wild Rice Stuffing
(Thaw in refrigerator for 24 hours) For baste ideas, see our recipe below, or our roast goes along great with things like veggie broth, minced garlic, a dash of red wine or herbs like thyme or marjoram.
With a knife or scissors, remove plastic casing and clips from the roast. Place on a pan in foil. Pour half the baste over the roast. Cover and cook at 350° F for 1 hour 15 minutes. Uncover and pour remaining baste over roast. Cook uncovered for 10 more minutes. For a frozen roast: cook for 2 hours 20 minutes, plus 15 minutes uncovered. Carve your roast with a serrated bread knife. Leftovers are great in a sandwich!
“I recommend baking them with vegetables such as carrots, onions, potatoes and maybe peppers as well.” — Joshua Filer, President of Veg Out Club
Emma Hogan is a second-year English major. EH954390@wcupa.edu