Savoring Thanksgiving Leftovers

Or: My Favourite Plant-Based Encores & COOKBOOK news!

Oct 11, 2023

A warm welcome to all of our subscribers - now that the weather has taken a turn towards winter we all the ‘warm’ things we can get (esp. warm PSL’s amiright?!)

A lot of people LOVE Fall Time but I’ve never really been one of those unfortunately. Sure, the colours are beautiful & Thanksgiving is great - but for me Fall has always been a big fat reminder of what we WON’T be getting anymore: warm evenings, backyard BBQ’s, hot weather, fresh produce…

On the bright side, with summer firmly in the rear view mirror, we have a little more time on our hands and can get back to some of the projects we neglected through the summer while trying to squeeze in a little beach and hiking time between regular work and trying to grow a Vegan Food company! So it’s not all bad ;)

For starters, that means we’re back with a new newsletter - and a plan to manage a new post every week. Secondly, it means that we get to tackle a new project that we’ve been talking about for many years now: Our first ever cookbook! Just the proposal for now, but we’re almost done gathering our recipes and putting the final touches on it and can’t wait to send it out to find a home in the world!

If you have arrived here and are not yet subscribed, now is the perfect time to take care of that so you don’t miss out on future vegan goodness

In this issue, I’m going to share some of my favourite Thanksgiving Leftover ideas, but first, a few words about our cookbook plan…

Holiday Feast Smorgasbord — The day AFTER holiday feasts ALWAYS start with a leftover Smorgasbord!

The Cookbook

As many of you know already, when I say ‘WE’, I am referring to myself (Michael) and my wife Tina Valiant; the team behind this newsletter and the Valiants Field Grown company. You can usually find us in the back somewhere trying to juggle too many balls: We run a vegan restaurant in Barrie, ON, a weekly meal box program, an online store that ships vegan products across Canada, and more (we homeschool and try to get out this newsletter too!) There are hardly enough hours in the week already, but we were missing one important project that we really wanted to make time for: Our First Cookbook!

A cookbook has been a dream for as long as I can remember. When I was growing up, my grandmother ran a Bed & Breakfast for many years and one year for Christmas she gave all the grandchildren a cookbook she had cobbled together on her archaic computer, complete with clipart and all the recipes she had tried out in the kitchen over the years. It helped me learn to cook when I went to university and craved those homey comfort foods and when I decided to go fully Vegan years later, translating my favourites out of this cookbook was one of the first things I did.

Grandma's Family Cookbook — Grandma’s Cookbook helped me get through University!

Back in 2014, when we opened our own restaurant, that became a cornerstone concept for our new endeavour and something that has become one of my specialties over the years: taking traditional foods and recipes that you can’t imagine ever finding as a Vegan product, and creating amazing and indistinguishable Plant-Based versions!

And that’s the idea we’re going to carry with us through this cookbook journey. We’re going to share how we make our incredible plant-based meat products, and a book's worth of recipes on how to use that meat to make incredible dishes from around the world! We can’t wait! But we’ll have to, because we’re still at the start of this journey… so, for now, let’s shift gears and talk about some of our favourite fall foods!

This week we’re thinking a lot about how great our Thanksgiving feast was… and what to do with the inevitable leftovers, which, if I am going to be honest, is one of my favourite food weeks of the year. A little thing I dedicate:

Thanksgiving Holiday Leftovers Lovers Week!

I know, it’s a mouthful! (But that’s a good thing in this context!)

In this section:

Food Sustainability Tips
Our Favourite Leftover Recipe Ideas

Leftover Ideas

Reducing food waste and finding creative ways to reuse Thanksgiving meal leftovers is not only sustainable but can also be a delicious way to enjoy your favourite vegan dishes in new ways.

Roasted Vegetable closeup — I mean… Nobody here is going to argue that roasted veg right out of the fridge ISN’T a great finger food snack - but there’s so much more you can do with it!

Here are some of our favourite Holiday Feast Leftover Recipe Ideas:

Thanksgiving Leftover Sandwich: The Classic! Build a hearty sandwich using leftover stuffing, vegan roast, and cranberry sauce, all stacked between slices of your favorite bread.

Thanksgiving Shepherd's Pie: Have I mentioned that I LOVE Shepherd’s Pie? Better not get me started on this topic. Suffice to say that repurposing your Thanksgiving sides by layering them in a casserole dish and topping them with mashed potatoes is a simple way to make a delicious and quick leftover meal

Thanksgiving Quesadillas: Transform leftovers into a tasty quesadilla by filling tortillas with mashed sweet potatoes, vegan roast, and a drizzle of gravy.

Thanksgiving Pizza: This is one of the best selling Pizza specials we have at the restaurant. Ours includes spinach, glazed yams, Vegan Turkey and cranberry sauce with gravy as a base instead of marinara, but you can put anything on a pizza crust! Create a unique pizza by using vegan roast and some leftover dressing (stuffing) as toppings - Just don’t forget the vegan cheese!

Thanksgiving Breakfast Hash: Make a savory breakfast hash by sautéing some fresh onion and diced potato with leftover roasted vegetables, stuffing, and vegan roast!

Thanksgiving Sushi Rolls: Roll up your leftovers in nori seaweed and sushi rice to create delicious sushi rolls with a Thanksgiving twist. Hey, weird is good! ;)

Thanksgiving Tacos: Fill taco shells with leftover vegan roast, roasted vegetables, and cranberry sauce, then garnish with your favorite vegan toppings.

Thanksgiving Pot Pie: If there is something I love more than Shepherd’s Pie, it’s Pot Pie! Repurpose your Thanksgiving meal into a comforting pot pie by encasing leftover dishes in vegan pastry crust or pack the leftover stuffing on top as a makeshift crust!

Thanksgiving Frittata: Combine roasted vegetables, stuffing, and vegan roast in a tofu-based frittata for a savory breakfast or brunch dish.

Thanksgiving Salad: Create a hearty salad by placing slices of vegan roast, roasted vegetables, and cranberry sauce on a bed of greens. Toss on a little of the crispy stuffing from the pan as a crouton substitute and top with your favourite vinaigrette.

Thanksgiving Wrap: Roll up your fav. leftovers in a large tortilla or flatbread - throw on some greens and a drizzle of vegan gravy or dressing and enjoy! Heat up a splash of oil in a frying pan on medium and heat your wrap for 5-7 minutes (flip it over half way through) or until browned, for a special treat!

Holiday Stuffed Bell Peppers: Hollow out bell peppers and stuff them with leftover stuffing and mashed potatoes, top with a little shredded vegan cheese and bake until tender - about 25 minutes at 375 degrees.

Thanksgiving Feast Bowl: Create a grain bowl with cooked quinoa, brown rice, or another favorite grain as a base, then top with roasted vegetables, cranberry sauce, leftover roast, spinach - whatever you have. I like this bowl with a drizzle of cashew sour cream, but your favourite vinaigrette is perfect too! Add a sprinkle of chopped nuts to throw this one over the top.

There are so many ways to enjoy Thanksgiving leftovers in fresh and exciting ways – and I didn’t even get started on soups and stews! This is the perfect opportunity to experiment with your culinary skills and enjoy some great meals!

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A Few Sustainability Tips

Savoring the delicious remnants of your Thanksgiving feast is a real joy, but it's important to do so sustainably. Proper storage not only keeps your leftovers fresh but also reduces food waste and lessens your environmental footprint.

pumpkin pie slice closeup — Just kidding, we never have to figure out how to store EXTRA pumpkin pie!!

Here are some valuable tips to help you maximize the freshness of your Thanksgiving leftovers while embracing eco-friendly practices:

1. Mindful Refrigeration: After your feast, ensure leftovers are promptly refrigerated (within 2 hours) to prevent food spoilage. Ideally, use a good set of airtight, glass or BPA-free plastic containers that are reusable and easy to clean. These will help maintain the flavor and quality of your dishes while reducing the need for single-use plastics and food wraps.

2. Eco-Friendly Wraps: Ditch the plastic wrap and aluminum foil in favor of reusable, eco-friendly food wraps made from silicone. At most farmers markets you can now find people selling reusable wraps coated in beeswax too, which is better for the environment than plastics. We are strict vegans and don’t use any animal products, so I haven’t tested them myself, but I appreciate anything that removes plastic from the environment.

3. Portion Control: When storing leftovers, consider portioning them into meal-sized servings. If you plan a few meals ahead, you can even freeze portions for later use! This reduces the need to reheat the entire batch and helps prevent food waste and earlier spoilage.

4. Label and Date: To avoid confusion and make sure nothing goes to waste, label your containers with the date when the leftovers were originally prepared. This ensures you can enjoy them at their peak freshness. We always have a roll of masking tape and a few sharpies in our kitchen cupboard so we can quickly label things we are putting away.

5. Freezing for the Future: If you find that you have more leftovers than you can consume in the immediate days following Thanksgiving (food should generally be consumed within 5 days when stored in the fridge), consider freezing them in eco-friendly freezer bags or containers. This not only prevents food spoilage but also allows you to enjoy the flavors of the holiday season at a later date, reducing the need to prepare new meals.

Valiant's Hot Mess

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