A Veggie Lover's Thanksgiving

 Can you have a Thanksgiving without the bird? YES!!!! It's easy to opt for a vegetarian holiday and even party by just using all sorts of vegetables. Going meatless is a great and economic change up from past Thanksgivings.

Vegetarian and regular contributor Alexa Weibelgave gave a wealth of delicious looking recipes in today's New York Times food section. The entirie issue is Thanksgiving centered (more on it tomorrow).  Ms. Weibel's recipes are perfect for the growing number of people forgoing meat and those who just can;'t afford a turkey this year. Her ombre gratin would be the perfect recplacement, with it's layers of red potatoes, beets, sweet potatoes and butternut squash . Berween these layers are Gruyere cheese and and savory cream, enriched with three egg yolks , half and half and butter. It's spiced with garlic and whiole peppercorns along with shallot bayleaves and thyme. Nutmeg gives it a little sweetness. It's topped with a buttery,crunchy layer of phylo dough. To be honest this would also make a great Christmas, New Year's or hoiday party dish as well. Another show stopper are the the roasted cabbage wedge with lemon vinaigrette.It's cutting a whole head into equally sized wedges and then brusing them with a mix of olive oil,lemon zest and juice along with Dijon mustard, honey and garlic. These are roasted until caralemized for thirty to forty minutes.They're served cold with a lemon vinaigrette that's plush with creme fraiche and mayo, Dill and parsley decorate it.

Other recipes which can be good sides as well as the main dish too. Home chefs will love the roasted mushrooms with the smoky pomegranate sauce. The mushrooms are first tossed with granulated onion,  , and poultry seasoning, then brushed with olive oil. They're then steamed and roasted. The pomengrante sauce, enhanced with garlic, butter and scallions along with ancho chiles and peppercorns are drizled on them. Brussels sprouts lovers will enjoy them roasted with honey almonds and Fresno chiles These are first dressed and then roasted on a sheet pan. for a fun dish try the ginger beer glazed butternut squash with gremolata. THis is a colorful dish with cooking ginger beer with vegetable stock  until it boils. The squash is then added in an even layer. Cook until the squash is tender for about twenty five minutes until th eliquid becomes a glaze While this cooks , make the gremolata. It's a mix of fresh ginger,parsley, garlic and orange zest. This is sprinkled over the squash for a truly bright looking dish.

It's easy to go vegetarian for Thanksgiving. Use these dishes for a tasty and meat free meal. You'll feel better doing so 

Your Secret Weapon Celery

It's as common as bread for stuffing and drippings for gravy. Yet we never give it its' due despite it' being one of the supports of holiday cooking. What is this power ingredient? Celery.

It was the subject of an article in today's New York Times Food section. Alexa Weibel, the section's senior staff editor, wrote about this wonderkind veggie. Celery is good on its' own, especially as a palate cleanser. It's even better lending its' flavor to everything from the bird itself to stuffing.The stalks go in and out of favor. Celery entered the American cooking scene during the late 19th and early 20th Century. Raw stalks were arranged in crystal vases made specifically for showing them off, There were even ornate serving sets deemed incomplete without the vases. Soon they were being served in elegant little side dishes. They were also being served on trains and train stations thanks to train boys and messengers. It was the star of Good Housekeeping's Thanksgiving 1900's issue where there were recipes for celery soup and even blended with mashed potatoes, served with peanut butter on brown bread. We have  Dutch immigrants to thank for bringing the vegetable into the public eye. They started farming it in Kalamazoo, Michigan in 1847 which was then nicknamed Celery City.  Harry S. Truman put the stalk on the White House cafeteria menu. In recent years , however, it's been dismissed as a diet food, a kids; snack and Bloody Mary garnish.

That's all about to change. Celery is now a cause celebe thanks to Kim Kardashian juicing it. One of the best aspects is that it's a team player. It works well with other and even stronger flavors, yet imparts its' own citrus-y vegetal taste.Ms. Weibel gives us some interesting recipes that work not just for Thanksgiving but also for Sunday dinners too. Try the celery-leek soup with potato and parsley. This is a take on vichysoisse , with a pound of celery being the star. Dry white wine, thyme and garlic also elevate it as do parsley and bay leaves. It's the perfect way to being your Thanksgiving meal. There is also braised celery with thyme and white wine. The celery is cut into segments and deribbed to make it tender It's first boiled in salted water and then transfer to a glass baking dish.  The pieces are then layered  and again dry white wine is  added to flavor it. Herbes de Provence and peppercorns along with bay leaves, thyme  and  garlic add more complexity.For something refreshing and different there is a celery salad chock full of apples, blue cheese and almonds. The vinaigrette has coarse mustard leaves and sugar added for a completely unusual vibe.

Use celery in your Thanksgiving and other holiday recipes. It is perfect in hot and cold dishes. Try it and rediscover its' bright taste and color.