Savory Holiday Tart

My friend Erica recommended this recipe to me, in fact she swore by it. I took a look at the recipe and quickly decided I'd give it a go, mainly because the ingredients were common and it looked super easy- I didn't expect it to blow me away though. I was blown away. This tart was so delicious, ridiculously flavorful, and light- almost fluffy. This is definitely going to be the GF main dish this Thanksgiving.

1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup onion, diced
3/4 cup celery, diced
5 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 14-ounce can chickpeas, rinsed (reserving 1/4 cup)
3/4 cup raw walnuts
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
3 teaspoons tamari, soy sauce, or Bragg's Liquid Aminos
1 1/4 cups frozen chopped spinach
3 1/2 tablespoons dried cranberries
1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
1 tablespoon fresh thyme, chopped
1 9-inch prepared pie shell, thawed (I used a GF one)
1/2 tablespoon olive oil

Served with some homemade cranberry sauce and gravy (gravy not shown)

 Precook the pie crust according to package directions.

Preheat the oven to 400°F. Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil to a saute pan and add the onion, celery, garlic, salt, and pepper, and cook for 9 minutes until onions soften and begin to caramelize. Remove from heat and set aside.

In a food processor add chickpeas (except reserved 1/4 cup), walnuts, lemon juice, and 2 teaspoons of the tamari/soy sauce/liquid aminos, and pulse to lightly chop. Remove half of chopped mixture from food processor and transfer to a large bowl. Transfer the sauteed onion mixture into the food processor with the remaining chickpea mixture and puree until smooth.

Transfer purée to bowl with lightly chopped chickpea and walnut mixture. Add spinach, cranberries, parsley, thyme, and 1/4 cup of reserved chickpeas. Stir to combine and transfer to prepared pie shell, spreading evenly. Mix together the remaining 1/2 tablespoon of olive oil with the remaining 1 teaspoon of tamari/soy sauce/aminos, then carefully brush the top of the tart with the mixture. Put a crust-protector, or tin foil around the crust, and bake for 45 minutes. Allow to cool slightly before you cut it. Serve with cranberry sauce and gravy.

Recipe by Dreena Burton

Garlicky Artichoke Dip

My mom makes this famous artichoke dip which has been passed down to me and has become a tradition on Thanksgiving. Unfortunately it wasn't plant-based and because of that I had to recreate it with other non-dairy ingredients. I can't say I recreated the dish, but I made a damn good dip that got the stamp of approval from the family.

2 cans artichoke hearts
6 tablespoons plant-based mayo
10-14 garlic cloves (did I mention this is garlicky?)
1 cup nutritional yeast

Rinse the artichoke hearts and place them in a food processor along with the remaining ingredients, give it a few pulses until all the ingredients are incorporated. You don't want to puree this, the dip is best with chunks of artichoke still in it- so take it easy with the food processor. Spray a small casserole dish with non-stick cooking say and spoon your dip into it. Bake covered at 350°F for 15-20 minutes, then remove the cover and bake for another 5. Serve warm with crackers for dipping!

*Sorry, I was so eager to dig right in that I completely forgot to take a picture!