During the holidays of my youth I used to look forward to various animal-based table centerpieces that symbolized the crowning achievement of the feast. This high-protein, savory focal point would involve hours of anticipation, planning and boast a supporting role from several more simple, rustic freshly prepared vegetable dishes. As I became older and came to prefer a diet free from animal products, holiday meals consisted of me either avoiding the animal-based centerpiece or finding myself lucky enough to be in a situation where all of the dishes consisted of the rustic, vegetable-based fare. 

I still miss the excitement and curiosity that goes along with a savory centerpiece: How tender will it be when I slice into it? What succulent surprises will I find? Oh and the aromas wafting thorugh the house! I wanted to bring this excitement to vegan holiday feasts when I set out to create Seitan Roulade. 

Seitan Roulade consists of a sheet of wheat gluten covered with a panko mushroom stuffing that's been simmered in a red wine balsamic reduction. It's then wrapped into a roll, glazed with Apricot Glaze and sprigs of thyme are placed on top before the roulade is tied with twine. The roulade is then baked in a dutch oven, sliced, served and drizzled with a gravy such as Gracious Gravy. This is a similar centerpiece to Stuffed Seitan but is a little more involved because it involves glaze, and the use of a dutch oven. The dutch oven helps the roulade retain it's shape, stay moist and become infused with aroma from the thyme sprigs.

Holiday dinners at my Godparent's house was always a special occasion. The food was inspriational but the the one dish that my brother and I looked forward to all year was the simple but perfect implementation of garlic bread. This consisted of a store-bought flute of San Fancisco sourdough, sliced but leaving the bottom crust intact so the slices could be torn off as the loaf worked its way around the table. This loaf was buttered between the slices, wrapped in tin foil and warmed in the oven. Buttering the slices while leaving the loaf intact had the advantage of ensuring both sides of each slice was buttered. Wrapping the loaf in tin foil had the benefit of allowing the entire loaf to be saturated with buttery aromas and flavors during its time in the oven and the tin foil could be folded back over the loaf in between servings to keep the bread warm while it was on the table. Brilliant!

My brother and I eventually begged my parents to adopt this bread tradition for holiday feasts at our house. When I adopted a vegan diet we switched from butter to margarine and although the results were satisfactory, there seemed to be somthing lacking; substituting margarine doesn't always work as well as butter 100% of the time. 

Several years later I was having a dinner with friends and everyone at the table was falling over themselves in anticipation for Vlad's famous garlic bread spread. What was in this bread spread? I never found out but it was thick, dairy-based, rich, spreadable and smelled what a bread spread would probably smell like if you took the best elments of butter and sharp cheddar. Without even tasting it I was mesmerized by it. What if I combined these two garlic bread methods to make a vegan rich, buttery bread spread that could take garlic bread to another level? 

This bread spread recipe features extra virgin olive oil, onion, garlic, fresh tarragon and just a touch of white wine vinegar to envoke a complex buttery flavor with a sharp cheese inspired finish.

Toppings can really add depth to a dish. I remember the cheesy kick of grated parmesan cheese and how effective it is at adding another layer of flavor to things like pasta, garlic bread and pizza. I set out to make my own cheesy topping and borrow some concepts from grated parmesan but also attempt to build a flavor that rivals it in it's own way. I used pine nuts (also known as pignolis) that are freshly toasted for maximum rich flavor. Toasting the pine nuts yourself ensures that their rich flavor compounds are freshly infused and haven't had a chance to diminish. Pre-toasted pine nuts can frequently lack their toasty essence due to the amount of time that has passed since they've been toasted.  Nutritional yeast flakes are used for their cheesy notes. Fleur de Sel is a rare salt that is selected by hand from the coast of Western France. I utilize it in this recipe for the fascinating flavor depth it adds.

This raw sprouted hummus is a easy incorporate a zesty, high protein, versatile spread that is just teeming with nutrients into your diet and have fun doing it. Since the chickpeas are sprouted you don't have to babysit a saucepan for an hour, making sure it doesn't boil over or run out of water. All that's needed is a visit to the chickpeas in a colander to give them a shower whenever you have a few spare seconds during the day. The times that are most convenient for me when making this hummus is before work, after I get home from work and right before I go to bed. This hummus has a fresh, subtle grassy flavor that is great on salads, sandwiches, with pita bread or paired with almost any savory food.

Tempeh is an Indonesian protein staple consisting of mashed soybeans fermented with a fungus called Rhizopus olligosporus. I purchased tempeh starter that includes this fungus from the Indonesian Tempeh Online Store. This fungus thrives in a warm humid temperature combined with the nutrient rich soybeans and in about 24 hous grows a complex network of white mycelia that binds the soybeans into a dense mushroomy cake. This fermentation process looks simple on the surface but like most fermentation, it's what's going on behind the scenes that matters. Fermentation creates complex flavor compounds and partially breaks down the soybeans, which makes their nutrients more bioavailable and digestible. As the case with sauerkraut, natural probiotics are also produced that populate your lower intestines with beneficial microflora.

Sweet and savory flavors are brought together in a mysteriously perfect combination in this Sweet Potato Hummus recipe. Thyme along with ginger, cinnamon, cloves and just a touch of cayenne assist with the perfect flavor pairing which allows this hummus to go with almost anything.

During the presidential election of 2009 my roommate told me about a pretty hilarious campaign funding tactic: Ralph Nader had an offer where if you donated a specific amount of money to his campaign you would receive his grandmother's hummus recipe in the mail. I'm about to one up Ralph Nader. I'm going to offer you my Three Bean Hummus recipe right here, for free. No donation to my upcoming presidential campaign required.

This Three Bean Hummus recipe features chickpeas, black beans and lentils which all contribute different angles of legume flavor. The result is a hummus with a more depth of flavor than regular hummus that's based off 100% chickpeas. This hummus is extremely versatile so don't be afraid to use this recipe as a base and swap out the legumes with any variety that you choose. Also feel free to swap out the tahini with any nut butter that you choose. I've been making this recipe for over a decade and I've done all sorts of variations with great results.

Years ago at Rainbow Grocery in San Francisco I got seriously addicted to this artisanal sauerkraut they carried by a company called Cultured. I jokingly referred to it as crack as it made it's way on top of my toast, tossed into my salads and stirred into my stews. When I introduced my friends to this amazing sauerkraut they would also promptly get addicted. I then moved to Brooklyn and sadly found that this sauerkraut was unavailable on the East Coast. Soon after, I ended up reading Wild Fermentation by Sandor Ellix-Katz which had a recipe for sauerkraut. I figured I'd give it a go and I was rewarded by deliciously complex kraut that was laughably easy to make and equally affordable.

This Stuffed Seitan recipe is a holiday centerpiece consisting of savory seitan enveloping Apple Walnut Stuffing or any other stuffing of your choice. It's awesome for holiday vegan feast type dinners with Gracious Gravy drizzled on top and accompanied by Cranberry Sauce. I'm proud to serve this every year during Thanksgiving and again during Christmas dinner. The seitan casing utilizes ingredients like lentil puree, shoyu, marinara sauce, nutritional yeast flakes and a variety of spices to deliver a delectible savoriness that will satisfy vegans and omnis alike.

This vegan Apple Walnut Stuffing recipe is great inside Stuffed Seitan or along side some Cranberry Sauce during holiday feasts. Apples give it a light flavor enhancing sweetness which is a great accompaniment to the textures of water chestnuts and walnuts.

Toasted flour and nutritional yeast flakes along with caramelized onions and mushrooms bring out savory vegan flavors galore in this Gracious Gravy recipe. A perfect way to top off a vegetarian feast centerpiece like Stuffed Seitan.

When the weather starts to cool and gets a little drizzly (as Seattle is known to do) I start craving warm and hardy soups. Thick, earthy and when you get up from the table, you don’t even care that it’s already dark.

Most of the vegan barley soups I’ve found seem to be too brothy and not enough of a bold flavor for me. My family is newly vegan so we still need that “meaty” flavor. So what do I do when I need a bolder flavor? I booze it up. Yep. That’s the bam around my house. “Booze it up!” I know, what a wonderful role model I am! I also like to add kale. Mostly for color but also because it is super nutritious and I am always trying to toss it into my dishes.