Eat Your Pastels // A Thanksgiving Feast

Thanksgiving isn’t always easy if you’re vegetarian or vegan – in fact it can be a bit of a sad Holiday if everyone else at the table is feasting on turkey and gravy while your tummy grumbles! As a team of veggie ladies here at RAOP we’ve suffered many a hungry Thanksgiving, so we wanted to come up with an epic feast that literally anyone/everyone can enjoy this year!

We called upon master vegan recipe maker Amanda of Blueberrymoon to help us dream up the ultimate vegan Thanksgiving meal with only one condition: it has to be pastel! She truly outdid herself, making the recipe not only vegan AND pastel, but also gluten-free, soy-free and bean-free! These simple recipes can be added to your family’s traditional spread, or can stand as their own meal instead of the typical turkey set up. Start with Purple Cauliflower Soup, move on to Roasted Rainbow Veggies, and finish off with Layered Matcha Raspberry Tarts, or start with dessert and work your way back!

Styling tips – we set our scene with crystals, candles, and gleaming gold + iridescent CB2 goodies! You can shop some of our favourites here

Special thanks to Zipcar for providing a Thanksgiving vehicle to help us hunt down all of the rainbow food we needed!

Scroll down for all 3 recipes!

Purple Cauliflower Soup //

What You’ll Need //

1 head purple caultiflower
½ an onion
2 large garlic cloves
1 tsp chili powder
2 tsp cumin
¼ cup cashews
1 ¼ tsp salt (less if using veg broth)
Enough water or vegetables broth to cover veggies in your pot

How To Prepare //

Chop all your veggies and add to a large pot along with your spices and cashews. Use enough water or vegetable broth to cover everything.
Bring to a boil and reduce heat
Simmer for about 25 minutes or until cauliflower is tender enough.
Use a blender, food processor or hand emulsifier to puree soup.

This is a very simple soup recipe to feel free to get creative with spices and herbs!

Roasted Rainbow Veggies //

What You’ll Need //

1 large head purple cauliflower
1 watermelon radish
1-2 purple sweet potato
10 mini pink potatoes
½ head of broccoli
4 heirloom carrots
½ an onion
2 garlic cloves
olive oil
smoked paprika
salt
pepper
chili powder
cumin
fresh rosemary

How To Prepare //

Chop veggies and brush with a generous coat of olive oil using your basting brush.

Season with the spice selection we used, or use your favorite go-tos!
Roast at 400°F for about 45 minutes to an hour.

Check and flip half way through.

Layered Matcha Raspberry Tarts //

What You’ll Need //

Crust

10 dates
½ cup almonds
½ cup oats
¼ tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
2 tbsp coconut oil

Filling

2 cups soaked cashews
1/3 cup maple syrup
1 tsp vanilla
2 tbsp lemon juice
½ cup full fat coconut milk
¼ cup melted and cooled coconut oil
1 tbsp matcha
1 cup frozen raspberries, thawed

How To Prepare //

Starting with the crust, add everything into your food processor until it becomes a meal consistency.

Line a muffin tray with two ¾ inch strips of parchment paper that are crossed and are long enough to grab for easy tart removal. Alternatively you can use individual parchment muffin cups.

Pack about 2 spoonfuls of the meal into each cup and pack down firmly to form your crust.

Set aside and start on your filling by rinsing the soaked cashews well.

Add everything into the blender except for the matcha powder and raspberries. (Vitamix or similar preferred to create a creamy filling)
Once pureed remove half of the filling into a bowl.
Add you matcha powder to the blender and blend until chunks are gone.

Use this portion of the filling to create layer one of your tart! Once you’ve evenly distributed the filling, bang against the counter to remove air bubbles and but in the freezer.

Rinse out your blender and add in the other half of the filling plus the raspberries! Blend until pureed.

Use this at he top layer, repeating the previous steps.
Put in freezer and let set for a few hours.

We recommend leaving these in the freezer until about 10 minutes before you’re ready to eat them!