Christmas Dinner

- Fried Tofu and Gravy (recipe below)
- Brussels Sprouts (thanks to Vegan Lunch Box)
- Mashed Potatoes and Celery Root with Roasted Garlic (similar to what we posted here but with the addition of celery root)
- Tangerine-glazed Beets (from Vegan with a Vengeance, but we used tangerines instead of oranges since we just got a nice shipment of tangerines from my parents in Florida)

Dessert was an apple and blueberry cobbler that was loosely based on the cobbler recipe in Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone by Deborah Madison. We served the cobbler with Wild Berry Supreme Tofutti - harder to find but definitely my favorite flavor outside of chocolate.

The fried tofu & gravy recipe is something I clipped out of the newspaper many years ago and we still make it from time to time. The credit in the tattered clipping says it's adapted from Heart of the Home by Ann Jackson.

For the fried tofu:
1 block tofu (1 lb.), sliced into 8 pieces
1 Tbs. sesame seeds
2 Tbs. olive oil
2 Tbs. tamari
1/3 c. nutritional yeast

For the gravy:
2 Tbs. vegan margarine
1/4 c. flour
leftover nutritional yeast from fried tofu
1-3/4 c. plain soy milk
1 Tbs. tamari
salt & pepper to taste

Heat oil over medium heat in a cast iron (or other) skillet and add sesame seeds. Dredge each slice of tofu in nutritional yeast and add to skillet. Drizzle tamari over top. Fry on both sides until brown. Remove tofu from pan and leave pan as is to start the gravy.

Add margarine and let it melt. Whisk in flour and nutritional yeast and let it brown a little. Whisk in soy milk and continue whisking vigorously to make sure you get rid of any lumps. Continue stirring until thickened, then add tamari and salt & pepper.