Cranberry Dream Sandwich: Gobble Up the Best of Thanksgiving

Get ready to savor the flavors of the season with the Cranberry Dream Sandwich! This delicious creation combines a stuffing-spiced sesame seed bun with creamy mashed potato mayo, savory lentil turkey, and slathered with rich mushroom gravy, all topped with a touch of sweet and sour cranberry jam!

It’s a wholesome, plant-based delight that captures the essence of holiday feasting without any added oils, sugars, processed ingredients, or food comas. Perfect for enjoying leftovers or creating a new festive favorite, this sandwich is not just a meal; it’s a celebration of fall flavors that will actually leave you feeling great! Dive in and discover how to make this satisfying and nourishing holiday sandwich that everyone will love!

Don’t like sandwiches? No problem! Each part of this recipe is a great side dish for any holiday meal!

Recipe Overview

no dairy, no eggs, no wheat, no nuts, no tree nuts, no shellfish, no seafood, no soy, no salt added, no oil added, no sugar added, and no coconut.

The Menu

Maximize Your Mushrooms, Again and Again!

Button mushrooms are always in season, and actually are one of the best for this trick that I keep mentioning—like in Stovetop Green Bean Casserole and Butterflied Mushroom Cacciatore which are also great sides or main dishes for any fall or winter holidays.

The hack is to make the vitamin D levels in mushrooms go from almost 0% to over 100% of the daily value with one simple trick—sunlight.

Want to learn how to hack and maximize other veggies and more?! Subscribe to me on Substack to get exclusive content for free and checkout the article here with 6 hacks.

Why This Recipe for the Cranberry Dream Sandwich?

The best part of Thanksgiving—and all those cozy fall and winter holidays—is the delicious sandwiches and leftovers that keep giving long after the festivities are over. It’s incredible how a medley of leftovers can transform into a mouthwatering creation between two slices of bread!

Known as a Puritan or Pilgrim Sandwich, this beloved dish ranks high on the list of America’s favorite sandwiches, even snagging the 4th spot in a 2008 Esquire Magazine poll. For me, this sandwich is a nostalgic favorite that evokes memories of carefree holidays spent with friends and family. Whether it’s curling up with a blanket for a movie night, enjoying game time, or relaxing by the fireplace after a hearty meal, this sandwich is all about comfort.

What makes it even better? This version captures all those delightful flavors and cherished memories, but with wholesome, healthy ingredients that energize you instead of leaving you feeling sluggish. Let’s dive in and create a sandwich that’s as good for your body as it is for your soul!

Have an idea for a recipe you’d like to see? Let me know in the comments or connect with me on substack or Instagram

Blending Without a Spice/Coffee Grinder

The lentils will need to be either ground in a spice grinder, or blended up with any blender or food processor, including immersion/stick blender. To do this simply add1 cup of the water for the lentil mix then blend all the lentil turkey ingredients with your blender or food processor. Otherwise the directions remain the same.

Using canned or pre-cooked lentils will also work (see the Pro Tips for more information.)

⭐Full Cranberry Dream Sandwich Recipe⭐

Thanksgiving Cranberry Dream Sandwich

Chef Rob

The best of fall and winter holiday meals and gatherings jammed between two sides of a whole food plant based bun

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 45 minutes mins

Total Time 55 minutes mins

Course Comfort Food, Dinner, Junk Food, Leftovers, Lunch, Main Course, Side Dish, Snack

Cuisine American, New England

Servings 2 people

Calories 585 kcal

Equipment

• 1 Spice / Coffee Grinder or other blender/mixer/processor
• 1 Pot
• 1 Seasoned Steel or Cast Iron Pan optional

Ingredients

  

STUFFING SPICED BUNS

• ¼ cup flax seeds milled
• 3/4 cup oats ground, flour
• 1 tsp parsley flakes dried
• 1 tsp garlic powder granulated
• ⅛ tsp rosemary dried
• ¹/16 tsp sage ground
• 1.5 tbsp apple cider vinegar
• ½ tbsp cup carbonated if possible (or ¼+ tsp of baking soda)

BUN TOPPINGS (optional)

• ½ tsp sesame seeds mixed black & white
• ¼ tsp dehydrated onions or other toppings you like

MASHED POTATO MAYO

• 1 cup mashed potatoes cold, pre-cooked
• ½ tbsp tahini
• 3 tbsp oats ground, flour
• ½ tsp garlic powder granulated
• ½ tsp onion powder
• ½ tsp nutritional yeast
• ⅛ tsp mustard powder ground
• 1 tbsp white vinegar
• 2 tbsp water as needed
• ⅛ tsp dill dried optional, for mashed potato salad mayo
• 2 tbsp green onion optional

CRANBERRY JAM

• ½ cup cranberries frozen or fresh
• ½ cup of berries blueberries or something to add sweetness
• 1 tbsp lemon juice optional
• 2 tbsp red wine vinegar
• 1 tsp apple cider vinegar
• ¼ tsp of cinnamon
• ¹/16 tsp nutmeg
• ¹/16 tsp allspice

LENTIL DELI TURKEY

• ¼ cup lentils whole unsplit, or ½ cup split
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 1 tsp garlic powder granulated
• 1 tsp nutritional yeast
• ½ tsp poultry seasoning ( or ¼ tsp sage and thyme)
• 1 tbsp tahini
• 2 tbsp tomato paste
• 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
• 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 2 cups water

MUSHROOM GRAVY

• ½ cup button mushrooms sliced
• ¼ cup onions sliced or diced
• 6 tbsp oats ground
• 1 tsp tahini
• 1 tsp garlic powder granulated
• 1 pinch ground black pepper optional
• 2 tbsp apple cider vineger
• 4 tbsp water or more as needed

Instructions

 

• First blend and mix your all your dry bun topping ingredients except for the parsley, then mix all bun ingredients together. In a seasoned pot or pan on medium heat drop the wet batter on cookware to make two buns (I made only a single bun in a pot as shown in figure 1A). Add any toppings you like and cover the pot with a lid, leaving a small opening if there isn't a steam-hole. Flip after 5 minutes, then cook for 5 more minutes. Let cool then slice in half.

  NOTE: if you want a fluffier bun and aren't worried about sodium then you can use baking soda in the dry mix, about ¼-½ tsp to get a fluffier bun.
  
• For the Mashed Potato Mayo blend your oats into a flour or smooth paste and mix and mash everything together. Add water as needed if you want it thinner or thicker. If you want more tang add more vinegar and if you want it creamier add more tahini.

  NOTE: you can cook/steam/boil your potatoes before starting to still keep this as a one-pot meal if you like.
  
• For the Cranberry Jam simply add everything to the pot on medium-high heat and cook and mash until it becomes thick and like a jam. It should be fairly tart but still have some nice sweetness to it, if not add more vinegars and cook some more. I used blueberries with the cranberries, but strawberries or other berries will also work to add sweetness without loosing the cranberry flavor or look.
  
• For the lentil turkey powder or blend your lentils and mix everything together in the pot before cooking on medium heat until it becomes thick gloopy where it will stick to a spoon if held upside down. Put it in a glass or ceramic container and put it in the back and bottom of the fridge or freezer, near or on the vents, so it firms up quickly.
  
• Slice your lentil turkey either with a mandolin if you have it (a cut proof glove is a must) or use a knife or even a spatula to cut strips or chunks off the block. You can then sautee the strips to make them chewier and firmer if you like.
  
• For the mushroom gravy, first, add your sliced mushrooms to your pot or pan on medium-high heat and then flip them once and then add the onions and cook until they become translucent and start to caramelize. Deglaze/add your vinegar, then add everything else and mix and cook, lower the heat to medium or medium-low and cook until it becomes the right consistency. Add more water as needed, or if it's too wet add more oat flour or tahini.
  
• To assemble the sandwich you can toast the bun if you like, either in the pan next to (or on top of some of) the gravy or in a toaster or just leave them as it.

  First spread your mashed potato mayo on one side and cranberry jam on the other side of the bun. Next, pile on your lentil turkey, then ladle on the gravy, and finally close it off with the top of the bun.

  Happy Holidays!
  

Video

Notes

• You can sub tahini for other seed or nut butters if you like or have a sesame allergy. You will need to add about 1.25  to 1.5 times more of other seed or nut butters, since tahini has very good thickening properties compared to most others seeds and nuts.

Keyword affordable vegan recipes, cheap vegan recipes, corn free, dairy free, healthy, holiday meals, home made, homecooking, homemade, medium, no added salt, no added sugar, no added sugars, no bake, no coconut, no gluten free, no nuts free, no oil, no oil free, no shellfish free, no sos, no soy, no treenuts free, pilgrim puritan thanksgiving sandwich, plant-based, pot & pan only, scratch, side dish, soy tofu free, stovetop only, thanksgiving, top 8 allergy free, vegan, wfpb, wfpbno, wheat free, whole food plant based

🧂If you absolutely must add salt then try to add it to taste, to the top of the food, and in small amounts and only after tasting it first. The same goes for other “less healthy” additions, but the idea should be to try to limit and eventually remove adding them, over time, when you are ready.

After a few weeks of not eating a SAD diet your tastebuds reset and you’ll notice the natural sodium in foods, check out the great article, and subscribe to, Michael Corthell on Substack.

Protips

In a Hurry?

Make it Faster with Canned/Packaged Items

• You can use pre-cooked or canned lentils instead of dried. Simply drain and rinse, if canned, and then blend all lentil turkey items in your blender/processor until smooth. Otherwise, the directions remain the same.
• You could also try using store-bought tofu and marinating it in the lentil turkey ingredients.
• Store-bought buns/bread is a possibility, just be careful with this as most store-bought bread is not WFPB SOS-Free and many will even contain eggs or dairy.

Don’t Sautee The Lentil Turkey

• I like pan-frying/ dry-sauteeing the turkey strips because it makes them chewier and a bit more like a deli-sliced turkey/TVP, but this step isn’t needed, especially if you want the lentil turkey to be moister and juicier.
• If you aren’t sauteeing the lentil turkey then use the same pot, again, for the mushroom gravy.

Lentil Turkey Texture

Make It Chewy Like TVP

• Reduce your lentil turkey as much as you can so it’s a very thick paste and then leave to set for as long as possible. Then cook it on medium-low heat until it becomes very pliable and chewy.

Make It Like Deli Meats

• Similar to above, reduce your lentil turkey as much as you can so it’s a very thick paste and then leave to set for as long as possible. Now slice your lentil turkey and leave it to set in the fridge for even longer. Don’t sautee it.

The Perfect Jam

• The pectin in the fruit will thicken it if you keep mashing and cooking it. If it’s too tart/sour add more red wine vinegar and cook longer.

The Gravy

• Getting color on the mushrooms and onions is really the trick here. Remember to cook on medium-high heat until you get some color, then deglaze with your liquids and reduce the heat if you need.

Nutrition Facts Table – Cranberry Dream Sandwich Thanksgiving Sandwich

The Science – Sources

Please tell me how it turned out! Did you: try it, like it, hate it, change it, or do something else unexpected???

If I’ve made any mistakes, or something doesn’t make sense, or if you want more/less details, please let me know in the comments.

Stay healthy and nourished!

Chef Robert Leigh.

Cranberry Dream Sandwich: Gobble Up the Best of Thanksgiving