Okay. We’re going to finally acknowledge that we’re sometimes guilty of falling into the lazy writing trap of starting a blog piece with the whole “there are two camps of people…” observation, but to be honest, when we live in such an opinionated world where people are prone to distinguish their tribe, it’s kind of just a part of a reality. There are Pumpkin Spice People. There are No Beans in Chili People. Then there are Christmas Never Starts Soon Enough People. And firmly in opposition of that is the “But It’s Not Even Thanksgiving Yet!” people- Guys? We hear you. We, at a spice company, know how to pay proper respect to a Turkey. That’s why we’re doing our part to not just consciously acknowledge Thanksgiving, but even give it an extra day for you to just relish (get it??) in the leftovers. We present to you… Our Leftover Bowls.

This recipe, like most recipes, should be taken as a gentle framework for what works best for you and your lifestyle. While we categorized one as “Vegetarian,” feel free to add or omit whatever ingredients stand out to you. Hate sweet potatoes? Don’t have any cranberry sauce left? Make it work for what you do have on hand! For some reason, there does seem to be a psychological difference between eating food out of a bowl vs off a plate (Is it the layering of ingredients? The act of cupping a bowl with your hands? Merging individual parts of a meal one dish?) but if you see no sense in using a bowl, you could eat all this good stuff off a shoe.

What’s Quatre Epices? Quatre Epices, French for “Four Spices,” is a traditional French blend that contains white pepper ginger, nutmeg, and cloves. These four spices, vaguely reminiscent of a more savory Pumpkin Pie Spice seasoning, offer great complement to the sweet and autumnal flavor of roasted sweet potatoes.

Jeff chose to split up his roasting because 1) you’ll want to be using a single layer in order to make sure your vegetables get done evenly 2) the different trays of vegetables are going to take different lengths of time to get done. If you were cutting this recipe in half and only making enough for one (and a half) person, you could also just prepare your sweet potatoes and then throw the rest of the vegetables all together in one pan, but when root vegetables are already so cheap, why not make enough to share with some friends (or use up the inevitable leftovers you have to contend with post-holiday)?

The real treasure in this recipe is the recipe hidden inside of it, which is the delicious and savory vegetarian gravy. Nutritional Yeast might be a new ingredient in your pantry (and let’s be honest- it sounds kind of gross, doesn’t it?), but it’s key for adding a complex depth to the gravy and is a great tool in your arsenal to make things taste tangy and cheesy, without the cheese. Now that you have our ideas, we want to hear about what ingredients you use in your Leftover Bowl!