Vegan Thanksgiving

This is how the day of thanks started. Bringing the boys to the beach and watching the two of them run off and get soaked within minutes......



We were going to go out to dinner to our favorite vegan restaurant but the day before decided we'd cook. And you'd think I'd post the menu BEFORE thanksgiving and not after but I regress :( Needless to say it was flippin delicious and you could have this for Christmas in a few weeks. The little boy was ever so pleased, eating more than I thought he would. Then Daddy trimmed his crazy-long bangs! :( It was a perfectly beautiful, mellow and relaxing day!

Menu was:

Tofurky (you can't go wrong with it, ever! Follow the box instructions/suggestions and add the potatoes, carrots, onions, etc.
Country Gravy (recipe off the back of the box)
Wasabi mashed potatoes (not very thanksgivingy, I know)
Green Beans
Biscuits (from "Vegan With a Vengeance")
Cranberries (From Whole Paycheck)






Pumpkin Pie

1 can (16 ounces) pureed pumpkin
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1 package (10-12 ounces) soft tofu, processed in blender until smooth
1 9-in unbaked pie shell



Instructions:

Preheat oven to 425 F.
Cream the pumpkin and sugar. Add salt, spices, and tofu, mix thoroughly until smooth. Pour mixture into pie shell and bake for 15 minutes. Lower heat to 350 F and bake for another 40 minutes. Chill and serve.

Top with non dairy topping.

Serves: 8

~~~Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies~~~

"This cookie was made for the sole purpose of proving that vegan cookies are just as good as non-vegan ones!" -Isa Chandra Moskowitz (author of cookbook "Vegan with a Vengeance" where I got this recipe)


These are good but don't freeze and thaw out later; not so good.



[WARNING: I'd recommend, if interested, getting this cookbook from the library (like I did) because some of the recipes are no bueno. I made the p.b. cookies that I followed to the t and they turned out horrendous! (wouldn't even mold), so I blame the recipe and I was pretty pissed (you know how expensive organic ingredients are!). So better to google what you want to make beforehand (a TON of people were also unhappy w/ that bunk p.b. recipe) so don't waste your time and money like I did.]

Guess what little three year old had a fit, wanting "MOOOOORE!!" (it was like witnessing a crack withdrawal) after stuffing his face with one and then wanting a second. Lots of throwing his body around and flailing (so I know they're good;).....

Preheat oven to 350°F.

1 c. non-hydrogenated margarine, at room temperature (earth balance sticks are the best)
1 1/4 c. sugar
1 Tbsp. molasses (blackstrap)
2 tsp. vanilla extract
2 1/2 c. all- purpose flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
1 1/2 c. semi sweet chocolate chips

Directions:

Cream together the margarine and sugar until fluffy.

Add the molasses and vanilla.

Add the flour, baking soda, and salt, and mix well.

Fold in the chocolate chips.

Drop by teaspoonfuls spaced a little over 2 inches apart onto ungreased cookie sheets.

Bake for 8 to 10 minutes, until ever so slightly browned. Let cool on the baking sheets for 5 minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack

Engine 2 Diet---

From The Engine 2 Diet, my homeboys in Austin!



Kale, Lemon, and Cilantro Sandwich

Any greens of choice will work. The lemon adds an almost sweet taste. Be generous with it!

Ingredients:

1 bunch kale, rinsed and drained
4 slices whole grain bread, toasted
Healthy Homemade Hummus
4 green onions
1/2 bunch cilantro or parsley, rinsed and chopped
1 lemon with skin on, sliced very thinly into rounds
Zest of 1 lemon

Instructions:

Tear kale leaves away from thick stem. Discard stem and chop leaves into bite-size pieces.
Toast bread until brown and crispy, about 3 minutes.
Put kale in a pot filled with about 4 inches of water.
Bring to a boil, cover and cook for two to three minutes, until kale is tender. Check frequently.
Spread toast thickly with hummus, sprinkle on the green onions, pile cilantro on top, then place a few very thin slices of lemons on the cilantro.
When kale is tender, drain well. Shake the strainer so all water is gone, then sprinkle the kale in the strainer with lemon zest and the juice from the remaining lemons. Lots of lemon makes this good!
Place a large handful of lemon filled kale on top of each piece sandwich half and top with remaining toast slices.

Variations: Add a thick slice of tomato to each sandwich.

from: http://engine2diet.com/the-daily-beet/“the-veg-edge”-debuts-tonight-with-rip-on-the-cooking-channel/

~~Winter Squash Soup~~

It's soup weather, so I'm going to attempt this recipe tonight......



Vegan Winter Squash Soup

12 oz frozen cooked winter squash [or 1 1/2 cups cubed fresh winter squash]
12.3 ounce aseptic container of fat-free, firm tofu [Do not use refrigerated tofu; texture will be too grainy]
3 small organic potatoes, cut into sixths [No peeling required]
1/2 small onion, roughly chopped
3-5 cloves of garlic, sliced
1 to 1 1/2 cups vegetable broth (or veggie bouillon)
3 T nutritional yeast
1 bay leaf
1 tsp dry sage
Dash nutmeg
1/2 tsp salt, or more, to taste
Freshly ground black pepper

Serves 4

Place all ingredients in a large saucepan. Start with just 1 cup of vegetable broth and add more later if you prefer a thinner soup. Break up the tofu with your spatula. Don't worry if it looks a bit wonky; you'll puree it after cooking.

Bring to a boil and then lower heat to medium. Cook, partially covered, for 30 minutes, or until squash and potatoes are soft. Add more broth, if needed.

Process with an immersion blender until completely smooth.

From: http://urbanvegan.net/2009/03/insanely-thick-and-comforting-squash.html

Did you know?

Did you know it takes an average of 2,500 gallons of water to produce a single pound of red meat?




Did you know Meat contains approximately 14 times more pesticides than plant foods? Dairy contains 5 percent more pesticides than plant foods.



Spinach grown on an acre of land can yield 26 times more protein than beef produced on the same acre."






Did you know 260 million acres of forest in the U.S have been cleared to maintain a meat centered diet?



Did you know 55 square feet of rainforest is destroyed to produce one quarter pound of beef?




Did you know 660,000 animals are murdered every hour for their flesh?




Did you know A carnivorous diet requires 4200 gallons of water per day; a vegetarian one, 300 gallons per day?



Did you know If we stopped intensively breeding farmed animals and grew crops to feed humans instead, we could easily feed everyone on the planet with healthy and affordable vegetarian foods.




Did you know that the livestock business generates more greenhouse gas emissions than all forms of transportation combined? In other words, a meat eater riding a bicycle contributes more to global warming than a vegan driving a hummer.






I won't leave you with all that gloom and doom. So below is some inspiration for you....now get to cooking some real food: http://www.veganseatpencilshavings.com/
http://www.vegan.org/going_vegan/eating_vegan/index.html
http://www.peta.org/living/vegetarian-living/making-the-transition-vegetarian.aspx
http://www.bryannaclarkgrogan.com/page/page/657466.htm
http://www.peta.org/issues/animals-used-for-food/more-reasons-to-go-vegan.aspx