What about Thanksgiving!

[Guest guest]

I just woke up to the fact that summer has gone and that Thanksgiving is just

four weeks away. Canadian Thanksgiving, at any rate. How'd that happen?

 

Anyway, although USA residents have another month to think about things -

and the rest of the world can happily continue without that mad time of family

fun and backbiting - it's not too soon to start thinking: What To Do About

Thanksgiving?

 

Shall it be the Tofurkey (or some such analog) alternative, complete with tofu

drumsticks and a wish'bone', gravy and dressing etc. Or do you usually opt for

the less traditional?? What??

 

Will anyone be stuck with negotiating a vegetarian dinner in the midst of

carnivores??? What to do about that?

 

I have decided to start the thinking process, at least, right now. It might not

help, but at least it will prolong the agony LOL

 

Best,

 

Pat ;=)

[Guest guest]

Pat wrote:

 

> Anyway, although USA residents have another month to think about things -

> and the rest of the world can happily continue without that mad time of

family

> fun and backbiting - it's not too soon to start thinking: What To Do About

> Thanksgiving?

 

Well I suppose in most European countries Christmas (Christmas Eve in some

countries) has a similar sort of function, of bringing the family together

and confronting them with some kind of gastronomic marathon. A lot would

depend I suppose on whether the family is completely veggy or a mix of

veggy-omnivore - in the latter case it would be a brave soul who would use

that occasion to compel the omnis to experiment with a vegetarian selection.

Choice of dishes is I suspect the best option, something for all - if you

rebel at the idea of cooking t*rkey then get someone else to do their own...

 

In the countries I know about, there's been a growing tendency to use the

occasion to eat in a restaurant - two contradictory thoughts here, first " we

eat so well and varied the rest of the time, we want something even more

special " and second " we don't have the power and imagination to produce with

our own resources a dinner worthy of the occasion. " Plus the wish to give a

holiday to the cooks of the family. A change from the traditional formula

though, but IMO a welcome one, and one which allows veggy and omni to sit

together and have their palates satisfied (provided your restaurant respects

the vegetarian principles of course).

 

Recently we've chosen this option and last year we had a wonderful time - a

motel near us had just been refurbished and provided an enormous dining

hall, wide range of menus, kiddies corner for them to enjoy themselves

between courses ...

 

Almost time to start thinking: what shall we do this year?

 

Piers

[Guest guest]

In the US, Thanksgiving has become a time of glee over the mass

slaughter of millions of turkeys, so for over 20 years, I have taken

the " e " out of the feast and have made it a fast day. However, there

is usually a vegan/vegetarian potluck the weekend before, and I

definitely feast at that event. I am fortunate to live in a very

vegan and vegetarian friendly community, and sometimes hundreds of

people show up to the potluck, each with their own specialty, and

it's impossible to sample them all.

 

Nuts, winter squashes, pumpkins, cranberries and apples are some of

the main seasonal foods available. Squashes and pumpkins, if you

include the seeds, are nearly complete meals by themselves, with the

flesh holding carbs and water soluble vitamins and the seeds holding

protein, essential fatty acids, minerals and fat soluble vitamins.

Lady Godiva squashes or pumpkins, with their naked (hull-less)

seeds, can be cooked whole (important: must be pierced or opened in

some way or it will explode!!!) and totally eaten except for the

rind and stem, and are readily put in stews and casseroles where

whole seeds are a welcome ingredient. Herbs, like sage, sweet

spices, and onions are more of the basics to play with.

 

The group files already have some great recipes that are worth

considering: Baked Pumpkin with Mixed Rice Pilaf

(http://f4.grp.fs.com/v1/cGREQUAMUcfE-I-

jSxuItxqO1OPCdipqtcJntf0FOjnujNMqEiEXx2YAdirU8ucJOa8ZENeT3V02WENwD0tH

BKpJ9EFzs1QJVpsq76oYQsk/Main%20Meals/Baked%20Pumpkin%20With%20Mixed%

20Rice%20Pilaf%20%28Vegan%29); Baked Squash with tomato and chickpea

sauce (http://f6.grp.fs.com/v1/cGREQZrA7crE-I-jQ-

oHPAjAv868lBWVdhqUMvfmR1Q1Brz1zhcJe0LQuuZ7DwbJYgOI_Y-

C6dAoMhS9gFzxIDcFlQ3RvYuujsc74P5Pdy0/Main%20Meals/Baked%20Squash%

20with%20tomato%20and%20chickpea%20sauce%20%28Vegan%29); Black eyed

bean and squash stew (http://f2.grp.fs.com/v1/cGREQUSehm3E-I-

jHKX-cI3zbyVhicd2z9-YN-k47vFRVAbYRkXWVhrN9JlyinZx5J6dcBa7qhzxLlon-

t6uen3JvX26qlIsrGAXQPneEME/Main%20Meals/Black%20eyed%20bean%20and%

20squash%20stew%20%28Vegan%29); Spaghetti Squash Medley

(http://f6.grp.fs.com/v1/cGREQXLhZ9_E-I-

ja4nIovlyYQ1cW9isr_u669HhdeVwNPKtNhes_jWJrbvFUHrHxt3TWEzdFDFspYDlnZ_e

f-gr1KEN0SiGG-iyvXXJup8/Main%20Meals/Spaghetti%20Squash%20Medley%20%

28Vegan%29); and Yam & Tofu Medley

(http://f1.grp.fs.com/v1/cGREQY5p14XE-I-jsZnrUHSVAQ-

rP791qrSdbzF1_t_MP0P7OlW8ywpA2F6yO1SX-plhcJGV0SIqkzpbkH3-

odNvze8QNtxniQ1vYWym5IA/Main%20Meals/Yam%20%26%20Tofu%20Medley%20%

28vegan%29).

 

It would be good to collect a couple of nut/seed loaf recipes and a

vegan pumpkin/squash pie recipe. With a couple of nut/seed loaf

recipes on hand to give you the basic idea, they're flexible enough

to create your own version to appeal to your own tastes. There are

plenty to find online - http://www.boutell.com/vegetarian/nut-

roast.html and http://vegweb.com/food/subs/1791.shtml for example.

Instead of cashews in the first recipe, I would use walnuts,

hazelnuts or almonds which are more local, and I would use brown

rice and maybe wild rice instead of some of the bread crumbs or

cubes in either recipe. Vegan pumpkin/squash pie recipes are

variable too. Here's one without tofu that is set (made to be firm)

with corn starch: http://www.vegan.com/issues/1999/nov99/raymond.htm

where arrowroot powder can be used instead of the corn starch. You

can make a richer pie with a nut cream and maybe use agar agar to

set it instead of starch.

 

Throw cranberries onto or into everything! They can be made into a

sweet and savory sauce with sage and onions (maybe a little liquid

hickory smoke) to go on your nut loaf or tempeh drumsticks. They can

be added to your apple pie or seed/vegetable stew, or garnish a rich

squash pie with an orange/cranberry relish. Ooo ooo, cranberries!

Can't wait...

[Guest guest]

Oops, sorry about that one paragraph being such a mess. I tried to

include links right to the recipes, but the automatic hyperlinking

thingy didn't include the whole addresses. does a randomizing

thing to the addresses anyway, so after a while an address won't

work. The recipes noted are in the group's files under the " Main

Meals " folder...

 

> The group files already have some great recipes that are worth

> considering: Baked Pumpkin with Mixed Rice Pilaf; Baked Squash

with tomato and chickpea sauce; Black eyed bean and squash stew;

Spaghetti Squash Medley; and Yam & Tofu Medley.

[Guest guest]

My 4yo requested the 'Vanilla Sweet Potatoes' that I make;

 

Poke & nuke(10 min) a few sw. spuds(2lbs), peel & mash w/ a few TB butter (or

fave alt.), coupla TB(4) brown sugar & a nice big (2TB) splash of REAL vanilla

extract - please NOT the imitation stuff & 3/4c milk(or fave alt.). Mash it all

up & renuke to hot. Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm.

 

I'll take this & homemade cranberry sauce to my sister's. Probably something

else, too.

 

 

What To Do About

Thanksgiving?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Guest guest]

These look good, easy, and a sure-fire kid pleaser - especially at this time of

year and for Thanksgiving - which draws closer. You didn't mark this one as

RECIPE, but I'm going to put it up in the Files now ;=)

 

Thanks a bunch!

 

Best,

 

Pat ;=)

> My 4yo requested the 'Vanilla Sweet Potatoes' that I make;