Vegan Thanksgiving No. 4

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This Thanksgiving will be my fourth as a vegan.  When I look back over my journey, the past three Thanksgivings have become like mile markers along the path.  There’s something about this particular holiday, more than any other date, that I remember very clearly and specifically in relationship to my veganism.  I imagine it has to do with its primary focus being a large meal, the centerpiece of which is a dead turkey.

On my first, I had been eating a plant-based diet for less than two months.  I was doing it for a number of personal health reasons and because of the incredible information that I’d discovered about the diet’s many benefits.  I felt amazing and, for the first time in my life, was losing weight without having to think about it.  I remember explaining to my sister-in-law’s then boyfriend (now fiancé), whom we were meeting for the first time, that it wasn’t “a thing,” though—i.e. “I’m not one of those vegans, I’m just not eating animal products right now.” I remember how important this disclaimer was to me, a fact that makes me cringe today.

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Loren, Links, & Turkey Love

Loren

I’m super excited to share that we received the card for the turkey we sponsored this year!  We let Woodstock pick our turkey for us and they chose Loren.  It was great reading her story and we’re thrilled that she’ll have a symbolic seat at our table.  (There’s still time to sponsor a turkey of your own!)

Thanksgiving is now only two days away.  In honor of the holiday, I thought I’d share a handful of turkey-related articles that have caught my attention recently, as well as a video of what I’m sure 46 million turkeys would much rather be doing come Thursday (spoiler: it’s hilariously cute!).

Happy reading!… 

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Change of Plans

60 Degree Day

Today’s post was supposed to be a recipe.  It’s a recipe that still needs photographing, though, and, because I can’t leave well enough alone, one more round of testing.  None of that happened.

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How to make recipes that call for raw cashews without a high speed blender

Bag o Cashews

I use raw cashews in my cooking a lot. Like, a lot. Like, I just bought my third 4-lb bag of cashews since early August, which means that we go through about two pounds of cashews a month. See? A lot.

I use them to make plant milk when I need it, occasionally culturing that milk into yogurt, I use them to make creams and aioli, raw cheesecake, salad dressings, a mind-boggling variety of creamy pasta sauces and soups, and so much more. Raw cashews are one of the most versatile ingredients that exists. Period.

One of the things about using raw cashews in these ways is that, to achieve the best results, you almost always need a high-speed blender. I’ve made things for friends and family that they’ve wanted to replicate at home, and I always have to tell them that it’s probably not going to be the same. For instance, my mother-in-law loves this smooth, creamy, totally killer cashew ranch dressing that I make, but, when she tried it in the food processor at home, it came out a bit chunky and disappointing by comparison. Since cashews are the base for so many of the things I create, I’ve always felt bad that these recipes remain inaccessible to those who haven’t invested in something like a Vitamix.

I’ve had a sneaking suspicion for a while that there may be a way around this, but hadn’t actually tried it until about a week ago. The secret to making recipes that call for raw cashews when you don’t have a high-speed blender is this:… 

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Pumpkin Chai Smoothie

Pumpkin Chai Smoothie3

Every year, fall doesn’t really feel like fall to me until I’ve had my chai. For some people, it’s the pumpkin spice latte that marks the turn of the season. But once those leaves start to turn and the air takes on a chill, I am all about the spicy sweet warmth of the chai.

I will admit that this year I’ve also been all about the pumpkin. From pumpkin butter, to cake, to cereal, to pumpkin mac (oh yes, folks, there is a mac), to half a dozen other applications, it seems I too have caught the pumpkin bug…. 

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Smoothies vs. Juice

Breakfast

My sister-in-law, Amy, left a comment/question on my What Vegans Eat post yesterday, referencing the photo above, that prompted me to start getting into the nitty gritty of smoothies versus juice. It occurred to me that this could be something that others might be wondering about as well, and, true-to-form, my response was becoming long-winded.  So I asked and she gave me permission to re-post her comment and answer it in a post.  Thanks, Amy!

 

Jeff and I are looking to put a vitamix on our registry… Which one do you have? Did you make that juice with the vitamix or a juicer? We want to also put a juicer on our registry, unless the vitamix can juice too.

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Mommy’s Little Helper

Roman loves to help me with chores around the house.  When FreshDirect comes, he is all over those boxes, eager to reach inside and hand me each grocery item, one at a time.  Likewise, if I’m unloading the dishwasher, he’ll come over, pull each of the dishes out, and hand them up to me.  Occasionally he’ll help me to wipe things down.  We even got him his own mini Dyson to match ours so that he can vacuum right alongside me.  He used to squeal in delight every time we brought ours out and did the same thing the first time he saw his–might be the best toy we’ve gotten him to date.

Some of the ways in which he helps are more helpful than others, though.  While he’s great at unloading the dishwasher, he’s not so great at leaving it loaded as I’m trying to fill it.  Over time we arrived at a compromise: he leaves the dishes, pots, and pans alone, but the utensil rack is fair game.  So, while I’m carefully arranging glasses and bowls, Roman pulls all of the utensils out of the holder…and does this…. 

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Raw Summer

Today I read an interview with Boy George in which he talks about how he is now a raw vegan. He says that he looks and feels better than he has in his entire life. While I’ll have to take his word on how he feels, I will say that he does indeed look pretty spectacular.

This article stood out to me because, somewhere deep inside, I’m pretty sure I’m a closeted raw foodist. I don’t know that it’ll ever become a way of life for me, but I absolutely adore the fresh, vibrant flavors of well-prepared raw food. And I love the way it makes me feel. When I’m eating mostly raw I feel energized in a way that I don’t otherwise. It’s like every cell in my body lights up—my vision improves, my head clears, and I feel bouncingly, buzzingly alive.

Reading that interview today made me crave a week’s worth of raw foods and long for that light, bright feeling—especially since it was dark and rainy and we were cooped up inside all day.

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