Happy Thanksgiving everyone! I know I may be late, we are for the 2nd year in a row at the Wisconsin Dells, at a water park. The first day was taken up by getting here, unpacking and organizing, the 2nd by Thanksgiving, and the 3rd we devoted to Yarny pursuits (Dude I am 2 inches into making a vest - that is exciting!).
This year, I cooked Thanksgiving dinner at home. Oh yes, it was Vegan. Oh yes it was AMAZING! The only non vegan items on the table were stovetop stuffing for my sister in law, and marshmallows on the Nostalgic Sweet Potatoes (you can get Vegan marshmallows, I forgot). What did we have?
Tofurky and Quorn turkey roasts. I sliced it and presented it nicely and frankly I think in a potluck I could have fooled people.
Mashed potatoes made with Silk Soy milk and no butter. I used Yukon Gold potatoes that are creamier anyway and mashed them with nutritional yeast, ranch seasoning, pepper, a little salt. They were awesome stand alone potatoes.
Sweet potatoes 2 ways. Mashed with salt and pepper (again I used the Silk), and mashed and topped with brown sugar and the marshmallows then baked off in the oven.
Dressing with kale, pecans and apples. Made at home with lots of seasonings and vegetable stock.
Barley Dressing with cranberries and Cayenne.
Gravy. I used some Tofurky gravy but I diced some mushrooms and quick sauteed them with stock then added the Tofurky. It was awesome. I could have made my own gravy here, but when traveling this seemed like an easier proposition.
Apple Cider Cranberries, again made and home and brought with us.
Brussels sprouts with a fig walnut reduction.
Corn on the cob
Vegan pumpkin pie
Sugar free and vegan Apple Pie
And with all that, we ate before I took a picture. Something I regret since I actually was really proud of how the table and food looked. Oh well, just proof it tasted great!
It just goes to show you, that the right seasonings override fat, and that with a good attitude and creativity even a meat based holiday can be enjoyed. Best of all, we really did pardon the turkey this year!
For those interested in this diet, The Last Heart Attack a presentation by Sanjay Gupta is being aired several times this weekend on CNN. It interviews Bill Clinton about his heart issues, and several doctors, and then talks about the dietary changes that can prevent, or reverse heart disease. Really an awesome show.
