To me, Thanksgiving is the quintessential American holiday. The idea of giving thanks for the abundance in our lives resonates very strongly with me. I love that when Thanksgiving comes in America, regardless of one’s faith, ethnicity or natural origin, all Americans celebrate and give thanks together. Having grown up in an Orthodox Jewish family, celebrating many holidays throughout the year that most Americans don’t even know exist, I especially love the fact that we all come together to celebrate Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving also has a very personal and special association for me: I went vegan on Thanksgiving in 2009. I think most of us who made the choice to be vegan for ethical reasons would agree that it is a joyous transformation in our lives. Even though those who look at veganism from the outside see it as a diet of restriction, we vegans know that living this compassionate lifestyle
When I was an omnivore, I occasionally would use protein powders and shakes to supplement my dietary intake of protein. Mostly, I did this when I was mixing up my workouts at the gym, trying to pack on a few more pounds of muscle or trying to “cut up” and get more defined, lean muscle. Since becoming vegan, I have tried many of the vegan protein powders available. Unfortunately, I found most of them quite lacking in the taste department, some even tasted like dirt. No thanks. Moreover, while I love the Builder’s Bars from Clif bar company, I don’t always want to eat a bar. Please note, not all Builder’s Bars are vegan, be sure to read the list of ingredients when buying them. Last month, when we went to ThanksLiving at Woodstock Farm Animal Sanctuary we received gift bags as we were leaving. In each bag was a
You often see recipes for caramelized onions saying it only takes a few minutes. Those recipes lie. You can brown onions quickly, but to really caramelize them and bring out the sweetness takes time. The time it takes is well worth it. At the end you will have a savory and sweet pile of caramelized onions that you can add to vegetable broth for a French Onion Soup, use a a topping for pizza, or put on a sandwich. You can make these omitting the flour and sherry at the end, but if you plan on using them for a soup, the flour and sherry are a must. Prep time: 5 minutes Cook time: 1 hour Yield: about 2 cups Ingredients: 2 TBL vegan butter 1 TBL vegetable oil 5 large onions (about 3 lb.), halved and thinly sliced ½ tsp. salt 2 Tbs. all-purpose flour* ⅓ cup dry sherry*
This recipe is very special to me. It is the first vegan baking recipe I created. I have learned so much since I first came up with this recipe 4 years ago, but I still love it. It is also very adaptable. If you want to make chocolate chip muffins, just swap out the berries for the chips. I like to use sweetened milk and vanilla yogurt. However, unsweetened milks and plain yogurt are just as fine to use. These muffins are great on a weekend morning when you want to relax with your coffee and read the paper. They are also great for a grab and eat on your way out the door. Prep Time: 15 minutes Bake Time: 15-20 minutes Yield: 12 regular muffins or 6 jumbo muffins Ingredients Batter: 2¼ plus 2 TBL flour, divided ¾ cup sugar 1 TBL baking bowder 1/8 tsp salt 1¼ cups
