Gotta make this quick — giant paper due tomorrow — but I wanted to share two amazing recipes from Thanksgiving, both from Post Punk Kitchen (recipes linked below).

Pumpkin Pie Brownie (Vegan)


Nutritional Facts per 1/8 slice (calculated via Spark Recipe Calculator): 319 calories, 12g fat, 4g fiber, 3.7g protein

Freakin’ delicious. Fickle taste-tester approved.

Cornbread Stuffing with Pears and Pecans (Vegan)

Nutritional information per 1/12 serving (calculated via Spark Recipe Calculator): 335 calories, 20.6g fat, 4.6g fiber, 6g protein

Even though this is technically two recipes in one — you gotta make the corn bread from scratch first — it is so worth the effort. Seriously. If you’re watching calories, just use less olive oil and add more veggie broth instead.

Thanksgiving was a great day, especially because it began with a 10k!  It was such a beautiful day for a run alongside the beach AND I beat my last 10k time of 1:08 and came in at 56:58! That translates to an approx 9:14 mile pace. I’m stoked. I’m definitely going to make the Long Beach Turkey Trot a tradition — it was a very well-organized race!

Three Interesting Articles to Share

• 11/28 – Op Ed in NY Times by Michael Pollan (<3!) and Eric Schlosser called, “A Stale Food Fight” here. Explains why the Food Safety Modernization Act should be passed.
• 11/27 – “The New Front in the Culture Wars: Food” in The Washington Post here
• 11/22 – “Divided We Eat: What Food Says About Class in America” in Newsweek here

Alright, off to finish my paper on an obscure piece of 18th c. British lit that nobody outside a tiny niche of academia cares about!

<3,

The Cranky One

Hey guys!

Is it too early to plan my Thanksgiving menu? I think not! I find it therapeutic to spend time in the kitchen and I love finding vegan recipes that please even the pickiest omnivores!

But someone tell me — what is with green bean casserole and how did it become part of the American Thanksgiving tradition? Does anyone ever go “mmm green bean casserole!” ? As far as I’m concerned a vegetable dish is no longer a vegetable dish if you put bacon in it and cover it with fried onions. I’m starting a campaign to get this casserole removed from the “Thanksgiving standard rotation.” I think I’ll get tees made that say “Some traditions must die” and it will have a picture of this casserole disaster!

Anywho! Thanksgiving break can’t come soon enough! I’m looking forward to time off from school and work and plan to enjoy the extra time with my boyf and niece. What I’m not looking forward to? Writing that ginormous paper that’s due right after the break. Big papers should not be due after a holiday vacation, you know what I’m sayin’?!

My family doesn’t have any specific Thanksgiving traditions outside the Hallmark American stereotype of family gathered around a turkey. Which is actually rather awkward now that I don’t meat. And, along with green bean casserole, has got to be a tradition that some day must die.

Last Thanksgiving I made this Sweet Potato Miso Soup. It was so amazing that I considered making it again this year…

but quickly changed my mind – it’s so fun to try out new recipes. So, I scoured the internet, my recipe archives and asked around, and pulled some great dish options listed below. Not sure yet which I’ll actually make, but I’m definitely leaning towards a few. I’ll share pictures after Thanksgiving!

Entrees

Doublebatch Chickpea Cutlets

Hazelnut and Chard Ravioli Salad – Make vegan by using vegan ravioli and omitting parmesan

Holiday Cashew Nut Roast

Indian Shepherd’s Pie

Maple Tofu with Stuffing and Apple Cranberry Chutney – Yes, they’re all together, atop one another. Super cute!

Pumpkin Dumplings

Pumpkin Ravioli with Broth – Make vegan by using non-dairy milk as an egg wash and omitting parmesan

Salisbury Tempeh

Thanksgiving Pot Pie

Sides

Biscuits

Broccoli (Roasted) a la Shop Humanitaire: “Place a roasting pan in the oven and pre-heat to 400 F. Cut 1 lb broccoli into bite size pieces. Toss in a bowl with 2 tbsp olive oil, 3 cloves minced garlic, salt/pepper to taste. Put broccoli into pre-heated pan and roast 10 minutes. Toss once during roasting. Good on its own or with vegan cheese sauce. It’s really important to pre-heat the pan – it sort of sears the broccoli a little and makes it even better.” Thanks, dear!

Broccoli Crunch

Chilled Asparagus with Mustard Herb Vinaigrette

Cornbread Dressing

Fluffy Mashed Potatoes

Fruit and Toasted Almond Stuffing

Garlic Mashed Potatoes

Garlicky Greens

Mac ‘n Cheese – I love this recipe!

Roasted Pumpkin Salad – Use agave instead of honey to make it vegan

Squash with Wild Rice, Stuffing and Gravy

Vibrant Tasty Green Beans – Five ingredients and no bacon ? Cool!

Desserts

Amazing Pecan Pie

Chocolate Pumpkin Bread Pudding – Recipe by Chloe Coscarelli, vegan chef and winner of Food Network’s Cupcake Wars

Chocolate Pumpkin Cheesecake

Maple Pumpkin Spice Bread – A fave!

Pumpkin Cheesecake with Candied Cranberries

Pumpkin Pie Brownie

Sweet Potato Cake

To see my picks from last year, go here

And remember, this season is about gratitude…or the opportunity to parade your dog around in tacky holiday sweaters. Ah the opportunity for the latter certainly makes me thankful!

Kahlua’s been caught and she’s not too happy about it!

Additional Resources

• Looking for vegan marshmallows to top off your sweet potato casserole? Check these out
• Don’t want to cook? Get your meal from Real Food Daily, Los Angeles for $39.95/person here or pick up a Native Wellington from Native Foods, Orange County, here for $39.95 (comes frozen) and it feeds 6-8 people
• Added 11/19/10 – Check out Quarrygirl.com ‘s Los Angeles Vegan Guide to Thanksgiving here – it’s amazing how many options there are to order out (and vegan) on Thanksgiving!
• Want to give a gift to your host/hostess? Try the Nordic Ware Platinum Collection 3D Turkey Cake Pan – it’ll be hilarious as a cake! or the Nordic Ware Mini Pumpkin Muffin Pan.
• Want to do something extra cool? Adopt a turkey!
• My tips on Thanksgiving eating.  I wrote these last year and they are super relevant to me this year!

Alright, people, what are you cooking (or not) this year? Any cool Thanksgiving Traditions?

<3,

The Cranky One

Hey guys!

While my mom and I traditionally make side dishes that just so happen to have always been vegetarian, I am excited to try the following recipes to add to the mix of vegetarian options at our dinner table (there’s going to be at least 10 of us!):

• Miso Soup with Sweet Potato Dumplings (Vegan) –
  [Source]
  “This spicy soup from Shawn McClain, chef at Green Zebra in Chicago, is rich in immunity-enhancing vitamin A.”

• Simple Butternut Squash Tart (Vegetarian) — “This simple, vibrantly colored butternut squash tart recipe provides a nice amount of payoff for the minimal amount of effort that goes into it.”

For all the newly minted vegetarians like myself, here are some additional recipes and resources I’ve come across for vegetarian and/or vegan eaters.

Best Sounding Recipes — Entree Options
**Note:  A lot of entree options call for mushrooms – and I just so happen to dislike mushrooms – so when I was envisioning these dishes, I was envisioning them sans mushrooms! **

• Artichoke Spinach Lasagna (Vegetarian) — “This is a fabulous lasagna made with an artichoke and spinach mixture which has been cooked with vegetable broth, onions and garlic. The mixture is layered with lasagna noodles, pasta sauce, mozzarella cheese, and topped with crumbled feta.”  Use whole-wheat to make it healthier.
• Gourmet Mushroom Risotto (Vegetarian)
• Harissa Spaghetiini (Vegan)
• Holiday Cashew Nut Loaf (Vegan) — “With a taste reminiscent of stuffing, this is perfect for a holiday buffet. Layered eggplant adds a contrasting texture to the nuts and elevates this hearty casserole to an eye-popping entrée.”
• Mushroom, Cheese & Vegetable Strudel (Vegetarian)
• Smothered Seitan Medallions with Mushroom Gravy (Vegan)
• Thanksgiving Tart (Vegan) — “Combining the most prominent flavors of the holiday season—namely savory thyme, crisp cranberries, homey spinach, and hearty chickpeas—this dish is guaranteed to satisfy.”
• Vegetable Puffs with Pastry Sheets (Vegan)
• Walnut-Stuffed Eggplant (Vegetarian)

Best Sounding Recipes — Side and Appetizer Options

• Best of Both Worlds Potatoes Anna (Vegetarian) — “If you’re torn between serving regular potatoes or sweet potatoes, try this spectacular dish, which calls for both.”
• Chilean Corn and Un-Turkey Soup (Vegan) — “This savory chowder is inspired by pastel de choclo, a Chilean corn and meat pie.”
• Curried Apple Couscous (Vegetarian)
• Curried Sweet Potato Fritters (Vegetarian) — “These Indian-inspired fritters also make great hors d’oeuvres—simply use scant 1-tablespoon dollops of the fritter mixture when cooking, and skip the bed of spinach.”
• Lucie’s Chestnut Stuffing (Vegetarian)
• Roasted Pumpkin Salad (Vegan)

Best Sounding Recipes — Dessert Options

• Apple Cobbler (Vegan)
• Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cupcakes (Vegan)
• Pumpkin-Chocolate Swirl Cheesecake (Vegetarian) — “It took us four tries to get this recipe just right, but the result—a rich, creamy, pumpkin-flavored cheesecake laced with spice and swirled with chocolate—is truly spectacular.”
• Pumpkin Pie Wontons (Vegan) — “These dessert wontons are a great way to serve pumpkin pie individually, and won our reader recipe contest in 2001.”
• Sweet Potato Cake (Vegan) — “spiced cake with layers of fluffy, vegan buttercream”
• Toasted Pecan Toffee (Vegetarian)

Other Resources

• Check out Happy Herbivore’s vegan Thanksgiving options here
• Check out 101 Cookbooks’ Vegetarian Thanksgiving options here
• Amazing looking vegetarian and vegan recipes with puff pastry as a main ingredient — I’m especially intrigued by the chocolate walnut date tarts and vegan asparagus tart.
• The Veggie Table’s sample Thanksgiving menus (all vegetarian or vegan) here
• International Vegetarian Union’s 64 Holiday Recipes here
• Healthy Thanksgiving Recipes (some omnivore options listed) here
• The Food Network’s Thanksgiving menu here
• Tofurky has been a staple for first-time vegetarian Thanksgivings.  While I haven’t tried any of their Thanksgiving products, I have tried their Italian “sausage,” which I think tastes amazing. I have heard mixed reviews on their Tofurky turkey (actually sort of shaped like an actual turkey which I imagine is good for “transitioning” vegetarians or omnivores who are up for trying something new).  View their list of Thanksgiving products here.  Trader Joe’s is currently selling Tofurky roasts.
• Check out Whole Foods Market’s vegetarian Thanksgiving menu here
• Bonappetit Thanksgiving Slide Show of Recipes (2008) here

Any of these recipes sound good to you?  What’s on your Thanksgiving menu?

<3, The Cranky One

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cupcakes with Cinnamon Icing
From Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World

Ingredients for Cupcakes

• 1 cup canned pumpkin
• 1/2 cup oil *I used canola
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup soy milk *I used organic vanilla
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup chocolate chips

Directions for Cupcakes

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line muffin pan with cupcake liners.
• In a medium bowl, stir together pumpkin, oil, sugar, soy milk, and vanilla.  Sift in the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, salt. Stir together with a fork–don’t use a hand-held mixer, as  it will make the batter gummy.  Once well combined, fold in the chocolate chips.
• Fill liners two-thirds full.  Bake for 22-24 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and let fully cool before icing.

Ingredients for Cinnamon Icing

• 1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 2 tablespoons margarine, melted
• 1 tablespoon soy milk
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions for Cinnamon Icing

• Place sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl.  Add margarine, soy milk, and vanilla and stir with a fork until smooth. Keep at room temperature until ready to use.  The mixture should look opaque and honey brown.  If it’s glistening a lot or looks too liquid, add a little extra confectioners’ sugar.

To Assemble

• Take a small plastic sandwich bag and cut out a tiny hole in one edge or fit a pastry bag with a small-holed decorating tip.  Fill the bag with icing and pipe it out Jackson Pollack-style onto the cupcakes.  You may also opt to pipe it in zig-zags, lines or swirls. Let the icing set at room temperature or refrigerate.

Nutritional Information
Calculated with Spark People’s Recipe Calculator (It’s fun to use and gives tons of data, as you’ll see below)

• 1 Cupcake w/o icing: Calories 241.3, Total Fat 11.5 g (Saturated Fat 2.0 g, Polyunsaturated Fat 2.9 g, Monounsaturated Fat 6.1 g), Cholesterol 0.0 mg, Sodium 126.6 mg, Potassium 120.7 mg, Total Carbohydrate 34.2 g, Dietary Fiber 1.9 g, Sugars 21.8 g, Protein 2.2 g, Vitamin A 111.4 %, Vitamin B-12 1.0 %, Vitamin B-6 1.4 %, Vitamin C 2.5 %, Vitamin D 0.6 %, Vitamin E 11.8 %, Calcium 6.3 %, Copper 5.3 %, Folate 6.3 %, Iron 7.8 %, Magnesium 5.0 %, Manganese 10.7 %, Niacin 4.7 %, Pantothenic Acid 2.1 %, Phosphorus 4.0 %, Riboflavin 6.1 %, Selenium 0.9 %, Thiamin 7.7 %, Zinc 1.9 % (*Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs)
• One serving of cinnamon icing: 34 calories, 1.4g fat, 0.1g fiber, 0.1g protein for one serving of icing
• One cupcake with one serving cinnamon icing: 275.30 calories, 12.9g fat, 2g fiber, 2.3g protein

To see the recipe for the devil’s food cupcakes pictured above with the pumpkin cupcakes, see here.

If you’re looking for cool holiday gift options, I’d recommend the vegan cupcake recipe book that the above recipe came from.  The authors recently released a vegan cookies recipe book (Vegan Cookies Invade Your Cookie Jar: 100 Dairy-Free Recipes for Everyone’s Favorite Treats) too which I’m hoping to get sometime soon! Or, bake a batch of these goodies to give as a gift (if you plan on doing so, I’ll send you my address hint hint wink wink).

In case you’re wondering, no I’m not vegan. And, frankly, I don’t have a staunch stance on the issue of vegan eating in general. If you know me at all, you know I’m kind of a relativist when it comes to food choices.  However, I do love to try new things and I think that the overarching vegan concern for the environment and ethical treatment of animals is awesome and something I align with in my own practices, in my own way.  And on that note, it’s time to stuff my face, I’m cranky!

Give-Away Round Up

• Win some MixMyGranola here — Ends 11/18
• Win some Heart Thrive and Sun Cake Energy Bars here — Ends 11/18
• Win some Somersault Snacks here — Ends 11/23 (I *love* those snacks, by the way!)

If you’re an omnivore or vegetarian, are you open to trying vegan recipes?

<3,

The Cranky One

p.s. Happy Birthday Jody! You are such a sweet and positive voice in the blogging community (and…you’re hot – ’nuff said).