I know I’m a little late to the party on this, but I wanted to add my ideas for some snowy day comfort food. I would have had this out yesterday, but I was getting ready for my first real date with my husband since my daughter was born. It took a while to get ready sinceI had to take a very long nap so I could stay up past 8pm. Today I’m a little sluggish from staying out too late, and totally craving comfort food even though winter storm Jonas mostly missed us in Boston, but it did snow which is a good excuse to snuggle in and eat delicious food. So what would I eat?
Vegan Hot Chocolate: Absolutely a must on any snowy day. This one is rich, thick, so chocolaty you won’t believe it, and you will never go back to instant again.
Vegan Sloppy Joes in the Crock Pot: While you are outside playing, or shoveling off your car, you can also be making a super yummy dinner of sloppy joes.
If you have a few more minutes, or a second day because you are actually snowed in, this perfect vegan lasagna is the way to go. It is so creamy you will be sure there is cheese in it, and it will satisfy your every comfort food craving while still giving you a good serving of vegetables.
Planning ahead for tomorrow morning? Make these cinnamon rolls today and they will be ready for a Monday morning pick me up that will bake while you’re getting ready for work.
Maybe a little dessert? Ice cream is a perfect way to celebrate the snow. Choose one of my flavors like this vanilla with chocolate and peanut butter swirl, or create your own using my “without a recipe” guideline to vegan ice cream.
Have fun in the snow and I hope you are safe and warm.
Happy New Year! I hope your new year is filled with happiness, love, and passion for people, ideas, and goals.
I’m writing this as Wolfie sleeps and my husband does whatever it is he does on the computer for fun. I’m baking cookies, chocolate chip, and just hanging out reflecting on the last year, and the year to come. This last year had some big changes for us and I still feel like I’m adjusting, even as more changes are coming. Wolfie was born in late 2014, so that wasn’t actually in the last year, but since it was between the holidays it feels like it. I quit my job and started my own private practice (clinical social work); my husband got a new job and we spent a few months traveling back and forth between Maine and Boston spending several nights a week apart; I closed my private practice to move to Boston; we moved to Boston while still owning our house in Maine; I put a lot of time and effort into blogging this year; I accepted a new job, but when it came time to start I just couldn’t leave Wolfie at the times I would have needed to so I resigned before starting; My husband traveled A LOT; We traveled together to Utah, San Diego, Wisconsin (3 times), and up and down the east coast from RI to ME countless time; I finally accepted and started a new job; Wolfie started daycare a few days a week; we moved again in Boston; we are hoping to close on the house in a few weeks.
So, it’s been crazy. I was telling my husband yesterday that I feel like I haven’t done anything this year, but when all that is listed and we still managed to raise a happy, sweet, child, who is mastering skills every time we turn around, and keep our marriage healthy and strong, I guess it’s been a good year. I think what I meant is that I haven’t done much for me. My life totally changed from being a person, to being a mom. My work, my free time, my sleep schedule, all revolve around another person. My goal for this next year is to get a little bit more time for me, to feel like I am still an individual. My other major goal is to continue to put as much time and effort into blogging as I can. It is something I love, and I have started to see movement (people actually stopping by) this year.
What are your goals this year?
There are many things I am thankful for this year; my healthy, happy daughter, my amazing husband, my supportive family and friends, the incredible amount of opportunities that are available to me, and all of you. I’m so thankful for you coming back again and again, reading my words, hopefully using, or being inspired by my recipes, and sharing things you love.
I live in an amazing world with amazing people. I know there are terrible things happening every day, however, I need to focus on the good. I also need to focus on how I can help make changes in the world around me. I am fortunate that my career in social work allows me to feel I am working toward making positive change in the world. As the media has been pouring in tragic incident after tragic incident I find I am reflective on my station in life, and how lucky I am to be in the place I’m in. Part of this means I have the opportunity to choose what kinds of food I eat; to be picky, to feel I have the choice to be vegan, or vegetarian, or change my mind whenever I want. I know that I will always have enough. I had to remind myself yesterday as I was cooking about being so privileged to have this choice. I found myself getting cranky while I was cooking, as I was cooking only for myself. I am joining my in-laws for Thanksgiving and I bring all of my own food to these gatherings. I don’t eat their food, and they don’t eat mine. Sometimes this is hard, but man, think of the privilege where I have excessive food, and can say no. I get to stick to my “ideals” and make the choice to be picky. I feel thankful to have this choice. On this note I wanted to share a bit of my food journey. It has been a a long time, and I have been through many stages in my life. Looking back I’m thankful for the opportunity and the support through them all. I would doubt my food journey is anywhere near finished, but this is how I got to be where I am.
Happy Thanksgiving my friends.
My Food Journey
Check out backstory on the about page for an idea of where I came from when it comes to food. That aside, I have been on a bit of a journey and food exploration over my lifetime. It all started in my childhood…
When I was young I hated cheese. I hated everything about it; the smell, the taste. YUCK! I wouldn’t eat anything with cheese on or in it. That means all those “usual” childhood foods; mac ‘n cheese, pizza, grilled cheese, I wouldn’t touch! My parents never made a big deal out of it, and it turned out that I have a sensitivity to dairy anyway. I think this is where my food exploration started. Instead of grilled cheese I had grilled PB&J, I ate my pizza without cheese, and loved it. With my mother’s influence I started to see traditional combinations as inspiration instead of expectation.
I started my vegetarian journey by giving up meat for Lent when I was 12, and I never started eating it again. I didn’t really have a reason at the time for being vegetarian, I think I just wanted to be cool. My best friend was vegetarian, but I didn’t know any other people who were, and I was trying very hard to be different at that time. It stuck, and became a part of my identity. As I grew more aware I developed reasons for staying vegetarian. My reasons became been centered around the environmental impact of vegetarianism. I was also horrified by factory farming, but was never really motivated by animal rights. To me it just seemed that being vegetarian was the moral way to live.
These ideals pushed me to eventually become vegan and I stayed vegan for several years, but it never quite seemed to fit. I think it didn’t fit because I felt I needed to hold tight to my morals to maintain being vegan, and when I did that I felt the need to judge others as well as myself. I actually almost broke up with my now husband during this time because he ate meat. I didn’t, thank goodness, and managed to come to terms with being vegan myself, but not forcing my beliefs on others. I stayed vegan for a while, and then…
When I was in my late 20’s I moved to Maine with my husband. We bought a house in the woods and right across the street was a small, family run farm, with chickens. They had fresh eggs for sale in a box at the end of their driveway. You would go up, leave the money, and take a carton of eggs. As I was coming home from the store one day with my cartons of tofu I had a revelation; I was using tofu that was processed, packaged, shipped, and sent across the country to substitute for eggs that would come from across the street. As I said before, my reasons for being vegan were environmental, and for my beliefs it started to make more sense for me to start eating eggs rather than use other ingredients for a substitute. I also started to think about some of my other food choices and where my food came from.
I continue to make changes in my choices to this day, and I am not hard-core when it comes to eating local, but I try to make choices that feel good to my moral conscience. The balance between being aware, but not putting incredible pressure on myself is what works for me. I want to be a conscious eater, and hope that I will continue to learn, grow and develop my relationship with food and my environment.
Are you vegan or vegetarian, or have you invited someone who is to your Thanksgiving meal? All the choices for what to make can be overwhelming. If this isn’t your usual diet you might feel restricted. Don’t worry; you can make anything you want! You have the choice to make your favorite traditional dishes using vegan or vegetarian ingredients, or to develop new dishes and traditions. One of my favorite Thanksgivings it was just me and my husband (we had just moved and didn’t even have friends yet), and we made a full Indian meal for Thanksgiving. We cooked all day, ate ourselves silly, and took a nap. Pretty traditional if you ask me:)
In case you’re struggling with ideas for what to make I’ve giving you this lovely list of delicious dishes I have scoured the internet, and my own site, for.
Happy Thanksgiving!!
Vegan Thanksgiving Recipe Ideas
Appetizers:
Smoky Bean Dip from me (is there a trend here with the smokiness)
Chili Cheese Dip from me. -This is actually a tradition on my husband’s side, not vegan, but the chili cheese dip.
Vegan Tempe Bacon Stuffed Mushrooms from Connoisseurus Veg. -I haven’t actually made these, but holy yum do they sound good!
Homemade Vegan Sushi from Minimalist Baker -A tradition in my family
Hummus a video from me -easy to make, versatile, and delicious.
Entrees:
Vegan Pot Pie from me. – Full of fall vegetables, savory, impressive, and a true comfort food.
Pumpkin Ravioli with Brown Butter Sage Sauce from me. -Could this be any more fall?
Bell Pepper and Tomato Rice from me. -I have requested this from my mother on a few Thanksgivings. I love it! Non-traditional for sure, but oh so delicious, rather easy, and the leftovers are fantastic!
Lasagna with Roasted Vegetables and Cauliflower Alfredo Sauce. -This isn’t actually a full recipe, but you could use the sauce, some roasted veggies, and layer it all together for an amazing fall lasagna.
Vegetarian Wellington with Seitan, Roasted Mushroom & Kale from Veggie Belly -I haven’t tried this either, but it looks super impressive. There are suggestions for making it vegan so no worries there.
PUFF PASTRY WRAPPED LENTIL LOAF from It Doesn’t Taste Like Chicken. Lentil Loaf + Puff Pastry = Thanksgiving.
Sides:
Vegan Corn and Potato Chowder from me – Super easy to throw in the slow cooker and let it do it’s thing while you make something time consuming for the main dish.
Cranberry Orange Relish from me. -Cranberry something is necessary for Thanksgiving. Trust me and make this relish for your cranberry side.
Mashed Potatoes – You don’t need a recipe for this. Just cook potatoes, add earth balance, salt, and maybe a little nutritional yeast or coconut milk. Mash and eat. Yum.
Vegan Green Bean Casserole from Minimalist Baker. This version is totally homemade, not a can of cream of mystery in sight.
Vegan Pakoras from Veg Recipes of India
Butternut Bruschetta with Caramelized Onions from Chef Chloe.
Dessert:
Mom’s Apple Pie from my mom -It’s Thanksgiving a perfect pie has it’s place.
Vegan French Silk Pie from me -Rich, decedent, chocolaty. Need I say more?
Vegan Apple Spice Cake from me- The title says it all.
Vegan Chocolate Bourbon Caramel Cake with Chocolate Ganache from me. Yup, chocolate cake. Why not?
Happy Food Ninja 