Thanksgiving Mayhem

So, I started cooking on Wednesday, finished on Thursday, and got around to blogging on Friday... You might be thinking that I had a huge crowd of people, well you would be wrong... Just 6 including myself, but within that group you have a strict vegan (me), a gluten-free (my Mom & me to a lesser extent), a refuse to eat vegetables, or anything mixed together (my brother), and three old-fashioned raised on lard types (my Dad & Grandparents)... So, that meant we did have a turkey on the table, and despite my making a huge pan of gluten-free, vegan cornbread dressing, my Dad "had" to make a "regular" pan of dressing (exact words).  Now, he didn't really have to make the dressing, he said mine was fine, but there was no way he was going to stay out of the kitchen... Not a chance, besides he had to make (no emphasis, he really did have to make) gravy and cook the turkey.


I had a Tofurky languishing in the freezer, so I decided to have it despite going gluten-free. If you don't know vegan products all that well, let me explain...  Mock meat products are usually made from one of two sources, soy (non-glutinous) or wheat protein (gluten).  Many are actually a mix of both soy and wheat bases...  Seitan is pure wheat gluten, Tofurky is seitan based, ergo Tofurky is pure gluten...  Now, I know I ate a big plate of food, but when you still feel overly stuffed nearly 24 hours later... I'm going to venture a guess and say that I am done with gluten...  Not that there is anything wrong with Tofurky as a product, it is great if you can tolerate gluten, I've been eating them and other seitan based products for years...  Of course that's before I learned about the damage that wheat proteins can do to the body (very inflammatory) and the inability for the human body to properly digest wheat proteins.


All that aside, I'd say my first go at Thanksgiving was a success (except for the gluten-free, vegan pecan pie).  Especially the Pumpkin Cake, veganizing the recipe was easy, and gluten-freeing (is that a word?) it was even easier...  It doesn't turn out as tall & light as the "regular" version, but still tasty.  I'll post recipes for several of my dishes that received passing scores from the family soon... For now, here's a tasty & simple Pinto Bean recipe: sort & rinse 2 cups of dried pintos, meanwhile put a large pot of water on to boil.  Get the water to a rolling boil before adding the beans (it helps to keep a kettle of water hot too, in case you need to add water during cooking, since the pot should never go dry, or stop boiling).  Add the beans slowly, so the boil doesn't stop, and turn the heat down (not enough to lose the boil)  Cook for 1 1/2 to 2 hours.  In the last 30 minutes add 1 cup of onions, 2 Tbs garlic, 2 Tbs chili powder, and salt & pepper to taste.  See gluten-free & vegan can be easy and delicious...

Broccoli Rice Casserole



Last night I made the afore mentioned Vegan, Gluten-free Broccoli Rice Casserole!  How does one make such a dish, you might ask???  Well it takes just a few ingredients, the only one that is "special" is the gravy mixes which are Road's End Organics (also known as Edward & Sons)... This brand is perfect for both vegan and gluten-free diets, as they have numerous products for either and many that are both veg & gf... If you are not vegan (I don't judge), you can follow the recipe using dairy, check your favorite grocer for similar gravy mixes to Road's End...

 

·         2 cups cooked rice

·         1 head broccoli, chopped (pre-steamed if you like it more tender)

·         1 can of sliced mushrooms (4 ounce)

·         1 package Road’s End Organics Shitake Mushroom Gravy Mix

·         1 package Road’s End Organics Cheddar Style Sauce Mix

·         1 ½ cup milk (I prefer coconut milk)

·         1 cup cheddar cheese (I prefer Daiya vegan shreds)

Preheat oven to 350°.  Mix both the shitake mushroom gravy and cheddar sauce into the milk.  In a greased casserole dish, combine the rice, broccoli, and mushrooms.   Pour half the sauce mix into the broccoli rice, stir to combine.  Smooth the mixture into the dish and pour rest of sauce over the top.  Bake for 25 minutes.  Remove from oven and top with cheese before serving.

And the final product... 

Paired with stewed cabbage: simply cut cabbage, put in a large pot with one can of petite diced tomatoes and water.  Bring to a boil for about 30 minutes, or until tender.  Salt, pepper (and caraway seeds if you have any) as desired.  Maple carrots, another easy one: just put baby carrots and 1/4 cup maple syrup in a pot with enough water to cover, bring to a boil until tender (20 minutes or so).  Oh and the leftover broccoli stalks, just slice them into rounds or planks and throw them on a pan in the oven to roast whilst everything else is cooking, and you've got roasted broccoli (which is what you see hiding behind the bowl of cabbage)

Extreme? Couponing

Alright, in addition to going gluten-free, we have begun our foray into couponing... Today's savings $100 off of $200 dollars worth of merch (50% off, not too shabby) of course the serious couponers would probably laugh at our first go, but hey everybody starts somewhere. Of course our "haul" didn't really look like a hundred bucks worth of stuff to begin with (ahh inflation). Still, it pays to save, as they say (at least I think that's what they say (who are 'they' who come up with these little gems anyway?)). So, what does couponing have to do with being a gluten-free vegan? Well, being either gluten-free or vegan is expensive enough, but throw both together and... you get the idea. Besides if we are eating for our bodies to be healthy shouldn't our pocketbook be healthy too ('they' would be me on this one). Given that Thanksgiving is just around the corner, I'll posting several of my recipes soon... Starting with my vegan (and gluten-free) broccoli rice casserole, which I am making tonight!

Shifting Sands

So, its been awhile and I have tried many avenues... I'm adrift, not sure which direction to take my life.  The one thing I do know is food... Vegan food to be exact, and now my Mom has thrown gluten-free into the mix. So I'm learning the ropes of gluten-free cooking and baking (just in time for the holidays, yippee!)

With that in mind, here goes the reboot of this blog (take 4 I think?), I'm going to document our dining experiences and provide recipes that have met with satisfaction.  So grab your skillets and chop your veggies, cause this is gonna be a wild ride through the holidays and beyond as we figure out tasty gluten-free (and vegan) meals!