I have learned from past experience that anything can go wrong on Thanksgiving, and sometimes you can’t get to the big feast. A couple of years ago I came down with a horrendous cold and we canceled our visit with friends. Wayne improvised and came up with a nice meal of homemade seitan sausages and cranberry chutney, but we had few options in the house and we missed many of our old favorites. Because of that, I like to have a second, all-vegan meal planned for later in the weekend, so even if we’re planning to travel we make sure to have all the ingredients we need a few days beforehand.

Tonight’s meal was amazing. We had fluffy mashed potatoes, green bean casserole, cranberry jelly, candied sweet potatoes, wild rice, and Field Roast.

Good mashed potatoes are easy and don’t require any kind of measuring. Here is what I do:

Wash and peel some Russet potatoes (one potato per person should be enough if you’re serving a lot of other sides), cut into 3/4 inch cubes, and boil in salted water until tender. Drain well and return to the pot they were boiled in. Use a good quality potato masher, such as this one. Mash the potatoes well, but don’t stress if there are a few little lumps. Once the potatoes are mashed to your liking, add a few tablespoons of Earth Balance and a drizzle of olive oil. It’s good to do this with the pot on the stove just in case you decide you need a little bit of heat. Once the Earth Balance and oil are well incorporated, add a touch of salt, and dash or two of freshly ground pepper, and some nondairy milk (I like the unsweetened whole grain drink from Trader Joe’s, but soy milk will also work). You can also add a little bit of crushed garlic. Lightly stir in the milk, adding just a touch more than you think you will need. The potatoes tend to soak up the liquid pretty quickly and you don’t want them to be too dry. If they’re too wet, just leave the heat on for a minute or so. If you mash first and then add the wet stuff, I have found that the final result will be light and fluffy, not gluey at all.

The green bean casserole takes a bit of time, but it’s simple to make. I’m so glad I came across Isa’s version last year. It has an amazing flavor and texture. I find that her version is a bit on the soupy side, so I like to add close to double the amount of green beans than the recipe calls for. If you’ve missed this traditional dish since going vegan, if you want to impress a vegan in your life, or if you just want to get away from that mushroom glop in a can, I hope that you’ll try this recipe.

The sweet potato dish was actually quite easy. I usually prefer to cook my sweet potatoes with savory herbs and sea salt , but Wayne grew up with the intensely sweet version with marshmallows on top. I thought he would enjoy this, and I was right. I didn’t want a ton of leftovers since this isn’t exactly health food, so I kept it small.

Sweetie’s Sweet Potatoes (serves four)

1 pound sweet potatoes (about 4 medium), peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces
scant 1/4 cup lightly packed brown sugar (less would also be okay)
2-3 tablespoons Earth Balance
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon (use Vietnamese cinnamon if you have some)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 pinch freshly ground nutmeg
1 pinch of ground ginger
1/2 cup Dandies marshmallows, cut approximately into fourths

Preheat oven to 375 degrees

Put the sweet potato pieces into an 8×8 inch casserole dish. Put Earth Balance, brown sugar, salt, nutmeg, and ginger into a saucepan and heat over medium-low heat until the sugar is mostly dissolved. Put over the sweet potatoes and toss well. Add a splash of water. Bake, uncovered for 45-50 minutes. Remove from the oven and sprinkle the marshmallow pieces on top. Put under the broiler for 2-3 minutes, or until the marshmallows turn a light golden color.

We hope that you had a delightful Thanksgiving, and that no matter what you ate or who you celebrated with that you were able to take some time to remember what you are thankful for. Whether it’s a cat who likes you, a pair of hiking boots, or your special ability to tell a good joke, find joy in what you have.

Happy Holidays to you and yours!

love,

The Coburns

Was my meal a total failure? No way! We were having lunch at Hoang Tra, a little neighborhood restaurant in Richmond. And this place has an abundance of terrific food and vegan options galore. One of their secrets is this mock chicken that is far meatier than anything I’ve had before. Pretty much all of the chicken dishes on the menu can be substituted with the veggie chicken. I’ve asked dozens of times how they make it, and the usual response is that it’s pressed tofu. I knew there had to be more to it than that, and my server this time told me that they buy it from Layonna, which is this really fun store in Oakland that sells all different kinds of mock meats. Some of their products are better than others, but we’ve found some that are quite good. Some old friends of ours make pulled pork sandwiches out of their mock pork, and it’s delicious. I can’t wait to buy some of this mock chicken to experiment with myself.

This lunch was made with a mock duck, which was flavorful but didn’t have the same meatiness as the mock chicken. It didn’t matter, because the whole dish was so full of flavor and texture, and I was so thrilled with myself for trying something new. It was full of bamboo shoots, baby corn, onions, cilantro…all sorts of goodies. It was nice and brothy, had a touch of chili, and came with lime wedges to squeeze on top. Blissful!

When I moved from Santa Cruz to the east bay, I couldn’t wait to find places that were unique that I could get excited about, and this is one of many that I have found in the past few years. I hope you will try this restaurant someday. Just please…for goodness sake…hang up and eat!

I have a bag of conchigliette no. 46 pasta (very tiny shells), that I was saving to put in soup au pistou. But let’s face it, a good soup au pistou can take all day to make and I probably won’t get around to that anytime soon. Since this seemed like the perfect size pasta for this soup, in it went. I have no idea where to find this pasta anymore, so feel free to substitute with any small pasta you like. Little star shapes would be adorable.

The lemon-mint combination adds a touch of brightness to the soup. It’s a flavor combination my Middle Eastern/ Greek grandmother uses in many of her recipes, and I find myself relying on it when the flavor of a dish needs a little balancing out. Go lightly! Done right, no one will guess these two ingredients are in the soup, but their presence can make a world of difference.

Autumn Root Soup

2 T olive oil
8 cloves garlic, crushed
1 tsp dried thyme (or more to taste)
1 tsp. dried basil (or more to taste)
1 tsp. turmeric
1 pinch chipotle chili powder (optional)

All the remaining vegetables can be cut into equal sized (approximately 1/2 inch) pieces:
1/2 cup celery root
2 large carrots
2 red potatoes
1 small turnip
1 parsnip
1 medium zucchini
1 medium bell pepper
2 stalks celery

3-4 tsp Better than Bouillon “no chicken” base
1 cup small pasta
1 can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
salt to taste
juice from 1 lemon
1 tsp. dried mint

1-2 cups Swiss chard leaves, cut into a chiffonade (optional)

In a large, heavy pot (5 quart is perfect) over medium heat, heat the olive oil and sauté the onions, shallots, thyme, and basil until the onions begin to soften. Add garlic and sauté for another minute. Add turmeric and chipotle, the remaining vegetables, and a few splashes of water and continue to cook, stirring occasionally. Turn the heat up to medium-high and add the “no chicken” base and enough water to cover the vegetables. Add pasta, garbanzos and a bit of the salt. When the broth begins to bubble, turn the heat down to a simmer and cover. Stirring occasionally, cook until the pasta is tender and the vegetables are soft. Add the lemon juice and salt and pepper to taste. Crush the mint a little in your hands and add that as well. It’s best to leave the pot on low heat for a short while to let the flavors meld a bit more, or, cool the soup, refrigerate, and rewarm the next day.

Variation: add the Swiss chard during the last ten minutes of cooking.

Raelene, Corinne, and I volunteer for the Mickaboo bird rescue. It’s a great organization, and I am proud of what it does and my very small part in it. Every year Mickaboo has a holiday fundraiser. Mickaboo volunteers are distributed across the greater bay area, from Sacramento to San Francisco to Santa Cruz, and normal communication is done via email. The holiday party is the one time each year when we come together in once place and see who is behind the email addresses. That, and because it’s a fundraiser turn out our pockets and empty our wallets.

Since it’s an evening party, traditionally food is served. The first Mickaboo party Raelene and I attended, which I think was six or seven years ago, was small and the food was from CostCo style sandwich platters… which if I remember correctly contained turkey and chicken, among other things. I don’t think anyone was thinking about serving animal at an animal rescue function, but then Mickaboo was still a very young organization back then.

Mickaboo has grown considerably since then. The name Mickaboo Cockatiel Rescue was changed to Mickaboo Companion Bird Rescue because we were rescuing far more than cockatiels. These days we rescue virtually any non-wild bird in need, including ducks, chickens, and bird species I never knew existed. There is even a branch of Mickaboo called MickaCoo that is dedicated to rescuing domestic (read “meat”) pigeons and doves. You can find out more about MickaCoo at The Rescue Report.

As Mickaboo grew and matured, things of course changed. A few years ago (four?), a more dedicated effort was made to have poultry free mostly vegetarian food available at the party. For most people, even for the animal rescuers who weren’t vegetarian, it made sense to not serve factory farmed birds and factory farmed eggs at a fundraiser to help save the birds. The menus also usually included fish, so they weren’t even 100% vegetarian. But the fundamental principle was, no bird served to bird rescuers. This isn’t rocket science, it’s a no brainer.

It’s amazing how many people this upsets, year after year. It happened again this  year, with individuals insisting loudly that meat, including bird, be served at the party. Their basic argument is no one can tell them what they should and should not eat, and therefore they should be allowed to have the food of their choice at a catered fundraiser. One person happily pointed out, without irony, that vegans can eat meat and  so they should be okay with eating meat once a year. Another person announced that he was going to bring meat to share despite the fact it was a catered event and not a potluck. One volunteer went as far as to say he was fine eating birds at the party as long as they weren’t birds he knew. What the f*ck? Hypocrisy aside, these people are passionate and unswerving in their belief that animals should be served at an animal rescue event. The idea of going a single meal without meat is anathema to them, they cannot deal with it. It’s amazing.

Every year, it seems like the issue gets resolved. And yet every year it comes up again, and every year volunteers quit over it. Yes, people have stopped volunteering for Mickaboo because the only meat at the holiday party was fish. People have stopped helping birds in need because they could not eat the flesh of a bird at a fundraiser. It’s mind blowing, but it’s true.

Other organizations don’t have this problem. In other rescues, it never comes up. Of course you do not serve animal to animal rescuers. How could you do anything different and still be considered an animal rescue? I have to remind myself that it’s a vocal minority that make it an issue, most of whom I personally have little respect for regardless of their food choices. My hope is that Mickaboo will make a formal policy decision and end the discussion, but who knows if and when that might happen. In the mean time, well, this is obviously something that bothers me and I wonder if it’s time for me to move on as well.

Super Easy Tofu Tikka Masala

• 3T Earth Balance
• 4 cloves crushed garlic
• 4t coriander
• 2t cumin
• 2t paprika
• 3t garam masala
• 1t salt
• 1 15 ounce can tomato sauce
• 1/4 c water
• 1 13.5 ounce can coconut milk
• 1 16 ounce bag of frozen peas
• 1 package Tandori Spiced Tofu, cut into 1″ pieces

I melted the earth balance in a large pot until it was bubbling, and then cooked the garlic until it was nice and fragrant. I then added the spices, and cooked them in the fat until they were fragrant as well (about a minute). Next came the tomato sauce and water, which I stirred well and cooked the mixture over medium heat for about 20 minutes. When I had a nice, thick tomato and spice sauce I added the can of coconut milk and stirred it in. Once I had a creamy sauce, I added the peas and tofu and simmered on low for about an hour. I served it with brown rice, and everyone seemed to love it.

I realized after Sunday’s post that I should share more about cooking with squash, more specifically, how to prep it. Going from a whole squash to peeled and diced cubes can seem a bit daunting, but it’s actually not that difficult.

One tip that I picked up along the way is to put the whole squash in the microwave and cook on high for about 4-5 minutes. Once it’s cool enough to handle, it should be just soft enough to cut through easily with a large knife. Make sure your knife is sharp and that you have a stable cutting surface. This is not the time to use a wobbly, warped cutting board. Safety first!

For a large butternut squash, cut in half widthwise so you separate the narrower top part from the more bulbous bottom part. For smaller squash, like acorn, just cut in half lengthwise. Unless you’re using a kabocha squash, you’ll want to peel it. I like using a vegetable peeler. Then, cut each half in half again. Scoop out the seeds and stringy goop from the middle, and then proceed to cut the squash into whatever size and shape you need for your recipe.

For a simple side dish, just cut into 1/2 wedges, drizzle with olive oil, and bake until caramelized and tender. For soups, you might prefer to cut into smaller cubes before cooking.

I started off making some Lemony Quinoa with Butternut Squash from Fatfree Vegan Kitchen. My version was not completely fat free since I used olive oil instead of cooking with the nonstick pans mentioned in the original recipe (Teflon is dangerous for birds). The butternut squash we had was huge, so I wound up cutting up and roasting the whole thing so that I can make soup later on (I truly hate to waste oven heat). This was my first time trying this recipe, and everyone loved it. This is definitely one I will make again, and I think it’s spectacular enough to make for guests.

While that was cooking, I started in on some kale chips. I don’t really follow a recipe anymore. I just wash and de-stem a bunch of kale, toss it with a small amount of olive oil and sea salt, place in a single layer on two baking sheets, and bake until crispy. Between the kale chips and the squash, I managed to use all four of our extra large baking sheets. Madness!

Lastly, I cut some Field Roast smoked apple sage sausages lengthwise and pan fried them until golden. This stuff is the food of the gods. It goes very well with the kale and the quinoa. Okay, fine…it would also be good with a peanut butter sandwich, a banana, or monkey boogers if those were vegan.

Our dinner was delicious and oh-so pretty on my new plates. And if later in the week Wayne asks for help getting turmeric stains off of fine china, please offer him your loving advice.

Up next: curry!

Everything they make is excellent, but we really love their Jalapeno Smoked Tofu, Spicy Veggie Wraps, and Toveggie Balls. Their soy pasta is tasty as well as low carb, as are their Tofutillas. Their Plain Firm Tofu is awesome too. So if you’re at a farmer’s market and you see a Tofu Yu booth, stop by and get a few things to try. You wont be sorry.

I realize I wrote a similar post last year, but I thought it might be nice to revisit the topic. The graph above shows the volume of searches on Google for the word “vegan” as a function of time on top, and the number of references in news articles below. You can see an increase in searches in late 2007, with a jump in the number of news stories mentioning vegan in early 2008. Presumably the news stories were following public interest. I have’t been able to correlate this  shift to anything, but if someone reading this can please mention it in the comments.

Over the past few years the number of searches have been more or less constant, although there has been a definite increase in the latter half of this year. This year has also seen a lot of press about the obesity epidemic in this country, and so this increase in searches may indicate an increased awareness about veganism and a desire to get healthy. It will be interesting to see if the trend continues into into the holiday months. The US still leads in searches, with Canada next. And what’s the most vegan city in the US? You guessed it, Portland, OR.

Also of interest, at least to me, is who is doing search advertising based on the word vegan. You know, the ads you see to the right when you do a search on Google. The biggest advertisers are exploreveg.org, friendsofanimals.org, tryveg.com, and more along those similar lines. To my surprise, though, in a few test searches I found a Carls Jr. ad telling me to “Veg It.” The ad itself led to a broken link, so it is probably part of an advertising campaign that someone forgot to turn off. Still, I find it interesting that at some point Carls Jr. was trying to lure people interested in veganism into their restaurants.