85 Vegetarian Thanksgiving Recipes + Tips for Managing the Holiday Blues

85 Vegetarian Thanksgiving Recipes from Potluck | ohmyveggies.com.

Happy almost-Thanksgiving to those in the States! Can you believe November has nearly come and gone? It got cool enough for me to pull out my MK peacoat a few times (a gift from last winter), but it’s been back up to the 80’s just recently. Still deciding on a few Turkey Day menu items? This post has you covered for apps, breads, mains, potatoes, stuffings, cranberry sauce, gravies, salads, pies, cakes, and other desserts. If you’re not in the States (or you don’t celebrate Thanksgiving) this recipe round-up is still sure to please.

I have planned a “less-stress” type of Thanksgiving this year. It’s back to the tradition of pasta that was started some years ago. As I said last year, I’m pretty sure I’m the one who started the tradition (as it’s my favorite dish). I’ve actually already been enjoying my own variations of “Thanksgiving-type” food this past week. Come Thursday, one side of my family will still be having a big turkey with cornbread dressing, baked mac and cheese, fried green tomatoes and okra, collard greens with ham hocks (or smoked turkey, if anyone wants a healthier sub), mashed with lots of butta, corn with bacon, and sweet potato pie (no pumpkin allowed).

My easy menu for this year is: Seafood Seville (variety of fish/shellfish with lots of tomatoes, olives, artichokes, sweet peppers, and onions) over a bed of fettucine, salad, Julia Child’s French Bread (from this post) w/ fresh butter (whipped up in the food processor), wine, espresso, and individual Pavlovas with Red Wine Cherry Compote and Mascarpone Whipped Cream. I’m still deciding on a salad. I’m thinking about kale with dried fruits and feta, as it can be made a day ahead. Having as much done as possible prior to the big day helps keep me calm. After gifting myself with the Fawlty Towers series a few months back, though, I keep thinking about making a Waldorf salad. I will start on the bread early Thursday morning, but I just couldn’t get it out of my thinking. Really quite delicious!

I wanted to find (and give) some encouraging words for you all as this Holiday draws near. So, I’m so glad I came across this article:

Tips For Managing The Holiday Blues | NAMI: National Alliance on Mental Illness.

“The Holiday Blues are temporary feelings of anxiety or depression during the holidays that can be associated with extra stress, unrealistic expectations or even memories that accompany the season…The difference between the holiday blues and clinical anxiety or depression is that the feelings are temporary. However, short-term problems must still be taken seriously because they can lead to long-term mental health conditions.”

I know for many people, this can be a difficult time of the year. I found this article to give timely, practical advice, and I hope you’ll take a look at it. Also, if you assess that you are frequently comparing yourself to others or competing with others during this season (which can be easy to do), take a look at my post: How to Keep Your Cool with Competitive People (an offspring of my post: How to Deal with a Copycat).

No matter how the Holidays go — you cook a big, successful meal…or, you didn’t know you had to defrost the turkey, and you end up having to order takeout…your pumpkin pie isn’t as good as grandma’s (or so everyone tells you)…NO ONE helps you clear the table or wash a single dish, haha 🙂 …whatever may come, just know this: you are a wonderful, fabulous person, and I am thankful for you! Thank you for taking the time to read my randomness on this blog, my personal outlet journal. It’s been a great comfort to me.

Be blessed, & I will see you soon after the Holiday.

Kathy

My Way, No. 27

*If you’re new to my blog, you may want to read this for info on what ‘My Way’ posts are all about. 🙂 *

— Hope you’ve had a lovely day! Several Adventures in Food to share with you. Last week, I had a day I wasn’t feeling so hot. All I could manage to eat was a thin slice of a toasted bagel. I was looking over the Healthy Snacks Under 200 Calories post and thought the mango-lime sorbet sounded like something I could handle. I added a wee bit o’ rum (to keep it from freezing too hard), some red chile, and key lime zest. I tried to make it look tropical to cheer myself up. That’s also the reason you may see plates/dishes beyond my plain white on this blog — oftentimes, different serving wares give me a boost in mood. Perhaps this is why I have a hard time not buying every other set of dishes, glasses, silverware, etc., that I see, haha. I do love just the ordinary white plates, though, too — très simple.

What are your go-to meals when you have a ton of veggies (besides just eating them raw and unadorned)? I think pasta or salads come to mind first for me, also stir-fries, soups, stews, sandwiches/toast, and curries. A few weeks ago, I had potatoes that needed to be used, so I made these Mustard Seed-Potato Curry Lettuce Tacos: potatoes, black beans, tomatoes, garlic, quartered shallots, fresh coconut milk, apple, raisins, cilantro, lemon, yellow mustard seeds, and a blend of curry spices. Homemade Greek-style yogurt to top them off. They were very satisfying.

2 more dishes with potatoes: Grilled Summer Salad w/ Queso Fresco & Potato Croutons. My initial craving when composing this salad was raw squash, potatoes and grilled corn. I added to it a bit with spring mix, grilled asparagus & peppers, and roasted tomatoes. I used the queso recipe from this post, but with skim milk. I made a quick cilantro dressing and squeezed the charred limes over the top. Really delicious. I decided to add about a 1/4 cup more corn after I snapped the pic.

Gazing at the Healthy Snacks post, I also decided to make the Frozen Yogurt Blueberry Bites (simple and tasty!) and Skinny Pizza Potato Skins:

The pizza skins in the post were pepperoni, but I usually prefer veggie pizza. I made these on the spur of the moment, so I had to whip up my short-cut pizza sauce. I took the pic pre-oven as I was starved & knew a post-oven pic would delay my eating (toaster or convection ovens are a great option here). Toppings were sautéed squash & kale, caramelized onion, marinated artichoke, and the queso. Instead of cutting the potato in half, I just cut small rounds. I think I’ll go with the halves (as indicated in the recipe) next time. The small rounds were difficult to get enough of the toppings on. But, I think they would be fab party apps. These really hit the spot, and I will be making them again for sure.

I’m finding so many ways to use the homemade yogurt! I slathered a bit on a piece of fish for a pistachio crust:

I enjoyed this particular meal so much, I made it 2 days in a row. I had a flashback to culinary school (way back in the day) the first preparation. During one class, the chef instructor decided that I should be the ‘chosen one’ to filet a sturgeon. I just recall that it was HUGE — almost as big as I am, haha! Plums (raw) are a fruit that I have to be in the mood to have. Grilled, though, I could eat them every day. I served the fish with a berry-shallot relish, and a baby chard, spin, kale salad w/ berries, sunflower seeds, and a berry vin. For the most part, when I mention I made a vin on this blog, it doesn’t have as much oil as many recipes call for. I usually find some other flavor-packed liquid to sub & punch it up with other herbs, spices, etc. Oil, of course, has a certain mouth-feel and balancing quality, so I try to find things comparable. Also pic’d is a petite rosemary baguette (used this technique w/ my food processor) and rosemary tea. Just hot water & fresh rosemary. One of my fave comforting teas. Yes, it’s hot outside! But, there’s A/C inside, and I always prefer hot tea to cold when I can have it.

Last item for today: I finally had a bit of chicken, so I was able to make the grilled chicken with the Turkish spices. I used the same honey & balsamic mixture as the chickpeas. Yums! The Turkish spices were also great on home fries. I was inspired by the Grilled Chicken Caesar Skewers with Kale Pesto, as well. I used the same lemony-buttermilk Caesar dressing as in this post, and a baby chard, spin, kale, sunflower seed pesto. As with vinaigrettes, I usually lighten up my pestos by using less cheese & nuts and replacing some of the oil with stock. I might also add in some other wacky ingredients. Other skewers pic’d here are pomegranate molasses-mint, and homemade Italian dressing.

— Went to my friend’s fashion conference last week and all was grand. There was an Arabian horse show, as well as jewelry, accessories, and clothing galore. There are 3 class “break-out” sessions, so I chose to attend the Latin dance class the first session. It was SO fun, but I really should have come prepared with a workout outfit (instead of my vintage frock). There were also hula dancers for entertainment:

If someone can turn Latin dance into a fitness trend, I think the next one should be hula. It looks like it would be a blast.

This year, there was an award given for ‘Best Dressed,’ and one dress that had many of us “oohing and ahhhing” was this:
Sakura | Henkaa.com.

It’s a convertible dress by Henkaa. This style is called Sakura, but they have several other styles available. You choose your length and color, and they also have additional accessories to coordinate. I think the young lady demo-ing the dress said there were as many as 60 style possibilities. Now, that’s what I call a SQUEAL DEAL! Make sure to check out the website! *Edit: Here is a direct link to the young lady’s personal page for the Henkaa dresses. FYI, you can also host a style shoppe and earn 1/2 OFF items, as well as rewards dollars to spend on items from Henkaa. Awesome!*

I barely snapped ANY conference pics this year, but here are a couple of things I found interesting:

Rolling bag & the black fringe bag next to it

Handmade jewelry

I like these flowy prints (will Hello Kitty ever stop being so popular? I think not, lol).

— 67 Homemade, All-Natural Cleaning Recipes.

— And, I thought a cutting board is a cutting board is a cutting board. After seeing some of these beauties, I might have developed a new culinary product love. Why do people have to tempt you? Fabulous cutting boards and other kitchen goodies here (several items on sale & have a peek at the accompanying food blog while you’re there):
Products – Bowl & Pitcher

— Upcycled Furniture / awesome ideas! | Decorating Ideas | Pinterest.

— Today’s good eats: 
Impressive Date Night Desserts: Raspberry Souffle With Framboise Liqueur | cravelocal.com. 

52 Herbal Tea Recipes | adelightfulhome.com. Enjoy them hot or cold!

Seafood Lasagna Recipe For The Seafood Lovers | Taste the Food and Fruit.

Fermented Food for Kids: A Guide with Kid-Friendly Recipes | fearlesseating.net.

 Baked Mediterranean Fish | texies.co.za Easy Peasy

Salted Chocolate + Caramel Ice Cream Cake | Coley Cooks.

Cherry Tomato Sauce | frogsinmykitchen.com.

Ginger Sweet Potato Juice | Natural Thrifty.

Blackberry Gin Fizz Float | browneyedbaker.com.

‘Til next time!

Recipes: 4th of July: Lettuce Entertain You

Ode to Caesar | Vegan + Gluten Free | Fare Isle.

I’ve enjoyed a version of this salad multiple times this past week, and I thought it would be splendid to share for the Holiday. I had been craving a classic chicken Caesar salad, but I rarely purchase chicken. Then, I came across this recipe using roasted chickpeas. Problem solved. I planned on preparing the dressing as instructed in the recipe, but had a glitch. It calls for a tofu base, and I accidentally put my tofu in the freezer. I was so irritated, haha! I subbed my own last-minute lemony, buttermilk romano-peppercorn Caesar. I will try the tofu base out sometime soon. I roasted the chickpeas with a little garlic powder, herbs, salt, pinch of sweetener, spritz of oil, and romano.

Lemony Lentil and Herb Lettuce Cups | Dishing Up the Dirt | It’s Alive!

I also saw these lentil lettuce cups, and wanted to give them a go. I didn’t have radishes at the time, so I threw a bit of cucumber in.

I only made 2 portions when this pic was taken, so I did not make the full batch of dressing. I just Misto’d a little oil on the lentils with a squeeze of lemon juice, and added the other ingredients (no dill) accordingly. I will make a larger quantity this weekend. This recipe encouraged me to use lettuce cups for the chickpea Caesar, so I switched up from a full salad for this meal. Then, I started thinking about a Buffalo Caesar, so I just doused a bit of wing sauce on some of the chickpeas, added a bit of homemade blue cheese, then a few slices of celery. Just these 3 ‘cups’ were extremely filling (and tasty!). I couldn’t finish them all in one sitting.

Forgive me, but I have been preoccupied with several things, so I do not have umpteen recipes to list for you today! I may stop trying to gather so many recipes in one post. It can be time-consuming. Luckily, you can always glean from last year’s 4th post!

Taking it easy with the cooking this year is my plan. I may bust out those Kosher pretzel dogs from last year. They were a hit! My mom keeps baking blueberry cobblers of late, so I may leave dessert up to her. Blueberries are her fave, but I usually prefer them in the company of other berries (except muffins). I love raspberry cobbler, though, which stems from a mass-produced pie-cobblerish à la mode dessert I frequently inhaled (probably 100 times) years and years ago. The blueberry keeps reminding me of it, so I may try to re-create it soon.

And, lastly, if you follow the chickpea Caesar salad as written, it’s a great vegan go-to dish. For those of you on that route (or even if you’re not), I also found a yummy-looking patriotic vegan cheesecake recipe with a combo of blueberries and strawberries.

No-Bake Vegan Strawberry & Blueberry Swirl Cheesecake | Blissful Basil.

Happy 4th, and I’ll see you next week!

Rhubarb-Wrapped Pineapple Mousse Cake

Rhubarb-Wrapped Pineapple Mousse Cake | Sprinkle Bakes.

Are you ready for this simple, yet impressive, rhubarb-wrap technique? I stumbled over this ages ago, but forgot to share it. I think this is a fab recipe for those (like myself) lacking chic icing skills. I got so caught up in the burgundy, pink, and yellow hues. I could stare at them for hours, drinking them into my soul (OK, I know that’s a little corny, haha).

Check it out & see what you think!

To Market to Market…4/16/2015

Pics from the Farmer’s Market at the Downtown Mercado, Tucson, Arizona. I love this market at the quaint Mercado, with its live folksy musical performances and enticing surrounding local restaurants. Kumquats caught my eye this trip, and I quickly found a dish for them (Moroccan Tofu with Apricots, Olives, & Almonds. Apricots were replaced with the kumquats, will post a pic soon). Of course, I enjoyed some raw, as well. I spotted a variety of kale (Russian, Siberian, white, among others, I was told by the farmer), turmeric tonic, nopales, herbs, cholla buds…and, well, so many exciting things this trip. I am always drawn to pasta, and this time I snagged a bit of a dessert chocolate and cherry gemelli. I am not extremely fond of chocolate desserts (except candies, fudge, and brownies), but I love cherries and dark chocolate combined. So, we’ll see how it goes! I saw a batch of raw pecan fudge I might try to replicate. Yums!

We have Farmer’s Markets year-round in Tucson (because of our warm climate), so make sure you stop by a few if you’re in town.

Recipes: Purim

Hamantaschen for Purim | Gluten-free & Vegan | edibleinsightblog.wordpress.com.

It’s that time of year again! I thought I would post a few recipes as I often do around a Holiday or celebratory occasion. As far as they go, I think Purim ranks in my top 5. It’s simply because the story of Esther is one of my favorites. It’s a story I think of often throughout the year, not just during the Holiday itself. To me, it’s the ultimate tale of triumph through wisdom, humility, mercy, and grace.

In addition to the Hamantaschen, I found this link I hope you’ll enjoy: Healthy Purim Dishes.

Have a great day, and I’ll be back soon!

Baking Substitutions & How to Make Healthy Muffins from Scratch

How To Make Healthy Muffins from Scratch | Easy Healthy Recipes | simplenourishedliving.com.

It’s been a long while since I’ve purchased whole wheat pastry flour. I had no idea what I would use it for, but I figured it’s a useful pantry item. I thought about making a cake (which I rarely do from scratch), then cupcakes, then savory muffins. Ultimately, I did decide on muffins, but went with a just barely sweet version. I kept searching for healthier versions of muffins, and then specifically searched for lower calorie, whole wheat, or butter-free options (trying to keep it butter-free these days 😦 ). Finally, I went with an older recipe my mom had for basic whole wheat muffins. I needed to make a few substitutions for what I had in mind, though. I wanted to share the above blog post as it gives baking substitutions and great tips concerning what to do (and not do) to create wholesome, nourishing muffins. A couple other links you may find helpful:

Ingredient Substitution Table

Substitution List for Baking

And, this link gave me a good look at the scientific breakdown of cooking without butter: Dairy-Free Cooking. Make sure to check the included link listing specific dairy-free butter alternatives.

These links helped me determine the best course to take with my substitutions. Whole wheat pastry flour for whole wheat, 1/2 homemade skim buttermilk & 1/2 homemade non-fat yogurt for milk, 1/2 mango puree & 1/2 orange puree for oil, and maple for sugar. I separated the egg and folded the whipped white in at the end (as tipped in the last link), also adding orange zest and a tiny bit of vanilla. I know that’s a lot, lol 😀 . The zest really made the muffins pop. The sugar called for in the recipe was very minimal, and that was fine by me. I initially wanted a savory muffin, anyway, I just thought the fruit puree would be nice. I thought about dates or more mango/orange to replace the white sugar, but went with maple instead. Next time, I might replace the oil with a veggie puree (sweet potato, even?). So, with all that, I ended up with Whole Wheat Toasted Sesame Mango-Mandarin Muffins. Pic:

These are fab to take-with, and there was not much textural difference from the whole wheat pastry flour in comparison to AP flour. The blog posts were very handy indeed!

Blueberry muffins are popular, for sure, so I wanted to leave you with a recipe I came across in my search:

Vegan Whole Wheat Banana Blueberry Muffins | lowfatveganchef.com.

Have a great day, and I hope these links are of some use to some of you!

2 Pear Recipes

Doenjang-Glazed Fish Tacos with Shingo Pear Salsa | koreaforniacooking.com.

2 pear recipes for you today. These tacos look absolutely delectable. I think this dish would also be fab served just as a main without a taco shell. Or, you could even use a lettuce cup (like little gems). I can’t wait to make a version of this soon!

Almond Chocolate Dipped Poached Pears | Almond Board of California | almonds.com.

While looking at pear dishes, I also came across this simple and elegant poached pear recipe. Wine poached pears were very common on menus for a while, but I have not come across many of late. They are such an easy, yet impressive looking dessert.

Hope you enjoy these!