Thanksgiving and Glorious Mornings

Well I've done it again! Over a month has gone by without a post, though I've been thinking about blogging all the while, alas, I never found the time to get on here and write about the delicious foods I've discovered since our last meeting.

During my absence, Canadian Thanksgiving came and went. Holidays often pose problems to vegans and vegetarians, especially when their families cannot conceive of celebrating a holiday without the slaughter of millions of unsuspecting turkeys.

Factoid: According to PETA over 45 million turkeys are killed each year at Thanksgiving(I assume in the USA), and over 22 million are killed at Christmas time.

But fear not, fellow herbivores! There are many delicious foods that you can make that you and your family will enjoy. During holiday season I like to make VegCooking.com's Cashew Nut Roast. The nut roast is very rich and takes the place of turkey well. I like to add a bit of poultry seasoning to it as well, and I make it all in one instead of adding the stuffing layer in the middle. Even my staunchly omnivorous brother once said "It's not bad". I'll take that as a good review from him! Served along side my mom's stuffing and the usual veggie sides, this will be a dinner you can really give thanks for!

Thanksgiving dessert in my family has always been pumpkin pie. We always use E.D. Smith's canned pumpkin pie filling, which always turns out delicious and perfectly spiced. However, the recipe calls for evaporated milk and an egg. This year I decided to go out on a limb and veganize this classic. I know there are many vegan pumpkin pie recipes out there, but I really wanted to make a version so that my family would not even notice the difference. So I made my own evaporated milk by simmering soymilk in a saucepan until it was reduced by half, and putting a couple of tablespoons of ground flaxseed into the pie instead of the egg. I put it in an all vegetable shortening pie crust, and voila! vegan pumpkin pie from a can! I expected it to be runny and not set properly, but no, it was perfect! It was just like the real thing. I don't know why anyone would go through the fuss of making tofu pumpkin pie!

Another exciting event that occurred during my absence was the opening of a new coffee shop beside campus, the Green Bean. Better yet, they have a few delicious vegetarian options that are easily veganized. One of my favourites is their Morning Glory breakfast wrap. It is a simple recipe you can easily make at home, but something that had never occurred to me before trying it there. It is sinfully delicious, and one of my new favourite foods.

the Green Bean's (veganized) Morning Glory wrap

1 tortilla

1 banana

Peanut Butter

Granola

Honey (or agave, maple syrup or other non-honey syrupy sweetness if you're anti-honey)

Spread a generous amount of peanut butter on your wrap of choice. Slice bananas and arrange on top of peanut butter. Sprinkle a handful of granola and drizzle honey on top. Roll up tightly and you have yourself an easy, nutritious, and filling breakfast that you can take with you on the bus, in the car, or on your walk to school or work!

Note: I advise wrapping wrap in some waxed paper or something if you are taking it on the run so you don't end up with honey dribbling down your hand or into your lap!