Giving Thanks to Our Turkey by Not Eating Him: A Tale of 2 Vegan Thanksgivings

So the question I receive the most leading up to the holidays is, "What do you eat for Thanksgiving?"  Well let me tell you, this year's 100% animal-free feast has officially topped any other Thanksgiving I can remember as a child of skin-covered soggy brown turkey flesh, canned cranberry-flavored high fructose corn syrup, and butter-laden mounds of potatoes.


For my first vegan "feast," my 4 lovely roommates and I each made a dish or two then brought them together in a harmonious celebration the Monday before we went on Thanksgiving Break.  And no, none of my roomies are vegans, but they thoroughly enjoyed (and got over-stuffed) with the veg feasting that took place.  Here are a few of the highlights and recipes...

Pre-Thanksgiving Vegan Feast Menu
Original and Garlic Butter Pillsbury Crescent Rolls
Whole Cranberry Sauce
Baked Lemony Asparagus
Bay-Seasoned Sweet Potato Baked "Fries"
Ultimate Garlic Mashed Potatoes
Maple-Glazed Tofu with Sourdough-Spinach Stuffing and Apple-Cranberry Chutney
Mulled Wine
Spiced Hot Apple Cider
Pumpkin Maple Chocolate Chip Cookies
Apple Pomegranate Crisp

For the main course (taking place of the usual turkey) I made a Maple-glazed tofu "sandwich" filled with herby sourdough-spinach stuffing and topped with cranberry-apple chutney.  I found the recipe while browsing Vegnews Mag's online recipes here.  Escaping the cliche vegetarian "Tofurkey" route, I decided to use fresh, from-scratch ingredients vs. the packaged, preservative-laden fake-turkey loaf.  Heck, I don't want my food to look like turkey, let alone be turkey, therefore, sorry Tofurkey; I gotta newfound vegetarian Thanksgiving main dish!

Starting in left corner, moving clockwise; whole cranberry sauce, slightly deconstructed Maple-tofu main dish, Bay-seasoned sweet potato fries, (corner of the) Pumpkin maple chocolate chip cookies, Garlicy mashed potatoes, Original and Garlic Butter crescent rolls.

Although the main course is, of course, a vital part of any Thanksgiving meal, the sides are the part I love best and boost the dinner from a "dinner" to an I-can't-believe-all-this-food-in-front-of-me-right-now-and-I-can-eat-it-and-not-look-like-a-glutton-cause-it's-Thanksgiving type of meal.  Our first side, the Classic Garlic Mashed Potatoes, made by my beautiful Russian roomie, Anna.

Anna makes these babies fluffy but dense, salty and garlicy but not in an overpowering way.  The texture AND flavor combine to make the ultimate creamy, dense, mashed potatoes.

Anna's (vegan) Mashed Potatoes

One bag (6-8 medium-sized) baking potatoes

1 gallon water (for boiling)

1/2 cup vegan margarine (Earth Balance or Smart Balance Organic Original)

1 tb. salt

5 cloves garlic, crushed

In the largest pot you have, heat a gallon or more of water until boiling.  Place skinned, whole potatoes in boiling water and leave them boiling for about 10-20 minutes, or until tender when pierced with a fork.  Let sit for a few minutes to cool, then pour out water, leaving a tiny bit of liquid in the bottom of the bowl.

Take a mashing device and mash potatoes until they are not whole.  Add margarine while still hot.  Then, to reach a creamier consistency, use an electric mixer at a medium speed.  Whip for 2 minutes.  Slowly add garlic and salt while continuing to mix.  Taste and add a bit more salt, freshly ground black pepper, or garlic to taste. Serves 7.

Again starting in left upper corner and moving clockwise, we see Bay-seasoned sweet potato fries,  Pumpkin Maple Chocolate Chip cookies, Anna's Delicious Mash, a (shadowy) view of some simple baked Asparagus, Garlic Butter and Original Crescent rolls, and finally, the Maple Glazed Tofu.


I'm sure you're thinking, "Why are there Pillsbury Crescent rolls on a vegan menu, let alone Garlic Butter flavored Crescent rolls; there's no way those are vegan!"  Well guess what, you're WRONG.  They are "accidentally" vegan as I like to call it.  Sure, they're not fresh and healthy and full of good things that I like in my breads such as flax and whole grains, but they sure did complement our mini Thanksgiving and reminded me of when I used to "pop" the  Pillsbury can by twisting the top.  The raw dough is really sweet, and I remember stealing little nibbles of it as I rolled the triangles into swirly little crescent moons.  But when they get baked, they turn into sensuous mountains of crisp but tender and lightly dough-y rolls that are perfect for wiping that extra cranberry sauce or mashed potato remnants of your plate.
Here is a link to see the ingredients: http://www.wegmans.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?langId=-1&storeId=10052&catalogId=10002&productId=352353


Unfortunately, My roommates Lara (who bakes for a living and is absolutely wonderful at it!) has been experimenting with vegan desserts.  So she made deliciously moist Pumpkin Maple Chocolate Chip Cookies, which were a nice break from the vegan pumpkin pie I usually eat around the holidays (which is easily made vegan.)  Her cookies had almost a cake-like texture and were moist on the outside.  Slightly warmed, the ooey, gooey chocolate chips gleamed in the candlelight, causing me to lust after them even after I was full from all the other dishes.  I had room for both a cookie and my bee-eautiful roommate, Leanna's, ultra-healthy but notsohealthy tasting Apple-pomegranate Crisp.  Unfortunately, Lara's recipe is her own secret recipe, so you'll have to take my word for it that they were delicious!  However, Leanna's recipe can be found below.

Leanna's Apple-Pomegranate Crisp

4 medium apples- peeled, cored, & sliced

1/2 pomegranate, skin and light-colored membrane removed

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 tablespoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/2 cup rolled oats

1/2 cup ground flax meal (replacing the 1/2 cup of flour in the original recipe)

a generous drizzle (or slightly under 1/4 cup) agave syrup (replacing 1/2 cup white sugar)

1/2 cup vegan margarine (EarthBalance or SmartBalance Original Organic)

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.  With a folded paper towel, lightly cover a 9x13 inch baking pan in olive oil.  In a large bowl, combine the sliced apples, pomegranate buds,cinnamon, brown sugar, and nutmeg.  Spread into the oiled pan.  Then combine the oats, flax meal, and agave.  Take the margarine in chunks and rub it into the slightly damp mixture, creating a crumb-like substance.  After this mixture is consistently crumbly, sprinkle over top of the fruit and spices.  Bake for 45 minutes, checking to make sure the apples are totally soft.  Let stand before serving, but make sure you serve it warm with a side of either apple cider or mulled wine! (recipes below)

For a little measure of merriment, the meal was not complete without a few fun beverages.  Trader Joe's mulling spices were used in a crockpot of both red wine and fresh-pressed apple cider.  A quarter cup of sugar was dissolved in the heated wine to add a sweeter, sublter flavor.  The hot apple cider, which has always been a tradition for me at both Thanksgiving and Christmas, was further enhanced by serving in a big mug with a cinnamon stick and slice of orange bobbing in the hot, spicy drink.  Perfect to cleanse the palette and keep us warm in our cold apartment!
One last tip for a nice, spin-on-the-traditional, cruelty-free Thanksgiving: dress up as Pilgrims and Indians.  We did, and it made for some great pictures while managing to add a splash of traditional Thanksgiving authenticity through our outfits. whether you celebrate with a turkey or with maple-glazed tofu, you will think our feast is bangin', there's no doubt about it!

Auroville's Sadhana Forest: An Earth-Shattering Concept

Using the diversity encouraged by Jane Jacobs in her acclaimed and repeatedly studied “The Death and Life of Great American Cities,” as well as taking inspiration from Michael Pollan’s “The Botany of Desire” in making choices to live harmoniously with nature, a new breed of Thomas Moore's "Utopia" in South India called Auroville has created a close-to-perfect blue print for an all-vegan community in this day and age, which neglects the Capitalistic qualities of a society discussed in Marx's "Capital."

All aspects of this living community are vegan; all food, resources, clothing, transportation, medication, and beauty and health products.  All of these resources are also grown, harvested, and made in the community, as well as a few pre-approved (but always open to contribution or advice) sources across the world, to import products such as exotic fruits and vegetables or oils, etc. etc.

The all-vegan community of Auroville, where not only is a 100% vegan lifestyle promoted, but is lived out amongst every individual that lives there is a great contribution to the world.  However, one may think it controversial to create a town which mirrors Thomas Moore's bubble-like and close-minded society in Utopia.  But Auroville is no "utopia."  Before being concerned with vegan issues, here is a short history of Auroville:

"When it was started in l968, it was hardly a welcoming scene: barren burnt dry red soil stretching to the horizon in every direction, with nary a tree to stand under. Well, there was one scraggly banyan looking rather uncertain of itself, under which was living an old woman who provided water to foot travellers from the inland villages on their way to Pondicherry. She’s the one who told the tale of Kaluvelli Siddha, the ancient legend which predicted that in a distant future “people from far away” would come to transform the cursed wasteland into a beautiful green area."

A"Auroville wants to be a universal town where men and women of all countries are able to live in peace and progressive harmony above all creeds, all politics and all nationalities. The purpose of Auroville is to realise human unity."

Today, the site is still a place in which people from around the world come to visit and work the organic farms and help with experiments in water conservation and tree planting.  Once a bountiful, lush place in India, it had become a barren wasteland, but now, with the help of the recently situated vegan community as well as bountiful visitors, the area now has a "green belt" encircling the community; a 5-kilometer area of lush forests now called "Sadhana Forest."

The "Mother" (Bhavana Dee) had a vision to create the community in the shape of a galaxy.  Below is one of her drawings of the community from 1966, as well as an aerial view of the community in 1968 on the right.

    

Much city planning has gone into the construction and organization of current-day Auroville and Sadhana forest.  There are 5 Zones:

The Residential Zone

The Industrial Zone

The International Zone

The Cultural Zone

The Greenbelt

These "belts" are very rough and are not strictly contained in exact areas.  This is where many of Jane Jacob's principals for city planning from her acclaimed novel, The Death and Life of Great American Cities, comes into play.  The entire community is unified and diversified at the same time.  Because of the diversity of the people living there, it is a rich place in which people are forced to cross paths every day.  The Residential Zone is scattered on one side, however, there are houses built through out the Greenbelt in the forests as well. People are also bound to need to travel across the entire community every day, because to get to work, they must cross the International and Cultural Zones where the schools are located in order to get to the Industrial or Agricultural Zone.  Also, with the influx of visiting workers and those who come as a retreat, Auroville is truly a center for cultural diversity and constant change and learning for all who live or visit there.

Karl Marx's Capital: No More!

A quote from a dweller of Auroville:

"Staying at Auroville is totally free and cost of vegan food is 1$ per day only for three times meal. But in return you have to work there for 4 hours. Work is related to maintenance and organic Farming. You can stay and work there for as much time as you wish...... You can live without the constraints of greed and capitalism and all of those trappings. I also long for a serene community where money and ownership have little to do with future security and happiness. I am ready to live simply and reap the rewards of a balanced, simple and Spiritually rich life..."

For those who stay in Sadhana Forest, which is a popular location for vegan vacationers who want to make a difference, by paying only 1 dollar a day, they are given three large vegan meals a day, family-style.  In exchange, they must work for 4 hours throughout the day.  Jobs include planting or taking care of newly planted trees, in and outside of the city's limits, cultivating the organic garden, or maintaining and fixing buildings, the "pool," cooking and cleaning in the kitchen, or working on the solar-powered and human bicycle-powered energy site.  There are a plethora of diverse jobs available for everyone, as well as children.  Everyone works not only for the good of maintaing the Auroville, but toward the ultimate goal of replenishing the dried out rural areas of India.  Efforts have already restored a 40-kilometer area of land in the Indian plains since the 1970's! 

To Review:

JANE JACOBS- THE DIVERSITY OF THE COMMUNITIES OF AUROVILLE AND SAHANA

UTOPIA- THE PLANNING OF THE COMMUNITIES OF AUROVILLE AND SADHANA FOREST

MICHAEL POLLAN- HUMANS AND EARTH LIVING HARMONIOUSLY

MARX- ESCAPING CAPITAL

Information found from links below:

http://sadhanaforest.org/

http://www.auroville.org/index.htm

Skinny Bitchin': Why Vegan? Read This...

Alright, so you may have heard about a book entitled Skinny Bitch.  What images does this book evoke in your mind?  Well, since it is being promoted by many celebrities, maybe this is what you've seen of heard about it:

“What makes this diet easy to swallow is the book's tough-love attitude — part best-friend counsel, part drill-sergeant abuse and a dash of sailor mouth, wrapped in a pretty chick-lit package.” — iVillage, Diet & Fitness

Victoria Beckham turned vegan for a time, crediting reading Skinny Bitch as the reason.  And she's been given

credit for making the book a trendy thing to read in Hollywood.  Sales of the book went through the roof when

this photo of her with the book was released!

Ellen DeGeneres has been vegan since she read Skinny Bitch, and now

works for PETA and other organizations helping animal rights, including a 

current campaign to bypass a Thanksgiving turkey and opt for veg options

instead.  She even is working to get Barack Obama to pardon the White 

House turkey and send him to the "animal resort" The farm Sanctuary

instead of Disneyland, where the birds are not given comfortable living

conditions.  Here, she poses with Lady Gaga, supplying her with an

outfit made from vegetables instead of the outfit she wore recently

made completely of meat.

Besides the fact that this piece of literature changed a few celebrities lives, it also has changed mine.  After reading it in High School while experimenting with veganism for mainly health benefits, it totally changed my vision for my all-vegetable diet.  After reading this, I became aware of the political, moral, ethical, and ecological effects a vegan diet influences.  Below are a few bullet points that (of course) are extremely basic and probably wouldn't change a person's mind about veganism in a single glance, but I urge any readers to, first of all, read the book, or simply send me a message to discuss the important things the world has been suffering due to the mass production, harvesting, and consumption of animal products.

The 411: The main purpose of marketing the book with profanity and the word "skinny" in the title is to urge women who, across America in great number, are trying to simply lose weight.  However, although the book does promote veganism as a way to be as healthy as possible and lose weight, this is a marketing ploy to encourage women who otherwise wouldn't buy a book about animal abuse and veganism to do so.  Written by Rory Freedman, a former modeling agent and self-taught nutritionist, as well as Kim Barnouin, a former model who has an MS in Holistic Nutrition (she's EDUCATED ABOUT THIS STUFF!) , this book has got the skinny bitch-appeal to real in the chicks all over the world who wanna look like models, but then has the brawn of a couple dorky foodies who want to spread the word about how their lives have changed after becoming vegans.

Main Points in the Bitch:

Introduction: 

"Are you sick of being fat?" Skinny Bitch authors Rory Freedman and Kim Barnouin ask in the introduction. “Good. If you can’t take one more day of self-loathing, you’re ready to get skinny….It’s time to prance around in a thong like you rule the world” (10). 

Chapter 1: Give It Up

No smoking: “Cigarettes are for losers. They are so 1989 and totally uncool” (11). 

No alcohol: “Habitual drinking equals fat-pig syndrome” (12). They do, however, 

make an exception for organic red wine in limited quantities: “No, you should not drink 

a bottle by yourself everyday” (13). 

No soda, diet or otherwise, which they refer to as “liquid Satan” (13). This section 

includes a diatribe against aspartame: “Perhaps you have a lumpy ass because you are 

preserving your fat cells with diet soda” (14).  

No caffeine: “Coffee is for pussies” (15). “P.S. It also makes your breath smell like ass” 

(16). Drink herb tea instead. 

No junk food: “Candy bars, potato chips, and ice cream taste like heaven, of course. 

But they will pitch a tent on your hips and camp out all year” (17). And when you see the 

words “fat-free” or “low-fat” posted on a snack, you should think “chemical shit storm” 

(18). However, a section at the back lists acceptable wholesome vegan snacks. 

No over-the-counter meds for colds or cramps. “Suck it up,” they write (19). 

Chapter 2: Carbs: The Truth

EAT CARBS!  They are the source of life.  No white flour, white pasta, or white rice. But eat carbs in the form of whole 

grains, brown rice, fruits, and vegetables.  Lots of them.

Chapter 3: Sugar is the Devil
No sugar—“Sugar is like crack” (27), and no high-fructose corn syrup. Good 
substitutes include evaporated cane juice, brown rice syrup, Turbinado sugar, maple 
syrup, and molasses. And don’t eat anything with aspartame, they remind you, just in 

case you “had your head up your ass” when they mentioned it earlier (32). This includes 

anything sweetened with Equal or NutraSweet. 

Chapter 4: The Dead, Rotting, Decomposing Flesh Diet

No meat. No seafood. Are you a “gluttonous pig who wants to believe you can eat 

cheeseburgers all day and lose weight”? (39). This comes from Chapter 4, “The Dead, 

Rotting, Decomposing Flesh Diet,” a refutation of Atkins.  

Chapter 5: The Dairy Diasaster

No dairy. “The perfect thing to eat if you want to be sick and have a diseased body” (59). 

NO HUMANS should be drinking COW'S MILK.  Forget everything you've heard about dairy for a minute and open yourself to a new perspective.

Chapter 6: You Are What You Eat

A guide to what you should eat, including planned menus and all kinds of advice on what, when, where, or how to eat your new, healthy, vegan diet.  Everything you need to know.

Chapter 7: The Myths and Lies About Protein

Americans eat DOUBLE the amount of protein needed; so don't worry people, vegans get enough protein.  Too MUCH protein is actually worse than too little; this can lead to high blood pressure and diabetes, America's #1 cause of death everyone!

Chapter 8: Pooping

The Vegan diet makes you shit like no other; this is good for not only being thin but for keeping your body cleansed and feeling good.

Chapter 9: Have No Faith: Government Agencies Don't Give a Shit About Your Health

The average adult cow can produce up to 10 pounds of milk a day if you milk the hell out of them; America's farms have got cows that are less than a year old producing upwards of 100 gallons a milk a day, 10 TIMES THE NORMAL AMOUNT.  And how? By pumping tons of steroids through their bodies and attaching their udders permanently to steel machines that extract milk at 10 pre-determined times a day.  This is sickening, and wait until you hear about the actual meat...

Chapter 10: Don't Be a Pussy

Oh, and work out: “You need to exercise, you lazy shit” (20). But, please, don’t over-do 

it! “You want to be a Skinny Bitch, not a scrawny bitch” (20). Chapter 11: Let's Eat

Chapter 12: FYI

Fun Facts on detoxing, juicing, and how to get the absolute most health and healing properties out of your food.  Because food is so much more than something you eat: it becomes your body and can be used holistically to remedy absolutely anything.

Chapter 13: Use Your Head

"Welcome to your new, skinny life! A cruelty-free, guilt-free way to eat and live—one 

that’s good for the planet, for animals, and for your fat ass."  Now it is time to reveal that this book isn't REALLY about weight loss, though veganism is a good way to lose weight.  It's first and foremost about factory farming and creating a better world.

So there you have it, folks.  If any of this stuff seems whacky or interesting to you, that's because chances are, the Meat and Dairy and Snackfood industries that are money-hungry and powerful are the industries that have been planting certain ideas and engraining our mind with commercials on Nickelodeon and MTV and news channels every since we were born.  So pick it up at your local book store, or I'll let you borrow mine (seriously).