healthy holiday food your family?

[Guest guest]

Greetings All!

 

Often times vegetarians/vegans/raw foodists find holiday and

family gatherings the most challenging for staying on the path. But we can use

holiday times as teachable moments... for us and our families.

 

We find that taking a live/vegan dish or 2 to a gathering

helps to introduce the foods to others… and gives us something to eat too

(so no Turkey and mac-n-cheese, dairy dessert temptations!). Every time we

bring our own dishes everyone wants to try them and they usually end up eating

all our food. So we got smart and now double the recipes. J

 

This year, try giving the gift of good health by bringing an

alternative dish or two for folks to try. You’ll find that when you

explain the health benefits of raw/vegan eating folks get interested. Most everyone

is sick and tired of being sick and tired (and overweight, hypertensive,

diabetic and more). Although we do not celebrate Thanksgiving, we appreciate

the time we can spend with our family and use it as a rejuvenate time.

 

Here’s what we are taking to our family this year:

 

 

Toy-Key (live turkey substitute – my Brooklyn accent

added)

 

 

 

Live Apple Pie (I based this on my aunt’s “minced

applesauce pie” recipe from my childhood- often you can take old

favs and make them live)

 

 

 

Forbidden Black Rice Pilaf with almond slivers (no more

Rice-a-Roni!)

 

 

 

Live Sweet Potato Pie (we ordered this from our “Wonder-Woman”

Lynda Carter ---another member) Delicious!!!! She takes orders for

pies so drop her a line!

 

 

 

Banana Pudding with “Thrilla Wafers” (my version

of Nilla Wafers). This is one of Mateo’s childhood favs.

 

 

 

Creamy Caesar Salad Dressing (Instead of anchovies we

use seaweed to give the ‘fishy’ flavor)

 

 

 

Rosemary Rye bread (I grew up in a Jewish neighborhood

in Brooklyn so I have the yen for good

deli bread)

 

 

 

Hummus with Garlic (I based this on my mom’s

recipe but I didn’t cook the chickpeas - just soaked and sprouted)

 

 

 

‘Live Love Loaf’ with sweet/spicy BBQ sauce

(Mateo makes is version of nutloaf spicy and the family loves it – especially

the children!)

 

 

 

Holiday Pecan Gravy – What is a

gathering without gravy? This one comes without the guilt. J

 

 

 

Ok, ok, so we got in a real mood to make a lot of stuff.

Whew! Our family has already started calling to ask what we will be preparing for

them this year. Last year the hummus and pizza were big hits so we are making more

things this time. It’s a bit of work but it’s always worth it when

you can stay on track and still visit your family… and give the gift of good

health to boot!

 

Here’s something to keep in mind when making live/vegetarian

foods… it’s the vegetables (onion, garlic, thyme, sage, tomatoes, cinnamon,

nutmeg, vanilla, and more) that make food taste good, not the meat. Unseasoned chicken, turkey, duck,

beef and ham by themselves are terrible tasting. So people use vegetables to make

them taste good. Why not cut out the middle man and go with the vegetables? Veggies

are not only seasoning but taste good by themselves and uncooked. So if we

season our new live foods the same way we did when we ate animals and dairy we

will have the flavors we remember and still love.

 

Be well,

 

~Sunyatta