t(of)urkey day!

thanksgiving recipes and The Great Outdoors

Turkey Day Recipes

When are we all going to admit that none of us like Thanksgiving turkey? It also might not be great for our health, considering its association with high cholesterol, cancer, and antibiotics. If you’ve been meaning to pardon your turkey this year, here’s a roundup of more nutrient-dense, plant-based Thanksgiving recipes that you can make instead:

• Dairy-Free Mac and Cheese
  
  You definitely won’t miss traditional mac and cheese with this recipe! It’s also much easier to digest than mucus-forming milk.
  
  Ingredients

  • 3 cups butternut squash, skinned and cubed

  • 1 cup cashews, soaked

  • 2 - 4 tbsp nutritional yeast

  • 2 cloves of garlic

  • 1 tsp dijon mustard

  • 1 tsp onion powder

  • 1/4 tsp turmeric

  • 1/2 tsp smoked paprika

  • 1 tbsp avocado oil

  • 1 1/2 cups full fat coconut milk or 2 cups water or 2 cups vegetable broth

  • 1/2 lemon, juiced

  • Salt and pepper, to taste

  • 1 box pasta

  • Breadcrumbs (optional)

  Directions

  1. Preheat the oven to 400 F.

  2. Cook the pasta according to the box instructions.

  3. Add the butternut squash to a sheet pan and drizzle with the avocado oil. Roast for 30 - 40 minutes or until the squash is soft.

  4. Make the sauce: add the butternut squash, cashews, nutritional yeast, garlic, onion powder, paprika, lemon juice, turmeric, salt, and pepper to a blender and blend. Slowly blend in as much liquid (1 1/2 - 2 cups of coconut milk, water, or veggie broth) for your desired consistency.

  5. Assemble: add the sauce to the pasta. Optional - mix breadcrumbs with a little oil and add on top of the mac and cheese. Bake for 15 - 20 minutes or until the breadcrumbs are golden. Enjoy!

  Credit: Inspired by The Simple Veganista
  

• Delicata Squash and Harissa Salad
  
  This is a quick, grounding salad. Feel free to change measurements to your liking!

  Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 cup baby kale

  • 1 1/2 cup baby arugula

  • 1 delicata squash, sliced

  • Avocado oil

  • Chive vegan cheese (I like Miyokos or Treeline)

  • Salt and pepper, to taste

    Dressing

  • 2 tbsp harissa sauce

  • 1/4 cup raw tahini

  • 1/2 lemon, juiced

  • Salt, to taste

  • Water

  Directions

  1. Preheat the oven the oven to 400 F.

  2. Place the delicata squash slices to a sheet pan and roast for 30 - 40 minutes or until they’re soft, flipping halfway through roasting.

  3. Make the dressing: add all the dressing ingredients to a blender cup attachment and blend. Add water for your desired consistency.

  4. Assemble: add the baby kale, baby arugula, delicata squash, pieces of vegan cheese, to a bowl and top with the harissa dressing. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Enjoy!

• Parsnip Puree

  I learned this recipe from a vegan culinary course I took last year. It can be an alternative to mashed potatoes if you want something different but with similar texture. It’s so simple but so good!

  Ingredients

  • 3 parsnips, washed and cut into cubes

  • 2 garlic cloves, sliced

  • 2 shallot, sliced

  • 1 tbsp avocado oil

  • 2 cups water

  • Salt, to taste

  Directions

  1. In a pot, heat up the avocado oil and add the garlic, shallots, and parsnips. Sweat until translucent.

  2. Add the water and cook until the parsnips are very soft and there is hardly any liquid left.

  3. Transfer the mixture to a blender and blend until very smooth, add salt to taste. Enjoy!

  Credit: Food Future Institute

The Future of Mock Meats

The mock meat industry has come a long way. In 1995, Tofurky debuted as the first mainstream vegetarian meat— a Thanksgiving roast. Tofurky sold only 500 roasts at the time and was not “economically fruitful” for twenty years. Fast forward to 2020, and the global vegetarian meat market has reached over $5B. Chains like Burger King and Subway offering mock meats shows us that vegetarianism is no longer reserved for fringe new-age hippies. So, are mock meats the future?

Most people make the switch to fake meat for health. We all know that real meat consumption is linked to heart disease, high cholesterol, and cancer. As people become more health conscious and as meat prices rise, demand for meat is declining. Threatened by the introduction of mock meats, the meat industry has been quick to point out flaws in plant-based meats (meat industry, this you?).

The two most popular plant-based meat brands are Beyond Meat and Impossible Foods. If we take a look at the ingredients used in their products, we see that fake meats contain fiber and zero cholesterol. They also contain canola oil (which I talked about in my last newsletter) and are highly processed. Consumers are left to choose between a possibly carcinogenic natural food or a processed food.

As people become more aware of the harms of food processing, I think fake meat demand will go the way of real meat demand: down. This year, Dunkin’ Donuts pulled their Beyond Sausage breakfast sandwich due to low sales, and Beyond Meat shares have plunged.

Ultimately, plant-based imitation products that use natural ingredients like beans, lentils, and vegetables are our best option. That’s one thing you can’t fake ;)

Thanksgiving in NYC

I feel so lucky to spend Thanksgiving on the east coast. When I went to school in New England, fall was like living in a Hallmark card. The beautiful fall foliage was a huge departure from seasonless southern Nevada, where I’m from.

This year will be my fourth Thanksgiving in NYC. The first year I spent with friends, the second with my sister in our then new apartment, last year I didn’t do Thanksgiving, and this year my sisters are coming over! The only problem is that I’m a victim of the furniture supply chain crisis, so it looks like we’ll be eating vegan apple pie on the couch (my counter stools still haven’t come in).

The seasonal shift can be a little daunting for people who are affected by the weather. Things are generally also stressful this time of year. The other day I left my apartment forgetting my phone— of all things— on the kitchen counter. I didn’t realize it until I was almost at the subway and running a tad late for an appointment. I decided I’d have to venture without it, and wow. I haven’t felt so connected to the physical world in so long. Being unreachable and not checking social felt liberating. My senses were heightened, as I felt like I was truly navigating the *~*concrete jungle*~*. So I’ll definitely be doing that more often (or at least just put my phone on airplane mode).

Anyway, that’s all for this week! Let me know if you have any suggestions or topics you want me to write about.

Happy eating! Talk soon xx