Thanksgiving 2014

A little more than a year ago, I made the decision to start eating a plant-based diet. Though I don’t recall the exact date that I made this choice, I do remember that it was right around Thanksgiving. Since I was still so new to this adventure, I didn’t mention it to the majority of my family members. I just went about my business filling my plate with a large portion of the salad I brought, a wild rice dish that was provided, potatoes that I had snagged before any butter or milk was added, and a piece of bread. My meal was delicious and no one noticed that I had chosen to omit the epitome of Thanksgiving – a piece of turkey – from my plate.

This year, despite my dietary preferences being a little more well-known, I had a similarly satisfying meal alongside my awesome family members while engaging in great conversation.

Continuing with tradition, I made a salad for the day. I used Ali’s recipe for Quinoa “Stuffing” Salad with Butternut Squash, Cranberries & Pistachios (recipe here). First, butternut squash is roasted with red onion and whole garlic cloves. This made my apartment smell ah-mazing!

The quinoa is cooked in orange zest, and I squeezed some orange juice over the dish to tie it all together. Cranberry & orange are a great flavour combination to begin with, so adding roasted butternut squash and pistachios to the mix really kicks it up a notch.

For my turkey-less main course, I made Dreena’s Festive Chickpea Tart (recipe here). To make the dish more portable, I made the tart into tartlets by cooking the filling (sans crust) in muffin tins. I ran out of chickpeas, so I ended up using a combination of chickpeas and white navy beans.

Next time, I might add a flax egg to help bind the tarts a bit more, but other than that I wouldn’t change a thing! I may have even wolfed several of these down on my car ride back to Burlington. I knew I shouldn’t have put them next to me in the car – they’re just too tempting!

For dessert, I made Amanda’s Pumpkin Oatmeal Bars (recipe here). These came together super fast, and they were so easy to make. For the pumpkin filling, I used date paste in lieu of the 1/4 cup of honey (or maple syrup). I used some leftover pumpkin puree from my pumpkin roasting adventure, so my filling isn’t as vibrant as Amanda’s, but these were yummy all the same! Due to the coconut oil in the crust, they’re a bit soft at room temperature, but I find that they’re fantastic when eaten right from the freezer!

Even though my plate may have looked slightly different from the “typical” Thanksgiving plate, I really enjoyed my meal. (Seen here with a side of Dijon green beans, pickles and olives).

What I enjoyed more though, was the time I spent with my family: an epic celebration was witnessed – courtesy of my dad – when the Green Bay Packers won the game with 3 seconds to go (complete with erratic jumping-around and table-slapping); I received some awesome book recommendations from my cousin (Jane Eyre is next on my list after I finish The Book Thief); my other cousins gave Mac and I some great advice for an upcoming adventure (more details to come later); and I got to hear cute stories about the newest member of the family (what is it called when your cousin has a baby? Is the baby my second cousin? Or first cousin once removed? Anyways… there’s a new baby in the family and she’s absolutely adorable and is going to be absolutely loved & spoiled).

To me, holidays aren’t about the food in which we indulge (though those pumpkin bars were quite exceptional…). They’re about making memories and relishing the fun (and occasional highly amusing) times with loved ones.