Thanksgiving:101 - Parts 1 through 8

[eachpeachpearplum]

HELLO & Happy Holidays!

(please let me know if the links are not working for you!)

I have been on such an incredible raw journey and THIS Thanksgiving has been the highlight.

I have been through three or four Thanksgivings during my association with Raw and have eaten cooked EVERY holiday with devistating effects, each time convincing myself "It would be OK". I am of the class who have food addictions so "a little" is not an option for me - ever.

I had always held onto the distructive "poor me" way of thinking when it came to holidays and this time I decided to take fate into my own hands! A bit melodramatic but I have always loved the phrase "stupidity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results". This time I didnt do it the same and the results were indeed different - and better than I could have ever expected.

So, instead of "planning or allowing" myself to eat cooked on this holiday I "planned" a great raw holiday menu. . .along with a cooked menu. The BIG trick here was that I ordered a fully prepared organic turkey dinner from my local health food store (Issaquah, PCC). It was perfect! I was able to pour all my energy into great raw recipes and know I wasn't dissapointing my cooked guests. It also kept me away from having to prepare the cooked food. I LOVED to cook, and poured so much love into preparing the standard turkey dinner and I now have a direction for all creativity to go into - the raw menu!

So, I thought of the things I felt I would really want and made it a mission to duplicate them. I scoured the internet & my raw library for recipes that appealed to me. I realized I needed to cover two areas to make this work for me; the physical craving as well as the emotional loss of not preparing a "big hot traditional meal" for my family and I did!

Here is the rough menu I ended up with, note I wanted to try out several of each item in case some recipes tanked - lets be honest !! The items with stars are the ones I actually had time to make:

Mock turkey loaf - Living on Live Food by Alissa Cohen

*Nosted turkey - Living on Live Food by Alissa Cohen

*Miss. Hamlins cranberry sauce - Living on Live Food by Alissa Cohen

*Mushroom gravy - Living on Live Food by Alissa Cohen

Mushroom gravy - Rawvolution by Matt Amsden

Mushroom Gravy - RFT post by rawpriestess, post #4(http://www.rawfoodtalk.com/showthrea...t=Spiked+Punch)

*Herbed pecan stuffing - by Karen Parker (www.sunraw.com/articles/good_food.htm) (Try this link if the other does not work, go to bottom of page http://www.vt-fiddle.com/rawfood/weekly/2006-11-21.php) http://www.vt-fiddle.com/rawfood/weekly/2006-11-21.php or see post #50 for recipe!

*Gravy gratitude - by Karen Parker (www.sunraw.com/articles/good_food.htm) Note: recipe starts in previous recipe within the sunraw link for Almond Feta Cheese, so prinout everything! UPDATE: see post #76 for recipe!

Cranberry relish - RFT by smasty, post #33 (http://www.rawfoodtalk.com/showthrea...+Relish+Recipe)

Mash potatos - Living on Live Food by Alissa Cohen

*Better marinated mushrooms - (http://www.goneraw.com/recipes/1668-...rooms-100-Raw-)

*Marinated zucchini - from lasagna recipe in Living on Live Food by Alissa Cohen

*Marinated carrots - olive oil, APV, grated ginger, agave, chopped fresh parsley, S+P.

*Sweet potato souffle - post #10 (http://www.rawfoodtalk.com/showthrea...+pecan+topping)

Candied yams - by wyjoz (http://www.rawfreedomcommunity.info/...ead.php?t=2169)

*Pumkin pie - Purely Delicious magazine, fall 2007 (recipe in post #53 of this thread!!!)
*Apple pie - (http://imsorawkin.blogspot.com/2007/...-from-www.html)
*Good oat crust - (used in above apple pie) from Living Cuisine by Renee Loux Underkoffler (recipe in post #53 of this thread)
*Blueberry cheesecake - I Am Grateful by Terces Engelhart with Orchid (recipe in post #85)
*Vanilla whipped cream - by Sarma Mengalis at (http://gliving.tv/greenchefs/recipes...-pumpkin-tart/) recipe in post #73!
Also see post #68 for an additional recipe from Cafe Graditude!

*Lemon-ginger spritzer - lemon juice, grated ginger, agave, still or sparkling water

Ok; the following morning. . . .

I managed to have absolutly no issues last night with physical or emotional craving - Yippee!!! Next came test #2. I always had pumpkin pie the morning after and soooo I DID - WITH cream, soooo sooo moorish and no guilt The amazing thing was this pie was so phenominal it was truly a singular experience! I did not feel like I thought I would feel which was "ok, I'll try it but it wont be the same". No I had it and it was perfect and I did not have that compution to eat the whole bloody pie!!! I was SATISFIED in every way. . . YIPPEE again!!!

OK Now for the photos which I will put in the next posts titled parts 1 - 8!. I am sure these will completely use up what little remaining picture allowance I have left here at RFT so enjoy ! (pssst, moderators can I buy more photo space?????

Note: If you are new to this thread please look at the whole thread as there is info throughout!

Enjoy!

EPPP

[EZ rider]

EPPP -- That looks delicious. Congratulations on your Thanksgiving dinner

[eachpeachpearplum]

OK I did two stuffing/dressing recipes. First I prepared Alissa's Nosted Turkey and then Karen Parkers Herbed Pecan Stuffing. Wow, I could not have chosen any better.

I did two in case I did not like one and instead both were fab; not only very different but complimentary in ways I would not have guessed.

The Nosted Turkey was a more savory mix to which I added 1c. grapes to the food processor (for a touch of sweetnes and moisture) and 1c. halved grapes to final product. I also topped one with the cranberry sauce, again to help with moisture. These additions worked very well. Note I served this with the Gravy Gratitude which went together really well.

I formed this into two loaves one with no cranberry sauce as I was sending it home with a raw friend who was coming and did not want it to be messy for the drive home.

Would I make this again - YES!

[eachpeachpearplum]

The second was the Herbed Pecan Stuffing. Where as the Nosted Turkey was a savory recipe this was fruity with apples, cranberries and raisins. This was more similar to what I have traditionally made as a cooked stuffing. I served this with Alissa's Mushroom Gravy.

In the future I would make both stuffing as they go so very well together.

Would I make this again - YES!

[eachpeachpearplum]

Gravies & sauces!

I am so pleased with the gravies. Alissa's Mushroom Gravy was wonderful; such savory mushroomy herby goodness. I made this the day before to let it meld. I also added two minced shiitake mushrooms at the end for added mouth feel. The gravy did tend to turn black on top but we just stirred it in. That did not effect the flovour at all. It was a great accompaniment to the meal.

The second gravy was the Gravy Gratitude. I would describe this as a miso sage gravy. Yes it's green and hard to think of as a "gravy" but wow this had so much flavour I was blown away! Again I would make both as they went so well together with the meal.

Miss. Hamlin Cranberry Sauce. When I made this it was a bit watery and tart for my taste however I stuck it into the dehydrator overnight on a teflex sheet and WOW it totally trandformed into yummy goodness! I will definatly be adding this one to my repertoire!

Will I make these again - YES!

[wyjoz]

WOW!!!!!!!!!! I thought that I was the only one doing such a spread ! It all looks delish; next time tyr Maraw/Annas Corn Stuffing It was delish !!!!!!!! Joz

[eachpeachpearplum]

The Veggies - yum!

Better Marinated Mushrooms. I made these as the recipe was developed by someone who wanted to avoid Nama Shoyu. They were great! So easy and fresh tasting. The marinating causes the veg to take on a soft cooked texture without sacraficing the freshness.

Marinated Zucchini: I always loved this part of Alissa's lasagna recipe and kept swearing I would make it just to eat on it's own. I'm so glad I did. Again so simple. I sliced the veg with the slicing disc of my FP so the task took no time at all. I marinated all veg overnight on counter. TIP: Next time I will salt the veg for a few hours prior to adding the marinade so as to release the bulk of the liquid then pouring that liquid off. Then the marinate will retain it's flavour more and not get diluted.

Marinated carrots: This is my own recipe as I have always loved glazed carrots. Just toss all in bag overnight adding parsley nearer the end. YOu could also dehydrate this. But as I have only a FOUR tray I was limited on space!

Sweet Potato Souffle: Unfortunatly this recipe did not work out well for me as it never firmed up and so I had a sweet potato smoothie instead. However; the flavour was beautiful. Such wonderful autumn spices, I will try this again at xmas!

Will I try thses again - YES!

[wyjoz]

is this : Gravy Gratitude. I would describe this as a miso sage gravy. Yes it's green and hard to think of as a "gravy" but wow this had so mush flavour I was blown away! in the I Am Grateful book? which page? could you tell, please? Joz

[eachpeachpearplum]

Yummy desserts!

OMG I am in utter BLISS! The two pies rival ANY cooked pie - REALLY; you will NOT be dissapointed!!!

Apple Pie: This pie was a work of art. This is definately one to serve to cooked folk. I think the photo says it all. I added the acidulated shostring apples on top as suggested by the person who posted the recipe and it was a perfect contrast to the sweet filling. My husband said it looked like french fries on top!

Good Oat Crust: I wanted something different to the usual nut crust for the apple pie so I opted for this crust. It was so perfect. I wanted this one to be very close to a SAD crust so I dehydrated it for severl days to get it crunchy and it was FAB! (recipe in post #53 of this thread)

Vanilla Cream: Wow, who need dairy cream when you can make this. It went beautifully with both pies. The perfect ending

I just had to laugh; the sliced pie pic lookes like Shepherds pie!

[eachpeachpearplum]

Originally Posted by wyjoz

is this : Gravy Gratitude. I would describe this as a miso sage gravy. Yes it's green and hard to think of as a "gravy" but wow this had so mush flavour I was blown away! in the I Am Grateful book? which page? could you tell, please? Joz

Actually no it was not from that great book even though the title would seem that it does. Have a look at the link on post #1 it has the recipe for both the gravy and the Herbed pecan stuffing.

[eachpeachpearplum]

Blueberry Cheesecake: I made the cheesecake for my daughter as I was not sure she wuold like the other two pies. In the end she did not like this one but gobbled the apple - go figure! This was wonderful. I added 1c. dehydrated blueberries as well to deepen the colour and flovour. This freezes well and makes a BIG cheesecake. I did not have a big enough pan so its very tall! Isnt it beautiful! (recipe in post #85)

[tiggerbounce]

Oh MY GOOD LAWRD WOMAN!!!!!! Whater ya doin' ta me?
(packs bags, says goodbye to family it's been nice knowin ya, and heads out door to catch flight to eppp's place!)

[eachpeachpearplum]

I have saved THE best for last.

Pumpkin Pie: OK; I am highlighting this in red because this is going down as a Hall of Fame pick. I have honestly never tasted anything so moorish, cooked or raw - enough said. Recipe in post #53 of this thread & whipped cream in post#68!. See post #1 for whipped topping recipes.

I found that the filling gets better with age so make the filling a 1-2 days prior to filling the pie shell so it's perfect! I also served this topped with candied pecans.

If you do nothing else for you next holiday meal MAKE THIS PIE!

he he he, I even took a piece with me into the movies today; did I already say yum?

[tiggerbounce]

I totally agree with the pie. Tasted just like the real deal. Not sure how your recipe went....but I added a tiny bit of agar (as in eensy pinch) and about a tablespoon of psyllium powder. Then I put it in the dehydrator overnight and stuck in the fridge in the morning. Firm and tasty, just like the real thing! And raw! DH detests pumpkin pie and refuses to eat it. He really enjoys the raw version though!

Thanks for these super fantastic threads! I am voting for EPPP for president! (I get a write in vote.......)

[eachpeachpearplum]

Originally Posted by tiggerbounce

I totally agree with the pie. Tasted just like the real deal. Not sure how your recipe went....but I added a tiny bit of agar (as in eensy pinch) and about a tablespoon of psyllium powder. Then I put it in the dehydrator overnight and stuck in the fridge in the morning. Firm and tasty, just like the real thing! And raw! DH detests pumpkin pie and refuses to eat it. He really enjoys the raw version though!

Thanks for these super fantastic threads! I am voting for EPPP for president! (I get a write in vote.......)

Excellent I shall try those ideas next time to help with the jiggle; the pie's not mine, he he he. Ya my DH hates PP. Doesnt like cloves/mace spices.

PS: I prefer Prime Minister if its all the same with you !