Gluten Free, Vegan Thanksgiving Feast with a Sicky

Happy Canadian Thanksgiving! I am “celebrating” with a cold. I either caught it at work, the doctor’s office/lab, rehearsal or the subway – all are definite possibilities. I haven’t had a cold in more than a year so I guess I was due. Being sick means that I can play the cute “sick” card and ask Joey to do things for me. He’s so sweet that he actually obliges.

Despite feeling like a snuffleupagus,  I spent hours in the kitchen yesterday making a Thanksgiving feast! I started to make a video, but got so caught up in the kitchen that I didn’t get past the first segment. I did however take pictures.

I filled in at a WW meeting in the morning and on the way home I picked up some Ener-G egg replacer Apparently I wasn’t alone in my desire to bake as I had to go to three different stores to find it! I normally use flax + water or applesauce to replace eggs in my recipes, but the recipe specifically called for this product and I didn’t have time for a test run. I was very happy to find it!

I added it to the bowl in my pink KitchenAid mixerTo make thisGluten-free vegan pumpkin pie! It turned out so beautifully, I couldn’t have been happier.(Worth the search for the egg replacer!) I had originally planned to make a gluten free crust and then do a vegan filling, but was very overwhelmed by all the other things I was making, so I decided that a one-stop-shop would be a lot easier.

My dad and brother arrived with beautiful flowersSo sweet! My dad and brother are so lovely and we have such a nice time when they come over to visit. They are so easy going and I always laugh a lot when they’re around. All of my hard work paid off around 5:30Spinach salad (spinach, red onion, cucumber, cranberries and pecans), squash, asparagus, mashed potatoes and tempeh loaf with punkrock chickpea gravy from VWAV (I used 1/8 c. sorghum flour, 1/8 c. buckwheat flour & 1 tbsp tapioca starch in place of the all-purpose flour). I also made a regular meatloaf for the boys (ESBM recipe). I followed my own advice and filled half my plate up with veggies, and let my brother finish off my mashed potatoes. Everyone enjoyed the meal immensely. Joey was skeptical about the gravy, but actually went back for seconds. Pie was a perfect end to a delicious meal We will be enjoying leftovers today. It was a beautiful day with some of my favourite people in my life.

I am going to take advantage of the long weekend by getting some things done around the house as well as focusing on getting better! I recognize the need to take care of myself and plan to do just that by hanging out in bed and memorizing Annie lines.

In my illness, I nearly forgot to announce the winner of my tea giveaway!! Thank you to each and every one of you for making this my most successful giveaway yet!! The winner is…

THE ACTORS DIET i love chai!!!

Congratulations Lynn & Christy! Please send me an email (wwleaderashley@gmail.com) with your mailing address so I can send you your goodies.

And don’t forget if you’re in Toronto, you can go to Wild Earth Bakery (2142 Queen Street East) between now and Saturday October 31, 2009 and mention the code dancing through life, to receive a free cookie!

H is for Holiday - what are you thankful for?

It is Thanksgiving this weekend in Canada, which for me is a time to reflect on the things I am truly thankful for in my life.

• My health - This time last year I was in the midst of doctor's appointments and tests and had yet to have found the cause for my tummy troubles. I've since found out about my Crohn's and have embarked on a new lifestyle as a result. I feel infinitely better than I did this time last year and I believe that changes I've made in conjunction with the other blessings I have in my life have made that so.


• Joey - He's so lovely. I am thankful to have such a kind, caring, supportive partner (who likes vegetables)


• My meetings & Weight Watchers - I love going to my meetings every week. I am so proud of all of my members and everything that they have accomplished. They continue to inspire me. And because of this program I have learned so much about myself and have accomplished things I never dreamed of.


• My friends and family, online and offline - I have collected such an amazing group of friends and family through my endeavors in life and as a result of the blog world have added even more. I thank all of you for being so special and supporting me in all that I do.

I love this life I am living and am so thankful for each and every day of it and the beautiful people I get to share it with. I really look forward to everything that is to come.

What are you thankful for?

This weekend I'll be having my dad and brother over for dinner. I've been mulling over the menu for a couple of days and here's what I have planned so far

• Meatloaf for the boys
• Tempeh for me - either in loaf form or an orange-maple version
• Mashed potatoes
• Vegan gravy
• Acorn squash in the slow cooker, drizzled with maple syrup (no butter or sugar required)
• Spinach salad with pears, pecans & cranberries
• Gluten free vegan pumpkin pie (!)

I will definitely be blogging and tweeting about it over the weekend, so stay tuned! (I've never made pie before, let alone a gluten free one so wish me luck!)

Are you having a Thanksgiving dinner? What's on the menu? Any good gluten free, vegan or WW-friendly recipe ideas?

If you're wandering how to handle all the food that may present itself at your table on Sunday or Monday, be sure to check out my post from Thanksgiving last year and remember that it's just one meal. Learn from your past experiences, enjoy yourself and remind yourself of all that you are thankful for.

Happy Thanksgiving!

G is for Ginger

When I was in junior high, I loved the Spice Girls. I wore my hair like Baby Spice, bought baby doll dresses, sang and made up dance routines to all of their songs and wouldn’t relent until my father bought me a pair of platform running shoes. My favourite was Ginger Spice, Geri Halliwell.

In my grade eight yearbook there were cartoons drawn of our whole class and mine was made to look like Ginger because I had red hair and big boobs. I did not mind the comparison at all! My life was took on new meaning when I finally got to see my idol in concert last year at the Air Canada Centre.

[source]

I may or may not have cried more than once. And while I could spend a whole post talking about the Spice Girls, I actually wanted to talk about the benefits of the ginger root!

Ginger has been used in China for over 2,000 used as a flavoring and for its medicinal properties. Studies have shown that ginger has amazing health benefits including antioxidant effects, anti-inflammatory compounds and provide a calming effect on your tummy.

And it just tastes good.

I love it in stir fries, soups, desserts and tea. My friend Charis (who also has red hair) has a wicked recipe for ginger tea that she gave me permission to share with all of you. It seems that everyone has a cold right now, and this tea can help to provide comfort and perhaps some other benefits that Charis alluded to… So here it is!

Wickedly Wonderful Ginger Tea
or, Who said there's no cure for the common cold?

The amount of ingredients is up to you, depending on how gingery you like it. The more ginger, the better it is. Make a big batch to last you a couple of days when you're sick.

1. Put some water on to boil in a biggish saucepan. (2 quarts?)
2. Take a 3 or 4 inch piece of ginger, skin and all. Rinse under the tap then grate it, and put it all into the boiling water.
3. Add as much sweetener as you need (agave would work well here)
4. Take a lemon, rinse then squeeze out juice. Add juice, seeds and all, to pot.
5. Boil the hell out of it for 10 minutes...
6. Let it sit for 10 minutes.
7. Put it through a sieve to get the skins and seeds out.
8. Enjoy the hot, hot, deliciously hot tea!

Benefits:
- Clears sinuses
- Soothes throat
- Clears chest
- Gives you instant energy
- Gets you dates (not really but you can try making it for people who are sick and watch them start to fall in love with you)

Charis has forced made me this tea on many occasion, and while I can’t attest to it’s ability to get you dates, I can say that it has provided a ton of cold relief. Hooray for ginger!

F is for Fruits & Veggies

Often when I tell people that I’m gluten free and vegan, I am asked the question “so what do you eat?” At the top of my list is always fruits and vegetables and I am not ashamed of that fact!

I love fruits and vegetables and try to include a wide variety of them on a daily basis. We talked a lot about them this summer during the 4 weeks to 5 servings challenge and I also touched down on some of their benefits in my apple post. I separate our grocery list by where I’m going to get the items, and the list for the fruit and veggie stand is always the longest!!

I do try to buy organic whenever possible, but that is a personal preference. While there’s been much debate over whether organic produce is better for you, I try to avoid putting extra stuff in my body, so I don’t like the idea of pesticides going in! I also find that organic produce just tastes better than it’s conventional friends (or enemies)

Here’s my fruit and veggie tally from yesterday:
banana (morning snack)
tomatoes, zucchini, sweet potato & green beans in my curry (lunch)
carrots in my soup (dinner)
spinach, cucumber, peppers and green onions in my salad (dinner)1 c. grapes (evening snack)

Everything I ate yesterday was delicious, colourful and so filling. I tweeted last night “Just had the BEST supper - you know the ones where you're making sounds because it's so good?!?” – I love that feeling!!

If I had to choose a favourite fruit and vegetable… I would have to say mango and Brussels sprouts, both full of vitamin C and fiber (although strawberries, kale, broccoli, avocados would be very close in the running!)

What is your favourite fruit and veggie? How to you maximize their presence throughout the day? 

 

E is for Ethnic Food

On Saturday night Joey came and met me after the workshop to grab some dinner and do a little Nuit Blanche-ing. It started raining and we were both hungry so we needed to decide on a restaurant fairly quickly. We were on Queen West, so we decided to check out the succession of Indian buffets around McCaul. None of them had buffet for supper, so we just chose one and I figured I would have some aloo gobi and rice and be a happy vegan gal.

Once seated, I noticed the menu had a vegetarian platter, but didn’t specify which dishes came with it. I asked our waiter and he mentioned palak paneer, which I knew had dairy. I asked if I could substitute it for something without dairy, to which he replied he could make the whole thing dairy-free. Amazing!

When it arrived at the table he walked me through the dishes and told me where dairy had been removed. I don’t remember what everything was called but there was a dairy-free palak paneer, chana masala, a veggie curry, salad and rice – so good!

I’ve noticed that I have so many more options when we visit an ethnic restaurant. I find a lot more options on the menu and I have found the servers to be incredibly accommodating of my needs and requests. I also love the naturally gluten free options I encounter like corn tortillas in Mexican/Latin American restaurants and injera made with teff in Ethiopian restaurants.

I also adore the Persian influence at Camros Organic Eatery. Love the cinnamon and saffron that they use (along with the phenomenal organic produce)

If you’re eating in an ethnic restaurant and don’t know everything a dish contains, just ask! Usually the server will know, or at least be able to ask someone who does know. And if they can’t give you a clear explanation and you want to be on the safe side, choose something else. I try to stick with items that I am either familiar with or recognizable, simple ingredients (veggies, whole grains, nuts, spices) rather than ones that have a long list of components. It makes it easier for me to determine whether or not I can eat it as well as estimate on its Points value.

It was wonderful to see the International round up on the Vegan MoFo blog yesterday. So many amazing options beyond the typical North American grub.

What’s your favourite ethnic fare? Is there any type of cuisine that you’re dying to try? Do you find as many, less or more options that fit your dietary needs (vegan, gluten free, Weight Watchers friendly) at ethnic restaurants?

E is also for Eric and this picture is so cute I couldn’t help but share!

“I love you, monkey”

Only a few more days to enter my tea giveaway! Don’t forget that you can follow me on Twitter and/or tweet for another entry.