My Thanksliving Day eats, in all their carbalicious glory! The Thanksgiving Pizza came out smashingly; I’m super-glad we decided to do a test run, since this gave us a chance to tweak the recipe. The assembly was still a little messy, but not the hot mess of last week.

Anywho, this pizza features a layer of garlic and chive mashed potatoes mixed with gravy, followed by hickory smoked Tofurky slices, more gravy, and carrots, sweet corn and green beans. As much as I would have loved to have thrown some stuffing directly on the pizza, Shane and I couldn’t figure out how to properly cook it together with the pizza – since the breadcrumbs need to marinate in vegetable broth and all – so instead we gave the crust a hint of stuffinf flavor by infusing it with veggie broth. And, for bonus points, we served stuffing on the side, along with extra gravy, homemade cranberry sauce, and mashed potatoes and mixed veggies (both left over pizza toppings). For dessert, we dined on razzleberry pie topped with vanilla ice cream. Both store-bought, since we were exhausted enough after cooking the main course to even think about making the sweets by hand!

You can find recipes for all of the homemade items (PIZZA INCLUDED!) here.

 

Two slices down, six to go!

 

Shane’s plate; he slathered his stuffing in cranberry sauce.

 

Personally, cranberry sauce – being sweet and sugary and all – strikes me as more of dessert item. Which is why I enjoyed a few spoonfuls with a bowl of vanilla ice cream while waiting for the dough to rise! But I digress…

 

My plate! “Gravy” is the word of the day, dontchknow.

 

The only time it’s acceptable to eat a pizza with a fork is when it’s
a) covered in mashed potatoes or b) a deep dish pie of some kind.

 

Licking my plate clean!

 

Bring out the pie!

 

Pizza & ice cream, could a more perfect pairing exist?

Emma loves her papa!
CC image via flickr user Vegan Flower (Molly!).
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Hey there lovely people! I have a homework assignment for the dog people in the audience. Don’t worry, it’s short and kind of sweet and won’t distract from your holiday festivities. Dr. Frank McMillan at Best Friends Animal Society is studying human-nonhuman bonding and, as part of his background research, is soliciting stories of love and devotion from those who share their lives with dogs. How do you know that your dog friend loves you? The answer can be short or long-form, simple or multifaceted. Just TELL HIM STORIES! (Always quote His Dark Materials. ALWAYS!)

Here’s the call for submissions, which appeared in the November/December 2011 issue of Best Friends magazine:

BEST FRIENDS NEEDS YOUR HELP

If you have a dog who expresses love toward you, we would like to hear your story.

In a very special new study, we are looking in-depth at the emotions of bonding and affection – love – shown by dogs toward their human companions. For background research, we would like to collect stories of dogs’ expressions of love. The story could be about a single incident of your dog’s show of love and devotion, or the ways your dog demonstrates love within your overall relationship. It could simply be an answer to the question: How do you know your dog loves you? If you would like to share your story, please email it to Dr. Frank McMillan at dr.frank@bestfriends.org.

You may recall that I’ve written about Dr. McMillan’s research previously in this here space; see, e.g. Scientists, Poets, Changemakers and Heroes (Volunteer Opportunities & Action Alerts). (Wow, has it been two years already?) Participating in vegan-friendly research projects such as this is an awesome and fun way to contribute to science. And easy, too!

Dr. McMillan posts notices of current research opportunities in Best Friends magazine, which comes “free” with a $25 donation to Best Friends. (We made a donation in Ozzy’s name for their annual Blessing of the Animals ceremony.) In the future, I’ll try to relay new notices as quickly as possible, for those who don’t get the magazine. Forgetting is easy, since a) I tend to let my subscription lapse and b) the notices are somewhat inconspicuous and easy to miss! But I’ll do better, I promise. This stuff is important, yo!

While we’re doing the bulletin board thing, joyful vegan goddess Colleen Patrick-Goudreau recently posted this notice on her FB page:

Call for vegan experts: I’m building a directory of everything from vegan wellness practitioners (chiropractors, acupuncturists, dietitians, naturopaths, nutritionists, psychologists, nurse practitioners, massage therapists, veterinarians) to vegan cooking class instructor and chefs. Wherever you are, if you are vegan and fall into any of the first categories, please email lisa@compassionatecooks.com so we can include you. If you teach cooking classes or have a catering company or are a personal chef, please email colleendavis@compassionatecooks.com. We need the city and state your in, your name, and your website! PLEASE PASS IT ON!

Also, VegListings is a newish directory for vegetarian and vegan businesses; it might come in handy for shoppers as well as business owners, especially with the holidays fast approaching! In the past I’ve put together social justice-themed buying guides; this year, I briefly considered compiling a list of vegan shops on etsy (love me some etsy!) – and then I stumbled upon the Vegan Etsy Team page, making my idea seem redundant.

…and I hope you will too!

So go, browse, buy (if you can). If not, maybe you’ll be inspired to give gifts crafted by your own two hands this holiday season. It’s fun!

(Image via Herbivore, by way of Vegan Etsy.)

You heard me right people! Shane and I made a holiday pizza tonight and it was YUM-TASTIC! Gravy, Tofurky slices, garlic and chive mashed potatoes, carrots, even a crust flavored with veggie broth – this pizza has it going ON! If these pies were able to withstand the vagaries on the US postal service, I’d send several each to every lucky Jane and Dick on my x-mas list come December. AND LEAVE THEM BEGGING FOR MORE!

Unfortunately, our execution was less than stellar – my Facebook status from earlier tonight was full-on panic mode, to wit: “emergency alert: pizza disaster in progress!!!” – so I don’t yet have a recipe to share with y’all. BUT. The good news is that we know where it all went wrong and are trying again come Thursday! So probably you’ll have a proper recipe by the weekend.

Until then, feast your eyes:

(The final product will be topped with a variety of mixed veggies; if this pizza looks a little sparse, it’s because we had all but given up by the time we got to the last layer. The dough gave out on us and we needed to get the pie in the oven, asap. NOTHING THAT TWENTY MINUTES AT 425F CAN’T FIX!)

omgs you guys, I’m working on a “breakfast” pizza right now and jkshdgds!

I’d still like to experiment with a few different prep methods before posting a proper recipe, but the first try (pictured above) consists of a fluffy white pizza crust, brushed with a few tablespoons of margarine (softened at room temp) and topped with garlic salt, a layer of cheddar Daiya cheese, fried Lightlife Smart Links (diced, of course), hash browns, and a second layer of cheese on top. Bake at 425 degrees F for 15 to 20 minutes and then fall into your soft bed of carb-on-carb pizza action. (Pssst! Daiya is your comforter!)

Warning: do not operate heavy machinery while eating this pizza! You WILL shoot someone’s eye out.

* I would totally change the name of this place to Junk Food Vegan if www.junkfoodvegan.com wasn’t already taken! But there’s nothing up there! FOR THE LOVE OF DOG GET ON IT PEOPLE!

Updated to add: AND WE HAVE A WINNER!

Vegan Bacon & Cheddar Potato Soup, y u no photogenetic?
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Ever since I first saw the adorably silly “proposal” commercial for Progresso’s Loaded Potato Soup With Bacon

(You know which ad I’m talking about, yes? “What is that?” “That’s a big chunk of potato!” I would embed it, but it doesn’t yet seem to be available on the you tubes. Boo! Hiss! Boo!),

I’ve been craving bacon potato soup like a mofo. Which is funny, ’cause I’ve never had it before – not even in my pre-vegan days. (So many of those processed soups contain milk, to which I’m allergic. Good times!) Anyway, I decided to modify the Creamy Potato -n- Corn “Spowder” recipe I so love, making it creamier and soupier (if that makes any sense), while also adding some vegan bacon …and cheddar cheese!

I know, I know, Progresso’s version doesn’t have cheddar cheese, and this makes the dish so much more unhealthy, but I just couldn’t help myself! Plus I had a brick of cheddar Follow Your Heart that was set to expire, and surely this is a sufficient reason for adding cheese to yet another dish that doesn’t require it? Yes? No? Maybe?

As you can probably imagine, this is one delicious dish! Kind of like liquefied cheddar mashed potatoes, with extra chunks of potatoes and greasy fried bacon for supercalifragilisticexpialidocious goodness. Next time I’ll try the loaded bacon potato soup, minus the cheddar. Hopefully I’ll even one-up Progresso, though that’ll be a hard one to judge since I’ll never taste the competition. (Or does vegan always win? Yeah, that sounds about right!)

Bottoms up!

 
Vegan Bacon & Cheddar Potato Soup

Ingredients

1 medium onion, chopped
4 tablespoons olive oil, divided
6 medium white potatoes, divided
2 cups plain soy milk + extra to taste
2 cups water + extra to taste
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder
4 tablespoons margarine
5 ounces vegan cheddar cheese, shredded (1/2 package cheddar Follow Your Heart)
5 ounces vegan bacon (1 package Lightlife Smart Bacon)

Directions

1. Wash and peel the potatoes. Set three aside for later. Cut the other three into quarters. Fill a medium saucepan three quarters full with water; bring to a boil on the stovetop. Toss in the quartered potatoes and cook on medium high for about fifteen minutes, or until the potatoes are tender. Drain the potatoes and, in two batches, process them in a blender or food processor: blend one half of the potatoes, along with one cup of soy milk and one cup of water, until the “batter” is smooth and creamy. Repeat with the second half of the potatoes. Transfer back to the saucepan (or a large mixing bowl) and set aside.

2. While the potatoes are boiling, slice the bacon into small, bite-sized strips. In a large skillet or frying pan, heat two tablespoons of olive oil on medium-hot; once hot, reduce the heat to medium and add the bacon. Cook on medium for approximately ten minutes, or until the strips are brown and crispy, like so:

Stir frequently to keep them from burning! When done cooking, set aside.

3. Peel the onion and dice it into small bits. In a large soup pot, heat two tablespoons of olive oil on medium-high heat; once hot, reduce the heat to medium and add the onions. Cook on medium for ten minutes or so, until the onions turn golden brown. Add the potato “batter” and continue to cook on medium.

5. Dice the remaining potatoes into small, bite-sized pieces and set aside.

6. Once the soup has heated up and started to bubble, add the margarine, spices and shredded cheese. Stir constantly so that the cheddar cheese and potatoes don’t stick to the bottom of the pan. Add extra water as needed.

7. Once the cheese has melted, sample the soup; add any extra seasonings to taste. Toss in the rest of the potatoes and the bacon – grease and all! – and continue to cook on medium for about ten minutes, or until the potatoes are tender (to your liking). Serve hot!

Optional: for crispier bacon, you can add it to the soup closer to the end of the cook time – or use some or all of it as a topping!

(more…)

I am really digging this newfangled, frozen-bananas-in-the-food-processor method of ice cream making, y’all! Unlike with an ice cream machine, you can be so much more spontaneous. As long as you have a supply of overripe, diced bananas sitting in the freezer, you’re free to make a batch of ice cream any time you like. A mid-morning snack? BAM! Afternoon delight? DONE! Dessert after dinner? YOU GOT IT! 2AM munchies? NO PROBLEM, SISTER! Not that I don’t love my ice cream maker, but there’s something to be said about ice cream on demand, you know?

So yesterday I was craving something coco-nutty (I’m probably still in withdrawal from those Iron Chef-inspired, coconut buttercream-frosted chocolate chip brownies!) and BOOM!, just like that I decided to make a bowl of coconut banana ice cream. AND IT WAS DELICIOUS, with TRIPLE THE COCONUT: coconut milk, coconut extract and shredded coconuts. (Though you can skip the coconut milk if you don’t have any on hand. The extract and shreds are really the most important part!)

So good, and good for you too! You can’t say that about the store-bought stuff. (Okay, so you totally could – but you’d be lying. Liar liar hemp pants on fire!)

 
Coconut Banana Ice Cream

Ingredients

4 or 5 diced and frozen overripe bananas
1/4 cup coconut milk, chilled if possible
1 teaspoon coconut extract
1/2 cup shredded coconut
Sugar to taste

Directions

Combine the frozen bananas, coconut milk and coconut extract in a food processor and mix until smoothly blended. Sample the batter and, if it’s not sweet enough for you, add a tablespoon or two of sugar (or other vegan sweetener) and the shredded coconut and process until blended.

Try not to overprocess the batter, as this can result in soupy ice cream. If the soft serve is too much on the soft side, transfer it to a covered container and store in the freezer for an hour or until it’s thickened up a bit.