A Kinder Thanksgiving: Turkey-Free

I hate to think of all the turkeys about to be slaughtered.  But if we are "mindful" we do not turn our heads away from the truth of the suffering.  There are many alternatives to the "Turkey Thanksgiving meal".  Very tasty ones.

Roast Tofuturkey, how good does this look?

Baby turkey -- many babies are orphaned during the Thanksgiving killing.

Cold Remedy / Prevention: Lemon, Ginger, Garlic Tea

Ginger, garlic, lemon, and honey make a rich, powerful tea that boosts your immune system.  

Drink this "power tea" regularly to prevent colds, or drink as remedy when you have a cold.

Lemons - Lemons are high in vitamin C which help support the immune system. The juice's  anti-inflammatory qualities help soothe sore throats. 

Honey - Honey has antimicrobial properties honey not only soothes the throat but it can also kill certain bacteria that causes the infection. Unpasteurized honey is best because the pasteurizing process removes many of the health benefits.

Garlic - Garlic is a natural antibiotic  Numerous studies have proven  it to be a bacterial, fungal and virus killing machine.

Ginger -  Ginger is a tropical plant related to turmeric and cardamom, produces a pungent, sweet-tasting root.  Ginger promotes healthy sweating, where a potent germ-fighting agent (dermicin) produced in healthy sweat gets transported to the skin’s surface. This not only removes the toxins from inside the body, but protects it against invading microorganisms from the outside. 

Ingredients

3 cups water
3 -6 garlic cloves, halved
1/2 cup honey (unpasteurizrd is best)
1/2 cup fresh lemon slices 

1/4  cup sliced ginger root

Directions

Put water in a medium saucepan and add garlic & ginger.
Bring to a boil.
Turn off heat and add honey and lemon juice
Strain into cup
Refrigerate leftover beverage

 

 

Winter Immunity: Garlic

Garlic has been used medicinally around the world for thousands of years. 

During the bubonic plague in Europe which killed almost half of the population, grave diggers (and grave robbers) drank wine containing garlic cloves.  An ancient Egyptian papyrus recommends garlic in treating 22 ailments to include heart disease and stamina.  In 1858, Louis Pasteur observed garlic's antibacterial activity, and it was used as an antiseptic.  And yet garlic is so tasty!  How many dishes would be blander without lovely garlic.

Sopa de Ajo (Garlic Soup)

Ingredients

2 teaspoons olive oil
5 tablespoons minced garlic
1 teaspoon sweet smoked paprika
3 cups organic vegetable broth (such as Emeril's)
1 cup water
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 (1-ounce) slices rustic bread, cut into 1-inch cubes
8 large eggs
2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

 

Preparation

1. Preheat broiler.
2. Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add garlic to pan; cook 5 minutes or until tender (do not brown). Stir in paprika. Add broth, 1 cup water, salt, and pepper; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer 10 minutes.
3. Arrange bread cubes in a single layer on a baking sheet; broil 4 minutes or until golden, stirring once halfway through cooking. Reduce oven temperature to 350°.
4. Place about 1/4 cup bread cubes in each of 8 ovenproof soup bowls. Break one egg into each bowl; ladle about 1/2 cup broth mixture into each bowl. Arrange bowls on a baking sheet; bake at 350° for 20 minutes or until egg whites are set but yolks are still runny. Sprinkle evenly with chopped parsley.

Source:  My Recipes

Stinging Nettles Soup recipe

Often overlooked as a roadside weed, this plant is a super-food. In the past this plant staved off starvation for Germans at the end of WWII.  Nettles boost the immune system and are an ancient treatment for arthritis

So full of minerals and vitamins. Just make sure you use gloves when you pick as the tiny needles prick. But when boiled or cooked, the needles recede and the plant tastes soewhat like spinach. 

Stinging Nettles Soup

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup butter
• 3 cups sliced onions
• 3 cups potatoes, cut into chunks
• 3 cups chicken stock
• 1 ounce nettles leaves
• Small bunch of chives, snipped
• Salt and freshly ground pepper
• Heavy cream, to serve

 
Directions:

• Melt the butter in a large saucepan. Add the sliced onions, cover and cook for about 5 minutes until just soft.
• Add the potatoes to the saucepan with the chicken stock, cover and cook for 25 minutes longer.

Wearing latex gloves, remove the nettles leaves from their stems. Rinse leaves under cold running water, dry on paper towels. Add to the saucepan and cook for 5 minutes longer.

Ladle the soup into a blender or food processor and process until smooth. (I just keep the soup in a pot and used an immersion blender, love ‘em.) Return to a clean saucepan and season well.

Stir in the chives and serve with a swirl of cream and a sprinkle of pepper.

 Source:  Cookography blog

Stinging Nettles book:  for more information on Nettles; history how to grow, medicinal uses, and more recipe, click below:

Root Vegetables: Kale, Parsnip, Potato soup

Winter root vegetables are hearty meals and boost the immune system. 


Beets, carrots, potatoes, ginger, turnips, radishes, the list goes on and on...

Parsnip:  the parsnip is closely related to the carrot. 

The parsnip is usually cooked but can also be eaten raw. It is high in vitamins and minerals, especially potassium. It also contains antioxidants and fiber. It can be cultivated in deep, stone-free soils.

Kale, Parsnip, Potato Soup
Cook time: 1 1/2--2 hrs (mostly inactive)
Serves 6 to 8

• 2 tsp olive oil
• 1 medium yellow onion, diced
• 1 leek, diced (use all parts!)
• 6-8 cloves of garlic, sliced thinly (you can add more if you love garlic like me)
• 2 medium white potatoes, cut into chunks (I didn't remove the skin but feel free to)
• 1 medium sweet potato, cut into chunks
• 2 large carrots, cut into chunks
• 2 large parsnips, cut into chunks
• 4 cups (one box) of your favorite veggie broth (I use Pacific or Trader Joes)
• 4 additional cups of water + 2 bouillon cubes
• 2 tbsp Italian seasoning
• 2 tsp paprika
• 2 tsp curry seasoning
• 1 tbsp hot sauce of your choice
• 1 LARGE head of kale, chopped

Heat olive oil in a large soup pan (very large - as large as you can muster) over medium/low heat. Add in onion and leek and allow to soften up for about 5-10 minutes. 

Add garlic, potatoes, carrots and parsnips and saute for another 10 minutes or so (add in veggie broth to keep veggies from sticking/help to soften as necessary.

Dump in veggie broth and water and bring everything to a boil.

Add in bouillon cubes and spices, cover pot, reduce heat to medium low and allow to simmer for anywhere from an hour to two hours depending on your time frame.

Ten minutes before the soup is ready, stir in your chopped kale and allow to reduce for the final ten minutes or so (you want it to be soft but not soggy).  Serve up a HUGE bowl (or two in my case) with freshly baked bread.
Source:  Evolve Vegan

Potato Turnip Pasties

Generously seasoned root vegetables make a hearty pasty filling. These are delicious served hot, but are great cold too – in packed lunches or as a sustaining snack. You can use ordinary shortcrust or a shop-bought puff pastry, but the pasties are particularly good with the easy-to-make rough puff suggested below. The cheese is optional.   SERVES 4
 
FOR THE ROUGH PUFF PASTRY
300g plain flour
A pinch of sea salt
1/2 cup chilled unsalted butter,
cut into small cubes
 
FOR THE FILLING
2 cups potato  
1 cup rutabaga
1/2 cup carrot
1 small onion, grated
A handful of parsley, finely chopped
A few sprigs of thyme, leaves only, chopped
1 teaspoon vegetable bouillon
powder
½ teaspoon freshly ground
black pepper
½ teaspoon sea salt
1/4 cup strong Cheddar, grated
(optional)
1/4 cup butter, melted
 
TO FINISH
1 egg, lightly beaten with
1 teaspoon milk, to glaze
To make the pastry, mix the flour with the salt, then add the cubed butter and toss until the pieces are coated in the flour. Add just enough iced water (about 150ml) to bring the mixture together into
a fairly firm dough.

On a well-floured surface, shape the dough into a rectangle with your hands and then roll it out in one direction, away from you, so you end up with a rectangle about 1cm thick. Fold the far third towards you, then fold the nearest third over that (rather like folding a business letter), so that you now have a rectangle made up of 3 equal layers.
Give the pastry a quarter turn, then repeat the rolling, folding and turning process 5 more times. Wrap the pastry in cling film and rest in the fridge for about 30 minutes, up to an hour.
Preheat the oven to  374F ( or 190°C). For the filling, peel the potato, rutabaga (swede) and carrot and cut into 3–4mm dice. Mix together with all the other ingredients in a bowl, adding the butter last of all to bind.

Roll out the pastry on a lightly floured surface to approximately a 3mm thickness. Using a 19cm plate as a template, cut out 4 circles; you may have to gather up the trimmings then re-roll them to get your fourth circle.

Spoon the vegetable mixture on to one half of each circle. Brush the pastry edges with a little water, fold the other half of the pastry over the filling to form a half-moon shape and crimp the edges well to seal.

Place the pasties on a baking sheet lined with baking parchment and brush with the egg glaze.
Bake for about 35–40 minutes, until the pastry is golden brown. Eat hot or cold.

 
This recipe is taken from Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall’s book, River Cottage Veg Every Day!

Chakchouka Stew (tomato stew)

 

Chakchouka or shakshouka is a style of vegetable cooking from the Middle East and the Mahgreb (the North African countries, especially in Algeria and Tunisia. Chakchouka is popular as a breakfast dish. You crack floating eggs into this tomato stew, which I love.  Most recipes include the eggs, but they can actually be left out if you like.

Ingredients - 4-6 servings

• 3 tablespoons Olive oil
• 1-2 tablespoons Paprika
• 1 Onion, thinly sliced
• 2-3 cloves Garlic, minced
• 3 Tomatoes, peeled, seeded and diced
• 2-3 Green and red bell peppers, diced
• 1 cup Water
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 4 Eggs (optional)

 

Preparation

• Heat the oil in a deep skillet over medium flame. Stir in the paprika and cook slighly to color the oil, about 10-15 seconds. Add the onions and garlic and sauté until the onions are translucent and wilted but not browned, about 5 minutes.
• Add the tomatoes and cook for 3-4 minutes to reduce down a little bit. Add the peppers, water and salt and pepper and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer for about 10 minutes. Add more water as needed to keep it from drying out.
• Using a spoon, form four small indentations in the simmering peppers to hold the eggs. One by one, crack the eggs into a small bowl and slip each from the bowl into an indentation. Cover and simmer for another 10 minutes or so until eggs are cooked through.
• Serve with crusty bread, pita or rice.

Variations

• Add 1 teaspoon of cumin seed to the hot oil for about 15 seconds before you add the paprika. Add 2-3 teaspoons of ground coriander along with the onions.
• For a little spice, sauté 1 tablespoon of harissa paste or a minced chile pepper with the onions.
• Add 1 small, diced eggplant along with the peppers.
• Add 1 potato, cut in a small dice, along with the peppers.
• Sprinkle the top of the cooked dish with chopped parsley or cilantro.

Source:  Arabic Food blog