Tofurky Instead of Turkey?

This delicious, savory little vegan quiche contains no meat, eggs or dairy!

Thanksgiving is just around the corner and you may be welcoming friends and family to your home for a festive meal. Then you son walks in and introduces his new girlfriend who just happens to be VEGAN!
What are you going to serve HER? You, the consummate host, are unfazed by this last minute menu curve ball. You've planned ahead and have a few of these elegant Tofurky Quiches in the freezer!

The New Vegan Cuisine
I can remember back when a lot of vegan entrees were only available at your local health food store. Many of these products did not taste very good either. Fast forward to now and you'll find a lot of variety that is beyond just palatable, it's downright tasty! Most of us know that we should cut back on the saturated animal fat in our diet but the Tofurky entrees are no sacrifice. Not just for you but for your guests who are vegan or vegetarian. A good host is prepared for such dietary restrictions and have a few vegan entrees available is just smart policy. Either that or have your guest just sit their while the rest of you enjoy that turkey!

Elegant holiday table service at the Lighthouse Restaurant, Chelsea Piers, NYC.

Tofurky Instead of Turkey
I think many people have heard of a Tofu Turkey. Tofurky has been America's leading turkey alternative since they rolled out their first "roast" in 1995. Based on the taste and texture of the Tofurky ingredients, I would definitely give it a try. You may want to have something like this made and served buffet style for your vegan guests. It just shows that you thought ahead.

Tofurky Quiche hot out of the oven.

Tofurky Sausage & Veggie Quiche and Chick'n Pot Pie
The Tofurky Sausage & Veggie Quiche has a delicious sage flavor and the texture of the "sausage" or Tofurky Nuggets has a robust mouth feel. We baked the quiche for 30-40 minutes in a conventional oven but you can also try the microwave method. The texture and crust were pretty near my own egg, cheese & meat quiches so thumbs up there too.

Chick'n Pot Pie This reminded me of a little Banquet Chicken Pot pie! Savory gravy and the usual cubed carrots, peas and potatoes. Surprisingly enough, the crust was actually better than that of the traditional, non-vegan pot pies.

Tofurky Pockets
These are a delicious alternative to Hot Pockets even by teen standards. How do I know? My resident teen prepared these herself. Like the quiche and pot pies, these also contain Tofurky Nuggets, broccoli florets and vegan cheddar cheese wrapped in a lightly herbed whole grain pocket. You get two per package and I could barely finish one of them. The crust is a bit thick, but it needs to be in order to contain the melting vegan cheddar cheese. I perhaps would have liked to have had soy cheese as the cheddar used in this product was tapioca based. With three flavors: Pepperoni Pizza, BBQ Chick'n and Turk'y Broccoli Cheddar you'll have a comparable Hot Pocket assortment to offer your guests. Tofurky is made by Turtle Island Foods.

Dairy-Free Ice Cream Social: Tofutti

A Dairy-Free, vegan alternative to ice cream that tastes just as delicious!

The holidays are all but here and if you are like me and like to entertain, you might want to try some of these dairy free dessert ideas from Tofutti. I remember shopping in Sam's Club a few years back and saw a woman taking a box of Tofutti Cuties Frozen Dessert Sandwiches from out of the freezer. I asked how they tasted and she said, "Delicious! Just like ice cream."  She went on to say that she was purchasing them for her daughter's slumber party as some of her guests were lactose intolerant. I thought that was very considerate! No one wants to be left out when others are happily enjoying such yummy things.  It's also the sign of a good host to make everyone comfortable.

Tofutti Butter Pecan Premium Pints.

Tofutti Pints
What I like about Tofutti is that there is no concession on the part of texture or flavor. If someone gave this to you in a dish, you would think it was good old fashioned, creamy ice cream. Of course you'd be wrong but the flavors, texture and mouth feel are all spot on. Tofutti Premium Pints come in seven delicious flavors: Almond Bark, Better Pecan, Chocolate Cookie Crunch, Chocolate, Vanilla Fudge, Vanilla, and Wild Berry Supreme. You can make a sundae with it, or even layer it for a frozen dessert cake. No milk or animal products. Now you have something to offer your son's girlfriend who's come for Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner and loudly proclaims: "I'm vegan!"

Tofutti Yours Truly Triple Happiness Chocolate Cone

Tofutti Cones
If you like those ice cream Drumsticks, you'll be just as pleased, if not more so with Tofutti's Yours Truly Triple Happiness Chocolate Cones. Yes, it's quite a mouthful but so are these cones! Even the cone itself is chocolate. So rich. These are really fun to pass around at parties because people aren't expecting an ice cream cone in the wintertime. Same thing for Frozen Dessert Novelties when the Good Humor truck is no longer riding around.

Tofutti Novelties: Cafe Latte is a scrumptious coffee lover's dessert. Tofutti Cuties are small, delicious sandwiches, perfect for little children's hands.

Organic Garden Recipe Ideas

Quit fussing with smoothie ingredients! Here are organic ripe red tomatoes, peppers and cucumbers which are in abundance in my garden right now. Simply pick and process what's in season.

The summer may be winding down but get ready for a bumper crop of delicious fruits and vegetables coming into season.  Chances are, if you garden as I do, cucumbers, eggplant, peppers, tomatoes, corn and other mid-late summer vegetables and fruits.  Technically the tomato is a fruit!

Tomatoes
What I like to do is freeze the little plum tomatoes whole for storage but a good amount of my garden vegetables get used up as organic smoothies and cream soups. Frozen bags of peppers and tomatoes line my chest freezer to become quick additions to one pot meals, stews and sauces. They can also be added to fresh, raw juices.

Bumper crop of beefsteak and plum tomatoes which are actually fruits.

Cucumbers
Cukes are a little trickier as they don't really freeze well. You can make dried cucumber chips but since they have such a high water content, the result is still going to be a bit chewy. You can make a very simple cucumber salad that is delicious and only require a few ingredients:

Cucumber Salad
10 large chilled Cucumbers
1 cup sour cream (lite is fine)
1 tsp fresh dill

Peel the pre-chilled cucumbers and cut into 1/2 inch slices and then cube. Add a pinch of salt and the add your 1 cup of sour cream. Garnish with dill and chill in the refrigerator for 2 hours before serving.
Goes great with Hummus or Chick Pea Dip and Pita Chips.

Corn on and off the Cob

Creamed corn soup with sweet bi-color corn

Soups
You can quickly turn your garden vegetables into hot or chilled, cold soups. Corn soup has many variations but among the Iroquois tribes of New York, it is made with both fresh corn and hominy which is corn with the outer hull removed. The soup above was cooked in a VitaMix and the steamed corn was added later as a garnish.  Here is an easy creamed corn recipe:

Creamed Corn
6-8 ears of bi-color sweet corn, steamed
1/2 cup of Corn Starch
1/4 cup sugar
2 cups of milk, (almond, rice, soy, etc.)
1 tbsp unsalted butter

To speed things up, heat your two cups of milk first and add to the seven ears worth of steamed corn cut from the cob. Place in VitaMix or blender with sugar, cornstarch and butter. Process until hot and thick as the VitaMix cooks in the container in under 5 minutes. Once the soup is thickened to the desired consistency, add the corn cut from one cob to the soup and serve.



Whole Food Juices
Once you get used to whole food juices, you'll not want to go back to extracted juices. Clear, processed juices from a juicer discard a lot of vegetable fiber, lignans and vitamins. What a waste! I process most of my vegetables skin and all, especially if they are organically grown from my garden. No waxes or pesticide residue to worry about!

Carrots can be mixed with red peppers and dried cranberries for a zesty drink.

Organic Smoothies
Vegetable Smoothies: To make your own organic smoothies, scrub your vegetables and throw them in your blender or processor with some crushed ice.  I use dried cranberries for sweetness in my vegetable smoothies.  Add any and everything you want: kale, spinach, tomatoes, carrots, cukes, peppers, celery, etc.
Blend everything until it turns into an icy slush. Now add enough water to make it as thin as you'd like. This is very concentrated so I add quite a bit of water and the result is a somewhat cloudy juice produce. Totally delicious!

Fruit Smoothies: There is no problem with mixing fruits AND vegetables but I like my fruit smoothies to be well, fruity. Mix in any combination of in-season fruits. If you need a little sweetness and a smoother texture, add 1/2 to 1 whole ripe banana to the mix. In the summertime, bananas often ripen before we can eat them all. Simply peel, cut them in half and store in a little freezer container. When you make your smoothies, you'll have nutritious frozen bananas ready to go. This also works with berries, cherries, peaches and other fruits.


"You open your hand and satisfy the desire of every living thing." Psalm 145:16

Secrets to Delicious Smoothies

My Vitamix Power Blender in action! Apples, carrots, cranberries & Acai Berry Blast Protein Energizer

Everyone has seemed to have gone smoothie crazy lately. Smoothies are somewhat of an off-shoot of the juice fast, raw food, gluten free & vegan lifestyles which I think are a step in the right direction.  It has already been noted that Americans eat far too much animal protein to be healthy. I remember having free range, hormone free chicken in Virginia (fried in lard no less) and noticed how little fat was actually on the fryer.  That was one lean bird! However, that's how most Americans ate up until recently.  Farms are more like factories today but I still remember what organic eggs from our free ranged chickens taste like as it wasn't that long ago.

So here I have some really good tips on making delicious smoothies that can start you on a healthier lifestyle, no matter how far you need to go.  I'm pretty experienced!  I got my first VitaMix nearly 20 years ago and began by serving my children whole fruit & vegetable juices back then....call them antique smoothies.

My first VitaMix.  It's still working but now it's in my son's family kitchen!

EQUIPMENT
There are all sorts of blenders and juicers on the market these days such as The Green Bullet, The Breville Juicer, The Juiceman II etc. When choosing one for making smoothies from raw ingredients you'll need three things:

Power: A 2 horse power motor will take care of most anything you can throw at it.
No Waste: Any machine that requires you to throw away or pre-peel your fruits and vegetables is not worth it. Pick one that offers whole-food juices. 
Easy to Clean: This is really important because if you have to take the machine apart to clean it each time, you are not going to use it often enough to make a difference.

You don't need to cut fruits & vegetables into tiny pieces before putting them in the VitaMix

INGREDIENTS
Another thing is that you shouldn't have to cut the fruit & vegetables up too much before processing them in your machine. I quarter my apples and break celery stalks in half but I use whole baby carrots and frozen produce with no trouble. In fact if that bunch of bananas is ripening too quickly to eat I simply peel and place them in a zip lock freezer bag. You can add them and other fruits and vegetables fully frozen to your machine.  You can use frozen blueberries, strawberries, peaches, kale, etc. which will be quite handy kept in your freezer.

PROTEIN POWDERS
My smoothies are actually a mini meal for me.  I usually drink one after my morning workout or bicycle ride as a recovery drink.  So to get the most out of my smoothie, I add a scoop of protein powder. I like berries a lot so if I'm making a smoothie with dried cranberries,(see lead photo), I'll add some Acai Berry Blast Protein Energizer by Rainbow Light.
Each scoop gives me 14 grams of brown rice protein (no bloaty soy), added fiber, digestive enzymes and antioxidants. It is sweetened naturally with Stevia so you only get less than 1 gram of sugar per serving. If I'm in a mocha mood, their chocolate version is so delicious and satisfying.  I often add some coconut and sunflower seed butter to some almond milk and add in a scoop of the Chocolate Protein Energizer.  Kind of like drinking a Reeses!  It makes a great after school snack or pick-me-up for the afternoon doldrums.

Chocolate and Acai Berry Protein Energizers can be added to whole food smoothies.

  
THE MIX
To avoid lumps and un-blended fruit and vegetable pieces, I load no more than two cups of water, ice and produce into the machine. I go from low then quickly blend up to the highest speed.  When it looks slushy but uniform in color, I add extra water and ice to get it to the drinkable consistency I want. If you store it in the refrigerator, use an air tight stainless steel water bottle and shake before drinking. The natural pulp will rise to the top after a while but shaking will mix it back in.

So these are just a few secrets I've learned to making nutritious, delicious blender smoothies every time.  It is easy to get your 5-6 serving of fruits and vegetables each day this way and as an added bonus, the VitaMix is self cleaning.  Just add a drop of dish detergent, fill with water, cap and whirl. A machine that is self-cleaning means you WILL use it, thus getting the full benefit of raw foods in your daily diet.

  

Cool Protein Shakes to Go

Rainbow Light Acai Protein Energizer & Stay Fit EZ Freeze Protein Shaker

Sometimes mornings can be hectic.  You may not always have the luxury of being able to leisurely sip your favorite smoothie.  When pressed for time or just want something light to drink on the road, I mix up a Rainbow Light Protein Energizer.  It has whey and 14 grams brown rice protein plus a lot of antioxidants and a bit of fiber.  Rainbow Light Protein Energizers contain NO soy, gluten, dairy or added sugar.  Combined with the Stay Fit EZ Freeze Protein Shaker, I have an instant breakfast that stays totally chilly until I have time to drink it.  Just pop the bottom of the Protein Shaker in the freezer, fill and go.

Stay Fit Protein Shaker keeps your shake cold for hours

If you have natural food based ingredients in your shake, spoilage is always going to be a problem.  Not so with the Protein Shaker.  Take it with you on your walk or to the gym...it will be chilling for you.  There is a little knob to secure the drink spout lid so you can chug way.  The top and bottom half twist off for easy cleaning.  It's like having a little cooler for your protein shake. Here are some Protein Shaker Features:

• BPA Free
• Non-toxic freezer gel keeps it cold & fresh
• Perfect for meal replacement drinks
• Simply freeze, fill & go
• Holds 10 oz liquid
• Graduated measurement up to 8 ozs

Super Chocolate Protein Shake 

Studies have shown that athletes who had chocolate milk recover faster than those who drank other beverages.  You can ditch the extra fat and sugar but amp up the antioxidants and flavor with MY delicious chocolate protein shake recipe:

1 Cup low fat milk (you can substitute almond or rice milk)

1 Scoop Rainbow Light Chocolate Protein Energizer

1/2 Teaspoon Cocoa or instant coffee

1/2 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract

2 ice cubes

Throw everything into the pre-chilled Protein Shaker and SHAKE!  That's it.  No blender, no mixing, no lumps.  On days that I have a bit of time, I will add home made Almond Milk and or Sunbutter Sunflower Seed Spread to this recipe by way of my VitaMix power blender.  The raw almonds and Sunbutter add extra protein, Omega 3 fatty acids and nutrition while keeping you feeling fuller a bit longer.  Even better... it's absolutely DELICIOUS!  Check out The New Woman's Herbal & Nutritional Guide for even more healthy eating tips & recipes.

The New Woman's Herbal & Nutritional Guide available now at Amazon.com