Vegan Holiday Turkey

Vegan Holiday Turkey

There are 7.3 million vegetarians who will be celebrating Thanksgiving day. So I'm giving them something to celebrate. Some vegans/vegetarians tend to make an exception on the holidays, and eat turkey. It's only once or twice a year right? Well, it's time to stop making excuses and start making your own vegan turkey! 

Here is a special recipe video to enjoy this holiday season. This is a great alternative to having turkey for your holiday meal. It's a simple recipe to make, but tastes amazing. Even non-vegan and vegetarians will love this as well.

This is SO much better than the ones you can buy in stores, plus everyone will be impressed at your amazing cooking skills once they taste it. So go ahead, impress those taste buds, and make your own vegan turkey this holiday.

Ingredients:

2 1/2 c. vital gluten flour

1/2 c. nutritional yeast flakes

1 tsp thyme

1/2 tsp rubbed sage

1 tsp onion powder

1 tsp salt

2 tsp McKay's Chick'n seasoning (optional)

2 c. vegetable broth

1/4 c. olive oil

1 Tbsp soy sauce

Puff Pastry (vegan)

Instructions:

In a mixing bowl add all dry ingredients and stir. In another bowl add all liquid ingredients. Combine both dry and wet ingredients and with a spoon or hand, until it is mixed well. Form into a loaf with your hands. Unwrap the cheese cloth and place the loaf on the cheese cloth. Roll up the cheese cloth, and place string on the ends to hold the loaf in the cheese cloth. 

In a pot fill with water, enough to cover the loaf, and bring to a boil. Place loaf in a pot of boiling water. Make sure it is enough water to keep the loaf the entire time. Once you place the loaf in the bowling water, bring the heat down to a medium-high heat. Leave in water for 50-60 minutes. Remove loaf with tongs. Allow it to cool off and then remove the cheese cloth.

You can serve the loaf like this or add puff pastry to the outside of the loaf, to make it look more like a turkey. Roll out the puff pastry and wrap the loaf in it. Brush on olive oil on the top of the puff pastry to help brown it. Place the loaf in the oven at 400 degrees for 20-25 minutes, or until you see that it is golden brown. 

Serve and enjoy!  

Leftovers? It makes the perfect sandwich when you slice it thin. Homemade is always best made. 

Enjoy your Thanksgiving day, and remember there is truly so much to be thankful for, no matter what we may be going through. God bless!

How To Avoid Weight Gain This Holiday Season

It's that time of year again. As much as we love the holiday season, we tend to love it too much. Our stomach and thighs don't seem appreciate it as much as our tongue does. The season where the average person gains 5-8 pounds during the holidays. That's 5-8 pounds! Can you imagine?!

We tend to eat and drink more during the holiday season, and exercise far less. It's time to switch that around, and exercise more and eat healthfully. 

I've put together a video of 7 tips to help you avoid the dreaded holiday weight gain, while still being able to enjoy yourself. 

Watch this video, your jeans will thank you come January! 

Be proactive! Make the decision to commit to being healthy this holiday season. Health is not by chance, it is by choice. The choice is yours each day. By this time next year what would you like to achieve? 

Just remember to allow yourself to be a beginner, because no one starts off being excellent. Ask yourself if what you're doing today is getting you closer to where you want to be tomorrow.

This time next year you will be glad you started.

Super Moist Pumpkin Bread

Pumpkin Bread

Fall is all about pumpkin! I'm never one to neglect my pumpkin duties during the fall, so I figured I would share a couple of my favorite fall recipes with ya'll. This one is one I made up a couple of weeks ago, when I was going to make a different dessert for Saturday, but didn't have the right ingredients. It turned out wonderful and super moist! 

Find out how to replace eggs when baking!

Watch video for recipe!

Benefits of Pumpkin:

Pumpkin is a part of the squash family. Pumpkins are rich in provitamin A and antioxidant flavonoids. It helps prevent arteriosclerosis and cancer. Since they are rich in potassium and low in sodium, it acts to prevent hypertension and its negative consequences (arterial blood clots and stroke).

It is a good source of beta-carotene, which is beneficial to the loss of visual acuity or vision disorders originating in the retina.

It is 1 of the 3 of the most effective, proven anti-carcinogenic vegetables, since it contains beta-carotene, vitamin C and vegetable fiber.

It is a mild laxative, along with its soothing cation on the digestive tract. It is suggested for constipation.

If you make this recipe please take a picture of you with the final product so I can share it with others. Enjoy the pumpkin season! 

Protein for Vegans

Protein for Vegans

So often I'm confronted about the need of protein on a vegan/vegetarian diet, and I hear about how difficult it is to find it in plant based foods. I decided I would make a video of some of the plant based foods that contain protein. So please stop thinking that vegans do not get enough protein in our diet, because we do. Protein is one of the macronutrients, which means it's in most foods. Protein, carbohydrates, and fat are what make up the majority our foods. Take one away, and you'll have problems. Increase one too much, and you'll have problems. 

 How often do we hear about people who are sick due to low protein? If so, it's usually because they are not consuming enough calories, and therefore lacking in protein and other nutrients. We typically hear the opposite, people who are sick because of too much protein in the diet. Protein is the new craze, and if you're not using protein powder then there must be something wrong with you. Don't get me started! The protein powder is a billion dollar industry! 

Too much protein can cause kidney issues, liver problems, damage to the lining of the arteries (which leads to plaque build up), and can cause other health issues as well. Please watch the video, and realize how much protein we needs, what plant foods contain protein, and also then you might quit asking me how I can get enough protein on a vegan diet. :)

So don't ask me about my protein, and I won't ask you about your cholesterol. 

Pumpkin Cheesecake

Pumpkin Cheesecake

I love when fall rolls around because that means it's pumpkin time! This is my 9 year old nephews favorite dessert, and has been ever since he was old enough to eat it.

This is a great recipe to cut out some of the fat and calories from the original Pumpkin Cheesecake. Check it out and let me know what you think.

Watch video for Pumpkin Cheesecake recipe!

Benefits of Pumpkin:

Pumpkin is a part of the squash family. Pumpkins are rich in provitamin A and antioxidant flavonoids. It helps prevent arteriosclerosis and cancer. Since they are rich in potassium and low in sodium, it acts to prevent hypertension and its negative consequences (arterial blood clots and stroke).
It is a good source of beta-carotene, which is beneficial to the loss of visual acuity or vision disorders originating in the retina.
It is 1 of the 3 of the most effective, proven anti-carcinogenic vegetables, since it contains beta-carotene, vitamin C and vegetable fiber.
It is a mild laxative, along with its soothing cation on the digestive tract. It is suggested for constipation.