Finally, Halloween is behind us and we can move on to the anticipation of my favorite holiday: Thanksgiving!
I will spend this month poring over my cookbooks and food blogs and buying every food magazine (still in print) to plan the perfect Thanksgiving meal. The day of Thanksgiving we'll spend with J's family, but I always cook my own separate Thanksgiving dinner at some point during the weekend because, well, I like my Thanksgiving best.
In preparation for all the holiday eating, I'm doing a month-long (well, until Thanksgiving anyway) Almost-Vegan Challenge. For the next several weeks I'll be planning meatless meals and sharing those recipes with you. If you have any favorite vegetarian or vegan recipes, I'd be delighted to know them!
Here's what I'm thinking for the week:
Monday: Lentil soup, salad, breadsticks, Earth Balance spread, and honey
Tuesday (from The Conscious Cook): Cajun portobello mushroom burgers with avocado and remoulade
Wednesday (from The Conscious Cook): Mediterranean chick pea wraps
Thursday (from the The Conscious Cook): Pasta with tomatoes, olives, and Swiss chard
Friday Family Movie night with friends if my girls are healthy
Saturday (date night)
Sunday (based on a recipe from the The Conscious Cook): Creamy polenta topped with grilled veggies and paprika creme (made from cashews)
One of things I have to do this week is prepare the cashew creme which can be used as a cheese or thick sour cream/yogurt/creme fraiche substitute. Another thing I'd like to do is find a source for Gardein, a chicken- or meat-like protein product that Tal Ronnen mentions a lot. My local Whole Foods carries prepared Gardein products (kebabs, and stuffed "cutlets," but I'd like to find unadorned Gardein. It sounds fascinating.
What are cooking this week? Anyone care to join my almost-vegan challenge? ;-)
