a vegan thanksgiving

Kudos to Rick, pictured above, for organizing another vegan thanksgiving feast (this was a fundraising effort to help rebuild schools destroyed by the tsunami in India). Though my own cooking techniques and recipes have accidentally turned vegan, I must admit I was a bit sketchy about trying other people's concoctions. So this was another "first" for me, but as it turns out I was MORE than impressed by the delicious dishes prepared by everyone. Of course Rick's main dishes and desserts took the cake. It was as close to the real thing as I could get!

The buffet had a different menu, as you may imagine. For those of you not down on your diet lingo---vegan means NO meat and NO dairy (butter, eggs and milk) and NO animal byproducts. Alternatives and replacements include soy fillintheblank, tofu younameit and many veggies. Cooking non-vegan stuff is still challenging cos I can't read the labels or directions, so I haven't a clue how to modify it to suit vegan tastebuds. I ended up making something up on the fly....I lighly fried a bunch of sweet potatoes, apples and onions. Then doused it all with a bit of cinnamon. Simple, cheap, healthy and surprisingly delicious---just my style!

Must give Rick (a former chef in his earlier years) credit for all of his hard work. Rick made stuffing--with REAL wild rice from the Midwest. He found some American Indian recipes and really authenticized the feast with diverse dishes and unique spices that awakened my senses to somethign other than seaweed and fish. We had cornbread pudding, an "oatmeal-esque" mixture that you drink from a cup, barbeque tofu steak, real cranberry sauce, pumpkin bread/like crepes, REAL pumpking and chocolate pecan pie AND a chiffon cake. There were also a host of Japanese dishes, salads and sushi, but I'm sorry Japan pals---Thanksgiving is not a day we celebrate with fish eggs and crustracean genitalia. Because our feast was made completely from scratch and with little or no preservatives, I dont feel UNcomfortable stuffed or tired--even better, I don't feel guilty about what I ate! Now THAT is a first....!!!

Having the opportunity to eat foods like this is such a treat...no pun intended! Kinda funny to see hashi being used to eat pumpkin pie and cake! Just thought it was an interesting picture that shoes the blending of two cultures...however, food transcends all language barriers!

Hello to Akiko-san, who I met tonite! Loved your chiffon cake the best! Yoku dekimashita!

Huge thanks again to Rick for hosting a super party! Your cooking is incredible and totally made my nite! Thanks again! Safe travels to India and best of luck helping rebuild a part of their community! Take care of yourself! Adios!