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Vegetarian Thanksgiving Made Easy

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Are you searching for some ideas to make an Easy Vegetarian Thanksgiving this year? Recently we were thinking about different ideas to make our meal a bit more  Vegan and Vegetarian -diet friendly this year.

Think about it… so much of Thanksgiving is about all these crazy-good side dishes and so many of them are vegetable based ~ including many yummy desserts, right.. 🙂

Some ideas to consider for an Easy  Vegetarian Thanksgiving:

  • mashed potatoes
  • baked sweet potatoes
  • Brussels sprouts roasted with nuts and cranberries
  • roasted turnips and parsnips (my family’s favorite)
  • rolls and butter
  • cranberry sauce

butternut squash, carrots, acorn squash…. the list could go on and on….

One easy idea is to just substitute Trader Joe’s Hearty Vegetable Stock for Chicken stock in many recipes… that would be a great and flavorful addition to mashed potatoes, soup or stuffing.

To keep is super easy check out the fresh and frozen sections of the store. Trader Joe’s has some delicious  side dishes that would be perfect for a vegetarian Thanksgiving…  Here I am thinking of the 4 cheese au gratin potatoes, or their new one that is a creamy potato and spinach combo (had a sample of that one last week- yummmooo).

Recently at Trader Joe’s we we talking (and sampling coffee and ginger biscotti pieces- YUM) and the friendly Trader Joe’s employees were talking about…. Tofurkey!

Once an item of legend… now the Tofurkey has arrived and is on the shelf at Trader Joe’s stores ~ At least the one that we shop at in Kansas City.  No one who was working  that day had ever tried this unusual item… but they noted that a LOT of customers were purchasing the faux birds.

So I thought I would mention this  just in case it might round out your Vegetarian Thanksgiving table.

Do you enjoy Tofurkey? What are you serving for your Easy Vegetarian Thanksgiving??

Share in the comments below or on Facebook …. have a GREAT DAY!

Vegan Thanksgiving Recipes

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We have been receiving a LOT of emails (thanks everyone! ) from readers who are interested in some vegan Thanksgiving recipes that they can add to their collection. Now while neither of us are vegans or full time vegetarians for that matter, we did find some really nice websites that are full of delicious sounding and great looking vegan recipes that you can add to your menu for Thanksgiving or any meal really.

Vegan Dad     http://vegandad.blogspot.com/

VegWeb    http://vegweb.com/

The V Word  http://theveeword.blogspot.com/

MouthwateringVegan  http://mouthwateringvegan.com/

Don’t you just LOVE the look of this blog? Great header!!

Like I said we are not vegans or even full time vegetarians for that matter, but we are heading in that direction… we are eating less and less meat and enjoying more salads, cooked and raw vegetables, nuts  and lovely fresh fruits (right now we are just enjoying those Honey Crisp apples- what about you?) I am glad that we checked out what was out on the internet for Vegan Thanksgiving Recipes as I am very happy with what we saw and I am planning to try many of them soon!

Are you planning a Vegan Thanksgiving? What are you making/ serving? Share below or on Facebook~ Thanks!

 

 

How to Make Raw Almond Milk With the Vitamix

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Are you interested in learning How to make Raw Almond Milk at home quickly and easily? Then keep reading to learn just how simple this whole process can take. Almond milk is a healthy and tasty substitute for dairy milk that you can make quickly and easily at home with the Vitamix. The Vitamix makes creamy and delicious almond milk in less than 5 minutes.  We normally enjoy our almond milk on our morning oatmeal or cold cereal.  But it can be used in baking or even making French toast. Try it anyplace that you enjoy dairy milk.

Click HERE to Get FREE shipping on your Vitamix

We also like the flexibility of making our Almond milk at home. This way we can make the amount that we need, we can avoid any unwanted preservatives, and, as we are shopping at Trader Joe’s, enjoy a high quality end product.

But I am sure that I don’t have to sell you on all the benefits of enjoying raw almond milk.

Let’s get started making Raw Almond Milk quickly and easily at home.

What You Need:

  • ¼ to ½  Cup Trader Joe’s Raw Almonds
  • 2 Cups  Water

Optional Ingredients: Vanilla, honey or Agave syrup

How To:

1. Pour  2 cups of water into the Vitamix blender. Add the amount of raw almonds that you wish to use. We like to use ½ cup of raw almonds to 2 cups of water. This makes thick, rich almond milk.  Experiment here and see  what you like the best.

2. Start the Vitamix on low and quickly increase to high speed. Let the almonds and water process until you can’t hear any “chunks” of almonds anymore and the container just starts to get warm. This is where we stop, so that we don’t wind up cooking the almonds.

3. Pour into a glass jar and it is ready to use. We like the almond milk cold, so we try to make sure that we make the almond milk the day before we need it.

Variations:

We like to add a drop or two of vanilla to the almond milk. You can also add a bit of Trader Joe’s honey or Agave syrup if you like.

Here is a short video of me making raw almond milk in the Vitamix (check out my crazy hair… can anyone say “haircut time Kris”?? :

So now that you know How to Make Raw Almond Milk at home quickly and easily.  We hope you get a chance to enjoy some soon.

Have you checked out the Vitamix yet? 

This super blender might be just what you need to reach your health goals.

Click HERE to Get FREE shipping on your Vitamix

Vitamix: Tropical Smoothie Today

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Are you ready to expand your smoothie -making skills?  Are you ready to start experimenting with new and more exotic flavors? Then get ready today to try a  Vitamix Tropical Smoothie!

Click HERE to Get FREE shipping on your Vitamix

As you know we have been making, sipping and just plain enjoying all the wonderful smoothies that we are making in the Vitamix this summer. Some of our more successful smoothies (and the ones that we have shared here) include:

Each smoothie, even though they are very different flavors, all have one thing in common- they are cool and smooth and “creamy” thanks to the power of the Vitamix.

Trader Joe's Tropical Smoothie

Trader Joe's Tropical Smoothie

Well today we got a bit creative, thanks to an impromptu run to Trader Joe’s.  Our Tucson store is practically overflowing with rip wonderful summer fruits, almost irresistible really!

But when we zipped by the cantaloupes, we knew we were taking one home with us.  Once the fruit was in the cart, another item jumped out as we shopped: Trader Joe’s Light Coconut milk.

It was an A-HA moment for us in the store.

Once we were back, we diced up the fruit and added it to the blender along with Mango cubes, coconut milk, ice and water.  A little shot of Trader Joe’s Agave syrup at the end just balanced the sweet fruit with the more savory coconut milk.

Icy… Cool….Just the perfect afternoon pick- me -up! (next time we will think about the rum before we get back home)

What you need:

  • 1 Cup diced cantaloupe
  • 1/2 Cup Frozen Mango Cubes
  • 1/2 Cup Trader Joe’s coconut Milk
  • 1/2 Cup water
  • 4 Ice Cubes
  • Agave Syrup or Honey if you like

How to:

1. Combine all Tropical Smoothie ingredients in the Vitamix and blend until just smooth (about 30 seconds)

2. Taste and add Agave Syrup or honey if you like.

Finished Smoothies

Finished Smoothies

This Vitamix Tropical Smoothie was just perfect for a HOT Arizona afternoon. But like I said earlier…. We were wishing that perhaps some Rum was around to…you know…. test it out….. for the blog readers only…. (yeah, right!)

Have you checked out the Vita-Mix yet?  This super blender might be just what you need.

Click HERE to Get FREE shipping on your Vitamix