Thanksgiving Recipe Testing

The weekend has come and gone again! I can't believe Thanksgiving is almost a week away! Where does the time go?

Anyway, on Saturday we went to the shore to visit my family and in laws. It was a gross rainy day. T and I went to lunch with my sister (sorry no pics, I had a vegan lentil soup and small salad with hummus). Then visited my grandparents, parents and went to my favorite health food store. I picked up some of my favorite snacks: Livin' Spoonful Raw Pesto Pumpkin Seed Crackers and Gopal's Raw Nori Power Wraps.
Last week in my co-op I got a bag of organic cranberries. I wanted to test some Thanksgiving ideas so I made them along with a gluten free vegan stuffing for dinner last night. They both came out great and I will be making them for Thanksgiving. Here are the recipes if you want to try them out:

Lauren's Raw Cranberry Relish:

1 cup cranberries
1 orange peeled if not organic
1/2 a lemon peeled
Handful of walnuts (about 15?)
5-6 tbsp. agave (to your preference, I like mine more sweet then bitter)

Throw everything in a food processor and mix until just crushed. You want it to have texture and be a little chunky.

Serves: 4

Lauren's Gluten Free/Vegan Stuffing:
(I don't measure, so use discretion)

5-6 slices of Gluten free bread (or Whole Wheat if you want vegan stuffing instead of gluten free/vegan)
4 stalks of celery
3/4 cup of chopped carrots
2 cups of Vegetable Broth
2 Onions
5 cloves Garlic
About a handful of parsley
Olive oil
White Wine (or I use soy free miso)
1/2 cup of mushrooms
Salt and pepper (to preference)
Thyme
Handful of raisins
About 15 walnuts

Preheat oven at 400. Slice bread into small cubes coat with olive oil and season with salt, pepper and thyme . Place on a lined cookie sheet and bake for 20 min (or until golden and soft, not crispy). Turn occasionally. While the bread is cooking, coat a pan on medium heat with olive oil. Add onion and garlic and cook until translucent. Add carrots and celery and cook for about 10 min. Add mushrooms, cook until soft and remove. Remove bread from oven and add to a mixing bowl. Add about a cup of broth on top (or enough to soften). Add vegetable mixture and a little more broth. Add raisins and chopped walnuts, stir. Add white wine, pepper, thyme, parsley and salt (if needed). Pour everything into a casserole dish and cook in oven at 350 for about 30-45 minutes. Check on it occasionally. You want the top to be crispy not burnt. Place fork in the middle when close to done to see if ready. Enjoy!

Number of Servings: 4-6

We had dinner at my mother in laws house on Saturday and she made Vegan Peanut Butter Cups from the book The Kind Diet. We brought two home to have on Sunday, these were out of this world amazing!!! So rich and delicious, you only need half of one to feel content (of course why stop at half when you can have a whole!). He he!

Have a nice week everyone!