Gluten Free, Vegan Thanksgiving Feast with a Sicky

Happy Canadian Thanksgiving! I am “celebrating” with a cold. I either caught it at work, the doctor’s office/lab, rehearsal or the subway – all are definite possibilities. I haven’t had a cold in more than a year so I guess I was due. Being sick means that I can play the cute “sick” card and ask Joey to do things for me. He’s so sweet that he actually obliges.

Despite feeling like a snuffleupagus,  I spent hours in the kitchen yesterday making a Thanksgiving feast! I started to make a video, but got so caught up in the kitchen that I didn’t get past the first segment. I did however take pictures.

I filled in at a WW meeting in the morning and on the way home I picked up some Ener-G egg replacer Apparently I wasn’t alone in my desire to bake as I had to go to three different stores to find it! I normally use flax + water or applesauce to replace eggs in my recipes, but the recipe specifically called for this product and I didn’t have time for a test run. I was very happy to find it!

I added it to the bowl in my pink KitchenAid mixerTo make thisGluten-free vegan pumpkin pie! It turned out so beautifully, I couldn’t have been happier.(Worth the search for the egg replacer!) I had originally planned to make a gluten free crust and then do a vegan filling, but was very overwhelmed by all the other things I was making, so I decided that a one-stop-shop would be a lot easier.

My dad and brother arrived with beautiful flowersSo sweet! My dad and brother are so lovely and we have such a nice time when they come over to visit. They are so easy going and I always laugh a lot when they’re around. All of my hard work paid off around 5:30Spinach salad (spinach, red onion, cucumber, cranberries and pecans), squash, asparagus, mashed potatoes and tempeh loaf with punkrock chickpea gravy from VWAV (I used 1/8 c. sorghum flour, 1/8 c. buckwheat flour & 1 tbsp tapioca starch in place of the all-purpose flour). I also made a regular meatloaf for the boys (ESBM recipe). I followed my own advice and filled half my plate up with veggies, and let my brother finish off my mashed potatoes. Everyone enjoyed the meal immensely. Joey was skeptical about the gravy, but actually went back for seconds. Pie was a perfect end to a delicious meal We will be enjoying leftovers today. It was a beautiful day with some of my favourite people in my life.

I am going to take advantage of the long weekend by getting some things done around the house as well as focusing on getting better! I recognize the need to take care of myself and plan to do just that by hanging out in bed and memorizing Annie lines.

In my illness, I nearly forgot to announce the winner of my tea giveaway!! Thank you to each and every one of you for making this my most successful giveaway yet!! The winner is…

THE ACTORS DIET i love chai!!!

Congratulations Lynn & Christy! Please send me an email (wwleaderashley@gmail.com) with your mailing address so I can send you your goodies.

And don’t forget if you’re in Toronto, you can go to Wild Earth Bakery (2142 Queen Street East) between now and Saturday October 31, 2009 and mention the code dancing through life, to receive a free cookie!