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Vegan Bites:
Soy Nog & Inflatable Reindeer, Oh My!
by Hope Matthews, from the December 2005 newsletter
It is the holiday season again! Many stores start whipping out their decorations mere hours after Halloween, so it may be hard to suppress the feeling that this time of year has more to do with inflatable reindeer and frazzled clerks than family, solstice, and spirituality. Even though I can’t help but roll my eyes as I’m inundated by commercially-tweaked Christmas tunes while aimlessly rushing through the mall, this is my favorite time of year.
I love the candles, gaudy colors, and smell of pumpkin pie. Since most of us are on vacation for Hanukkah, Solstice, Kwanzaa, or Christmas, it is a wonderful time of year to call an old friend and enjoy time uninterrupted with family. For those of you (I fall into this category) who are not religiously oriented, you can still designate a day/week to create your own traditions. There are so many folks bustling around giddily this time of year, I enjoy partaking in the seasonal joy and celebrating the end of another great year with my family.
As a vegetarian, however, celebrating with others can seem difficult, as most get-togethers are centered around food. Certain meals evoke memories and perpetuate time-honored rituals, so Uncle John might not quite understand why you decline the New Years’ pig and kraut. Cookies, pies, turkeys and hams, mashed potatoes, sausage and cheese platters, dips and chips, etc., etc. Explaining and defending one’s choice not to eat certain foods (meat, dairy, etc.) becomes tiresome and can put a damper on the festive cheer. However, I have a few suggestions that may help.
First, create new traditions at home and among friends while simultaneously maintaining time-honored ones. For example, put a spin on something seasonally conventional—my Soy Nog has become a holiday staple (and no one needs to know that it is vegan but you). Second, invite guests to your home for dinner—that way you can control what is being served without controversy. However, keep their needs in mind as well. Third, if you are invited to a meal bring 2 or 3 dishes that are not generally vegan. For example, if Grandma is cooking baked turnips and Aunt Julie fixing salad (dishes that are most likely vegan), you should bring dishes that usually contain meat or dairy and veganize them. For example, cook dairy-free mashed potatoes or tofu pumpkin pie. That way you won’t sorely stick out as the only guest at the table with a lump of peas on his/her plate and nothing else.
Although I have gotten some flack from family and friends by refusing something as simple as turkey gravy in the past, eventually they got used to my ‘veggie’ gravy. Usually, a meat eater or two actually finds themselves curious and puts a bit on their mashed potatoes. So, here’s to celebrating diversity, affinity, & Soy Nog this December! Happy Holidays!
Chewy Oat & Choco-chip Cookies
7/8 cup safflower oil or sunflower oil
1 cup light brown sugar
2/3 cup soy milk
3/4 cup honey
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
1 cup white flour
3 cups rolled oats
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. sea salt
1 cup carob chips or Enjoylife semisweet chocolate chips (vegan)
2/3 cup raisins
Beat brown sugar, oil, honey, milk, and vanilla until smooth in a large mixing bowl. Next, add the rest of the ingredients gradually, mixing well throughout.
Set the oven at 350- 375 degrees, depending on your oven. Very lightly grease a cookie sheet with Spectrum Vegetable Shortening. Roll the mixture into 1 1/2” - 2” balls and place on cookie sheet. Flatten the cookie dough balls with the palm of your hands (damp palms prevent sticking) to a little less than 1/2’” thick. Bake for about 18-20 minutes or until bottoms of cookies are lightly browned. Gently remove cookies from sheet and cool on a cooking rack. Makes about 2- 2 1/2 dozen largish cookies. My son really loved these! These are somewhat dense, so enjoy with lots of rice/soy/almond milk.
2 cups soy milk
2 ounces tofu, silken (Mori-Nu is good)
1 medium-sized banana
3 tsp. vanilla
2 tsp. nutmeg
1 tablespoon maple syrup
2 tsp. cinnamon
6 shots rum or 1 tsp. rum extract
Add ingredients to blender. Blend for 3 minutes. Chill for 1 hour, then quickly blend for 10 seconds before serving if you like it kind of foamy. Sprinkle a dash of nutmeg after pouring into glasses. Makes about 3 servings. Yum!
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