Thanksgiving Road Trip
This year we are heading to my sister's farm in Middleburg, VA – about 5 hours from Rye, NY (on Thanksgiving morning make that 6 hours). That means a road-tip. Dust off the van (new tires!), load it with food for the trip and food and wine for the visit, and add my almost 90-year-old mother, and our 30-something son and daughter.
Now for the road trip food. Since we are leaving at 6:30 am, driving through Manhattan to pick up one passenger, and then hitting the GW bridge, we will need breakfast, snacks and beverages. This is a snacking group – so lots of snacks.
Breakfast:
Whole Wheat and Everything bagels fresh from the bakery (picked up on the way). Spread with our own version of veggie cream cheese (Tofutti Cream cheese with chopped fresh herbs, tiny dices of scallions, celery, carrot, cucumber) or with whipped sweet potatoes.
Mini-Crustless Tofu Quiches courtesy of Fat Free Vegan.
Arnold's Whole-Wheat Sandwich Rounds (low-calorie, high-fiber) with almond butter and lo-sugar, fruit only strawberry spread.
Vegan Muffins
Snacks:
Hummus with pretzel crisps and toasted pita wedges.
Nuts! almonds, pecans, walnuts
Trail Mix
Fresh Popcorn – sprinkled with a crunchy salt substitute and/or Old Bay Seasoning
Beverages:
Thermoses of hot coffee and green tea, and a cooler with Water – plain & flavored – and Iced tea
Traveling on a Whole-Foods Plant-Based Diet
As a passionate traveler, cruising boater, writer and cook, I find that food always takes center stage. Searching out local markets, discovering healthy, flexible restaurants and figuring out how to take enough provisions through security to manage a twelve-hour flight seem to percolate right to the top.
Managing a plant-based diet while traveling can be a job in itself – because we really do love to eat. When we are cruising on our boat, or a on a charter yacht, at least we have a galley – although finding ingredients in far flung ports can be challenging (that’s half the fun). But when we’re traveling by car or air and staying in hotels, often on assignment or at a meeting or convention, the challenges once greater are now moderating. In the decade we’ve been eating plant-based, so much has changed. Plant-based eating has gone mainstream. We will always seek out the top one or two vegan restaurants in a new city or port to experience that chef’s perspective and learn something new – and also to relax with the knowledge that everything on that menu works for us without any questions. The rest of the time, we generally manage quite well in regular eateries. These days there’s almost always a dish or two on the menu that if not totally plant-based, can usually be slightly modified. And if there isn’t, all we have to do is ask! “Vegetable forward” seems to be the phrase of the day
The problems we’ve encountered, the solutions we’ve devised, the research we’ve done, the food we’ve eaten, the books we’ve read, the documentaries we’ve viewed, the courses we’ve taken and and the adventures we’ve experienced are the main threads of this blog. Hopefully many readers will share their own adventures – and their solutions as well.
Plant-Based Dishes for an Out-of-Town Family Thanksgiving
This year we are all headed to Virginia for a big traditional family Thanksgiving – with a turkey, lots of cream sauces, gravies, and buttered everything. So the goal is to volunteer dishes that we can eat – that everyone else will enjoy – without creating a completely two-track meal that might undermine the feeling of togetherness.
Here's the plan:
We love the crudites platter, Brussel sprouts, sweet potatoes, stuffing (not cooked in the bird), green beans, rutabagas, and apple pie that are on the menu. But we can't eat the turkey, creamed onions, gravy, buttered, creamy mashed potatoes, and candied sweet potatoes. So, to round out the menu, we have offered to bring:
Appetizers:
Muhammara – Red Pepper & Walnut Dip – use just two tbs. of oil
Sun Dried Tomato Hummus – Dehydrated tomatoes with chick peas
with pita wedges & rice crackers
Entrees:Vegan bechamel sauce for the creamed onions (two identical-looking bowls)
Plant-based Mushroom gravy (two gravy boats) – use half the suggested vegan margarine
Roasted Herbed Root Vegetables (three kinds of winter squash, fingerling potatoes, parsnips, carrots, beets, sweet potatoes, turnips) with Curried Cauliflower(roasted separately and sprinkled on top)
Mashed Potatoes made with a ricer, chives and soy milk
And a Tofurky – even thought they are a bit grim and funny looking ….
And, for the day after, the ingredients for a big vat of lentil soup and cream of broccoli soup, plus baked tofu slices, fruit, and more veggie sandwich spreads.
Should be a wonderful day!!