Vegan for a Day

Katy, I am making it happen!!

Many of you probably don’t realize that November is National Vegan Month (hehe, there’s an extra little shout out for Cali!).  Now, I think that’s just Canada, but maybe it’s the US too because a lot of folks have been trying out veganism around the blogosphere lately.  Maybe it’s just a coincidence?  Either way, I’m happy to be a part of the Vegan Challenge that Katy and Michelle have painstakingly put together.

In fact, those two girls are tackling a whole week of veganism. #veganweek for you Tweeps.  Follow along.  I have been!

Katy and I share a similar love of bacon, burgers, and all things meaty so I’m truly enjoying her posts about how it’s going so far.  When the gals included the option to try being vegan for a day I was totally sold on the idea!  I mean, half the time I am inadvertently vegetarian anyway so this wouldn’t really be that far of a stretch.

Except…FH is home.  And he made plans to host guests for dinner tonight.  And serve steaks or his homemade meaty spaghetti.  Doh!  I was sad that I might not be able to tackle vegan day.  But it has all worked out!  The one guest is still coming and they are still having the spaghetti, but I’m bringing myself a wicked salad from the salad bar at Pete’s Frootique.  Win, win!

So without further ado…My Vegan Day begins!

First swap-out…unsweetened vanilla Almond Breeze instead of creamer in my coffee.  Hardly a crime.  I lurve almond milk and use it when I run out of milk and creamer anyway.  Besides, it’s about a gazillion less calories anyway!

Breakfast…no swaps needed.  I just went with the tried and true banana oatmeal, which I make with the almond milk anyway so this was a no-brainer.

In the pot: 1/2 cup unsweetened vanilla Almond Breeze, 1/2 cup water, 1/3 cup oats, 1 very small banana, 2 heaping tsp flax meal, sprinkle of raisins

On top:  more raisins, pumpkin seeds, scoop of all natural organic peanut butter

Deeeeeeelish.

I see Amazing Grass, fruit, hummus, and a whole lotta veggies in my future!

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This probably isn’t the best place to mention last night’s dinner…let’s call it ironic…Turkey Burgers!!  These are hands down one of our favorite meals and I haven’t made them in forever (seriously!  I had to go back to Oct-08 to find the recipe on the blog!)…but the leftover old white cheddar reminded me of the recipe so I put it on the meal plan for the week.  They never disappoint!

I’m reprinting the recipe here so it’s easy to find. (The search function has been buggered ever since I changed my domain.)

Rachel Ray Turkey Burgers

• 1 lb extra lean ground turkey (or chicken if that's your thing)
• 2-3 green onions, chopped
• 4 oz extra old white cheddar, crumbled (light cheddar does NOT work the same)
• eyeballed handful of grill seasoning (like Montreal Steak Spice)
• 2 tbsp horseradish
• 4 buns
• grainy mustard
• optional: mayo, tomato, lettuce, etc.

Note: these have to be grilled on a Foreman or some such appliance (or in a frying pan) because if you cook them on a regular BBQ type grill, the cheese just drips through the grates and is lost.

• Preheat grill.
• Mix together (with your hands people!) the meat, onions, cheese, seasoning & horseradish. Divide into four even balls and form into patties.
• Grill (3-4 minutes per side).
• The original recipe recommends cranberry sauce and the grainy mustard. We use light mayo and the grainy mustard, and top ours with tomato slices (and lettuce if we have it).

That's it! So yummmm!

Last night’s were served minus the mustard because I totally forgot!  And with a simple spinach salad dressed with Balsamic Vinaigrette.  Deeeeeelish.