Giving Thanks

I'm admittedly a little late to the game (blame it on a case of computer aversion coinciding with lots of holiday projects), but this is the official recap of our Thanksgiving. It's also Vegan Dietitian's 100th post, all the more reason to spend a bit of time reflecting on the spirit of the season--gratitude.

But first--the food! We had a lovely Thanksgiving feast with some friends. This year, we were going for a "low-carbon" meal featuring mostly local ingredients. As one of our guests was gluten-intolerant, the meal was also gluten-free.

Despite our less-conventional dietary choices, we don't mess too much with tradition when it comes to holiday meals. The main dilemma for us revolved around the stuffing--we wanted the standard bread-based dish rather than a wild rice version. It was easy enough to substitute gluten-free bread from the Flying Apron Bakery, but the local aspect also posed a bit of an issue--where to find local celery? Luckily, I had a stroke of genius at the farmer's market and hunted down some celery root. It still had the stems attached; although they weren't quite as succulent as regular celery, they added a nice flavor to the dish when chopped into small bits. Other breaks with tradition included ditching the sweet potatoes (a warm-weather crop not to be found here in the Pacific Northwest), but they weren't even missed as our friends brought a lovely roasted squash dish. Further, it isn't exactly green bean season, so we opted instead for a mixture of winter greens. Paired with crispy shallots, they were one of the stars of the meal! We also stretched our "local" rules a little bit to allow for some cranberries from Oregon (not to mention the nuts, oils, spices and flours... so, our feast was about 80% local).

Here are a few photos from the day:

Starting the day off right with some Chinese tea

Our mischievous little munchkin (in a "vintage" dress from my youth)

Afternoon tea and snacks with guests: tamari-roasted pumpkin seeds, caramelized pecans, local apples and carrots, cinnamon roll cookies made from leftover pie dough, and lentil hummus.

The meal itself: Brett's Thanksgiving Tofu, roasted garlic mashed potatoes, mushroom gravy from Veganomicon featuring wild porcini mushrooms, gluten-free stuffing, braised greens, and cranberry sauce. Not pictured was the lovely roasted butternut squash dish our guests brought--oops!

After the meal

The desserts weren't the stars this year. Let's just say they didn't turn out as well as planned. They were edible, but not up to my usual standards! Now, let us never speak of them again.

One of my family's traditions has been to go around the table and have each person say one thing they were thankful for. When we were kids, of course, these reflections were not terribly profound (I seem to recall one of my sisters saying they were thankful for Jell-O... don't remember who it was, but I hope it wasn't me!). Now, though, the reasons for gratitude just keep on growing. So, for my 100th post, here are just a few things for which I am truly grateful.

I am thankful for all that I have: a loving, supportive family; a truly amazing husband; a happy and healthy daughter who fills each of our days with unbridled joy. A home that we can call our own, small and old and creaky as it may be. Jobs that are reasonably secure, that are flexible, that pay the bills, that give us health insurance, and (not least of all) that we enjoy doing. If there is one thing that the housing/economic crisis has taught us, it is the fragility of these things; all the more reason not to take them for granted.

I am thankful that we have the luxury of being able to choose the foods that we eat; that we have the option of being vegan and of eating lots of fresh, local, organic produce. Many people here in America and around the world are struggling just to make ends meet and to provide reasonably healthy foods to their families, and tragically, the cards are stacked against them. We like to think that we have so much choice when it comes to food, but unfortunately for many communities, the only real options for food shopping are fast food or convenience stores. I'm thankful that there has been much illumination lately about the food environment and inequalities in access to healthful foods, but there is still a long way to go. I am very thankful that our little family is doing what it can to support local farmers, to promote healthy eating habits and a love of food in our daughter, and to make the extra effort to sit down for family meals at least once a day.

On that note, I am thankful for all the farmers and workers who grow, harvest, and transport food to us. I am thankful that so many farmers are now seeing the many advantages of taking care of their land and soil (and their animals!), and are using more sustainable practices to grow food.

Moving away from food now... I am thankful for all the women who give up so much of their personal lives and who spend so many sleepless nights helping families to be born. A huge thank you to all the midwives and doulas out there! A year ago, I was filled with trepidation about giving birth... and now, when I look back on the intense and wondrous experience of it all, I am filled with nothing but happiness. I am thankful that I was surrounded by such love and support as I became a mother, and I wish that all mothers around the world--regardless of where or how they give birth--are respected fully in their choices and made to feel like the superstars that they are.

Lastly, I am thankful for the Internet, for its power to connect, and to inform (though, of course, it also has the power to misinform). I am thankful that I can share my thoughts with all of you through this blog. I am thankful that I can find the answer to any question I have simply by typing and clicking. Yes, there are times when I am ambivalent about the Internet's vast hold on us, and I sometimes get nostalgic for the days when you had to go to the library or dust off the encyclopedia to answer your questions, but mostly, I'm just happy that it exists.

Thanks for reading! This holiday season, what are you thankful for?