day#25: grateful for choices

i know many people believe vegans have fewer choices when it comes to eating. i disagree. we have a bounty of choices from all kinds of beans, veggies, fruits, grains, nuts, etc. vegans just have to have forethought, a knack for reading labels, and a sense of adventure.

point in case: mo betta vegan's meat cake. in my opinion, it has been the holy grail of MOFO entries. she was inspired by vegansaurus who was inspired by someone else. why would a vegan call a meatless meal "meat cake?" well, meat isn't just flesh of animals, it is the protein of nuts, beans, and can be used to describe fruits and vegetables. examples: say, that's a meaty tomato you have there. boy that peach i ate yesterday was super juicy and fleshy. get it? mo's cake gave me the muse for our family thanksgiving dinner. here's what i did:
chickpea cutlet recipe from veganomicon x3. instead of using a third cup of chickpeas, i added some lentils. i oiled a bundt pan with olive oil and pressed the mixture in it, then filled the rest with stuffing. i don't have a recipe for the stuffing--i totally winged it and it was DIVINE. i baked it for about an hour at 300. it fell out of the pan perfectly and had a nice crunchy crust. above is the nekkid meat cake. NOTE: i skipped the sweet potatoes because i made a sweet potato pie using wolfie's pumpkin pie recipe from vegan a go-go, but subbed sweet potatoes for the pumpkin. score! i'll post that noshable tomorrow.
then i covered the outside with mashed potatoes, tree of life organic cranberry sauce, and miso happy gravy.
can you see that little chickpea peeking out in the cross section? it's saying, "Happy Thanksgiving!" this was a rave for my taste buds. paired with some more cranberry sauce and fresh green bean casserole the whole family was happily gobbling every bite. except for my son who only knows the following food groups: pb&j, dry cereal, milk, and bananas. my daughter on the other hand has been super receptive to everything i make--she even likes kale! yes, kale!
look at that little angel tearin' the meat cake to shreds! i wish i had taken a post meal photo because she had food everywhere.

so who's the post dedicated to? all of us. human or animal, vegan or not vegan, whoever you are, wherever you are, you are loved dearly by someone. even the biggest, stinkiest turd on the planet has someone who cares for them. i wish every day were like thanksgiving so we could all think about that.