Wednesday, November 24, 2010

A Raw Food Thanksgiving: Complete With Pumpkin Pie!


Happy Thanksgiving!


In this post I'll show you how I made raw "Mashed Potatoes" & "Mushroom Gravy"
and raw "Pumpkin Pie". Yum!!
In my previous post I gave directions for "Mock Turkey" and "Cranberry Sauce".
(Don't mock my turkey! He may look wimpy, but he is delicious and really, really filling!)


These recipes are not my own (why reinvent the wheel?) so I can't share them with you here.
They are from Alissa Cohen's fabulous book, "Living On Live Food".
She also has a wonderful new book, "Raw Food For Everyone" and a great DVD!
You can find a lot of Thanksgiving recipes on these two websites, as well:


These are the ingredients for the "Mashed Potatoes".



I chopped-up the cauliflower and half of the onion.



And popped them into the food-processor, along with the other ingredients.



I blended it until it got as smooth as it was going to get.



There you have it - raw "Mashed Potatoes".



You can't have mashed potatoes without gravy -
So, here are the ingredients for "Mushroom Gravy".



The chefs on the cooking networks always use a damp cloth to wipe off their mushrooms, one by one, ever so gently. But I couldn't stand any more fun and excitement, so I just gave them a little bath and a quick wipe.
Anyway, I think that's mostly to help them to brown in a pan. ( What's a pan? :)



Again, I blended until smooth.



It wasn't as smooth as the S.A.D. gravy, (what most of us are used to) but that didn't hurt the flavor any!



Turkeys like it at my house. :)



And now, the most important dish...
"Pumpkin Pie"!!



For the Crust:
Nuts and the dates are the only thing that went into the food-processor.



I blended them until I got this consistency.



I squished it down into the pan.



My market was out of pumpkins, but the recipe said Butternut Squash was fine.
I cut it (carefully).



First I scraped out the seeds. (Which I'll dehydrate later.)



Then I peeled it.
Note to self: Peel it before you cut it. It won't be as slippery.



I cut it into small-ish chunks.



And placed it, along with the remaining ingredients, into the food-processor.



I blended it until it was smooth.



Then I spooned it into the crust.



Be still my heart!!!!



Don't ask.



And now -
It's time to chow-down!!!!



Ohhh, yeahhh!! And I've got a drumstick!



It's OK to make a pig of oneself at Thanksgiving!! (And Christmas!!)
No matter what anyone says!!!!



And I did.





But then there's always this...



And this.
Ahhh... the joy of the holidays. ~






Wishing you all a Happy Thanksgiving - from my family to yours!!




There are SO many things to love!
I love "Followers" and comments too!
(Thank you!)


Signing off for now,
gabriele

12 comments:

  1. I am in awe; I don't know how you do it,but I admit you make it look real good. I have one question; Do you ever miss eating hot food?
    Happy Thanksgiving.

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  2. Thanks, Rita.
    Yes, I can honestly say I miss hot foods at times.
    Especially when my husband is cooking something delicious for himself, like sausage & cabbage! (He's not a raw foodie.)
    What I miss is the sound and smell of things frying - like onions.
    I haven't had coffee since 1982 and I still think of it fondly. And love the smell!
    Thanks for always stopping by and leaving comments. I really appreciate it!!
    Happy Thanksgiving to you too!
    Hugs,
    gabriele

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  3. yum yum! i peel my squash with my mandolin slicer on the thin setting. i find it works better than my peeler.

    did you have a practice thanksgiving dinner, or celebrate early?!

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  4. Hi kelli,
    Oh, good tip. Thanks. I'll have to try that, once I get over the fear of the blade. Anything!! sharp freaks me out!

    Totally practice meal for the blog, but it kept well in the freezer, so I munched on it today. The pumpkin pie didn't last that long. ;)
    My husband ate the pie, but nothing else. Boys.
    Hugs,
    gabriele

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  5. Amazing! I wish we were neighbors so I could be invited over for dinner! I love your photography and writing style. Thanks for mentioning the cook books.

    How did you decide to be go raw? I am becoming more and more interested in it. I know how much better I feel when I eat that way.

    Happy Thanksgiving to you Gabriele. I hope you had a great day, and help cleaning up the kitchen!!

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  6. Wow Gabriele, I'm so impressed. That pumpkin pie looks delicious and so does everything else. You may inspire to try a few raw food recipes yet! We have cauliflower mashed "potatoes" in our home all the time, but we have it hot, so I was intrigued to see how you do yours. You manage such variety. You're opening my eyes.

    I hope you had a good Thanksgiving. Hugs to you.

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  7. Hi, WALLS -
    I totally agree. It is fun.
    And eating them is even more fun!!
    You're the only person that's mentioned the turkey 'bone' I made. :)
    Good eye!
    I'm off to your blog now to check out your awesome work -
    Hugs,
    gabriele

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  8. Kathy D,
    Thank you for the great compliments! Especially coming from a photographer, such as yourself!

    My nephew (Brad Gruno, Brad's Raw Chips) had been trying to get me to go raw for several years, but I didn't understand it. I bought a huge book on the subject, but it just overwhelmed me. It was one of those books that had absolutely no pictures of the dishes, which didn't help!

    A little more then two years ago, as I was shopping at my local market, there was a lady (Cathy Silvers) giving a raw food demonstration. My life changed at that moment!!

    Between his prodding and the knowledge she gave me - I was hooked!!
    I still eat the occasional cooked meal when I go to meetings, etc., but I don't feel well afterwards! Processed foods do not agree with me - at all!

    I wish you good luck on your raw food journey!!
    And I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving too.

    Hugs,
    gabriele

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  9. Hi Angella,
    Thank you for your kind words! They are much appreciated.
    Although everything tasted good, the pumpkin pie was my favorite - just like in the traditional Thanksgiving meal!! :)
    (My sweet tooth is horrendous!)

    You're the only person I know that eats those potatoes! That's great!!
    I love the taste.

    If you decide to try some raw dishes, I can suggest some really good books. Let me know when the urge strikes you. :)

    Hugs,
    gabriele

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  10. gabriele! last night i sliced my thumb pretty bad trying to peel a kabocha squash on the mandolin! right through the nail! hubs was going to throw it out but i promised i'd be more careful. you're right to fear the blade and i take that bad advice back!!!

    cool you did a practice run. everything looked great and i like the touches you added to the photos. john would do something like that, just eat the pie. the whole pie!=)

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  11. Love your blog. Would like your url to add to mine as a follower.

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  12. Gabriele, I don't really get the raw food thing, but I have to admit you make it look very appetizing. That date nut crust is something I would try. The pie is beautiful. The mashed potatoes and mushroom gravy look pretty good, too.

    ReplyDelete