Recipes for a Raw, Vegan Thanksgiving Dinner

More and more people these days are searching for a healthier diet.  The raw food lifestyle promotes uncooked, unprocessed foods.  The vegan diet seeks to exclude the use of animal products of any kind.  These diets can be a tricky to cook for, especially during Thanksgiving.  Here are a few delicious recipes that are sure to please everyone, even the meat-eaters!

Gravy

• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1/4 cup Nama Shoyu or unpasteurized miso
• 1/4 nutritional yeast
• 1/4 cup water

Combine all ingredients in a blender and puree.  Makes 1 cup.

Holiday Mushroom Loaf

• 1 1/2 cups almonds, soaked overnight
• 1 1/2 cups pecans, soaked overnight, then dehydrated until crunchy.  This will take about 12 hours.
• 4 stalks celery, chopped
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 1 cup shitake mushrooms, chopped
• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• 3 tablespoons flax seeds, soaked in 6 tablespoons water for 15 minutes
• 1/2 to 1 cup water
• 1 teaspoon Celtic salt
• 1 tablespoon poultry seasoning (don't worry, no animal products here!)

Run the almonds through a food processor until they are well ground.  In a large bowl, combine the almonds with the rest of the ingredients.  Form the mixture into a shallow loaf and dehydrate for 12 hours.  Makes 8 servings.

Sweet Potato Casserole

• 4 cups peeled, chopped sweet potatoes
• 1 1/2 cups walnut halves
• 1/2 cup dates, soaked 20 minutes
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon Celtic salt
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/4 cup raw agave syrup

Place 1/2 cup of the pecan and the sweet potatoes, water, dates, cinnamon, and vanilla in a food processor and puree.  Pour into dish.  In a seperate bowl, toss the remaining pecan, salt and honey.  Scatter over the top of the dish.  Makes 6 servings.

Cranberry Sauce

• 2 cups cranberries
• 2 medium oranges, peeled and seeded
• 3/4 cup date, soaked 20 minutes
• 2 teaspoons lemon juice
• 1 cup halved, seeded grapes

Combine all ingredients in a food processor.  Pulse until uniformly chopped and mixed, so that the sauce is still a bit chunky.  Makes 8 servings.

Raw Nut Nog

• 1 quart almond milk
• 3 peeled ripe bananas
• 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/4 teaspoon tumeric
• 1/4 cup dates, soaked 20 minutes

Combine all ingredients in a blender and blend well.  Makes 4 servings.

These enzyme-rich recipes will make you feel more revitalized than stuffed!  Enjoy!