on gratitude

roasted brussels sprouts

Thanksgiving is a time to pause — to gather with those most important to us, to prepare a celebratory feast, and to reflect on our lives and recognize what we are most grateful for.

Gratitude seems simple, at first — it is easy to feel grateful for family, friends, favorite foods, good books, funny films, good health, and the privileges associated with a first-world lifestyle — clean drinking water, access to nutritious food, relative physical safety, ease of transportation, important work for which we are compensated, and time and energy to pursue hobbies, interests, and passions.

However, I believe, gratitude is much more complex.  It is very, very difficult to feel grateful for stress, transition, pain, illness, and loss.  Why should one try?  Stress, transitions, pain, illness, and loss are unpleasant at best, and at first glance, seem contradictory to the spirit of gratitude.  In fact, I have noticed many over the years encourage others to “get through” periods of stress, transition, pain, illness, and loss by practicing gratitude — by focusing on all of the good things they still have in their lives.

mini nut loaves

In my opinion, this type of gratitude practice is spectacularly unfair to the person going through a challenging time.  Yes, we do always have plenty to be grateful for, but, in my opinion, ignoring, distracting from, or “gratitude washing” that pain is disrespectful to that person’s experience, and leads to incomplete healing after that period of stress, transition, pain, illness, or loss has come to its conclusion.

Why do we practice “gratitude washing?”  Because, I believe, the alternate choice — coming to a place where we are truly grateful for that stress, transition, pain, illness, or loss — seems impossible to many.  How is one supposed to feel grateful for the loss of a job at a time of economic uncertainty?  How is one supposed to feel grateful for the death of a loved one?  How is one supposed to feel grateful for a miscarriage?  How is one supposed to feel grateful for cancer?  How is one supposed to feel grateful for a divorce that you didn’t want?

It’s tricky, and in my experience, it takes time.  I’m here to tell you, however, that it is entirely possible to feel grateful for a divorce that you didn’t want.  How, you ask?

creamy corn pudding

Simply, I refuse to live my life with regrets.  I have made a million mistakes in my lifetime, some of them big, some of them small, but I choose to never play the “if I could go back in time” game.  Why?  Because all of those mistakes I have made have been mine, and have made me the person I am today.  I would never choose to go back and erase bits and pieces of my life — who knows what would happen?  If I knew three years ago what I know today, I would likely make all of the same choices I made, in regards to my marriage.  (If you had asked me that question three months ago, however, I’m certain I would have answered differently.)

So, how is it that I find myself in a place where I feel grateful for a divorce that I didn’t want?  

I am grateful because of how much I have learned about marriage, about love, about life, about others, and about myself.  I am grateful because I have landed in a season of “radical self-care.”  If I hadn’t had this experience dealing with a divorce I didn’t want, I may never have learned the importance of self-care, and exactly what I need to do to take care of myself fully and completely.

spiced sweet potato casserole

This seems like a silly thing to say at the age of 35, but I am realizing I am just beginning to learn how to take care of myself properly.  I got the basics at a younger age, obviously — I shower, go to the doctor and dentist, eat reasonably, stay active, etc.  However, in processing the loss of my marriage, I found that I really hadn’t been taking all that good of care of myself, despite knowing “the basics.”  

At first, I found myself almost feeling “lost” without my husband — without someone to take care of.  As a woman working in a helping profession, you can imagine how much time I have devoted over the years to caring for others — so much time, in fact, that it comes second nature to me.  Self-care seems to be practiced by few teachers, I believe because it is looked down upon by so many in the field — many believe the children should come first, always.  Work yourself to the bone, skip your breaks, come in early, stay late, shovel in your lunch as quickly as possible so you can get back to work, because, after all, it’s FOR THE CHILDREN.  I disagree, wholeheartedly, with this attitude.  Why?  For two reasons: first, because if the children always come first children learn to be selfish, and second, because it is physically and emotionally impossible to always put another person’s needs before your own.  Sometimes, you just need to eat a snack, take a break, go to the bathroom, or have a bad day, regardless of whether another person needs you at that particular moment in time.

caramelized onion and herb stuffing

In retrospect, I believe I entered my marriage physically and emotionally depleted from years of teaching and not practicing proper self-care.  My cup was empty, and I looked to my husband to fill it.  Others can “top off” our cups from time to time, but expecting another to fill our cup is unreasonable and a recipe for disaster.

True story: that disaster happened to me.  And here I am, on the other side, just now learning how to fill my own cup.  I spend an incredible amount of time alone, walking, reading, practicing yoga, cooking, journaling, and just thinking.  I wallow in my introversion, and do not feel guilty for a second.  I have always been a healthy eater, but I have never been so planful, so careful, so thoughtful about the meals I prepare for myself as I have lately.  I floss.  This seems like a ridiculous thing to be proud of, but hey — I’ve had dentists telling me to floss for 35 years, and I now, for the first time in my life, floss regularly.  I get monthly pedicures.  I buy myself little treats from time to time.  I make exercise a priority — I get out for walks even when the weather is lousy, even when I am tired, because I know I need to.  Even though I spend so much time alone, I say “yes” to more and more than I ever did before — more regular attendance for church choir, more meals and outings with friends, more responsibilities at work.  And surprisingly, I don’t find myself dreading this “more” any more, complaining about these joys in my life like I used to.  Why was everything so hard before?  Because I was depleted.  My cup was empty, and I didn’t have the energy or resources to fill it.

scalloped poatoes

No longer.  I am learning how to fill my own cup again.  Once I feel like I’ve got the hang of this, I will let someone else in again; this time, someone who knows how to fill his own cup, and who can help top off mine from time to time.

For now, I practice gratitude for this season I am in.  A season of radical self-care.  This is why, despite four different invitations to join others for Thanksgiving dinner, (all of which I am grateful for,) I chose to stay in and cook for myself this year.  I am choosing to remind myself that, in my world, I am the most important person.  I am grateful for myself.

the feast

And pie.  I’m always grateful for pie.  :)

crustless pumpkin pie

New traditions

Happy (belated) Thanksgiving!

Hope you had a wonderful holiday on Thursday!  Even though the photo above is a little blurry and less than ideal, I had to share a few thoughts on our Thanksgiving dinner.  I realized that John and I are working on developing new holiday traditions this year, as we just celebrated our second full year together as a couple, (although we won't celebrate our one-year wedding anniversary until February.)

Know what I've realized about holiday traditions?  It's not important that they are perfect, it's not important that anybody else understands them . . . it's important that they are ours.  (Or in your case, yours!)  Take Thanksgiving, for example -- as a vegetarian, I've enjoyed time spent on the holiday with family or friends over the years, which has been delightful but exhausting, given the numbers of people and travel time involved, and also choked down a number of Thanksgiving dinners consisting solely of green beans, plain mashed potatoes, and buttered rolls.

What is Thanksgiving without turkey?  Well, this year, we enjoyed nut loaf, steamed green beans, caramelized onion stuffing, mushroom gravy, scalloped potatoes, creamy corn pudding, spiced sweet potatoes, apple pie, and pumpkin pie.  And Thanksgiving day was low-stress for me, since I made all of the side dishes (except for the beans) AND the nut loaf in advance, and froze everything.  All I did the day of was make pies, steam the beans, whip together a gravy, and bake everything off!  I skipped the cranberry sauce this year, as we always have WAY too much leftover, and I end up throwing it away a few weeks later.  Know what?  Didn't even miss it.  (We enjoyed sparkling water with a splash of cranberry juice instead!)  I also skipped mashed potatoes this year, in favor of scalloped potatoes.  I LOVE this new twist, (both more delicious, in my opinion, and easier to make ahead,) and John still gets to drown his nut loaf and stuffing in gravy.  :)

What is Thanksgiving without a table full of crowded relatives?  As an introvert, I have a much easier time counting my blessings at a quieter gathering at my own table.  Last couple of years, it's been just John and I.  And that's ok -- the holidays are busy, and we relish that day of quiet and rest.  This year, other than my small amount of kitchen prep, we did no work, save for a few dishes at the end of our meal.  We read, we watched movies, and we went for a walk.  I love our "calm before the storm" day, kicking off the busy and intense holiday season!

So, tell me -- what are your holiday traditions?  What are the unique things your family does to celebrate the holidays that you look forward to every year?

Happy Thanksgiving!

I think Thanksgiving might be my favorite holiday.  The perfect excuse to have an all-out cooking and eating extravaganza!

This year was no exception . . .

BREAKFAST:

Light and simple, and easy to make ahead.  Not that I didn't want to spend my day cooking on Thanksgiving; rather, I didn't want to spend my day washing dishes!  I did much of the prep in advance, which was a very smart idea, in my opinion.  We enjoyed Pumpkin Muffins (using my favorite baking ingredient . . . buttermilk!) and a beautiful fruit salad with some fresh mint from the garden for breakfast.  I used half whole-wheat flour in the muffins to increase their nutritional value a little bit; otherwise followed the recipe as written.  These muffins are FANTASTIC!  They call for very little oil, yet are moist and tender from the pumpkin and buttermilk.

LUNCH:

I decided we'd snack on a variety of appetizers for lunch, as we were possibly expecting company and didn't know what time they would show up . . .

Brie topped with Double Cranberry Chutney . . . so delicious!  I always want to make cranberry for Thanksgiving, but always end up with a huge amount of it leftover and never know quite what to serve it with.  This was perfect!

Deviled Eggs!

Veggies!  (With hummus, not pictured)

Spanakopita Triangles:

Using Ali's recipe as inspiration, I ended up simplifying a little bit . . . used one egg, one package of spinach, feta, juice and zest of half a lemon, and a little salt and pepper for the filling.  Perfect!  Now, what to do with all that leftover filo?

DINNER:

The big feast!  I really wanted to make everything, but I didn't want TONS of leftovers, (since I was likely cooking for just John and I,) so I selected my recipes, cut them in half (or sometimes in quarter,) and made most everything in 8-inch loaf pans.  Bonus feature?  Our entire dinner fit in the oven at once, even though John only has one rack in his oven!  Woo-hoo!

(P.S. I made everything, except for the mashed potatoes and gravy, in advance, covered the unbaked things with foil, and froze.  Everything thawed and baked up beautifully!)

Spiced Sweet Potato Casserole:

One of the most important parts of Thanksgiving dinner, in my opinion.  :)  I love, love, love this version from Cooking Light -- it is subtle in its spiciness, just sweet enough (although I do cut down the sugar to 1/4 cup in the full-size recipe,) and lively from the orange juice concentrate.

Creamy Corn Pudding:

This pudding may join the ranks with sweet potato casserole and compete for most important role!  We always had some kind of corn pudding in my family for Thanksgiving, and even though most people don't think to add it to their Thanksgiving repertoire, I want to keep a bit true to my heritage, ya know? This recipe is INCREDIBLE.  (With all that butter and heavy cream, why not?)  ;)  Slightly sweet, creamy and comforting, like a softer, smoother cornbread.  Mmmmmm.

Mashed potatoes and gravy:

I mashed my local yellow potatoes with garlic, butter, buttermilk, chives, salt, and pepper.  They were so flavorful on their own, they almost didn't need gravy!  (I said this to John, and he replied, "no, no, no."  Ha!)  A big batch of mushroom gravy on the side -- 2 tbsp butter, 2 tbsp olive oil, plenty of sliced mushrooms, 1/4 cup flour, 2 tsp soy sauce, and 2 cups mushroom broth.  Simple and VERY delicious.  A perfect vegetarian gravy, in my opinion!

Caramelized Onion and Herb Stuffing:

This has been a repeat my last several Thanksgivings, for a couple of reasons . . . first, it is super-delicious and super-easy, but most importantly, no sage!  I don't care much for sage, especially in stuffing, and it's hard to find a recipe without it.  This recipe is a keeper for me!

Creamed Spinach Casserole:

A new recipe this year, and a good one -- both John and I love spinach, and this was a simple casserole to prepare in advance.  Rich but not heavy, and a beautiful burst of intense dark green on the plate!  (I switched out the traditional cheddar for white cheddar in my version, otherwise prepared the recipe as written.)

Nutloaf:

This may be the best vegetarian entree for holiday meals EVER.  Rich, filling, and "meaty," delicious on its own, smothered in gravy, dolloped with cranberry chutney, or leftover on a sandwich with ketchup.  :)

My plate:

And don't forget about dessert!

John requested pecan pie this year, and although it's not my favorite, I was happy to oblige.  I tried this recipe from Real Simple, and although I generally find pecan pie too sweet, both John and his roommate were happy gobbling down slices.  They reported it was lighter and less dense than many pecan pies they have had, and his roommate stated it was the best she's ever tried!  Score!

Hope you had a wonderful holiday and enjoyed some time off from work with important people.  Now, I better get started planning my Christmas cookie baking!  ;)

A Very Vegan Thanksgiving Part 7: Stuffing

I'm not going to get into the stuffing/dressing debate, because I grew up with wheat bread-based "stuffing," as opposed to cornbread-based "dressing." I guess I shouldn't judge "dressing" until I've tried it, but the idea of soggy cornbread . . . I'm just not sold that it's a good idea! Someone prove me wrong, maybe?

Anyhow, I've never cared much for stuffing -- although I did have a psychotic love of chicken-flavored "Stove Top" as a child. Stuffing tends to be one of those side dishes that sways one direction or the other -- mushy and gluey, or dry and tasteless. I also REALLY don't care for sage. So, let's just say, me and stuffing don't have the best track record, 'kay?

Well, courtesy of Real Simple, stuffing and I have made amends -- their recipe for Caramelized Onion and Herb Stuffing was, hands down, my second-favorite thing on my Thanksgiving plate this year! (Nothing can beat out the sweet potatoes!)

Other than the time it took to caramelize the onions, this side dish was a snap to prepare, (the day before!), with only a few ingredients, and NO SAGE! Bless you, Real Simple! (My vegan substitutions were as follows: veggie broth for the chicken broth, extra veggie broth whipped with EnerG for the eggs, and Earth Balance in place of the butter.) After careful thought over the recipe, I don't think I would EVER make this recipe using eggs, even though we do eat eggs on occasion -- I think the egginess would overpower the subtle flavors of the caramelized onions and fresh herbs. Stuffing still needs some kind of "thickener," though, so I would strongly encourage egg replacer in this one!

How do you feel about stuffing -- love it, or skip over it? What ingredients do you like in your stuffing?

A Very Vegan Thanksgiving Part 6: Corn Pudding

Corn Souffle? Scalloped Corn? Corn Casserole? Corn Pudding? I don't care what you call it . . . put some on my plate!

I've had a difficult time finding a recipe that re-creates the corn casseroles of my childhood, but my heavily modified version of "Southwestern Corn Pudding" from VCON comes mighty close, people! Essentially, I removed the southwestern-type ingredients from the original recipe, (red bell pepper, jalapeno, cilantro, and cayenne,) and increased the corn to five cups. I also top my casserole with panko, because, well, aren't casseroles better with a crunchy topping? I wasn't blissfully happy with this year's casserole, (my home-frozen Farmer's Market corn was so sweet, I shouldn't have used the full 2 tbsp maple syrup called for in the original recipe, and I also over-baked my casserole a little bit,) but, given Dan really liked this one, (and I quote, "even though it's sweet, I love it!") I think we'll call it a success!

I seem to be the only person I know that eats corn casserole at Thanksgiving. Anyone else out there include this in your family's tradition?

A Very Vegan Thanksgiving Part 5: Simple Steamed Green Beans

Let's start this one with an apology . . . I'm sorry to all you lovers of "green bean casserole" out there, but that's REALLY not my thing. I can't think of a single green vegetable that I don't prefer lightly steamed or sauteed, dressed simply with a pinch of salt and a squeeze of lemon juice. Besides, isn't there enough heavy, complicated food at Thanksgiving dinner already?

I read in a Moosewood cookbook somewhere the suggestion to salt veggies before steaming them, and weirdly, this works SO well! I don't exactly know why, but from now on, I'll add my pinch of salt to the veggies IN the steaming pot, instead of after they come out! I loved the fresh, crispy, GREEN-ness of these veggies -- a beautiful, healthy addition to our dinner! (I washed and prepped the beans the day before, and also toasted the almonds, so this was another dish I barely had to do anything to the day of!)

Do you like green bean casserole? Or do you prefer cooked greens of another sort? Or brussels sprouts? Do tell!

A Very Vegan Thanksgiving Part 4: SWEET POTATOES

Sweet potato casserole is, in my opinion, tied with pie for the title of "most important part of Thanksgiving dinner." We had a running joke growing up that every year, Grandma would bemoan how this year's new recipe wasn't as good as last year's, or the year before's, and we all shut up, ate our sweet potatoes, and thought they always tasted exactly the same! Sweet, sugary, buttery, and delicious!

Nowadays, I still want my sweet potato casserole on the sweet side, but not cloyingly so, and there must be pecans involved in some form. Like Grandma, I tried a new recipe this year, but unlike her, was delighted with the results! Spiced Sweet Potato Casserole from Cooking Light was a winner, indeed!

I replaced the butter with Earth Balance, and substituted 1/4 cup of coconut milk whipped with a tablespoon of Ener-G for the eggs, and was totally happy with this casserole! I love the subtle hint of citrus from the orange juice concentrate, and dig the depth the warm spices bring. I will be eating huge bowls of this for breakfast this week, I think! P.S. I made the entire thing the day before our meal, parked it in the fridge, and baked it off right before dinner. I find getting as much of the prep done ahead of time for big meals is a lifesaver, don't you?

Does your family eat sweet potatoes at Thanksgiving? Weigh in -- nuts? Marshmallows? Sweet? Savory?

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Travel safe tonight or tomorrow if you are travelling!

A Very Vegan Thanksgiving Part 3: Double Cranberry Chutney

As a small child, I prefered the type of cranberry jelly that slides out of a can, shaped just like the can. I liked HUGE slices on my Thanksgiving plate, shocked that I could eat dessert with my meal (for once!)

Nowadays, I prefer my cranberry more on the tart side, homemade from fresh cranberries, and definitely more on the chunky and saucy side. I first made this Double Cranberry Chutney a few years ago, and was totally hooked -- I don't think I'll ever need another cranberry chutney recipe!

The only change I make to the original recipe is substituting cranberry juice cocktail for the port wine, just 'cause I don't cook with alcohol. Keep in mind this recipe makes a VAT of chutney, (like, a quart, at least,) so if you're serving a small number of people, or not looking forward to leftovers, the recipe is quite easy to cut in half. I love this stuff smeared on toast, muffins, scones, whatever, though, so I look forward to a lot of leftovers!

How do you like your cranberries?

A Very Vegan Thanksgiving Part 2: The Main Dish

As a vegetarian, Thanksgiving has always been about the side dishes for me -- but when preparing a full-on veg Thanksgiving, I feel compelled to make some sort of "main dish" or "entree" portion of the meal. While I would be happy gorging myself on sides, others might miss something "meaty."

What to make? I have tried stuffed squash and pot-pie type entrees in the past, both of which I've found too filling, taking up way too much precious "side dish" space in my tummy! (Oh yeah . . . and don't forget about "pie space!") I thought about making some sort of seitan roast this year, but even though Dan looooooooves all things mock meat, I've never been a seitan fan. What to do? Chickpea Cutlets to the rescue!

Pictured with the cutlets is a side of garlic-mashed potatoes, (no recipe necessary at my house -- just boil up a bunch of potatoes with many cloves of garlic, and mash with Earth Balance, salt, pepper, and homemade, unsweetened almond milk until creamy,) and my now go-to standby, Mushroom Gravy. While mashed potatoes aren't traditionally on my family's Thanksgiving table, they are a MUST for Dan, and as far as I'm concerned, it's another avenue for gravy, right? Yum!

I would make the Chickpea Cutlets again in a heartbeat -- the base is easy enough to whip up ahead of time, (and I've even pre-stretched the cutlets and stored them in the fridge between sheets of parchment,) and fry up in no time. I easily kept this double-batch warm under a foil tent while I finished mashing the potatoes and tying up other odds and ends. Dan's brother, Ryan, joined us for dinner, and this was one of the things Ryan went back for -- and when really hungry, Dan can take down two to three cutlets in one sitting.

What have been your winning veg Thanksgiving entrees?

A Very Vegan Thanksgiving Part 1: The Meal

Thanksgiving is, by far, my favorite holiday. Why? It's all about the food!

I am very much a traditionalist when it comes to Thanksgiving dinner, and want to enjoy all of my favorites -- sweet potato casserole, corn souffle, green beans, cranberry relish, pumpkin pie, the works! I prefer the meal to be high-quality, moderate in calories, but very familiar -- no curry in my sweet potatoes, no chiles in my green beans, etc.

Since Dan and I will be travelling over the actual holiday, I decided to fix us a ginormous pre-Thanksgiving dinner tonight; and in honor of Vegan MoFo, I prepared a fully vegan meal! Every day this week, I will feature one of the dishes I made, link to recipes, give my review, and mention any adjustments/changes I made in order to veganize.

Happy Vegan Thanksgiving to all!

Happy Turkey-Free Day!

My parents decided to drive up from Milwaukee for Thanksgiving, because they were all concerned that I'd be spending the day alone. (I was okay with my original plan, but their visit gave me an excuse for an all-out cooking extravaganza! Plus, you know, nice to see them, all that.) So, we went grocery shopping Wednesday night after they got into town for some "raw materials." I provided the labor, and we had one helluva fantastic (vegan) Thanksgiving Dinner today!

Steamed green beans with lemon, Earth Balance, salt, and sliced almonds, stuffed squash (based on Urban Vegan's guidelines,) sweet potato casserole (based on a Cooking Light recipe,) corn casserole (based on a VCON recipe,) and cranberry chutney (tucked away in the freezer from two weekends ago.) Not pictured: tofu pumpkin pie for dessert!

My mom kept exclaiming how good everything was, and she wants me to send her the sweet potato and corn recipes. My dad just kept eating. :) It was a great meal!

Happy Turkey-Free Day! Hope you all enjoyed good food and good company!

pre-Thanksgiving and lots of other food!

I took the day off from work this past Friday -- I have desperately been needing a quiet, stay-at-home, relaxing kind of long weekend! Of course, practically all I did all weekend long was cook (and wash dishes.)

Lunch Friday:

I had saved a recipe for Asian Hot Pot from an old issue of Real Simple magazine, and it took me practically two years to try it out! Looking at the recipe, 2/3 cup low-sodium soy sauce seemed like WAY too much, so I cut it down to 1/2 cup. Next time I'll cut down even further -- the soup was still just a wee bit too salty for me! Dan slurped up two or three bowlfuls, however. (He's a salt fanatic.)

Dinner Friday Night:

Vegan pre-Thanksgiving! I am so disappointed that Dan will be out of town Thanksgiving weekend, and decided to overcome my disappointment by cooking us a pre-Thanksgiving meal of our own! Urban Vegan inspired me to make stuffed squash as our entree. I eyeballed the stuffing, using her first list of suggestions, and it was FANTASTIC!!! Definitely the best part of the meal, in my opinion. :) I rounded out the meal with garlic mashed potatoes and the fastest gravy in the (Mid)west, steamed brussels sprouts with melted Earth Balance, garlic salt, and pepper, and a cranberry chutney recipe I saved out of the latest issue of Vegetarian Times. What a meal! Dan and I were both SOOOOO full . . . but the best part was, everything was so flavorful but came together pretty quickly! I made the cranberry chutney Thursday night, roasted the squash, prepped the sprouts, and made dessert (coming next) Friday morning, then pulled everything together in about an hour Friday night!

pre-Thanksgiving dessert?

A big, fat bomb, if you ask me. Dan hates pumpkin pie, so I decided to try a recipe for Double-Ginger Pumpkin Flan from Cooking Light. My review of this recipe? BLECH. The "flan" was mushy and not at all custard-like, the recipe took a ton of prep and additional steps I don't think are needed for a baked custard, I tasted NO ginger flavor (despite the "double" term in the recipe title,) and the custards stuck furiously to the cups and did not produce a lovely caramel sauce expected with flan/caramel custard. Should have just made a tofu pumpkin pie!! Now I know for next year, eh?

I had brunch plans with Courtney Saturday late morning, so I didn't have an opportunity to cook again until Saturday night:

Fajitas!!! WOOO! I typically marinade a package of tempeh, sliced, and a slew of peppers and red onions for at least eight hours before pan-frying in my cast-iron skillet. Served the fajitas this time on spelt tortillas from the co-op, topped with diced tomato, lettuce, guac, crumbled queso fresco, and light sour cream. MMMMMMMMMMMMM.

I also baked Saturday night, which turned into breakfast today:

I took another stab at pumpkin cinnamon rolls after my original failure a couple of weeks ago, with one major change this time . . . I used mashed banana in place of the pumpkin!! Banana cinnamon rolls are JUST as good as pumpkin cinnamon rolls, I think! Glad to know I have one more option when faced with a pile of overripe bananas!

Lastly, lunch today:

I vegetized a recipe for Cream of Turkey Wild Rice Soup, using vegetable broth and diced seitan in place of the chicken broth and turkey called for in the original recipe. This soup could even be veganized by using Tofutti mock sour cream!! The soup was quick and easy, (especially since I made the seitan and cooked the wild rice yesterday,) and extreeeeeemely delicious. Next time, I think I'll cut the amount of diced seitan down to two cups, and increase the veggies, just so I can eat more than one small bowlful before feeling completely stuffed!! :)

Off to meet my friend Ann for a walk . . . I've had one too many cinnamon rolls this weekend, I think! :)