Sunday, November 23, 2008

Turkeyless Thanksgiving: Pumpkin Lasagna or Brazilian Black Bean Soup Instead


Ever wonder what a turkey's life is like? Not that much fun.
For an intimate portrait of a turkey farm that breeds turkeys, read Jim Mason's account of his job as a turkey inseminator. Tools of the trade include vacuum pumps, clamps, rubber hoses and syringes. Not very pleasant for the turkeys or the inseminators.

We've been wondering what to serve our Thanksgiving family gathering of 10 people, in lieu of turkey. I think we've settled on Brazilian Black Bean Soup, a filling and savory vegan dish from Mollie Katzen in the Moosewood Cookbook. I like it a lot, and daughter Sadie says this was a staple at the vegetarian restaurant where she used to work - Berrybrook Farms. It's basically black beans, with carrots, celery - and sections of seedless oranges. The orange pieces add an unexpected sweet tang that complements the beans.

We're also considering pumpkin lasagna, which Sadie says her friend Elise made for a neighborhood pre-Thanksgiving meal in Greensboro. Sadie declared it "delicious." I haven't had it, but here's a recipe for no-boil pumpkin lasagna from Roz Cummins of Grist Magazine. The recipe is vegetarian, but not vegan. Roz is a good writer; the short article about making the lasagna with her friend is funny. She makes a plug for using organic ingredients - including organic dairy products. I'll second that.

Happy T-Day

Key words:: turkey farm; turkeyless thanksgiving; pumpkin lasagna; black bean soup; turkey substitute

1 comment:

Po Mei said...

I loved it!
How can I get in touch with you to talk how can we make your book known in Australia and Brazil?