A Veggie Lover's Thanksgiving

 Can you have a Thanksgiving without the bird? YES!!!! It's easy to opt for a vegetarian holiday and even party by just using all sorts of vegetables. Going meatless is a great and economic change up from past Thanksgivings.

Vegetarian and regular contributor Alexa Weibelgave gave a wealth of delicious looking recipes in today's New York Times food section. The entirie issue is Thanksgiving centered (more on it tomorrow).  Ms. Weibel's recipes are perfect for the growing number of people forgoing meat and those who just can;'t afford a turkey this year. Her ombre gratin would be the perfect recplacement, with it's layers of red potatoes, beets, sweet potatoes and butternut squash . Berween these layers are Gruyere cheese and and savory cream, enriched with three egg yolks , half and half and butter. It's spiced with garlic and whiole peppercorns along with shallot bayleaves and thyme. Nutmeg gives it a little sweetness. It's topped with a buttery,crunchy layer of phylo dough. To be honest this would also make a great Christmas, New Year's or hoiday party dish as well. Another show stopper are the the roasted cabbage wedge with lemon vinaigrette.It's cutting a whole head into equally sized wedges and then brusing them with a mix of olive oil,lemon zest and juice along with Dijon mustard, honey and garlic. These are roasted until caralemized for thirty to forty minutes.They're served cold with a lemon vinaigrette that's plush with creme fraiche and mayo, Dill and parsley decorate it.

Other recipes which can be good sides as well as the main dish too. Home chefs will love the roasted mushrooms with the smoky pomegranate sauce. The mushrooms are first tossed with granulated onion,  , and poultry seasoning, then brushed with olive oil. They're then steamed and roasted. The pomengrante sauce, enhanced with garlic, butter and scallions along with ancho chiles and peppercorns are drizled on them. Brussels sprouts lovers will enjoy them roasted with honey almonds and Fresno chiles These are first dressed and then roasted on a sheet pan. for a fun dish try the ginger beer glazed butternut squash with gremolata. THis is a colorful dish with cooking ginger beer with vegetable stock  until it boils. The squash is then added in an even layer. Cook until the squash is tender for about twenty five minutes until th eliquid becomes a glaze While this cooks , make the gremolata. It's a mix of fresh ginger,parsley, garlic and orange zest. This is sprinkled over the squash for a truly bright looking dish.

It's easy to go vegetarian for Thanksgiving. Use these dishes for a tasty and meat free meal. You'll feel better doing so 

Healthy Spaetzles

Spaeztles are one of those tasty and German foods that go with everything. This versatile homemade noodle is a great side and can be turned into  a great main dish too. Now there's a new twist to this classic - spinach . Spaetzles are going green.

David Tanis is the one behind their colorful transformation.His City Kitchen in Wednesday's New York Times Food section is devoted to them. He learned how to make then when he was a restaurant cook, form the place's chef, an Austrian who could make these in his sleep. These batter noodles are one of the easiest things to made for any  beginning home chef. They're just a simple mix of flour, water and egg, similar to pasta but without the drama of making sheets and then cutting them in even strips. Spaetzles should have a wetter consistency than pasta dough. Mr.Tanis suggests think porridge with its' gooey, runny batter. They can be made with a soup spoon and a cutting board with the noodles being flicked into a pot of salted boiling water. You can buy a spaeztle maker at Amazon for as low as eleven dollars and it's recommended if you make them a lot(using one is actually much easier and much less messier, plus you'll get a batch of evenly sized spaetzles).

Mr Tanis tweaks the recipe with a spark of green, He adds pureed fresh baby spinach for the best taste.to the egg and water. A dash of nutmeg, always recommended, is also use to temper the taste.He then sautes them in butter and sage with lardons or cubes of bacon or pancetta. Parmesan is then added and the whole dish has a decidedly Italian vibe to it. If you want a more Germanic one, then think of cooking it with sauerkraut or string beans. This last would go well with the spinach, a nice marriage of that fresh veggie flavor. Unusually the noodles accompany veal and pork  however these can be the perfect side to roast chicken or even turkey for the holidays.If these spaetzles are too bland for you , then try Martha Stewart's which have the added zing of thyme ,rosemary and parsley. Milk is also added for body.

A dish of spaetzles is always a good idea. Give them some spark by adding pureed baby spinach to the recipe.It'll be a nice new spin on an classic.

The Fight Against Ice Cream

In yesterday’s Food Section of The New York Times there was a great debate about the ice cream man. it’s hard to believe that this symbol of America and summer could be knocked around, yet there are parents out there who hate the very sight of him or sometimes? Why? There’s a whole menu of reasons.

The article, written by Helen Stapinksi deals with parents who do no like the Good Humor man or or any other ice cream vendor. Sometimes the reasons are legitimate, The truck rolls around at dinner time leaving kids screaming and desirous for a treat. Sometimes it’s the drivers themselves who don’t represent wholesomeness. Some are dirty , some even vend drugs as opposed to pops. Some parents don’t like the amalgamation of chemicals binding the ice cream. My opinion is let them have the ice cream but 1)make sure the truck and vendor are clean and two 0 save the stuff for dessert.

Of course parents could also make their own ice cream. Nowadays it’s easy to make ice cream and freeze it into molds. You can then have the kids dip them in chocolate or sprinkles along with cookie crumbs You can also make healthy ices and frozen smoothies , using real ingredients like fresh, soy or rice milk along with yogurt. This will teach kids that the home made kind can be both fun and good for them.

What do you foodies think? Would you let your kids go wild when the local ice cream truck pulls up? Or do you restrict them and offer them something homemade and better?