December 2023 Plant-Based Recipes and Updates from Melissa
The joys of a stick blender, cranberry recipes, vegan desserts for the holidays!
Blender Blues
I didn’t realize how much I would miss it. My trusty stick blender of at least 12 years succumbed to old age. I naively thought that I could just use my regular blender. But in the end, things were just not the same. I love the portability of taking the stick blender outside or into the basement if someone is sleeping when I need to use it.
While occasionally I may use it for making soup (so convenient to blend it right in the pot!) my favorite use is for smoothies. I picked up a new one and am happily blending away again.
Lately, it's been a combo of banana, soy milk, a little peanut butter powder or other nut butter, vanilla extract, cocoa powder, ground flax seeds, cinnamon, and ice chips. Or check out one of my most popular recipes for this blueberry almond butter smoothie.
This easy cranberry mango smoothie is great at this time of year if you've got some extra cranberries. And I like the antioxidant smoothie blend from Aldi with berries and kale, especially with the addition of banana - definitely convenient!
Leftover Cranberries?
Cranberries are a good source of antioxidants and may help prevent urinary tract infections, along with some other health benefits, according to this article from Cleveland Clinics.
Try my easy vegan muffins for a tasty snack or to enjoy at breakfast or brunch:
Cranberry Orange Oatmeal Muffins
More Vegan Recipes with Cranberries from Registered Dietitians:
Balsamic Roasted Brussels Sprouts and Carrots with Maple Cranberries
Vegan Cranberry Bread with Orange and Ginger
Comforting Maple Pecan Overnight Oats with Cranberry Sauce
Latke Time!
Hanukkah begins on the evening of December 7 this year: learn more about favorite holiday foods including potato latkes and sufganiyot from my article on eatright.org: Hanukkah: Celebrating the Festival of Lights.
Speaking of potatoes, I'm so pleased that I made a terrific updated version of Pennsylvania Dutch potato filling for Thanksgiving! It was light, fluffy, savory, and sweet and with way less saturated fat and cholesterol than my traditional family recipe.
My mental stumbling block with making them has been peeling the potatoes. But this year I tried a hack I saw on Instagram. I just cut them in half unpeeled, boiled them until soft, drained them, let them cool down a bit, and then smushed them through a cooling rack. I used a dough separator to do this efficiently and it was a great time-saver!
Vegan Desserts for the Holidays
I have most certainly been enjoying lots of delicious food for this celebratory time of year. Here are some ideas for lighter vegan desserts to keep things balanced: 15 Healthy Vegan Desserts for the Holidays.
Are you looking for an easy way to save online recipes? I have started using the (free) app Spillt. You can upload links to your favorite recipes, create collections, and also see other people's trending recipes for great new ideas. You can find me there at melissatraubrd.
Canned or Homemade? You may be interested in this podcast about cranberries and Oceanspray from the Wall Street Journal.
Wishing you all good health and happiness in the coming year.
-Melissa