thanksgiving Archives

Gay Post October 14, 2019

Thanksgiving in Barbados

Today Canadians celebrate Thanksgiving, and those of us living abroad are planning our turkey dinners. It is a day to think about what we have to be thankful for.

I am thankful to be living in Barbados.

Living here I am constantly reminded of the similarities and differences between our countries. While we both started with British rule, the history of slavery is much different.

In Barbados, wealthy landholders wanted obedient slaves. They used religion to teach conformity and servitude. As a result, ingenuity and open dialogue were shunned. Education provided by the church guaranteed that those who conformed were rewarded, and those who didn’t were shunned.

In comparison Canada was the place known as the last stop in the underground railroad. In 1825 with the population in Upper Canada just under 160,000, the influx of 40,000 freedom seekers who wanted to make Canada their home had a big impact.

Courageous people who came to Canada through the underground railroad influenced the way we thought about equality, freedom and minorities.

As a result, Canada has a history of protecting and defending human rights through open dialogue.

Canadian John Peters Humphrey was the principal author of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and prepared the first preliminary draft of it. It established that “all human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights” and that “rights are not conferred by government; they are the birthright of all people.” No matter what the country, or cultural beliefs, human rights must first.

Courageous outspoken people in Canada willing to stand up for minority groups changed not only the laws but the hearts and minds of people in communities across Canada. As a result, there are millions of LGBT citizens able to live freely and participate fully in the political, economic, and social lives of their communities.

In Barbados this is sadly not the case. Open discussion of ideas isn’t common. Instead word travels through whispers.

People are unwilling to stand up for minorities, and the LGBT community is constantly discriminated against.

But there are many Canadians living in Barbados with a humble desire to contribute to the community. Some of us descended from a courageous stock of people who fought for freedom. For us, contributing means sharing ideas and pushing for progress.

When it comes to human rights, progress starts with an honest and open discussion.

The rights of the LGBT community in Barbados are ignored by people who cite religious or cultural values to justify their discrimination. Similar to justifications given for violent practices towards women, like genital mutilation, which was believed to be sanctioned by God. Today, because individuals stood up for human rights, these practices are unacceptable.

Criminalizing the status of LGBT people, and expelling them from schools, is completely unacceptable.

The immigration policy in Barbados is responsible for limiting the islands ability to attract community builders. It was set up to attract the wealthy. Updates to the policy were designed to attract large corporations (that mostly wanted to avoid paying taxes) not entrepreneurs.

In Canada the immigration policy was designed to attract ingenuity. Our “start-up” residency program targets entrepreneurs to the country by offering residency status. This allows them to work in their business without having to get a work permit. They end up bringing all their wealth into the country. And they contribute significantly to their community.

Here in Barbados wealthy opportunists attracted by low taxes have contributed little to the island. One built a school for his children, but turned it into a business willing to discriminate against any kid who threatens their profits.

The progress here in Barbados is driven mostly by local residents and a small group of caring immigrants. But they are up against opportunists willing to use cultural intolerance as an excuse to ignore human rights and protect their profit.

This Thanksgiving I am thankful to be a Canadian living in Barbados. I am thankful for the friends I have made. They are very smart and courageous Barbadians trying to build culture and a progressive community.

Recipe October 7, 2017

Recipe: Raw Pumpkin Pie with coconut whipped cream

There can be so many treats to eat around Thanksgiving that some people get overwhelmed by the choices. However, as a vegan, those choices can be limited. Never fear! Women’s Post has you covered. This Thanksgiving, if you are looking for a healthier or vegan recipe try this raw pumpkin pie with delicious coconut whipped cream. Yes, it is as delicious as it sounds!

Ingredients:

Crust
For your crust you can use a variety of options, including nuts, dried fruits and shredded coconut.

3/4 cup almonds ( or nut of your choice)
1/2 cup pitted dates (or raisins work well too)
1/3 cup shredded coconut
1 tsp of water
1/2 tsp sea salt

Filling

2 cups of diced pie pumpkin
1 banana
1/4 cup almond milk
2 tsp coconut oil
3/4 cup pitted dates
2 tsp maple syrup
1 tsp pumpkin spice

Directions:

Add almonds, dates and coconut to a food processor and mix for two minutes or untiled crumbled. Add water and sea salt and blend again (the mixture should solid enough to form into a ball).
Press the crust mixture into a base of a 9’inch pie pan.
Place the crust in the refrigerator.
Using a blender, add the pumpkin, banana, almond milk, maple syrup, coconut oil, dates, and spice. Blend until smooth.
Spoon the pie filling into the crust and refrigerate for at least 4 hours before serving.

Topping: This topping is entirely optional, but coconut cream is a great option for vegan whipped cream.

Refrigerated the can of coconut cream overnight and chill the bowls used for mixing for up to one hour before mixing.

Once the coconut milk is in the bowl you can add some additional sweetener of your choice and whip on high for 7-8 minutes.

Add to pie and serve! Enjoy.

Let us know what you think of this raw pumpkin pie recipe and leave a comment below. Happy Thanksgiving !

What's Hot October 13, 2016

What to do with leftover pumpkin

It’s been a week and you’ve probably finished the leftover turkey, stuffing, and beans — but what do you do with that leftover pumpkin you have in your fridge or freezer?

This article is for those of you who use real pumpkin in your pumpkin pie — a dying breed, I know, but I respect your dedication to tradition. I myself use real pumpkin, mostly because if I don’t I think it would disappoint my mother.

A small cooked pie pumpkin usually yields enough pumpkin to make two pies. However, if you are like me and really don’t require two pies for Thanksgiving dinner, that means you have about two cups of pre-cooked filling to use up. The good news is that it’s still October, which means that pumpkin goods are still wildly popular. Here are a few ideas for those of you with some puree pumpkin leftover from your Thanksgiving cooking.

Have your pumpkin warm in a pasta dish:

Puree the pumpkin until it’s the consistency of a sauce and then pour it in a pot. Heat it up with some cream or milk, garlic, Parmesan cheese, vinegar, and some spices to taste. If you want a more cheese-based sauce, try adding some cream cheese. This will create a creamy, but sweet, sauce that will rival any white sauce you’ve had to date.

If you aren’t a fan of creamy sauces, try adding chunks of pumpkin to your pasta dish. Pumpkin compliments seafood, but it will taste good with about anything. My favourite is to mix it with sausage, tomatoes, and coriander with a light oil-based dressing. It’s a simple way to make your pasta dishes warm and festive.

Use it in smoothies or overnight oats for a quick breakfast:

Because the pumpkin is already cooked, it’s safe to use it in cold dishes, which is great because it tastes delicious in breakfasts. If you love smoothies, try blending some pumpkin puree, a banana, some milk (soy or 1 %), cinnamon, and a sweetening agent like maple syrup. Add some ice cubes to cool the drink. It’ll be like drinking pumpkin pie, but slightly healthier.

If you don’t like blended foods, try overnight oats — they are just as easy to make as a smoothie, except you have to do it the night before. In a jar, put a quarter of a cup of oats with half a cup of milk (or coconut milk), a bit of puree pumpkin, some chia seeds, cinnamon, and of course a sweetening agent. Add fruit or nuts if desired. Shake up the jar (with the lid on) until everything is mixed together and place in the fridge overnight. You can eat this cold or heat it up at work.

Make baked goods, because you can never have enough:

I love pumpkin muffins and scones — but store-bought baked goods can sometimes be way too sweet and full of preservatives. Try making them at home! There are hundreds of recipes online, but before you get too overwhelmed, remember this golden rule. For muffin, you are simply replacing milk with pumpkin as a liquid ingredient. Sure, there will be a few extra spices to add and nuts to sprinkle on top if desired, but the recipe itself is as simple as making blueberry muffins.

Scones are a bit more challenging, but it’s only because you are handling a specific type of dough. However, in essence, a pumpkin scone is just a regular scone…with pumpkin and pumpkin pie spices. Make sure to create an icing to drizzle on top of it. Remember: don’t douse it like they do at other coffee shops. Have fun with some designs or simply create a few lines on top of your baked good.

Enjoy your baking!

Do you have a favourite pumpkin recipe? Post it in the comments below!

Living October 10, 2016

What are you thankful for?

Thanksgiving isn’t just an opportunity to eat lots of food and meet up with family you see two or three times a year — it’s also about taking time to be grateful for what you have.

Every year, I sit down at my dining room table with my family, and while we enjoy the feast we’ve worked so hard to make, we go around the table and say what we are thankful for.

Each holiday has a certain significance, but Thanksgiving is by far the most rejuvenating. Think about it. New Years is a time where we think back on the last year and realize all of the terrible things we’ve done (and eaten). We then make a long list of goals that are difficult to accomplish like “loss weight” or “be kinder”, essentially acknowledging all of our own flaws. Christmas and Easter are all holidays in which we think of others (at least those who celebrate the commercial meaning of the holidays). We present gifts, make food, and purchase chocolate for family and friends. The only thing we think about that’s personal is whether or not to reach for a tums.

Thanksgiving gives us an opportunity to reflect on all of the good in our lives — something people don’t take enough time to do on a regular basis. And it’s actually really hard. If you take a look at my list below, you can see they are relatively generic. Maybe one of my New Year’s resolutions will be to take part in daily gratitude exercises, which force you to think of something positive that happened to you over the last 24 hours.

Thinking of the good instead of narrowing in on the negative aspects of your life will give you confidence and a sense of calm in a ever-chaotic world.

Saying that, here is a list of the things I’m grateful for:

I will be forever grateful to my support network of friends and family — no matter my mood, they are always there for me. I wouldn’t be here without that support. Lately, I’ve been feeling a bit down and my family has been there to cheer me up and tell me it’s okay. That type of support is invaluable and irreplaceable.

I have a roof over my head and a bed to sleep in. No explanation is needed with this one.

My work ethic, which has helped me land a job after completing a Master’s program despite the heavy competition.

My health — so many people I know are struggling with illness. I am grateful that I am alive and able to live my life to the fullest.

And finally, I am grateful for all of the staff at Women’s Post for working so hard to put out amazing content each week.

Make a list yourself! What are you grateful for? Let us know in the comments below!

Health & Fitness October 8, 2016

How to survive Thanksgiving as a vegan

Thanksgiving is hell for vegans.

It is essentially a meat-driven holiday revolving around the ritual slaughter of turkeys — a celebration of cultural and animal domination. But, sometimes boycotting isn’t an option, especially when your family celebrates in style. Instead, why not try to subtly manipulate your family and friends into eating delicious vegan food and enjoying a turkey-free feast.

I dream of one day attending a Thanksgiving where everyone is vegan, but for most animal lovers, this is not a reality. Instead, I offer you a survivor’s guide on how to maintain (and possibly enforce) your vegan ways at Thanksgiving. First off, prepare yourself for countless jokes coming your way about your turkey-free values. People have a tendency to focus on veganism at holiday dinners for some reason. I choose to respond by cracking a meat-eating joke or ignoring it all together. Only if someone seems genuinely interested in my choice to be vegan, do I decide to talk about it.

The next step is to bring your own food with you. There is no need to sit there looking sad with an empty plate of salad come dinner time. This will also give people the opportunity to try good vegan food, proving that most vegans do eat in a godly fashion. It also allows you to enjoy your delightful meal and stick up your nose at meat eaters (one of my favourite pastimes).

However, I do not recommend making Tofurky. It is an odd moulded blend of soy protein and often doesn’t taste good. Instead, why not ditch imitation meat-filled turkey and make another meal entirely? For the last couple years, I’ve made an apple, fennel and sage lentil loaf, and it is mouth-watering. Another option is a vegan lentil shepherd’s pie, which combines your protein option with mashed potatoes. So yummy! Pair either option (or whichever protein option you opt for) with a vegan gravy to make everyone jealous.

It is very difficult to find pre-made vegan gravy in the store, which is a blessing in disguise. Store gravy is full of preservatives and fats. To make it at home, add vegetable stock with a variety of spices, olive oil, garlic and shallots, and that’s it! As for side dishes, try to coordinate with the host prior to the holiday to inquire whether they are willing to ditch butter for the mashed potatoes and instead use olive oil or coconut butter. If not, make your own and don’t let the host have any. Vegan green bean casserole is another easy side dish, with coconut milk in place of cream.

Finally, dessert! One of my favourite foods in the entire world happens to be pumpkin pie. I remember my first thanksgiving as a vegan before I figured out that I had to make my own food and I sat nearly in tears while everyone around me chomped down on their slice of pie. Thankfully, there is a vegan option you can make that is easy, healthy, and delicious. It uses pumpkin puree, coconut milk, and oats. If you want to opt out of making the crust, they have a vegan option at Whole Foods that is surprisingly affordable.

When I was younger, I dreaded holiday events. Now, I look at it as an opportunity to help other people realize that vegan food can taste delicious too. It also sparks a conversation about eating meat — a conversation people would otherwise not be having. The other day, I ended up talking with my boyfriend’s 11-year old cousin at a family event about being vegan and why. You never know the impact you could end up having, and it is important to eat with non-vegans for this very reason. Good luck, and remember you are saving a turkey’s life. That alone is enough to make me feel a little better on Thanksgiving.

Recipe October 4, 2016

Pumpkin vegan cheesecake without fake cream cheese

Vegan Pumpkin Cheesecake

At every Thanksgiving dinner since I was a child, my mom made pumpkin cheesecake. It was always a hit at family events and a creative twist to the classic pumpkin pie. When I decided to go vegan, I knew I wasn’t going to forfeit my annual cheesecake and set out to find the perfect vegan recipe. Here is my favourite vegan pumpkin cheesecake recipe that I make every year.

Crust:

Graham Crackers
Vegan Margarine

First off, keep the crust simple. If you try and attempt a complicated crust, it will take forever and there is always a lengthy list of items to make for Thanksgiving dinner as it is. Either purchase a vegan crust or simply use graham cracker crumbs. Crush them up and combine with vegan margarine or coconut oil. Press in a pan until a firm crust has been created.

Cheesecake:

1/2 cup of raw cashews
3 tbsp lemon juice
2 tbsp almond milk
6 tbsp maple syrup
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 tbsp coconut oil
1 ¼ cup pumpkin puree
2 tsp cinnamon
¼ tsp allspice and cloves
1/8 tsp nutmeg and ginger

For the cheesecake, most people use vegan cream cheese, but I prefer to keep it out of the cheesecake. Instead, I use raw cashews. Soak the cashews overnight prior to using them. Blend all of the ingredients together and pour into the pan on top of the crust. Bake at 350 degrees F for 20 minutes. Cool the cheesecake in the fridge for four to five hours and serve.

This cheesecake recipe is delicious and provides an extra protein kick for vegans. It also has the added benefit of being a healthier version of the original, while still tasting delicious. Enjoy!

Featured October 8, 2015

The Only Recipe You’ll Need This Thanksgiving

Let’s face it, the only reason to celebrate Thanksgiving is so we can much on guiltless calories of cinnamon and pumpkin and a lot of spice. This recipe has everything that you need and more. Just don’t forget to spend time with your family while you’re sneaking seconds at your kitchen table!

Caramel Apple Cheesecake Crumble Bars

Ingredients:

Crust
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
1/2 cup unsalted butter (1 stick), softened

Cheesecake
8 ounces cream cheese, softened (use brick-style, lite okay)
1 large egg
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Apples
about 2 cups small dices apples (from about 2 med apples, peeled and cored; I used 1 Fuji and 1 Gala)
2 tablespoon granulated sugar
1 tablespoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Crumble
1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup old-fashioned-whole rolled oats (not quick-cook or instant)
6 tablespoons unsalted butter (3/4 of 1 stick), softened

Caramel
1/2 cup+ (salted) caramel sauce, for drizzling (homemade salted caramel), or storebought; use a thick caramel sauce and not thin, runny ice cream sundae topping)
ice cream, optional for serving

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350F. Line an 8-inch square pan with aluminum foil leaving overhang and spray with cooking spray, or grease and flour the pan; set aside.
Crust – In a large bowl, add the flour, brown sugar, and cut in the butter with two forks. Keep working until mixture is combined and pea-sized crumbly bits are present.
Turn mixture out into prepared pan, hard-packing it with your fingertips in an even, smooth, flat layer to form a crust. Bake for 14-15 minutes, or just until set (set a timer). Remove from oven; set aside. While crust bakes, prepare the remaining layers.
Cheesecake – In a large bowl (same one used for crust is okay, just wipe with a paper towel), add all ingredients and beat with a hand mixer (or whisk vigorously by hand) until smooth and combined, about 2 minutes on high power; set aside.
Apples – Peel, core, and dice apples and place in a medium bowl. Sprinkle with sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and toss well to combine; set aside.
Crumble – In a medium bowl, add the flour, brown sugar, oats, and cut in the butter with two forks. Keep working until mixture is combined and pea-sized crumbly bits are present. If necessary, add an extra tablespoon or two of flour or oats for preferred consistency if mixture is loose.
After removing pan with the crust layer from the oven, pour cheesecake mixture over the crust, smoothing the top lightly with a spatula.
Lightly and evenly sprinkle the apples.
Evenly sprinkle with the crumble mixture. It looks like a lot, but it sinks some while baking.
Bake for 45 to 50 minutes (I baked 48 minutes), or until crumble topping is just set and very lightly golden browned. Place pan on a wire rack to cool for about 30 minutes.
Caramel – After 30 minutes, evenly drizzle with (salted) caramel sauce. Allow bars to cool, in pan, on wire rack for at least 4 hours, or overnight. Cover with foil if cooling overnight. Don’t slice bars too early because you’ll have a literal hot mess and bars will likely fall apart. Prior to slicing, lift bars out using foil overhang, slice, and serve. Bars will keep airtight at room temp for up to 1 week, or in the freezer for up to 6 months. Optionally serve with ice cream.

Recipe from: Pinterest