h4nbsp;/h4h3uspan style=”font-size:20px;”Give turkeys something to be thankful for by celebrating a vegan Thanksgiving/span/u/h3divnbsp;/divdivnbsp;/divdivnbsp;/divpDarien, Conn.mdash;The National Turkey Federation points out on its website that Thanksgiving is an American holiday classic, seemingly untouched by time. ldquo;While we may not go lsquo;over the river and through the woods to grandma#39;s house,rsquo; Thanksgiving is still the occasion to gather with family and friends to give thanks for our freedoms and the bounty of American life. When you serve turkey at Thanksgiving, you are sustaining an American tradition passed on through the ages,rdquo; its website says./ppFriends of Animals is encouraging everyone to exercise the freedom they are so thankful for and start a new tradition of not serving turkey this Thanksgiving and instead providing hearty plant-based plates (see recipes below). Itrsquo;s time to give turkeys something to be thankful for./ppThe National Turkey Federation estimates that 46 million turkeys will be eaten this Thanksgiving, but not if more people offer vegan options at the centerpiece of their celebration.img alt=”” src=”/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/turkey.jpg” style=”width: 250px; height: 166px; margin: 8px; float: right;” //ppAccording to Karen Davis, founder of the non-profit United Poultry Concerns, turkey mothers are excellent mothers. They will fight predators to the death if need be to protect their young. Turkey babies stay with their mothers nearly half a year. But turkeys raised for food never know the comfort of the mother birdrsquo;s wings or the joy of exploring the woods and fields with her./ppldquo;Turkeys even like to dance. I cite two different memoirs in my book lsquo;More than a Mealrsquo; where people describe these turkeys doing a dance together as a flock very much like ostriches and emus do,rdquo; Davis said. ldquo;These writers said they appeared to be doing it just as an expression of the exuberance of being alive./ppldquo;Most people know nothing about turkeys. Or all they know about them is they have them on their table on Thanksgiving. And they think ground up turkey is health food because itrsquo;s represented as low in fat.rdquo;/ppTurkeys recognize each other by their distinct voice and that they can form strong social bonds that can last a lifetime. Did you know that they can mentally map up to 1,000 acres because they possess superb geographic skills?/ppUnfortunately the geographic skills of turkeys raised for human consumption are taken for granted as they are crowded into poorly ventilated industrial production facilities. Turkeys are painfully debeaked and detoed without anesthetic to offset the destructive effects of overcrowding and lack of environmental stimulation. And although the Humane Methods of Slaughter Act requires animals to be rendered insensible before shackling and slaughter, the United States Department of Agriculture does not interpret this law to include birds killed for food, and it does not protect turkeys./ppIn addition to saving animals from being slaughtered, there is lesser known perk about becoming a vegan, says Marla Rose, creator of the community web portal a href=”http://www.veganstreet.com/” target=”_blank”Vegan Street/amdash;it is the awakening of the palate./ppnbsp;/ppThanksgiving is the perfect time to awaken your palate and Friends of Animals can get you started with itsa href=”https://friendsofanimals.org/mm5/merchant.mvc?Session_ID=0dac0ebceff7c6b5fd4dfe8f2b23e2b5Screen=PRODStore_Code=FOAProduct_Code=vsg2012Category_Code=bklets” comprehensive, full-color vegan starter guide/a debunking the myths of veganism that includes recipes, which is available on our website, a href=”https://friendsofanimals.org”www.Friendsofanimals.org/a.nbsp; Friends of Animals President Priscilla Feral has also authored and compiled two vegan cookbooks,a href=”https://friendsofanimals.org/mm5/merchant.mvc?Session_ID=0dac0ebceff7c6b5fd4dfe8f2b23e2b5Screen=PRODStore_Code=FOAProduct_Code=ckbkCategory_Code=bks” emDining with Friends/em/a, and ema href=”https://friendsofanimals.org/mm5/merchant.mvc?Session_ID=0dac0ebceff7c6b5fd4dfe8f2b23e2b5Screen=PRODStore_Code=FOAProduct_Code=newckbkCategory_Code=bks”The Best of Vegan Cooking/a./em Rose writes: ldquo;These are books that revel in luscious, seasonal natural foods, prepared just enough to bring out the best of their flavors.rdquo;/ppHere are some recipes from the books for you to cook up on Nov. 28 that will give turkeys something to gobble about./ppemIf you would like to interview Priscilla about celebrating a vegan Thanksgiving, e-mail /ema href=”mailto:feral@friendsofanimals.org”emferal@friendsofanimals.org/em/aem or call 203-656-1522, ext. 105./em/phr /p style=”margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; line-height: 18pt;”bspan style=”font-size: 14pt;”Perfect Chestnut Soupo:p/o:p/span/b/pp style=”margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; line-height: 18pt;”bServes 6o:p/o:p/b/pp style=”margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;”8 tablespoons olive oilo:p/o:p/pp style=”margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;”4 cups whole roasted chestnuts (about 1frac12; pounds)o:p/o:p/pp style=”margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;”1 carrot, peeled and choppedo:p/o:p/pp style=”margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;”1 leek, mostly white parts, well rinsed and choppedo:p/o:p/pp style=”margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;”1 parsnip, peeled and choppedo:p/o:p/pp style=”margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;”1 cup celery, choppedo:p/o:p/pp style=”margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;”7frac12; cups vegetable brotho:p/o:p/pp style=”margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;”frac12; cup Madeira wineo:p/o:p/pp style=”margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;”2 or more parsley sprigs, choppedo:p/o:p/pp style=”margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;”Pinch of grated nutmego:p/o:p/pp style=”margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;”Sea salto:p/o:p/pp style=”margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;”Fresh ground peppero:p/o:p/pp style=”margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;”Tofutti brand Imitation Sour Creamo:p/o:p/pp style=”margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;”Cayenne peppero:p/o:p/pp style=”margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;”o:pnbsp;/o:p/pp style=”margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;”bPreparation:o:p/o:p/b/pp style=”margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;”bTo roast chestnuts:nbsp;nbsp;/bChoose fresh, firm unwrinkled chestnuts with no signs of spores.nbsp; On the flat side of each chestnut, take a small knife and cut an ldquo;Xrdquo; from one end to the other.nbsp; Make sure you cut all the way through the shell.nbsp; Lay the chestnuts in one layer in an oven-proof dish.nbsp; Bake at 325 degrees F for about 25-30 minutes, until the cuts peel back naturally from the heat.nbsp; Cool only slightly.nbsp; Peel off the outer shell and the fuzzy skin and set nuts aside.o:p/o:p/pp style=”margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;”In a heavy saucepan, heat 4 tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat.nbsp; Add chestnuts and sauté until heated through, about 5 minutes.nbsp; Set aside.o:p/o:p/pp style=”margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;”Heat the remaining 4 tablespoons of olive oil in a heavy, large soup pot over medium heat.nbsp; Add carrot, parsnip, leek and celery; sauté until soft, about 7 minutes.nbsp; Add vegetable broth and bring to a boil.nbsp; Reduce heat to low.nbsp; Add the chestnuts, Madeira wine, parley, nutmeg, salt and pepper.nbsp; Continue to simmer for another 15 minutes.o:p/o:p/pp style=”margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;”Purée the soup in batches in a food processor or blender.nbsp; Transfer the puréed soup to a large soup pot and reheat, stirring frequently.o:p/o:p/ppnbsp;/pp style=”margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;”When itrsquo;s thoroughly heated, ladle the soup into bowls.nbsp; Top it off with a dollop of non-dairy sour cream and sprinkle slightly with cayenne pepper./ph3nbsp;/h3h3nbsp;/h3h3More Recipes/h3pa href=”https://friendsofanimals.org/node/6331″img alt=”” src=”/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/potatobanner.jpg” style=”width: 400px; height: 118px;” //a/pp style=”margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:18.0pt”nbsp;/pp style=”margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:18.0pt”nbsp;/pp style=”margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:18.0pt”nbsp;/pp style=”margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:18.0pt”a href=”https://friendsofanimals.org/node/6334″img alt=”” src=”/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/ButternutSquashheader.jpg” style=”width: 400px; height: 118px;” //a/pp style=”margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:18.0pt”nbsp;/pp style=”margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:18.0pt”nbsp;/pp style=”margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:18.0pt”nbsp;/pp style=”margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:18.0pt”a href=”https://friendsofanimals.org/node/6332″img alt=”” src=”/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/succotashbanner.jpg” style=”width: 400px; height: 118px;” //a/pp style=”margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:18.0pt”nbsp;/pp style=”margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:18.0pt”nbsp;/pp style=”margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:18.0pt”nbsp;/pp style=”margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:18.0pt”a href=”https://friendsofanimals.org/node/6333″img alt=”” src=”/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/dessertsbanner.jpg” style=”width: 400px; height: 118px;” //a/pulli style=”margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; line-height: 18pt;”Cranberry Nut Bread/lili style=”margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; line-height: 18pt;”Spiced Pumpkin Cheesecake/lili style=”margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; line-height: 18pt;”Rasberry Apple Crumble/li/ulp style=”margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:18.0pt”nbsp;/pp style=”margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:18.0pt”nbsp;/pp style=”margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:18.0pt”nbsp;/p