Fat Tuesday is the day before Ash Wednesday, which is the first day of Lent. Historically, Fat Tuesday was a day to prepare for Lent, i.e. making sure food was stored properly and taking part in confession. It slowly evolved to be a day of gluttony, where people indulged in meats, eggs, cheese, butter, and other animal fats, all of which Christians abstained from during Lent.

Mardi translates to Tuesday and Gras translates to fat. Fat Tuesday became known as Pancake Day in Great Britain because people would use up all the dairy and eggs to make pastries or pancakes. In the United States, people usually eat a lot of festive foods and drink plenty of alcohol, especially in New Orleans.

Fun Fact: The first Fat Tuesday actually took place in present day Mobile, Alabama, not in New Orleans. French settlers made their way to New Orleans, but these rowdy Fat Tuesday celebrations stopped after the Spanish took control. The bans were lifted after Louisiana became a U.S. state in 1812.

Many people in the south associate Mardi Gras with a pot of simmering greens, the signature scent of Crawfish Etouffé, and corn bread cooking in a cast iron pan. The cooking of Cajun food and is faithfully observed around the time of Fat Tuesday, but Cajun food doesn’t have to revolve around sausage, oysters, crabs, or shrimp. Cajun food more about the flavors, spices, and the essence of spirit than the actual food itself. Heat is a primary element, but don’t add more cayenne than you can handle. To help you get in the celebratory spirit, we want to give you some tasty recipes to make your Fat Tuesday not so fat.

Mardi Gras Smoothie

Ingredients:

• 3 cups banana chunks, frozen
• 2 cups fresh pineapple, cubed
• ½ cup spinach
• ½ cup raspberries
• 1 cup blueberries

Instructions:

• Add 1 cup of banana chunks and 1 cup of pineapple to a blender with a tablespoon or so of water. Blend until smooth. Pour this into three small glasses.
• Rinse the blender and add 1 cup of banana chunks, 1 cup of pineapple, and the spinach with 2 tablespoons of water. Blend until smooth and pour into the three glasses on top of the banana/pineapple mixture.
• Rinse the blender and add the last cup of banana chunks, in addition to raspberries and blueberries with a tablespoon or so of water. Blend until smooth and then pour in the three glasses on top of the spinach mixture. You should have three tri-colored Mardi Gras smoothies!

Vegan Banana Beignets

Ingredients:

• 3 very ripe bananas
• ¼ tsp. alcohol-free vanilla extract
• 1/16 tsp. almond extract
• 1/3 cup raw brown sugar
• 1 cup brown rice flour
• ½ cup chickpea flour
• ¾ tsp. baking powder
• 1 pinch nutmeg
• 1 pinch cinnamon
• ¼ – ½ cup organic, unsweetened almond milk
• Vegetable oil for frying
• Organic vegan powdered sugar, for garnish

Instructions:

• In a large mixing bowl, smash the bananas and mix in the almond & vanilla extracts. Stir in the sugar and set aside.
• Mix the flours, baking powder, nutmeg, and cinnamon in a separate bowl.
• Combine the two mixtures in one bowl and mix well. Stir in the almond milk until you get a creamy batter.
• Warm 2-3 inches of vegetable oil in a pan. Oil should be 350 degrees before frying the beignets.
• Drop heaping amounts of batter into the hot oil and cook until golden brown on both sides. Once they are browned, remove from the oil and set on a cooling rack or paper towels. Repeat until you’ve fried all of them.
• Dust with powdered sugar (optional) to serve.

Vegan Jambalaya

We had to give you a savory recipe to enjoy Fat Tuesday. We love this recipe because it is easy to make and packs some heat! Try it out and let us know how you like it.

Click here to make the recipe.

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The post Here’s How To Make Your Fat Tuesday Not So Fat appeared first on Dherbs - The Best All Natural Herbal Remedies & Products.

Are you a vegan, but want to celebrate Mardi Gras by eating some classic dishes? Even though the staple Mardi Gras dishes are filled with meat, seafood, fat, and sugar, we found three delicious, vegan Mardi Gras recipes for you to make. Keep on with your plant-based diet and enjoy the festivities in a healthy way.

While Mardi Gras, Carnival, Fat Tuesday, or whatever you want to call it was sort of a last hoorah before Lent, Americans have commercialized it into a day of digging into Creole food and drinking lots of alcohol. Mardi Gras celebrations actually date back to European medieval times, however, and a French-Canadian explorer brought it to America. He landed about sixty miles south of New Orleans and named it “Pointe du Mardi Gras,” after realizing his landing day was the day before the festive holiday.

Mardi Gras Fun Fact

While many people pride themselves in getting a lot of beads during Mardi Gras, how many of them actually know what the colors mean? The classic colors are green, purple, and gold. They have been passed around at parades since the 1830s, but you didn’t have to flash anyone to get them. Green symbolizes faith; purple represents justice; and gold means power.

Vegan Jambalaya With A Kick

We know traditional jambalaya has shrimp and Andouille sausage, but you’ll be surprised at how delicious this vegan recipe tastes.

Click here for the recipe.

Rajun Cajun Red Beans & Rice

If you don’t like too much spice in your life, you can go a little lighter on the Cajun seasoning.

Ingredients

• 3 cups uncooked brown rice
• 5 cups water
• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• 1 large sweet onion, chopped
• 2 teaspoons Cajun seasoning, or to taste
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 3 cans organic kidney beans, drained

Directions

• Boil the water in a large pot and add the rice. Reduce the heat to a simmer let the rice cook until there is no more water.
• While the rice is cooking, warm olive oil in frying pan over medium heat and add the chopped onions. Add the Cajun seasoning to the onions and sauté for a few minutes. Add the minced garlic and cook for another minute.
• Add two cans of beans to the onion pan and blend one can of beans in a blender until smooth. Add the blended beans to the onion pan as well. Cook for 5 minutes and then remove from heat.
• Ladle the beans on top of the rice and enjoy!

Creole Okra

Okra is a classic ingredient in Creole cuisine, and it takes the center stage in this dish. The acidity of the tomatoes balances the spice combination for a pleasant bite.

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• ½ large sweet onion, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• ½ green bell pepper, chopped
• 2 cups fresh diced tomatoes
• ¼ teaspoon dried thyme
• 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, diced
• ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
• sea salt and pepper to taste
• 1lb okra, chopped

Directions

• Warm the olive oil in a skillet over medium heat and sauté the onion and garlic until transparent. Add the bell pepper and cook until softened.
• Pour the tomatoes into the skillet and then season with thyme, parsley, cayenne, sea salt, and pepper. Simmer for 5 minutes before adding the chopped okra. Cover and cook for 15 minutes over low heat. Enjoy!

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The post How To Have A Non-Fat Fat Tuesday appeared first on Dherbs - The Best All Natural Herbal Remedies & Products.