Faux Gras, not Foie Gras. Faux Gras is a play on words for a completely vegan and super delicious mushroom-lentil-pecan spread. Faux means false in French and it’s an important distinction.

Foie gras is a fatty goose or duck liver. It’s often made into a terrine, pate, or spread, but it can also be pan-fried or poached en torchon. It’s not for everyone for a variety of reasons.

This Good and Good for You™ recipe makes a generous 3 1/2 cups and it freezes well. The big bonus is that it’s vegan, dairy-free, and gluten-free — and yet omnivores and hard-core carnivores will love it. Faux Gras is going to be your answer to the upcoming entertaining season.

This issue also shares

• The Best Life Living Tip: 🍽️ Dealing with Guests with Dietary Restrictions
• The Self-Care Technique: 💌 Drop a note in the Mail for a Pick-Me-Up
• Ideas and Inspiration: 🛑 Delete, Delete, Delete. Stopping Disinformation.

Read on for more — including this amazing recipe for rich and earthy vegan Faux Gras. I tell you it’s a huge hit. You won’t believe how good it is.

Best Life Living Tip

“Do you have any allergies or aversions?” is the question you need to ask.

This is your best lift living tip as we head into holiday entertaining. It’s clear and will help set you up for success.

Once you have your answers, create a meal or menu that can work for everyone. Why make yourself crazy cooking multiple dishes? Instead, keep the sides and apps friendly for all. Creating the menu to suit the guest list is easier in the long run — and is a fuller definition of inclusion and hospitality.

And, there are limits because people are people and situations always vary.

Tips for Guests with Dietary Restrictions

• Serve a buffet or go family-style.
• Label all the dishes including all the ingredients.
• Keep all meat and dairy garnishes on the side.
• Use vegetable or mushroom stock.
• Keep an eye out for sneaky gluten — tamari is GF, soy sauce is not.
• Check all the labels for allergens.

Self-Care Technique

Self-care is a way to promote health and reduce stress by doing activities that make you happy. Do you know how wonderful you feel when you get an old-fashioned note or postcard from a friend?

Guess what? Writing one feels almost as good! And, you have the anticipation of knowing how great you are going to make your friend feel. I know it seems insane to give you one more thing to do, but I promise it’s worth it.

Unplugged tells us that handwriting letters can:

• Reduce stress
• Boost memory
• Enhance emotional health
• Help connect to loved ones
• Allow us to focus on a single task

Give it a try! It’s a habit I picked up again during Covid. I try to drop a note to a friend every week or so. It can be just a few sentences. You can send it knowing at the opposite end that you are making someone smile. It’s pretty wonderful.

You can do it!

Ideas and Inspiration

Keeping an eye on Western North Carolina. This leans more into ideas than inspo, but we got to do what we got to do.

Please read and share this link about the death toll in Western North Carolina. Yes, any deaths from the storm are too many and the situation is grim, but the misinformation and disinformation that “the government is hiding the number of deaths” are hurtful and damaging. The sheriff is requesting people remove false social media posts.

Deputy Chief Larry Pierson with Swannanoa Fire and Rescue wrote a letter on Facebook Oct. 19, “begging” people to not share “misleading, inflated or sensationalized information from uninformed sources.” …”If you have shared a social media post that claims what we are referring to, please delete it. It is not helping our valley, healing our people, or comforting the broken hearted.”

Social media is a blessing and a curse. It’s easy to get sucked in. Do you know how to tell if a page is fake?  Let’s all remember to take a moment before we repost and post.

Good Day Atlanta

It’s always great to be in the Fox5 Good Day Atlanta kitchen. Here’s how to make “Faux Gras” from Bon Appetit,Y’all with host Joanne Feldman. I am truly overjoyed by the amazing reception that Bon Appetit, Y’all (Revised and Updated) is getting.

I was calling it a reboot or a makeover. The other night after a presentation, a very fancy lady came up to me and said, “Dahlin’ you need to call it a glow-up.” So GLOW UP it is!! Yay us!

Point it Out

It’s not the prettiest, that’s for sure but it’s really good and comes in at only 36 (!!) calories a tablespoon.  Serve it with pickled okra and grainy mustard as you would with a meat-based charcuterie platter.

Thanks so much for reading. Please give me a follow on IG @virginiawillis for more best life tips, self-care techniques, ideas and inspiration, and healthy recipes.

In Atlanta, The Front Porch of Vinings and A Cappella Books both have signed copies. Keep an eye open for more signings! You can also order a copy here from Amazon, BN.com, or your fave indie store. (Also, shoot a note to assistant@virginiawillis.com and I will send you a signed bookplate!)

Please remember, “As long as you’re doing what’s Good and Good for You™ more often than not, you’re on the right track.” 🙌🏻

Bon Appétit Y’all!

Virginia Willis

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“Faux Gras”: Vegan Lentil Pecan Pâté

The great thing about this Faux Gras recipe is that it's vegan, but even omnivores and hard-core carnivores will love it! It makes 3 1/2 cups or 56 tablespoons. For a party, you can probably count on 4 tablespoons per person or about 14 people. You can also make a batch, serve half, and freeze the other half. Genius.

Prep Time30 minutes mins

Cook Time5 minutes mins

Course: Appetizer, hors d'oeuvres, Snack

Cuisine: American, French

Diet: Vegan

Keyword: healthy recipe for sausage and peppers, holiday appetizer, vegan dip, vegetarian

Servings: 56 tablespoons

Calories: 36kcal

Author: Virginia Willis

Ingredients

• 3 cups water
• 1 cup dry green or brown lentils or 2 1/2 cups cooked lentils ( about 2 15-ounce cans, drained)
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter or plant butter
• 1 small onion preferably Vidalia, peeled and diced
• 12 medium-sized cremini mushrooms stem ends trimmed and sliced (8 oz)
• 3 cloves garlic mashed to a paste
• 1 cup chopped pecans toasted
• Juice of 1/2 lemon
• 1 tablespoon reduced-sodium tamari or soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon freshly chopped flat-leaf parsley
• 2 teaspoons freshly chopped thyme
• 1 tablespoon freshly chopped sage plus leaves for garnish
• 2 teaspoons bourbon Cognac, or brandy
• 1 teaspoon dark brown sugar raw sugar, or turbinado sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• Freshly ground pepper

Instructions

• Bring the water to a boil in a medium saucepan. Add the salt and lentils. Reduce the heat to simmer and cook until the lentils are tender, 15 to 17 minutes. You should have about 2 cups. (You can also use drained canned lentils.) Set aside.
• Heat the olive oil and butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring frequently, until the onion is clear and translucent, 3 to 5 minutes. Add the mushrooms and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, another 5 to 8 minutes.
• Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, 45 to 60 seconds. Remove from the heat to cool.
• In the bowl of a food processor fitted with the blade attachment combine the cooked and drained lentils, pecans, lemon juice, soy sauce, herbs, bourbon, brown sugar, and cayenne. Add the cooked and cooled mushroom mixture. Process until completely smooth.
• Taste and adjust for seasoning with salt and pepper. (The mixture needs to be highly seasoned.) Transfer the pâté into a small bowl or bowls and refrigerate for a few hours, until firm. You can also portion it into freezable containers and save it for later.

Nutrition

Calories: 36kcal | Carbohydrates: 3g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 2g | Saturated Fat: 0.5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 0.02g | Cholesterol: 1mg | Sodium: 4mg | Potassium: 64mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 0.4g | Vitamin A: 25IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 5mg | Iron: 0.3mg