I recently checked out a Thanksgiving children's book for my kids. The two main characters are on a mission to go find a turkey for Thanksgiving (they don't know why, they just know that it's a tradition). After overcoming some hilarious obstacles, they finally get the turkey, who lucky him, instead of being cooked and eaten, gets to eat dinner with the family, since the family doesn't realize that the turkey is traditionally eaten as part of the meal. It's a silly, heart-warming story (with a subtle vegetarian message, although I really don't think it was intentional), and got me thinking about food for the holidays, particularly Thanksgiving, since it's right around the corner (2 weeks is "right around the corner" in my world).
This year it will just be our family, no extended, at least for the holiday, which means: I can cook whatever I darn well want to and not have to worry about pleasing anyone's turkey-lovin' taste buds (thank heavens, the omnivorous husband LOATHES turkey!).
In the years past I've made:
*Dreena Burton's fresh cranberry sauce & lemon broiled green beans --my favorite cranberry sauce recipe that uses maple syrup as the sweetener, I could eat bowlfuls of the stuff
*Mashed potatoes--roasted garlic and/or herbed w/ cashew or mushroom gravy
*Candied yams (sans the ground up horse hooves, I mean marshmallows)
*Stuffed pumpkin (stuff a pumpkin with your favorite stuffing and bake)
*Wild Rice & Lentil Timbales (recipe from Fat Free Vegan)
*Steamed sweet corn
*Home baked whole grain dinner rolls
*Sparkling apple cider
*Pumpkin Pie/Chocolate Pumpkin Pie (Dr. McDougall has a great recipe on his site & Dreena has one as well in ED & BV) with homemade cashew ice cream or my fave Seven Secrets Cookbook brown rice ice cream
I've made veggie cutlets (made from garbanzo beans, wheat gluten, and seasonings), although not for Thanksgiving. I and my family (including hubby) like them, but since my kids don't have any expectations or context for meat on their dinner plate, there's no real incentive for me to try and make some sort of turkey replacement specifically for Thanksgiving.
Since I still haven't decided on the exact menu for the holiday, I'd love to see what YOU'RE going to make, and get some inspiration from you all.
QUESTION FOR YOU: What are some of your favorite vegan holiday dishes? What vegan dishes will you be eating at Thanksgiving? Be a dove, and do share.
I have no idea; this will be my first round of Vegan holidays, and I'm already sweating about it. I'm intrigued by your stuffed pumpkin idea. I'll have to look into it. :)
ReplyDeleteWe eat at my parents house and I bring the desserts and the sweet potatoes.
ReplyDeleteI made Dreena's chocolate pumpkin pie last year (yum!!!!)
And I use coconut milk in the sweet potatoes and top them with coconut and pecans.
This year, we're having Thanksgiving at our house so I'm thinking a vegan roast and lots of veggies. I haven't thought in alot of detail yet though..
Hey, I'm your sister and we will be eating together!!!! Oh, and you made all the good food last year, so that's what we will be eating this year:) love ya!
ReplyDeleteI love your description of the book! What's its title?
ReplyDeletelots of roasted veggies: carrots with sweet onion, brussel sprouts. then ,mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, veg stuffing. I find all the sides are easily made vegan and so delicious...
ReplyDeletePumpkin pie dessert.
We don't celebrate Thanks Giving in the U.K, but if we did, gosh I'd be excited to plan a whole vegan menu, esp as I am mainly vegetairan.
ReplyDeleteI don't have any ideas for you, but rather just wanted to chime in and say I've been reading your blog for a couple months now and every single time I pulled it up I kept thinking you looked so familiar. I just realized tonight after watching your video tour of your kitchen...you in all likelihood may not remember me, but you were my nextdoor neighbor in Provo. You had the green trim house and we were nextdoor in the dark brick duplex. I still remember you telling me about your water birth and thinking that was so cool. I actually really considered it for my last birth based on how much I remembered you loving it. Anyway, just had to throw that out there! I couldn't believe after all this time wondering why you looked so familiar that I actually had known you previously, even if just barely!!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the blog posts and recipes too - I read The China Study a few months ago and have been slowing going more and more vegan. It's great to come here and see how other people do it - it's definitely a long term process!
Tina: I don't remember the name of the book! But I checked out another great one, very veg friendly called Silly Tilly's Thanksgiving Dinner. My kids and I loved it!
ReplyDeleteKristyn: I so remember you! Small world, eh? Way to go in reading The China Study. Good luck with all your healthful endeavors!
I am having a vegetarian Thanksgiving at my house w/ some friends on the Saturday after-that way I can cook whatever I want-they are invited, free food-so I figure i have leeway to cook what I want. I'll be stuffing butternut squash, making Brussels sprouts, and making a corn type pie (it has tex-mex flavors). Plus some bread and some sort of dessert. Yummy!
ReplyDeleteI love this maple pecan topped butternut squash...yum!
ReplyDeletehttp://www.5dollardinners.com/2010/10/grow-eat-save-winter-squash-recipe.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+5Dinners+%28%245+Dinners%29