Thanksgiving!
I’ll be honest, Thanksgiving has never been my favorite holiday. For the vegetarians out there, do you feel like Thanksgiving is the day that your eating habits are up for discussion by the whole family? I’ve never been one to try to convert people to vegetarianism (unless they show an interest) but I also don’t want to explain myself to everyone who wants to give their opinion. Treehugger has some great tips for surviving Thanksgiving dinner with your omnivorous kin. They mention bringing a vegetarian dish, I always try to bring something to gatherings like this. People tend to think of vegetarianism in terms of what you don’t eat, bringing a delicious dish is a great way to show what we do eat! Last year I was a lacto-ovo vegetarian, but this year, I’ve become lactose intolerant so I have a mostly vegan diet. It takes a lot more planning to avoid milk, so I’ve been looking for some great recipes. My hubby has been making some delicious fried wontons with onions and faux meat in them, and he is going to make some for appetizers for Thanksgiving. I’d also like to make some pumpkin cupcakes (thanks to Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World). My mom bought some stuffing mix that doesn’t have animal ingredients, and by making it with vegetable broth instead of chicken broth it should be completely vegan. I’ve also been making mashed potatoes with almond milk and dairy-free margarine, they turn out great! If you buy mashed potato flakes instead of fresh potatoes, make sure you check the box, they might have dairy ingredients. Need ideas for serving vegetarians this year? Check out this post from Groovy Vegetarian to find veg recipes all over the Internet.
If you have vegetarians coming to your Thanksgiving feast this year, here are some tips to help them feel comfortable at your table:
- Find out what they eat. Vegan means they don’t eat any animal products. Some ingredients are obvious, like meat, fish, milk, and eggs. Other things to look out for are whey, casein, gelatin
(in most Jello and marshmallow products), and honey (since it is made by bees, strict vegans won’t eat it). Vegetarian is defined differently by different people, but most commonly it means they do not eat meat but do eat dairy and eggs. Although it is a common misconception, vegetarians don’t eat fish! - If you have a raw foodist coming to your Thanksgiving dinner, find out if they eat 100% raw food, or if they do eat some cooked food. Generally a raw food diet means nothing is cooked above 115 °F. If you’re unfamiliar with this diet, ask your visitor to suggest a recipe or bring something to share. Also, check your local library for some raw cookbooks. Most libraries will have something, and your raw food guests will be impressed that you thought of them!
- Remember that your vegetarian guests have probably spent many Thanksgivings defending their dietary choices, so a welcoming table without any interrogation about their eating habits will be much appreciated!
- Simple things like making the stuffing with veggie broth or using almond milk in the mashed potatoes can make a lot more dishes veggie friendly. Trust me, your other guests won’t notice the difference!
Any more tips for a veggie-friendly Thanksgiving? Post in the comments!
