My Vegan Thanksgiving Dinner
For me, Thanksgiving is a time for family and for reflecting on the many things I am grateful for in my life. I am grateful for my loving husband, my beautiful, happy, healthy little one, my family, friends, being a “mostly” stay-at-home-mom, my first vegan children’s book that will be released in the coming year, and so much more. I am also thankful that my dinner plate will be plant based this year. Choosing to go vegan with my husband was one of the best decisions we have made as a couple. Our food nourishes us mind, body, and soul, and we take comfort in knowing that we are not consuming animal products and contributing to the harm and mistreatment of animals. That being said, you may wonder what exactly does a vegan eat on Thanksgiving. I am sure you can get hundreds of different answers from people, depending on who you ask, but I will fill you in on what my vegan Thanksgiving meal looks like. You might be surprised at how similar it looks to everyone else’s.
My brother, who is not vegan, is hosting Thanksgiving this year, and these are some of the staples he will be using to make the food we are eating vegan friendly:
Earth Balance Soy Free Butter
So Delicious Unsweetened Coconut Milk
So Delicious Coco Whip Whipped Cream
Mashed Potatoes
These are a must for our Thanksgiving table. To veganize a traditional recipe, substitute dairy milk with So Delicious Unsweetened Coconut Milk, and substitute dairy based butter with Earth Balance Soy Free Butter. I use the So Delicious Unsweetened Coconut Milk because it has a very mild flavor and does not effect the taste of the food I am using it in like some other non-dairy milks do. If your recipe calls for sour cream, you can use Toffuti Dairy Free Sour Cream. Add some garlic, salt, and pepper to the potatoes to taste, and enjoy!
Stuffing
I would love to tell you that I make my stuffing from scratch, but I am just not there yet with my culinary skills or time constraints with a one year old. What I do use is Trader Joe’s Corn Bread Stuffing mix. They only sell it during the holidays, so I usually stock up on a few extra boxes for the winter. Many boxed corn bread stuffing mixes use chicken stock, so always read the label before you buy. If you are more daring than I am in the kitchen, there are hundreds of vegan stuffing recipes on-line you can try. Stuffing is really about the seasoning you use, which is all plant based and vegan. You just need to make sure the bread you choose is vegan, and use vegetable stock or water as your liquid base.
Cranberries
Whether they are fresh, canned, jarred, or dehydrated, cranberries by themselves are vegan. There are a ton of creative things you can do with cranberries though, so go crazy with this side dish. My brother makes a yummy cranberry chutney dish, and the only change he is making is that he will be using organic sugar instead of regular sugar to insure it is vegan. Did you know that bone char from cows is used in the production of some sugar to bleach and filter it? All I can say to that is EWWWWWWWWWWW!
Vegetable Side Dishes
Bring on your peas, corn, asparagus, and whatever other fresh vegetable you can think of. Roast them, steam them, bake them, or fry them up in a pan. Just use olive oil or a vegan butter like Earth Balance while you cook.
Dinner Rolls
What’s a Thanksgiving meal without dinner rolls? The vast majority of bread products are vegan, you just need to read the label closely. The biggest culprit in many whole grain breads is honey, so if you do not consume it, you could be limited in your selections. Pillsbury original crescent rolls are vegan, and many bakery sections of grocery stores have a good vegan selection of dinner rolls. If you are fortunate enough to live near a Whole Foods, you will have a plethora of options to choose from. Don’t forget the Earth Balance butter to go with your rolls!
Turkey & Gravy
There are quite a few options out their for vegan turkey substitutions. My go-to is the Turkey-less Stuffed Loaf with gravy that Trader Joe’s carries. It is amazing! I also purchased Gardein’s Holiday Roast that looks almost identical to the one on Trader Joe’s brands box, as well as Field Roast’s Celebration Roast. I am looking forward to trying these two new brands this winter. I like to stock up so I have some for when we have friends and family over for dinner! All of these brands come with gravy, but mushroom gravy is great to have on hand for your turkey-less main course and your mashed potatoes. I use Pacific Organic vegan mushroom gravy, but there are other brands and many recipes out there for the more adventurous.
Dessert
I am in charge of dessert this year, and I will be making my famous pumpkin pie, along with an apple and lemon meringue pie. This will be my first time making an apple or lemon meringue pie, so my fingers are crossed that all goes well. The lemon meringue makes me a little nervous because the recipe uses garbanzo bean brine as the base for the meringue. This should be interesting, but I have faith it will be yummy! I use store bought vegan crusts, but I swear to myself that one day I will make my own. Top off your pie with a dollop of So Delicious Coco Whip, or make your own coconut milk based whipped topping. Here are the links to the recipes I am using:
Pumpkin Pie
Apple Pie
Lemon Meringue Pie
And that about does it for our vegan Thanksgiving menu. The only thing my husband, daughter, and I will not be eating on the table is the small turkey and gravy my brother is preparing for himself and my dad. All of the other people at the table will be digging into the Turkey-less loaf. It really is not as hard as some people think to take a traditional meal and make it plant-based. As the years go on, I look forward to making more things from scratch and trying new dishes. Perhaps a stuffed squash with wild rice and cranberries, or a vegan version of green bean casserole? The possibilities are endless!
So this Thursday, count your blessings, love your family, and eat cruelty-free. From my family to yours, have a Happy Thanksgiving!
Love, Laughter, & Light,
Julia
