Feeding a Vegan for Thanksgiving

Hello everyone
I'm not vegetarian nor vegan, but my best friend has been vegan for several years now. This Thanksgiving she'll be coming to my home since her home is 13 hours away from where she goes to school. All of my family eats meat, which doesn’t bother her, but my main concern is that I need more ideas about what we should make for her that's not too detached from ingredients we use. I don’t think we'd have time or the resources to make 2 completely different dinners. We have a few vegan-friendly side dishes we already make, but she eats a lot :p

 

Recipes/Items I need vegan-variations for

Turkey.... 

Stuffing

Cucumber salad

A dessert like pumpkin pie, etc

We have a family cucumber salad recipe we make every year, which has all kinds of cream etc in it, so that's why I was wondering if someone had a really tasty salad involving mainly cucumbers since we buy a ton of them this time of year.

Also, if anyone has any other great festive, vegan ideas (like other pumpkin recipes) I'd really appreciate it.Making a vegan-happy Thanksgiving would mean the world to my friend Lizz, since her own family has never been very supportive.

 

Thanks! Sarahkins

 

i think that is soooo sweet you are doing this for your friend.

 ok so i am only a veggo and not a vegan, but i know they have a TON of butter/cream cheese/milk etc alternatives. i am pretty sure most common grocery stores have the, but Whole Foods will def have them.

for turkey, there is something called tofurkey, i've never had it but i heard alot of people have it for thanksgiving. you could also maybe try a lentil loaf? its similar to meatloaf except with lentils instead.

 for stuffing you will just have to make it with vegetable stock instead of chicken stock. if you use boxed stuffing, make sure to read the ingredients.

for dessert there is this wicked good chocolate mousse recipe i have. basically its silken tofu and melted chocolate chips. semi-sweet choc. chips are vegan i believe, but they also sell vegan chocolate. the recipe is posted on this site, i would insert the link but im not sure how to do that. lol

 you can also use www.vegcooking.com to search for recipes, or google vegan thanksgiving recipes. 

im sure your friend will love you either way for the effort!

good luck! 

http://veganconnection.com/recipes/pumpkin_pi e.htm

I used this recipe last year for Thanksgiving, and my family really loved it.  None of them are vegan, nor am I - but I try to avoid eggs as much as possible.  But not only did everyone really enjoy the flavor and texture, but my uncle from out of town had me email him the recipe so he can make it himself this year at his home.

If you live near a Whole Foods or other organic yuppie grocery store, check the frozen section for premade vegan pies :)  You might not find pumpkin (or maybe you will, if it's seasonal), but there should at least be some fruit pies (apple is kind of thanksgiving-y)

Could you make the cucumber salad without the cream, and maybe substitue an oil/vingear based dressing?  Or make it with soy milk/soy cream? (Or maybe vegan mayo would work?)

you're a really sweet friend :)

...also, tofurkey is your friend.

Http://www.vegweb.com has a ton of vegetarian/vegan thanksgiving recipes. The Vegan Thanksgiving Meatloaf recipe is reeeeally good!
It is WAY better than any tofurkey or any of that stuff.

Mashed potatoes can be made the same as you normally would, just replace milk with unsweetened soymilk and replace the butter with vegan margarine(this can be found in natural food stores, maybe wholefoods?).  They also make vegan shortening(found next to the vegan margarine) that can be used to make any pie crusts/baked goods. There is also a fake egg replacer called Ener-G that can be used in all kinds of baking.

Pretty much any recipe for thanksgiving can be modified to vegan without too much effort; there are vegan cheeses, vegan mayonaise, vegan milks, shortenings, broths, etc etc. There are even yummy vegan pudding/pie fillings that are simply mixed with silken soft tofu and they set just like normal. Vegan pie crusts can be found in freezer sections.

Your best bet is just modifiying recipes, you can find all you should need at a co-op, trader joes, or natural food store.

Good luck! This is really sweet of you. I'm a vegan and my family is grumbling at me already about thanksgiving recipes; i'm bringing mostly my own stuff so they don't have to change their tradition.

If you need a GOOOOOOOOOOOD pumpkin pie, here it is:

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Pumpkin-Tart-Wit h-Pecan-Crust/Detail.aspx

Completely vegan-friendly and SUPER TASTY. I make it every now and then, but have yet to make it for a holiday meal....hello, thanksgiving. :)

here's a link for you

Pumpkin pie: http://vegweb.com/index.php?topic=6174.0

Side dish of apple-stuffed acorn squash: http://vegweb.com/index.php?PHPSESSID=e4ad6b9 09715da7b1c7fd40e72414c4f&topic=11028.0&n bsp;

Isn't cucumber salad vegan anyway? Don't you just have vinegar, cucumbers, onions? Some vegans don't do refined sugar, so just ask her if she does or find a vegan alternative if you add it to your salad.

Tofu turkey and Stuffing:  http://vegweb.com/index.php?topic=13335.0

It's easier than you'd think.  You can opt for a tofurkey, as it's easier than trying to do it yourself from scratch.  As for the other items:

Stuffing: use your favorite stuffing recipe, but replace the chicken or turkey stock with vegetable stock and the butter with Earth Balance Soy Margarine (my regular grocery store has it, but a Whole Foods or Wild Oats definitely will).  They have vegetarian vegetable broths and stocks canned or boxed at any run of the mill grocery.  If you're worried about the stuffing running thin on flavor, boost its taste with lots of fresh herbs, toasted nuts, garlic (depending on your recipe), or dried fruit. 

Cucumber salad: I don't know exactly what you mean by this.  For cucumbers, I favor the Lebanese treatment: chopped and tossed with tomatoes, fresh parsley, fresh mint, olive oil, lemon juice, salt, and pepper.  The possibilities are pretty endless, though.  If you want to do a "creamy" dressing to treat your friend, try this one:
http://theppk.com/recipes/dbrecipes/index.php ?RecipeID=1565

Dessert: The website I listed above has a vegan cupcake cookbook with a recipe for vegan pumpkin chocolate chip cupcakes with vegan buttercream frosting.  Highly recommended.  If you don't want to commit to the cookbook, you could jot it down at B&N.  Or just visit the same website and browse recipes for an assortment of pumpkin muffins, spice breads, etc.

I know you didn't ask, but mashed potatoes: I always make them this way.  Boil the potatoes in large chunks, skins-on.  When they're cooked (not overcooked and waterlogged), blend with Earth Balance soy margarine, plain soymilk, salt, pepper, crushed or roasted garlic, and (secret ingredient) Tofutti brand "Better than Sour Cream".  That stuff is amazing, and it will make the potatoes fluffy, rich, creamy, and tangy.  Whip with a hand or stand mixer until just fluffed.  For extra fun, at the very end, blend in about one yam, steamed in peeled cubes.  This will add a gorgeous orange swirl through your mashed potatoes, as well as making them much more nutritious.

Another item I love to make are curried yam samosas.  Steamed yams, lightly curried and simmered in coconut milk, then stuffed into samosa dough (premade is okay as long as it's v-friendly and lard and ghee free...I've also used Goya Empanada dough, which is vegetarian but maybe not vegan), brushed with oil, and baked until golden brown.  They get snapped up very quickly.

It's awesome that you're doing this for your friend, btw.  If you need more links and ideas, don't hesitate to ask!

P.S.: Gravy!  I have an amazing recipe for shallot miso gravy in one of my cookbooks.  It's so rich and Thanksgiving-tasting that it leaves my omnivore guests very very satisfied with their birdless meal.  If you can't find a good recipe for this, let me know.  I'll type mine up for you.

My husband was vegan for a while, so I've been in this boat.

I have a recipe for a vegan pumpkin pie that I've made before, for vegans as well as not vegans.  It's quite similar to the 'normal' pumpkin pie, basically substitute tofu for the milk and eggs.  I'll check when I get home and post the recipe.

I'm vegetarian, and allergic to sage, so I always make my own stuffing from scratch.  (Can't trust most pre-made mixes, as sage is a very common stuffing ingredient.)  Basic recipe:  Soften 1 onion (diced), 2-3 cloves garlic (minced), 2-3 stalks of celery (diced), and 1 carrot (diced) in about a tbsp of olive oil, 5 min.  Add desired herbs (I use marjoram and thyme).  Cube and saute 1 pkg of mushrooms, until they just start to loose moisture.  Mix the mushroom and the onion mixture with 4-5 cups of cubed, dried bread.  Pour in vegetable broth until desired moistness (less than 2 cups).  Bake at 350 F for 30 min to 1 hour, depending on how 'crusty' you like the stuffing.  The trickiest part of this recipe is finding vegan bread!  It's amazing how many breads have whey in them.  To find vegan bread, read the labels VERY carefully, and if possible, shop at an organic grocery store - there tend to be more options there.

As for a turkey substitute, I really, really like the "Quorn" loaf.  It was in the freezer section of my grocery store when I lived in the US.  (Can't find it in Canada!  Boo hoo!)  In the past, I've also just baked tofu.  But I LOVE baked tofu, so...  And just this past weekend (for Canadian Thanksgiving), we had these veggie chick'n cutlets, that worked wonderfully as a meat substitute, in my opinion.  These were in the meat department, next to the chicken breasts, of all places. 

Not sure what exactly your cucumber salad recipe calls for, but there are soy-based yogurt, sour cream, mayo, and milk that may cover the 'cream' called for in your recipe.  Ask your friend which brands she prefers.

There are organic and vegan gravy mixes.  The kind that you mix with water and heat on the stove.  Always a good option. 

Finally, we didn't do mashed potatoes this year for Canadian Thanksgiving, we made mashed yams instead.  Super easy:  Peal and chop the yams.  Steam until tender (20-30 min), mash, add olive oil and maple syrup, to taste.  Stir and serve.  I think for 2 ginormous yams (must have been 2 lbs each!), I ended up using about 1 tbsp of oil and 1 or 2 tbsp of syrup.  Oh so yummy!

I hope this helps!  It's great that you are trying to accommodate your friend's diet!  The only other suggestion I have is for you to get her input.  Afterall, she may hate all meat substitutes, right?

--Mickey

 

 

 

Ah the holidays . . . I can't believe they're here again already! There are so many brilliant suggestions here that I believe you're pretty well prepared. So, perhaps I could provide some motivational support via example?
One of my girlfriends hosted a thanksgiving at her apartment for the first time last year. Among her guests, she had your standard American-average-joe, vegetarian, vegan, and vegetarian/gluten-free diets represented. Talk about a balancing act! According to her account, it all went well. Although she cooked a ton of food, there was hardly any left over! She said even the meat-eaters were trying the "alternative" dishes for the first time. Being that it was her first Thanksgiving she hosted, and that she doesn't cook very often, her success hopefully inspires us all. Good luck!

I'm bookmarking this thread!  :)

our cucumber salad that I live off of. is..

Slice 2-3 cucumbers into a large bowl.

grate 4 garlic cloves witha  cheese grater ontop.

Salt substitute Mr.s Dash sprinkle on to tast

pepper to tast.

Add vinegar. Normaly I use one called BRAGGS. it is great and is not strained. you get all the goodness in it.

mix it up and serv. this is one you can do RIGHT before you are ready to eat. OR do it up an hour or two before and let it marinate. I tell you I LOVE this one. so do my kids. enjoy!

definitely get a tofurkey. That is the easiest route! It comes complete with "turkey" that is pre-stuffed with stuffing. It also includes a side container of gravy, some cranberry dumplings, and a "wishbone". It's really easy to cook just throw it in the oven wrapped in tinfoil and baste a few times during cooking.  Since it comes with all the other things in the box, you might be able to get away with not cooking anything else. Maybe just find some vegan rolls & dessert to complement it.

Otherwise if you want to do it a different way, there are stuffing mixes that are vegan. The one in the bag at just about any regular grocery store. Of course I have none here at the moment to read the label, but I think it's Pepperidge Farms??? It comes in several different flavors, and 1 or 2 are vegan. The one in the blue bag, it's like onion and herb or something, is vegan. Just add water & heat. Super easy. If you want you can use a vegetable stock and some vegan margarine to dock it up a bit. Earth Balance buttery spread which can be hard to find at a regular grocery store, or Smart Balance Light is vegan too and that is easier to find sometimes.

I've never heard of a creamy cucumber salad! (maybe because i'm vegan!) but I always just cut up cucumbers and onions & add vinegar & water and a dash of sugar.  But they do have Silk Soy Milk CREAMER, unflavored. Maybe you could use that as the "cream" substitute in your recipe. I use it in lots of things, including homemade mac and cheese.

Why not a pumpkin CAKE, that would be easier than pie to make (just get a regular recipe and substitute 1/4 cup applesauce for 1 egg, soy milk for milk, nodairy margarine for butter etc. -  its very easy & makes a great moist cake) or if you have a whole foods or health food store, just go for some pre-made stuff. That will be easier for you and she'll be happy no matter what you do.  In my experience vegans are happy no matter what vegan food they are served - it's the thought that counts.  I've supplied MY OWN FOOD at every single family gathering since I was able to cook for myself 25 years ago. No one EVER even tries to make something I can eat. So I'd be ecstatic if I showed up somewhere expecting to just be eating sides of veggies and see actual vegan food someone made me!  On Thanksgiving, no matter where I go I cart over 10 different dishes for my son and I to eat so we get to eat like everyone else too....

 good luck!

 

Ug. We bought a Tofurky once in college and PUKE. No one liked it, but that was just us I guess (tried it once since and still yuck)

I recently made something that was tasty and seasonal and would be good thing at Thanksgiving. I cooked up some brown and wild rice in veg broth. Sauteed some assorted mushrooms, onion, celery and apples with some fresh sage and a little roasted garlic, salt, pepper. While all this was going on, roasted a few varied squashes (cut in half, face down on a baking sheet) until tender. Scooped out the squash and chopped it up. Mixed all together and added some chopped hazelnuts. Scooped back into squashes, put some bread crumbs and a few bits of Earth Balance on top. Broiled on low until the tops were crisp. It turned out pretty tasty... a little curry powder or something like that might be a good addition as well.

This pumpkin quick bread is awesome for a treat.

Later today I'm going to try to invent/make some sort of tofu-custard-garlic stuff to bake in these little pumpkins I have. We'll see how that goes.

I think the key to the tofurky tasting good is the marinade & seasonings you use. Just like any tofu product, they are pretty bland and tasteless if you do nothing to them. Tofurky can be good (& again easy which is what is needed!). They do have 2 recipes for the marinades on the box, I use the soy sauce version (since I'm partial to soy sauce) but its basically just soy sauce, orange juice, and sweetener of your choice. If you baste it periodically and roll/rotate it so it doesn't soak up all the marinade on the bottom it's good.

There's another version called an unturkey which has better flavor, but it doesn't come with all the other "stuff" in the box & can be harder to find. So I still rec the tofurky.

:)

Here are some Vegan Holiday recipes from Chef Robin Jeep.  I hope this helps:
http://www.diseaseproof.com/archives/recipes- a-fuhrmanstyle-feast.html

http://vegetarian.about.com/od/desertrecipes/ r/tofupie.htm

I used to be vegan (and i may be again someday). this was always one of my faves^^

I used extra firm tofu tho and made my own crust; buying a crust is dangerous for vegan. when making your crust, make sure there is no animal by-products in the margarine/shortening

I actually really enjoy Tofurky too, especially that gravy. mmmmm

also, i liked that someone mentioned lentil loaf. it's so good and filling. i actually add truffle oil to mine but that's kindof expensive (but soooo good!)

don't forget tasty things like biscuits and rolls and such too. for milk, plain soy. for butter, vegan margarine. for eggs, use Ener-G Egg Replacer.

for stuffing...well think about what's not vegan. use dairy-free egg-free bead crumbs, use vegetable broth instead of chicken or turkey broth, use vegan margarine instead of butter

i've also found that the cheapest brand of margarine you can find is generally vegan because it's so artificial it has no milk in it lol

Turkey: I wouldn't even try to substitute this. Offer lots of good side dishes and the turkey becomes irrelevant.


Stuffing: Vegan stuffing is nearly the same. Basically, substitute oil for butter, water for broth, avoid giblets or liver, and bake in a separate dish. Sautee onions & celery in oil, add in the bread cubes and seasonings, moisten with water if needed and bake in the oven (not in the turkey).


Cucumber salad: Sliced cucumbers in a vingarette of good balsamic and olive oil really can't be beaten.


A dessert: Fruit! Find some beautiful seasonal fruits - apples, pears pomegranates, etc and serve them as a fruit plate. Healthy and delicious for everyone.


In addition to these, I cover some Thanksgiving suggestions in How to Feed A Vegan (which I posted about in the Vegearian forums the other day, so you've probably already seen it).