Vegan Thanksgiving Menu?

#1

I realise discussing Thanksgiving may be a bit premature but I don’t want the Veg*n forum to die.

For those that are veg*n, how do you celebrate/handle Thanksgiving meals? Do you throw your own shindig? Do you go to family-friend events where you worry how to handle what to eat? Do you bring a contribution? If you host, what’s on the menu?

I spend about every other Thanksgiving or so at a vegan household so the meal usually consists of that stuffed faux meat bomb from Field Roast. Horrid! Sides are pretty easy to do vegan. We usually have roasted sweet potatoes, green beans, wild rice salad and a vegan stuffing and gravy. Pumpkin pie for dessert. All vegan, all good except for that vile faux meat thing. This year I want to experiment with Miyoko’s Un-Turkey and stuffing recipe. Has anyone tried it?

When I would host a vegan Thanksgiving meal back in the day, I would serve something like:
Appetizers could be: crostini with wild mushrooms / crostini with red onion jam and pistachios / Greek style gigantes beans / various homemade pickles / olives and nuts / muhammarah or hummus with pita chips
Mains: some sort of loaf ie: mushroom nut loaf, lentil loaf etc. (various different recipes over the years)
Sides: mashed potatoes and gravy / roasted and stuffed acorn squash with wild rice salad / mushroom soup or pumpkin soup / slow braised green beans or roasted brussel sprout / roasted beet salad with vinaigrette
Dessert: pumpkin or pecan pie

(rory) #2

Usually I eat the sides, which is fine, but this year I really think I will go to thisTriangle Vegan Thanksgiving it’s huge and has alll kinds of wonderful dishes…always wanted to go. Plus no cleaning up;-)

#3

I’m not doing vegan but have flagged this carrot-lentil as a possible side dish. I honestly think the traditional Thanksgiving dinner may be the most boring menu ever. But that’s a different topic entirely :smile:

http://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1013501-carrots-and-lentils-in-olive-oil?smid=fb-nytdining&smtyp=cur

#4

I’m so with you on this! It really is dull and the second you try to shake things up a bit, people lose their shit.

#5

A friend told me this: “My roof, my rules.” I don’t care. My dinner. They can do it next year.

#6

I’m surprised you dislike the Celebration Roast so much. Just curious what about it you find objectionable.

I was a buyer for natural foods stores for many years. I’ve tasted about every faux meat that’s come to market in the last 30+ years and the Field Roast products are the best I’ve come across. Beats Tofurky by a league.

(rory) #7

if it helps, I can’t stand Field Roast products, because they taste so much like meat…their sausages etc…it’s too much for me.

My mom says she hates Thanksgiving food so we may do absolutely nothing, which is rather great as I basically find those dishes also incredibly boring.

#8

There’s something about the texture and flavour that I find off putting with the Celebration Roast. I think it can be done better made from scratch at home. I’ve been experimenting with seitan and hopefully will come up with a great recipe before Thanksgiving.

#9

That makes sense - thanks for explaining.

#10

I agree that scratch made is best.

From a retail position it seemed most buyers were non-vegetarians looking for a holiday main for a vegetarian guest. Rory’s comment may be key why meat eaters found this product the tastiest!

#11

I literally could not eat more than two bites of the field roast breakfast sausages i bought- waaaayy too real!! Ha!

#12

My family is across the country and i would rather fly home for christmas so every year is different for me. Most often it’s at a friend’s house or apartment and everyone brings a contribution. And oh yeah, i’m the only (lactose intolerant)vegetarian…
I bring something different every year after conferring with the host(ess) and bend over backwards to make sure it’s so delicious no one notices it’s vegan ;))
I also always make and bring granola as a hostess gift.

Last year i made a fall salad (at the suggestion of the hostess) that also was a beautiful presentation- a mix of arugala and spinach, raw fennel, green apple, and celery on the mandoline super thin, chopped dried figs, the fennel fronds, toasted pumpkin seeds, lots of pomegranate seeds, and a black pepper pumpkin seed oil vinegrette.
Everyone took second helpings! :)))

I fantasize about an all vegan thanksgiving with a nut roast or stuffed pumpkin entree but I don’t see that happening…

#13

Their chorizo might be more to your liking. I use it in chili for veg. friends and always get requests for the recipe. It breaks down so it lacks the meat like texture of most of their other offerings- finer in texture than tvp and softer. It’s well flavored with a slight kick. Styled and spiced with a nod towards S. American chorizo rather than Spanish.

#14

I love the idea of granola as a host gift. I’m trying to decide on my game plan for homemade holiday gifts this year and granola is going on that list.

#15

I’ve been making -and giving- this unique quinoa granola for years now, the coconut oil is the key ingredient and if you have access to somewhere with bulk bins it’s also very economical:)
I swap the ratios and use more quinoa, usually 2/3c quinoa (which gets this fluffy crispy texture!) and less buckwheat groats. I also use half salted nuts/seeds and half not or add a pinch of salt to the recipe.
If you want more clustery chewy bits swap the maple syrup for brown rice syrup or even sweetened condensed milk.

#16

Thanks for the recipe! I will definitely give this a try.

#17

“I honestly think the traditional Thanksgiving dinner may be the most boring menu ever. But that’s a different topic entirely :smile:”

I’ve never been fond of turkey, but aside from that I think Thanksgiving is one of the easiest times of the entire year to have a vegan/vegetarian feast. I’m omni these days but I was a vegetarian for 20 plus years (not vegan, though). I love root vegetables and squash and autumn green vegetables - and they’re all on holiday sale! When I was doing vegetarian Thanksgivings I generally made pumpkin lasagne or greens lasagne for the main - I still do always make it as part of the meal. Also some kind of root vegetable gratin, beans and greens, roasted vegetables, and rice/wild rice stuffing. And mashed potatoes obviously!

#18

I love the soyrizo from trader joe’s, i’ll have to try the field roast version at some point- i use it a good bit for chili and beany stews in the winter.
I did loooovvveee their new “chao” cheese but it’s literally over $6/pkg here in nyc so it’s not a regular purchase

#19

When I’ve had to accomodate non-turkey eaters, I’ve always done a mushroom saute- garlic, oil and a nice mix of portobella, shitaki and whatever else I can find. Potatoes are easy to swap out to olive oil rather than butter. With the mushrooms, my family used to have 3 vegetarians and 2 meat eaters, and we had to have a strict rule that the carnivores were not allowed to touch the mushrooms until the veggies had had their fill.

#20

As I mentioned when I started this thread, I usually spend one year at a vegan household and the next at an omnivore household. I’ve just discovered this year will be both. Early Thanksgiving at a formerly vegan household and then omnivores on the actual holiday.

The formerly vegan household is going to be a challenge. The participants are a mix of:
former vegan that is now omni and is avoiding gluten
former vegan that is now consuming some dairy
vegetarian that is avoiding dairy but will eat eggs
vegetarian that despises “any of that vegan hippy shit”, especially seitan, tempeh, tofu etc.
and a couple omnivores that really eat mostly vegetarian so won’t miss meat.

I would like to come up with a main dish (or two mains if I have to) that all or almost all can have. If anyone has ideas, lay 'em on me! I only have a few days to come up with the menu.

I will gladly hear any suggestions for sides as well and please continue to share you menu plans!