Inviting a vegan and vegetarian to Thanksgiving dinner

[Anonymous]

I'd like to invite my neighbors over for Thanksgiving dinner, but the wife is vegan and he is a vegetarian. Is it awkward to invite them to such a non-friendly vegetarian holiday?
I worry about what to serve them. Do I make a minestrone soup or something so they have something to eat while we're all chowing down on our turkey? Everything I was going to make has egg, cow milk, chicken broth (I add some to the stuffing), or something that my neighbors wouldn't eat. I guess I could defrost berries for their dessert while the rest of us eat pumpkin pie...?

Another concern is how much money do I want to spend to accomodate 2 people? I'm already spending a small fortune at Traders Joe for my gluten-free aunt.

Any thoughts as to A) Whether to invite them (who knows, maybe they'll decline and I wouldn't have to stress) and B) any good vegan/vegetarian Thanksgiving-type dishes that are affordable and easy to make?

[Anonymous]

I can't help you with the vegan part, but my SIL comes to our Tgiving dinner and she's vegetarian. You can make stuffing with veg broth and she eats the green beans, cranberries, mashed potatoes, rolls and sweet potatoes. Plus, if she's coming, I'll make mac and cheese which is good for her and the kids.

[Anonymous]

I would not invite them unless you have an appropriate food options for them. There are lots of items you can make that are plant based that will probably satisfy not only these guests, but your other guests as well.

[Anonymous]

I would advise against inviting them if you can't accommodate their dietary needs. I am a vegetarian and my husband is vegan and we'd feel rather awkward if we went to someones house and had soup and berries while they had a full thanksgiving meal!

I can share some recipes I highly recommend for a vegetarian thanksgiving if you'd like. This food does not have to be only for the veg*ns - everyone can eat it!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I would advise against inviting them if you can't accommodate their dietary needs. I am a vegetarian and my husband is vegan and we'd feel rather awkward if we went to someones house and had soup and berries while they had a full thanksgiving meal!

I can share some recipes I highly recommend for a vegetarian thanksgiving if you'd like. This food does not have to be only for the veg*ns - everyone can eat it!

I hate people like you.

My best friend is a vegan and she always says "I can find something to eat anywhere" - it's her choice and she's very flexible. It's annoying when vegans/veggies force their life choices on their hosts. You give them a bad name. Seriously, this is why people make fund of you, because they think the food has to be for one or the other. I've had her over for Thanksgiving every year for 20 years and made dishes that people didn't know were vegan.

But, you don't seem like the kind of people I'd want to have over anyway.

[Anonymous]

Why are you spending a small fortune at TJ's to get gluten free stuff? Thanksgiving is pretty easy to make gluten free. The only thing you need is gluten free bread or croutons for the stuffing, corn starch for the gravy instead of flour, and a GF pie crust.

[Anonymous]

My brother is a vegetarian and although vegan is harder, its not impossible.

He eats the sweet potatoes, cranberry sauce, stuffing, green beans. We have an apple pie in addition to the pumpkin pie.

You can also start with a squash soup and/or salad.

With regard to GF, you can make 2 stuffings - 1 cornbread and 1 regular and your aunt can just have fruit for dessert instead of pie.

Substitutions: margarine/smart balance for butter
vegetable broth or vegetarian chicken broth for chicken broth.
soy milk for milk

People who have dietary restrictions are fine with eating only some of the options on the table. As long as they can eat the sides, its totally not a big deal.
Just please dont make tofurkey - its disgusting.

[Anonymous]

I think it's nice to invite them & to make sure there are a few vegan/vegetarian options (should be pretty easy to do with the vegetable side dishes, & I was also going to suggest butternut squash soup as a first course - I have a delicious recipe for it that uses coconut milk instead of milk or cream).

However, I do NOT think you need to revamp your traditional Thanksgiving dinner and serve a Tofurkey instead of a turkey or anything like that. If they expect you to do that, they're not the kind of people I'd want to host for Thanksgiving anyway! Serve your traditional turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing, & gravy, but make sure there are a few options that they can/will eat.

Who knows, maybe they'll offer to bring something? If they are at all reasonable, I'm sure they realize that non-vegans are not accustomed to vegan cooking and while you might make something vegan if you were just inviting them for dinner one night, this is Thanksgiving, after all.

[Anonymous]

Check out this website - she is gluten free and has many vegan recipes on her website.

http://glutenfreegoddess.blogspot.com/p/vegan-veg-index.html

[Anonymous]

I'm cooking for 14, which includes one vegetarian and one lactose-intolerant. I sympathize with the stress of wanting to make sure everyone has a pleasant holiday meal. Not everyone has to eat everything (I probably will not get my 5 YO to eat anything green, but I'm still doing a hot green veggie and a green salad), but you do want there to be a few options that are acceptable.

Something no one has mentioned is a wild rice dish. I don't know if wild rice is gluten free, but it is very American and very tasty. Make it with vegetable broth, throw in some dried fruit and nuts. Can be served cold or hot. Just be sure to cook the wild rice enough (should burst, not be little sticks). I've also seen recipes with acorn squash stuffed with wild rice. Very pretty presentation (but only if you have oven space to spare, I don't).

And a hearty green salad is a good thing for everyone. No need to have six starches and only one vegetable!

We make squash instead of sweet potatoes. Easy to make vegetarian (and I am guessing it is gluten free).

Thanksgiving is also one time where it really is acceptable to ask that they bring a dish to share. That way they'll be guaranteed to have something they like.

[Anonymous]

Invite them and put the big ol bird down right in front of them.

My step sister and her husband came over once for Thanksgiving and she was all upset we were eating a dead bird, my dad said it is better than eating a live one- her husband said you know, enough of this, I am having some turkey and she went nuts. A classic Thanksgiving in a dysfunctional family.

[Anonymous]

Most Thanksgiving dishes are easy to prepare vegetarian (except the turkey, of course). You may have to set some of the stuffing aside before adding the meat (and remember to use vegetable stock, not turkey or chicken) but it's pretty straightforward. Vegan is tougher - but I don't think you're obligated to prepare an entirely vegan meal, or offer the vegan as many choices as everyone else. If you buy some vegan gravy, that's make things a lot easier. If you're feeling ambitious, you could make a separate vegan entree/protein to replace the turkey (preferably one that can be mostly prepared ahead of time). Just stay away from a tofurkey - it's disgusting, and will take up an oven for a long time.

As an aside - mashed potatoes without butter or milk/cream? *shudder*

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I would advise against inviting them if you can't accommodate their dietary needs. I am a vegetarian and my husband is vegan and we'd feel rather awkward if we went to someones house and had soup and berries while they had a full thanksgiving meal!

I can share some recipes I highly recommend for a vegetarian thanksgiving if you'd like. This food does not have to be only for the veg*ns - everyone can eat it!

I hate people like you.

My best friend is a vegan and she always says "I can find something to eat anywhere" - it's her choice and she's very flexible. It's annoying when vegans/veggies force their life choices on their hosts. You give them a bad name. Seriously, this is why people make fund of you, because they think the food has to be for one or the other. I've had her over for Thanksgiving every year for 20 years and made dishes that people didn't know were vegan.

But, you don't seem like the kind of people I'd want to have over anyway.

I'm not the pp you quoted, but lighten up, Francis. No one is saying that you need to make a vegan meal, but as a good host, you should ensure that your guests can actually eat the food you prepare. I would not want to have one of my guests be forced to eat just 1 or 2 things.

You sound like a tremendous bitch, by the way.

[Anonymous]

In general, wild rice is gluten free. However, some brands might have a flavor package that includes wheat or barley as an ingredient that you should not add if you want a GF dish. Plain rice is GF though.

[Anonymous]

Most Thanksgiving dishes are easy to prepare vegetarian (except the turkey, of course). You may have to set some of the stuffing aside before adding the meat (and remember to use vegetable stock, not turkey or chicken) but it's pretty straightforward. Vegan is tougher - but I don't think you're obligated to prepare an entirely vegan meal, or offer the vegan as many choices as everyone else. If you buy some vegan gravy, that's make things a lot easier. If you're feeling ambitious, you could make a separate vegan entree/protein to replace the turkey (preferably one that can be mostly prepared ahead of time). Just stay away from a tofurkey - it's disgusting, and will take up an oven for a long time.

As an aside - mashed potatoes without butter or milk/cream? *shudder*

What is the vegan gravy going to go on? Not on the turkey or potatoes.

I would not change my usual recipes for traditional foods like stuffing - it is way better with homemade turkey stock & it will not have the same flavor with vegetable stock!

If it's something as simple as using Smart Balance instead of real butter on the green beans, I would make those changes, but I wouldn't reinvent the meal.

As far as providing a protein option, if you can make some very simple bean dish or something similar a day or two in advance or even buy premade, then fine, but otherwise, I would not make myself crazy providing some kind of "substitute" for the turkey.