Thanksgiving with two vegan guests; please help me plan!
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Anonymous
why is it suffering? |
Anonymous
| Also, sautee your vegetables in olive oil, not butter. Or pan roast them. A bit of salt, olive oil and broil at 550 for 10 minutes and you're done. |
Anonymous
Because no one wants watered-down versions of their favorite foods on a holiday. Seriously, once or twice a year, we should get to indulge in traditional fare with no compromises and no guilt. Just like I don’t want a “diet version” of Thanksgiving, and I don’t want an “alternative meal” for people who don’t like the turkey dinner, I don’t want vegan versions served to everyone. I can’t pronounce the ingredients in vegan “cheese” and vegan “butter,” so no thank you. If you want to eat that stuff, fine. If you want to serve it to your guests, fine. But I’m not eating it and I’m not serving it to the majority of my guests. There are plenty of foods like roast vegetables that are naturally vegan and delicious, and that’s great. But when you start getting into fake processed foods, no thanks. I think OP’s plan and a few of the suggestions here sound really nice. There’s no need for a host to make extra work for themselves or serve weird food to all the guests just because some of the guests choose to be difficult. |
Anonymous
This is over and beyond. |
Anonymous
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Here is my favorite vegan/vegetarian holiday entree:
Make this soup: https://heartfultable.com/lentil-and-sage-stew/ But add an extra half tsp salt and at the end, add 1/4 cup dry quinoa and cook until you see the little spirals come out. Then hollow out a small pumpkin (like pie sized), but keep it whole. Just cut off the top and scoop out the seeds and strings as if you were going to make a jack-o-lantern. Fill it with the soup and bake for about an hour at 375. Looks very festive and is a hearty entree but other guests will actually enjoy it too! For sides: Dave’s Killer bread is vegan and they have a variety of products. Grabbing a loaf also means you can offer them toast for breakfast if they are staying a few days. Scoop some of the potato mash out before adding butter and milk and instead add vegan versions. I think it’s fine if you skip including them in the dressing. Offer a nice side salad or other veggie dish (roast Brussels sprouts, green beans) You can also make simple roast sweet potatoes and just serve in their skin, topped with vegan butter and salt and pepper. Very simple but an easy way to add another option. For dessert, rather than having apple pie filling in a dish, why not put some of the filling into a small glass baking dish and top with a crumble topping (vegan butter, brown sugar and rolled oats, for example). Cover with foil for the first 30 minutes of baking. Only a little more effort but then it feels like you went out of your way vs. just giving them half a dessert. You can also buy a container of vegan ice cream to serve with their apple crumble and it would give them the option of an alternative dessert if they prefer just ice cream. |
Anonymous
Yes! Do this. |
Anonymous
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I was raised vegetarian and have been vegan on and off at various times in my life, including around Thanksgiving with my non-vegetarian/vegan family in the Midwest.
Re: dairy, my grandma had zero problem replacing all the butter with margarine and frankly it was probably already margarine. She didn't do any substitutions for the milk/cream in potatoes and just used water, which sucked. This was in the 90s, and there are better options now. Other than replacing chicken stock with vegetable stock and using non-dairy dairy stuff, you don't really need to modify much of anything on your menu. Literally everything described can be made vegan without actually compromising flavor or richness. If you are comfortable modifying meals for allergies, this is easy. I always have to laugh at threads like this that pop up where many posters bemoan people's "high maintenance choices" and talk about how the vegan person is "making things difficult." Literally these people are not asking OP to ensure the entire house is vegan. She's just trying to make sure that what she's thinking is enough food compared to what others will be served. It's not any more high maintenance than any other question from someone asking "is what I'm doing enough?" |
Anonymous
What do you mean by 'level of entitlement'? Junk food is junk food. Those vegan meats are junk. How is not wanting to eat junk 'entitled'? |
Anonymous
You sound like a lovely host. 
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Anonymous
| There are vegan versions of everything, everywhere. It's not difficult to find vegan foods anymore. |
Anonymous
This. Once I went to thanksgiving with mashed potatoes made with almond milk. They were disgusting. |
Anonymous
This is just so much extra work for OP, who is hosting 16 people! No. If you’re already making pie filling for a regular pie (with regular pie crust), it’s not too much extra work to essentially just make more filling (minus butter) and put aside in a crock pot. That is plenty of extra work. Scooping out a freaking pumpkin? You’re insane. And by the way, have you “just do more” posters even considered the extra cost of “just buy extra vegan ice cream” and “just buy extra vegan French onion dip,” etc.? Groceries are already sky-high. OP should make a few easy modifications. To her question, yes, her plan as-is is more than enough for the two vegans to make a plate. The entitlement here is astounding. |
Anonymous
No, you don’t need to make as much food as “what others will be served.” That’s not the threshold. The threshold is “can they make a meal of it.” And no, you can’t make everything vegan “without actually compromising flavor or richness.” B.S. This is Thanksgiving. It should be the traditional, indulgent, special holiday feast that OP and her family are used to and look forward to, without “vegan cheese” or whatever making an appearance. OP is already going above and beyond. Any guest should be grateful to sit at her table. |
Anonymous
they’re not junk. And tbh I would rather eat junk than support factory farming. I don’t think this makes me “ difficult” you need to be more aware of where your food comes from. |
Anonymous
Oh I agree that processed foods are gross, which is why I eat and serve simply prepared meats, fishes, butter, cheese, etc. But here’s what: if you are vegan and your host goes out of his or her way to accommodate you, you get what you get, and too bad for you if you don’t prefer vegan “burgers.” If you’re so concerned and precious, bring your own vegan food. NO ONE gets to dictate what a host serves, and NO ONE gets to complain about what a host serves. Decline invitations if you are that precious and picky. |