Inviting a vegan and vegetarian to Thanksgiving dinner

[Anonymous]

I'm a vegetarian and i usually eat everything but the turkey at thanksgiving dinner. Personally, i hate to have people make special accomodations. Usually plenty of food. You could invite them but tell them that it will be the typical Thanksgiving dinner but you'll make sure there are some veggie side dishes. You can ask them to bring something they would like (like a bean dish with some protein). Vegan might be harder to accommodate but you can just ask what you can add to the meal to be sure he/she has enough food. They can decide whether to accept the invitation...and will likely offer to bring something to add.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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.

I make homemade turkey stock and homemade veg stock for use in my stuffing - make a small portion of veg stuffing, and a larger portion of all the bells and whistles. I'd rather accommodate some of my vegetarian guests (even at the price of "changing my usual recipes" - gasp). If the veg stuffing doesn't taste exactly the same - well, that's OK. Let's not take ourselves too seriously here, OK?

[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.

I agree. Even if I have to order mash potatoes because everything else on the menu is meat, that's ok. I've been known to ask for cheese sandwiches! OP-why not just ask them? I've had special dinners at weddings, not because I asked but because the brides knew what I typically eat. Please ask them!

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

[Anonymous]

I agree. Even if I have to order mash potatoes because everything else on the menu is meat, that's ok. I've been known to ask for cheese sandwiches! OP-why not just ask them? Everyone knows I don't eat meat (moral issues), and I get asked all the time what I'll eat. I usually bring a phony hotdog or boca burger to cookouts, because I'd rather bring something than not eat at all.

[Anonymous]

Traders Joe's food is gross. Are you a short order cook? Is your house a restaurant?

[Anonymous]

I'm a vegetarian and would be able to eat Thanksgiving dinner pretty successfully most anywhere unless the stuffing/dressing were made with turkey or chicken stock. Of course, I wouldn't have turkey. Accommodating a vegetarian isn't too difficult. Accommodating a vegan is much harder. It seems like almost everything has some sort of dairy or egg ingredient. I would just suggest being upfront with the couple. Let them know that you will have some vegetarian options and not many, if any, vegan options. You could ask if they'd like to bring a vegan dish. I'm sure they'll appreciate your thinking about them.

[Anonymous]

OP, I have enjoyed a really tasty, very filling vegan shepherd's pie made with lentils, barley, vegan gravy, and potatoes. It would be lovely for Thanksgiving, and the non-vegan/veggie folks I've given it to have really liked it too.

[Anonymous]

Thanksgiving has so many vegetable dishes, I'm sure you can manage some vegan options for them. Roasted potatoes and other vegs, cranberry sauce, sauteed grean beans, stuffing made with vegetable broth, mushroom gravy, mashed sweet potatoes with nuts and dried fruits mixed in, etc., etc. I'm vegetarian, and I love Thanksgiving because it's one meal where I know I can have a large and varied amount of food, without causing anyone any problems. Lots of vegan cookbooks out there - and you can ask them to bring a dessert, since sometimes vegan desserts that taste good are hard to come up with unless you have some practice!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP, I have enjoyed a really tasty, very filling vegan shepherd's pie made with lentils, barley, vegan gravy, and potatoes. It would be lovely for Thanksgiving, and the non-vegan/veggie folks I've given it to have really liked it too.

YUM. Please post recipe!

[Anonymous]

Thank you for all the replies and input. Some really good comments and ideas.

You definitely gave me some food for thought (no pun intended).

-the OP

[Anonymous]

My husband and I are vegan, and going home to our first holiday with our meat-eating families. Here's what we're cooking:

Mashed Potatoes (my parents are saving a small portion of cookies potatoes so we can add our own vegan butter, cheese, chives, s&p, garlic...)

Sauteed green beans (mom makes these with olive oil and garlic). You can really quickly saute any veggie.

Salad (just have a non-creamy dressing).

Pillsbury crescent rolls are actually vegan, and easy to whip up.

Just google vegan thanksgiving and you'll get a bunch of recipes.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote: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?

Gluten free, vegan, plus vegetarian? No lactose intolerant or diabetic to add to the mix? I only have empathy for the gluten/lactose or diabetic. Make mashed potatos and baked sweets[maple swyrup] with nothing but some spices. Use gluten free bread for stuffing with boiled bits of onions and celery then bake some with vegan veggie broth. Take the rest of it and put in with the turkey. Cranberries-boil and put in some sugar and canned mandarin oranges. Boil/spice some veggies and stick them in the oven . Cinnamon is good on carrots. Saute some mushrooms in olive oil.

2 gravies and you're done. Veggie broth in a pot with some flour whisked in....Other normal. Have butter on the table.

[Anonymous]

Just be up front with them but don't treat them like they have a disease. As veg*ns we know we've made particular dietary choices, so just tell them you'd love to have them for dinner and are happy to make a few accommodations and maybe they can bring something. It's not a big deal. Simple things like pp have said - stuffing, prepare up to the point of adding meat broth and set a small amount aside, add veg broth and bake in the oven for 30min, prepare the rest as you usually would. Sweet potatoes/yams with maple syrup and spices would be great for everyone, or a squash dish, greens with olive oil or margarine, etc...

[Anonymous]

Here's the vegan shepherd's pie recipe:

* 2 Tablespoons vegetable oil
* 3/4 cup chopped onions
* 1 clove minced garlic
* 2 Tablespoons flour
* 1 1/3 cups vegetable broth OR 2 packs vegan brown gravy
* 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
* 1 cup cooked lentils
* 1 cup cooked barley (I boil both in veggie broth for added flavor)
* 1-10 oz package frozen mixed vegetables
* 2 cups mashed potatoes (use vegan spread or soy milk for creaminess)
* 1/4 c. sauteed mushrooms, optional

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Grease a 9x14 cake pan

In a large sized saucepan/spaghetti pot, heat oil and add onions and garlic.
cook, stirring until softened, about 2 minutes.
Stir in the flour until absorbed.
Add the broth, thyme, salt and pepper.
---- if you are using the gravy, just do the herbs/onion and garlic, no flour, no broth)-----
Cook, stirring until mixture comes to a boil.
Stir in lentils/ and vegetables.
Spoon into pan.

Place potatoes in a pastry bag and pipe them on top.
Or, if you're lazy like me, just spoon them on top and spread them.
Leave a small hole in the center so steam can escape

Bake 40 minutes or until potatoes are browned a bit on top.

This recipe came from a cookbook called 1000 vegetarian recipes by Carol Gelles- I have modified it by adding barley and sometimes substituting gravy

[Anonymous]

from the NY Times - did you see this?

http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/11/02/vegetarian-comfort-food-at-thanksgiving/