Vegans/ vegetarians- what are you having for the holidays?

Fairysoul

Was wondering what you all like to cook up for the holiday meals? I am taking baby steps to becoming vegan and first becoming vegetarian. I don't really want to eat turkey this year even though it used to be my favorite meat...

Grimmerick

Thanksgiving is my favorite meal of the year.
Tofurkey is really really yummy! I covered it with spices and some honey and wrapped it in tinfoil and baked it in the oven. I didn't miss turkey one bit. It tastes a lot like it especially with gravy. We make broccoli and cheese casserole, baked macaroni and cheese, stuffing, green bean casserole, rolls and mashed potatoes of course.

Punkedpoetess

I have heard that field roast is yummy. Previous years I just made side dishes that everyone could eat and I skipped eating turkey altogether. The side dishes and dessert is the best anyways in my opinion. I already bought imagine's vegetarian mushroom gravy on sale for thanksgiving to have with my meal and pepperidge farm makes stuffing that vegetarians and vegans can eat. It tastes great cooked in veggie broth and I will be buying that again this year. My omni husband eats the stuffing too ! I may try field roast or tofurky this year since I will most likely be having a smaller attendance for thanksgiving this year.

Fairysoul

Where do you get tofurkey?

micksvetlana

my favourite is soya bolognaise sauce with vermichelli, I also cooked mushroom lasagne for Christmas, if you are still a vegeterian by then, lots of cheese on top makes it that little bit more festive. I don't believe in ready made stuff, i.e. veggie sausages are full of junk, there millions of simple recipes on the net, good luck!

Punkedpoetess

Where do you get tofurkey?

I have seen it at trader joe's and whole foods.

garlic7girl

I saw a recipe in the Vegetarian Times for a Pot Pie with all the normal things in a pot pie but used chick peas. Looked divine.

cgalvan1

Hello,
I have been a vegie for many year but have recently started to eat fish.
My sister in law lives in NY and the last couple of years she has brought a catered dinner form some restrants there. They were all very good. In the past we have had Tofurky roast with all the sides. You can find it at Whole Foods or Trader Joes. This year since I am not eating soy anymore I will have the Celebration Loaf from Field Roast. I have had them before and really like it. Here is a link to the website http://www.fieldroast.com/products.htm . So far I have liked all of their products. When we were young and liked to cook more we made a African Stew. There are lots of options in cookbooks like the ones from Moosewood.
I hope this helps and Happy Hoildays

The Tofurky is found in the frozen section

chk7

You can get Tofurky roasts (http://www.tofurky.com/tofurkyproducts/holiday_products.html) at Whole Foods and even some regular old grocery stores. It's a LOT of food, so if you're going to be the only one eating the tofurky, I suggest something smaller, like the Field Roast (http://www.fieldroast.com/) or even a Quorn Turk'y Roast (http://www.quorn.us/products/Turk'y_Roast.aspx).

Not sure if it is the same in other parts of the country, but a lot of vegetarian products can be found in the frozen section near breakfast.

Best of luck on your admirable journey to a vegan diet!

mrpurdy

I am required by my family to bring this roasted veggie vegan cornbread stuffing every year. It's spectacular!

http://www.bravotv.com/foodies/recipes/roasted-veggie-vegan-cornbread-stuffing

live2dream

I'll be in Sri Lanka so who knows what I've be having, but might still do a dinner when I get back. The pecan-crusted seitan and Rustic Pasta in The Kind Diet book looks awesome and I will probably make that.

http://the-dairy-free-diva-recipe-exchange.yumsugar.com/Pecan-Crusted-Seitan-6899933. You can probably find the rustic pasta recipe if you google it too.

cowboydan43

Quorn makes a "turkey" log thing. You can buy it at most natural food stores. It is a little pricey, but if you cook it properly and pair it with some nice sauce it is fabulous& healthy!

Also...I'm planning on making mashed cauliflower for the family instead of us having copious amounts of mashed potatoes. Its easy to swap normal things with vegan stuff like soymilik, vegan butter, vegan cream cheese etc.

orenjisoda

A local vegan restaurant in my city is hosting a Thanksgiving Buffet. Here's their menu for some inspiration!

Thanksgiving Baked Tofu
Cranberry & Pecan Stuffing
Mashed Potatoes
Baked Vegetable Casserole
Green Bean Casserole
Sweet Potato & Pumpkin Curry
Quinoa with Cranberries & Pine Nuts
Tofurky and Stuffing Tamales
Pumpkin Spice Tamales
Butternut Squash & Cream Cheese Tamales
Cranberry Sauce
Corn Bread & Dinner Rolls
Assorted Pies, Cakes, and cookies

cairns19

Mr. Purdy - thanks for the link - sounds good.

lisasays

Having family over :-)

Fieldroast Celebration Roast (vegan, soy-free and yummy!) http://www.fieldroast.com/products.htm
smashed garlic potatoes with vegan gravy
green beans with garlic and almond slivers
Roasted veggies
sweet potato fries with sea salt and a vegan spicy mayo dip
organic cranberry sauce with walnuts
vegan stuffing
homemade whole wheat rolls

of course, pumpkin pie with cashew whipped cream (vegan, soy-free)
and lots of wine :-)

lisasays

Pot pie would be fabulous! I saw a recipe that used homemade seitan for the "chicken" ...looked yummy. Ill try and find it again!

sheclimbsrocks

Moosewood's Homespun Veggie Pot Pie is always a big hit. You can make it vegan by going without the biscuit. I usually throw in whatever veggies come in my farm share:

http://www.food.com/recipe/moosewood-homespun-pot-pie-148918

I have also made cold sesame noodles with roasted farm share vegetables:
http://markbittman.com/cold-noodles-with-peanut-or-sesame-sauce

I am thinking about trying tofurky this year. It just sounds so fun!

Beastette

I like to make a lot of ethnic foods. Thai food and Indian food are my favorites. I usually make a Thai feast for Thanksgiving. I like www.importfoods.com for some of the more esoteric ingredients and great recipes.

Jlynriley

This is my first Vegetarian holiday season so I can't wait!

Vegetarian Shepard's Pie with a mushroom gravy
Stuffing made with Vegetable stock and Veggie Protein (italian sausage style)
Vegan macaroni & cheese with Veggie Shreds soy cheddar & monterey jack cheeses
Veggie Loaf (I won't be making this one b/c I love Wegmans')
Green Bean Casserole
Glazed Carrots
Cranberry Sauce
Whole wheat rolls
Sweet Potato Pie
Apple pie spice cake

MrsODriscoll

@Orenjisoda I want to be there!!!

For the past few years I've been making a pie which most of my non-veg family love too. you make a puff pastry case out of ready to roll pastry (the recipe is vegan if you use a vegan pastry) by rolling it out and scoring about an inch and a half from the edge, the whole way round. Bake in the oven and then lift off the lid.

Meanwhile make a filling by frying chopped onion, garlic and chilli in a little oil. Drain the oil from a jar of roast pepper (save the oil for drizzling at the end) and add to the veg along with olives, capers, a small tin of chopped tomatoes, a tbsp of red wine vinegar and plenty of chopped parsley or basil.

Use this to stuff your case, put the lid back on and reheat in the oven if needs be. Enjoy!

live2dream

Having family over :-)

Fieldroast Celebration Roast (vegan, soy-free and yummy!) http://www.fieldroast.com/products.htm
smashed garlic potatoes with vegan gravy
green beans with garlic and almond slivers
Roasted veggies
sweet potato fries with sea salt and a vegan spicy mayo dip
organic cranberry sauce with walnuts
vegan stuffing
homemade whole wheat rolls

of course, pumpkin pie with cashew whipped cream (vegan, soy-free)
and lots of wine :-)

That sounds fantastic! I'm going to have to try the Field Roast loaf- i love their deli slices and sausage, so would probably love that too!

swisspea

I'm usually with my large non-vegetarian family for Christmas. I usually just make a veggie loaf with canned beans, breadcrumbs, some herbs and a a can of condensed mushroom soup- I also make some vegetarian gravy and bring that along, that's usually all I need!

swisspea

I'm usually with my large non-vegetarian family for Christmas. I usually just make a veggie loaf with canned beans, breadcrumbs, some herbs and a a can of condensed mushroom soup- I also make some vegetarian gravy and bring that along, that's usually all I need! I'm interested in hearing what other people bring along to Christmas dinner for some new ideas

abbbigayl

We are putting our vegan menu together (my in-laws are bringing a turkey but at least I've won them over on everything else!)

falafel balls (baked)
vegan gravy (I could drink it)
mashed red potatoes
mac n cheese, I use daiya chedder (best vegan cheese out there)
stuffing balls (baked)
squash wontons
asparagus
green bean casserole
pecan pie
pumpkin pie

veganbaum

Everything I've had by Field Roast is so good. Last year I had their Celebration Roast for Thanksgiving and it was fabulous. I've never tried Tofurkey. However, a lot of vegans will do a main dish like stuffed squash rather than a turkey "replacement" and you can find tons of great recipes online for something like stuffed acorn squash. I like to have mashed sweet potatoes, cranberry sauce, stuffing (Whole Foods now has a 365 vegan stuffing), veggies like green beans or roasted brussel sprouts, rolls, mashed potatoes with vegan gravy, and of course vegan pumpkin pie. Fairly typical Thanksgiving meal, without the sacrificial dead bird. If you have a Whole Foods near you, they also have a vegan Thanksgiving meal for two as part of their holiday dinner offerings. I think it comes with gardein chick'n. Could be good if you don't want to cook.

P.S. - Field Roast products are made from wheat gluten, not soy, and tend to have pretty good, whole ingredients unlike a lot of faux products.

adamcrisis

The past 2 years I have done all the cooking for my family for thanksgiving, and theyve been really awesome accepting a vegan thanksgiving both years.

Last year the main dish was a lentil loaf, it was alright, needed work. The year bvefore I made a seitan roast which I loved, the family wasnt too into it

Ive made pumpkin soup, garlic roasted brussel sprouts, orange glazed beets, mashed potatoes with a red wine mushroom gravy, baked cauliflour. Fresh corns always great too.

Theres a ton of stuff you could do

Glazed yams or sweet potatoes
Corn Chowder
Anything with potatoes
Asparagus
Squash
Quinoa

Go nuts, good luck

BrewerGeorge

Quorn makes a "turkey" log thing. You can buy it at most natural food stores. It is a little pricey, but if you cook it properly and pair it with some nice sauce it is fabulous& healthy!
..

The Quorn 'turkey' is decent, but it's not vegan. Just FYI.

_VoV

I dare not mess with our vegan Thanksgiving traditions, since the family will mutiny. I've been making tofurkey since forever, along with all the usual fixings: pumpkin soup, stuffing, corn, brussel sprouts, roasted plus mashed potatoes, pies, etc. This year I want to make some additional whole-food dishes, since I'm not a huge faux turkey fan. There's a fabulous new book out by Nava Atlas on vegan holiday cooking. I plan to buy the book before Thanksgiving, and analyze a few new recipes.

andyxbear

*bump*