vegetarian in need of thanksgiving ideas!

i don't know the reason you have turned vegetarian, but why not just eat the turkey you crave for 2 days (the day of and the day after) and then go back to eating normal after that?

if that option isn't for you, i hope you find a solution that will work for you.

Well, since "cheat" days are such a popular topic right now... why not schedule Thanksgiving as a "cheat day" and eat the turkey that you so dearly miss!?!?

Well, since "cheat" days are such a popular topic right now... why not schedule Thanksgiving as a "cheat day" and eat the turkey that you so dearly miss!?!?

Because there are broader spiritual and/or ethical considerations around being vegetarian. This isn't just about calories to which you could compensate for at a later date. When we restrain ourselves from killing (as much as possible) for our food, we commit to a path of compassion for all life, not just human life. If you violate that, its a bigger deal than just "oops! I slipped on my diet."

Realistically, many vegetarians have slips, where they don't live up this path of compassion. Its not OK, but it is normal, and we need to have compassion for ourselves as well. If Thanksgiving is really a time when you aren't ready to let go of meat, then have compassion for yourself, too.

But you do need to know that there are lots of tasty, filling alternatives to turkey for thanksgiving. Because of our national obsession with having this one meat at this one time of year, almost every household in the US at the same time, the living turkeys go through extra hell before and as they are slaughtered. Their natural growing-up is manipulated to fit our timetable, so that they will be ready for slaughter all at the same time of year. They are killed quickly and with little regard for making their deaths quick and painless. For these reasons and others, Thanksgiving is an especially important day for we vegetarians to take a stand and choose to consume products which don't involve such brutal practices.

A few years ago for Thanksgiving, one of my invited guests was a vegetarian. I opted to make shepherd's pie as the main course for everyone, and found a really great recipe on Epicurious for "Vegetarian Shepherd's Pie". It was a hit. (Yes, I made my own vegetable stock - I cook a lot.)

If one is ok with mushrooms, have learned that really good-quality, meaty mushrooms (more than one kind of mushroom is best, i.e., crimini, oyster, and shiitake, or wild mushrooms such as boletes, porcini, or chanterelles, if you know what to collect) do really well in vegetarian dishes where meat or poultry might be missed.

It's not a substitute for turkey but I plan on making Happy Herbivore's Hippie Loaf for Thanksgiving. I had it a few months ago and it just tastes like Thanksgiving comfort food to me. http://happyherbivore.com/recipe/hippie-loaf-gluten-free/

Like some others have said, if you really like turkey maybe you want to eat it on Thanksgiving instead of feeling deprived, depending on your reasons for going veg. I personally never really liked turkey and found that I only ate it because "that's what you do on Thanksgiving" so eliminating it from my plate was not a big deal.

It made me laugh to think a serious vegeterian would eat meat.

Life is rarely so black and white as we would have it be.

Hey everyone!

I've been veggie for a few years now and most of the time I don't miss meat. But Thanksgiving is different. I DO miss the turkey and I miss even more the turkey sammies the next day! Last year, I tried a Tofurkey and it was.....in a word....AWFUL! Does anyone know of any good substitutes for a turkey day turkey?

Thanks in advance!
Laura

one of my favorite things I used to make is butternut squash lasgna with a sage infused bechamel sauce. it's fab.

idk if they sell where you are, the brand quorn makes pretty good meatless products (they don't really taste like meat per say, which i love because i hate when there are meatless subsititutions that taste like meat. if you want the taste then just eat the damn animal). anyhoos, they make a turk'y roll which is decent if you make a vegetarian gravy to put on it.
i would suggest using something like seitan, and adding seasonings and a meatless gravy to it.
this website has a lot of good vegetarian and vegan recipes, they have a section for holiday ideas http://www.vegkitchen.com/recipes-galore/
post punk kitchen also has a lot of different vegan/veg recipes you can prolly find something good there. if not then i would deff suggest the seitan or the quorn fake turkey roll
http://www.theppk.com/
usually i just eat mad sides because the houses i would go to for thanksgiving usually just had turkey and the usual sides unless i brought my own. maybe you can even try and make a lentil loaf with mushrooms?
good luck!!

We have several in our family that are vegetarian. Last year we had a vegetarian Thanksgiving and no one complained!! Stuffing/dressing became our main dish and it worked out well for the second day as the basis for sandwiches with cranberry sauce. We made gravy as well. There are many recipes for vegetarian turkey but we have never tried any of the seitan recipes but hae read many reviews that were positive.

Hey everyone!

I've been veggie for a few years now and most of the time I don't miss meat. But Thanksgiving is different. I DO miss the turkey and I miss even more the turkey sammies the next day! Last year, I tried a Tofurkey and it was.....in a word....AWFUL! Does anyone know of any good substitutes for a turkey day turkey?

Thanks in advance!
Laura

one of my favorite things I used to make is butternut squash lasgna with a sage infused bechamel sauce. it's fab.

OMG. That sounds amazing. Is the recipe online?

holy hell that DOES sound amazing. i would love to get that recipe too, imma google it :bigsmile:

one of my favorite things I used to make is butternut squash lasgna with a sage infused bechamel sauce. it's fab.

OMG. That sounds amazing. Is the recipe online?

holy hell that DOES sound amazing. i would love to get that recipe too, imma google it :bigsmile:

Sorry, it's not online...it's my own creation. I never use recipes, I just create from my head and it comes out amazing. so my "recipe" isn't something you'd find on google...sorry about that.

Hey everyone!

I've been veggie for a few years now and most of the time I don't miss meat. But Thanksgiving is different. I DO miss the turkey and I miss even more the turkey sammies the next day! Last year, I tried a Tofurkey and it was.....in a word....AWFUL! Does anyone know of any good substitutes for a turkey day turkey?

Thanks in advance!
Laura

Chicken is a decent substitute for turkey.

Tofurkey meal it's delish!

+1 to this.

Well, since "cheat" days are such a popular topic right now... why not schedule Thanksgiving as a "cheat day" and eat the turkey that you so dearly miss!?!?

Because there are broader spiritual and/or ethical considerations around being vegetarian. This isn't just about calories to which you could compensate for at a later date. When we restrain ourselves from killing (as much as possible) for our food, we commit to a path of compassion for all life, not just human life. If you violate that, its a bigger deal than just "oops! I slipped on my diet."

Realistically, many vegetarians have slips, where they don't live up this path of compassion. Its not OK, but it is normal, and we need to have compassion for ourselves as well. If Thanksgiving is really a time when you aren't ready to let go of meat, then have compassion for yourself, too.

But you do need to know that there are lots of tasty, filling alternatives to turkey for thanksgiving. Because of our national obsession with having this one meat at this one time of year, almost every household in the US at the same time, the living turkeys go through extra hell before and as they are slaughtered. Their natural growing-up is manipulated to fit our timetable, so that they will be ready for slaughter all at the same time of year. They are killed quickly and with little regard for making their deaths quick and painless. For these reasons and others, Thanksgiving is an especially important day for we vegetarians to take a stand and choose to consume products which don't involve such brutal practices.

THANK YOU. I'm so tired of people thinking it's perfectly normal for vegans and vegetarians to eat meat on occasion. My mother always tells me "oh just have one bite of this burger it's not going to hurt you." Maybe not, but it is going to make me feel like I just killed an animal and that would make me feel like a terrible person.