Vegetarians / Thanksgiving
What would you like to see on the Thanksgiving table? Do you expect a special vegetarian main course or are side dishes sufficient?
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15 Comments:
In my former life as a vegetarian, I always used to like stuffed peppers or onions, or roasted veggies and the usual sides. Soups and squash were both substantive favorites. My family was kind enough to make stuffing, but set aside some in another pan before hitting it with the turkey drippings.
Do not let anyone lie to you. Tofurkey is not a good idea. Ever. For anyone.
corycm at 12:08PM on 11/08/07
I'm not vegetarian but when I entertain vegetarians I think it is a must to offer a veggie entree along with a meat one.
For Thanksgiving, a squash or pumpkin stuffed with fall-ish flavors -- quinoa or some other grain with cranberries, nuts etc. -- makes a nice plate. Make lots of the stuffing .. can be served family style as a side too.
kjgibson at 1:02PM on 11/08/07
My mom usually makes Indian food, but for the past few years, I've been cooking. I make:
Ginger glazed tri-color carrots
Swirled purple and white cauliflower soups
Oven-roasted brussels sprouts with parmesan and walnuts
Twice-baked sweet potatoes with chipotle and creme fraiche
For the main course, I make something similar to this, except my stuffing consists of wild and brown rice, sauteed tofu, shallots, carrots, parsnips, mushrooms, hazelnuts, dried cranberries, parsley, cumin. I'm probably going to try out their red wine sauce this year.
Dessert is my spin on traditional pumpkin pie (I'm sure that someone will, in the near future, post about Thanksgiving desserts and I'll give details there).
charm city cupcake at 1:16PM on 11/08/07
My brother and his wife are recovering vegans. They now eat fish, so we usually grill up some ahi tuna steaks -- they go great the traditional turkey dinner and fixins. One year, we skipped the turkey all together and had only several varieties of fish -- seemed in keeping with an authentic Pilgrim menu.
When they didn't eat fish, they were content to just load up on the sides (actually, whole family feels that way... turkey is just a vehicle for stuffing and sandwiches). We'd make a second batch of several things -- gravy and dressing casserole with veg broth, mashed potatoes sans dairy, etc. And, since I usually make some kind of corn succotash (we have a tradition of trying to limit the menu to mostly genuine New World foods) -- I'd include a few extra varieties of beans in that, along with some brown rice, so I could rest easy knowing they'd gotten their protein.
LoCo at 1:30PM on 11/08/07
LoCo, I'm so glad you posted!
First, your family sounds incredibly thoughtful in the way you accommodate the sensibilities of your brother & sister-in-law.
Second, your final concern resonates w me. I'm not a vegetarian, but used to looking out for friends and fellows guests at parties and gatherings over the years; choosing appropriate dishes to serve seems easy enough.
When the latest issue of GOURMET (November 2007) arrived, it was great to see that a newly stated editorial policy inspired one of the four holiday menus it offered: a beautiful vegetarian spread. However, even though the staff once published a reader's complaint about the lack of protein in the magazine's recommended dishes for vegetarians, there was no substantial dish that would have supplied such nutrition. Dessert included an eggy custard and nuts and that was about it.
In LOCAL FLAVORS, Deborah Madison includes a rather elaborate recipe that would be perfect for celebrating vegetarians: braised root vegetables to be served w tiny beads of black lentils one cooks in a red wine sauce. Nigella Lawson has a similar recipe for the lentils in one of her cookbooks.
This, on the other hand, is what she's recommended in the past, a winter squash galette I prepare at least once a year since it is phenomenal: http://splendidtable.publicradio.org/recipes/bread_thanksgiving.html
(I use a flaky, buttery dough instead of the vegan-friendly crust recommended in the linked recipe.)
Eliz. at 2:45PM on 11/08/07
My youngest daughter is vegetarian and I really enjoy making special dishes for her (holiday or not). Last year I made her a small stuffed pumpkin with filling adapted from an old Vegetarian Epicure recipe. The rice filling has beans and roasted pumpkin and sunflower seeds in it, along with various veggies, so it's pretty good for proteins. She loved it so much that she's requested it again this year.
Ann Fisher at 4:09PM on 11/08/07
I eat fish but just cant see it fitting in with my thanksgiving, so I think I'll be having some kind of nut roast or even tofurkey (sorry everyone!, my cat likes it too though so I'm not the only one!). I'll be making a nice bit of stuffing, sweet potato fries and lots of nice steamed veggies. The meat eaters usually get some kind of duck.
Thanks for the above suggestions though, the lentils sound interesting, as does the galette, I can also practice the puff pastry I did in class last week!
jennywenny at 6:58PM on 11/08/07
Last year, I celebrated Thanksgiving with my immediate family . . . I enjoyed stuffing, baked sweet potatoes, squash, cranberry sauce, cinnamon rolls, and a vegetable-heavy autumn salad (my contribution) - I didn't need anything else!
This year, I'll be visiting relatives. Relatives who think vegetarianism is a disease. So I'm planning on bringing a separate dressing and maybe an entree to share. I'm just not comfortable so much as asking these particular family members to roast stuffing outside of the bird . . . but honestly, I'd be fine with squash, cinnamon rolls, and pie. Sounds like a swell dinner to me!
KarynMC at 7:29PM on 11/08/07
KarynMC, you could always ask them to roast the dressing outside the bird for health reasons... so the turkey bacteria don't contaminate it, it never reaches a high enough temperature to kill them, etc...
emily20008 at 10:11PM on 11/08/07
my mom's cheese and nut loaf is delicious, it never feels like the holidays unless I've had it. I think it's from "The Greens Cookbook". Don't forget the smoked cheese.
the_o at 10:49PM on 11/08/07
Thanks so much..these ideas are really helpful as I am only just recently feeling the need to be more welcoming to vegetarians. I am leaning toward doing some type of stuffed squash with quinoa type thing..though the black lentil idea sounds intriguing..can't wait for more ideas.
izzy's mama at 11:04PM on 11/08/07
I have a stuffed squash recipe on my blog . . . and I'm sure there will be more Thanksgiving-type recipes coming soon.
http://www.threepotato.blogspot.com
Emily20008 - These relatives used to dairy farm. They think anything connected with an animal - even its bacteria - is healthful. :)
KarynMC at 5:59AM on 11/09/07
I usually prepare a wild mushroom tart, stuffing (prepared on its own and toasted in the oven), roasted root vegetables, mashed potatos, a cranberry/apple/sweetpotato dish, green bean casserole (yes), cranberry sauce, biscuits, cornbread (without drippings of course), then various mini desserts.
souldawg at 11:02AM on 11/09/07
I like to make a dish with quinoa that's been cooked in onion broth. While that's boiling I sautee some onions, mushrooms, and chopped zucchini with some salt, pepper, and curry. When the veggies are tender, I add a drained, rinsed can of garbanzo beans and diced tomatoes and simmer. Sometimes I'll add more curry. I serve the veggies on the bed of quinoa. Very yummy and very filling.
Sweet potato pie is a family favorite, with oranges are added to the mix and marshmallow fluff baked on top.
Roasted beets, sweet potatoes, and onions make a great salad that can be complemented with either fresh dill, italian parsley, sliced hearts of palm, or whatever else you think goes well. If you roast some turnips and yukon gold potatoes you get a great side dish.
Stufsocker at 12:38PM on 11/09/07
I've been a vegetarian for 10 years, and although I might make a tempeh dish this year, I'm always thrilled just to eat sides - sweet potatoes, green veggies, stuffing, cranberry sauce. That's a feast to me. My mom sometimes has tried to make a dish for me, but that's usually, like, tofu and broccoli. If you're going to make a vegetarian protein, keep it in the spirit of the meal. But for me, it's not necessary at all. It'd only take up room I'd rather use for sweet potatoes.
surplusj at 1:10PM on 11/09/07