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Tips for veg-giving
Keeping everyone happy on Tofurkey Day
By Danielle Stevens
If you are a vegetarian guest, don‘t keep your host in the dark until the day of the event. It is thoughtful to allow them ample time to arrange the feast while being mindful of your dietary concerns.
There is no doubt that scores of various eating habits abound these days. As a host you may feel stress in preparing a Thanksgiving feast that will placate all of your guests’ desires and needs. It may seem like a grueling task to appease each and every appetite, but with a small amount of thought and groundwork you can be sure to render every carnivore, ovo-vegetarian, pescatarian and hardcore vegan happy.
Many succulent Thanksgiving staples, such as green bean casserole, sweet potatoes and cranberries are simple to make. They will certainly mollify your vegetarian loved ones, but are also quite appealing to the non-vegetarian guests. Be sure to inspect all your recipes for hidden meat products, such as chicken broth. By and large, these can easily be replaced with vegetable substitutes, like vegetable bouillon. In the case of your vegan company, there are a host of egg and dairy alternatives to include in your dishes as well. Of course, turkey is often the very hallmark of holiday banquets, and some guests may feel that it’s just not a Charlie Brown Thanksgiving without it. This crisis is easily assuaged with a faux turkey, such as Tofurkey. This scrumptious meat-alternative is fashioned like a loaf and can even be served stuffed. With its many centerpiece-like attributes, it is certain to be the pride and joy of any Thanksgiving table. Mouth-watering meatless gravies can be prepared as well.
You can find Tofurkey and other vegetarian products at local specialty food stores such as Beans and Barley or Whole Foods. The list of helpful vegetarian and vegan recipe Web sites is abundant. The best ones I discovered were vegcooking.com, vegkitchen.com, and theveggietable.com. They are simple to navigate and full of uncomplicated Thanksgiving recipes and meatless variations.
If you are a vegetarian guest, don‘t keep your host in the dark until the day of the event. It is thoughtful to allow them ample time to arrange the feast while being mindful of your dietary concerns. You can even offer to bring a dish yourself. And you may want to bring extra servings, because when you introduce your meatless substitutes, your friends and family may be very curious about them and wish to try a sample.
So don‘t allow your day of thanks to become less of a celebration by amassing any kind of added stress about dietary restrictions. It really is very simple to satiate all your loved ones with a bit of planning. Enjoy a relaxing holiday, watch the football game, listen to Adam Sandler Thanksgiving songs and assign someone else to wash the dishes. Now all you have to worry about is who will say the blessing and ceremoniously cut that first slice of Tofurkey.
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