How to Host a Vegan Thanksgiving

Vegan Thanksgiving Dinner

Vegans should enjoy the Thanksgiving feast just as much as non-vegans. The extra effort you make to accommodate your vegan relatives and friends shows that you respect their lifestyle. And you'll be introducing yourself and your non-vegan guests to interesting alternatives. Follow these steps for a successful vegan Thanksgiving.

Instructions

1. Invite your vegan guest to bring something to the Thanksgiving meal if she's a close friend or relative. Offer her the opportunity of showing everyone else vegans don't just eat raw vegetables.

2. Break away from traditional Thanksgiving fare for more options. Most vegans appreciate that this eases the burden on the hostess.

3. Ask your vegan guests about food allergies. Nuts and wheat products are flexible vegan ingredients for your Thanksgiving meal, but allergies to them are common.

4. Take care when using utensils so there's no "sharing" with inappropriate foods. For instance, set aside stuffing for your vegan guests before adding it to the turkey.

5. Make plenty of Thanksgiving side dishes as many vegans don't require a main dish to enjoy the meal. Set aside mashed potatoes, stuffing, yams and other vegetables before you add animal products to them. Let your vegan guests season these dishes themselves.

6. Bake Tofurky with vegan dressing, cranberry sauce and vegetable stuffing. You'll find recipe ideas at the Vegetarian Resources Group site (link in Resources). You could also cover tofu slices with unsweetened soy milk and bread crumbs and fry in olive oil just before the meal.

7. End the Thanksgiving meal with a vegan dessert. Dates stuffed with almonds make a simple, light dessert. Pumpkin pie, fruit tarts and apple cobblers work well as long as you use vegan margarine or vegetable shortening and egg replacements.

Tips & Warnings

• Remember your vegan guest isn't deliberately being difficult. She wants a relaxing Thanksgiving as much as you do.

• To replace one egg, cook 1 tablespoon of ground flax seeds in 2 to 3 tablespoons of water over the stove for 5 minutes.

Resources

• Get creative with Tofurky on this site.