Great Thanksgiving Ideas for Vegans: Tofurkey and Beyond

Being vegan is never easy, but it becomes especially hard around the holidays. These early- fall to -winter months are a time that is submerged in a tradition of meat eating. There is no holiday that this holds truer for than Thanksgiving, the big turkey-eating festival. Not exactly convenient for a vegan. This being the case, I have some suggestions of various vegan options one can serve on Thanksgiving, while still keeping that native American/pilgrim spirit.

Perhaps we would be wise to begin by talking about what produce is in season in November. The vegetables you want to look for around thanksgiving are: artichokes, arugula, asian greens, avocado, beets, bok choy, broccoli, brussels sprouts, burdock, cabbage, cactus pads, cardoons, carrots, cauliflower, celery, chard, collards, corn, cress, cucumbers, endive, fennel, garlic, herbs, horseradish, kale, kohlrabi, leeks, lettuces, mushrooms, okra, olives, onions, parsnips, peas, peppers (bell & chili), potatoes, purslane, radicchio, radish, rapini, rhubarb, rutabaga, salsify, scallions, and sweet potatoes.

That being said, we've always started our Thanksgiving dinners with soup in my family, so that is where I am going to begin. Although it may be a little out of season, a pumpkin soup can always be festive. One can also try a carrot and butterbean soup or sweet potato and tomato soup. If you like cold soups, you can try a tomato and avocado soup.

For side dishes, I've always been a fan of keeping it simple. Steamed vegetables are an excellent choice. I love steamed carrots myself. There's also the option of boiling vegetables. I had a roommate that used to boil Chinese broccoli. It was delicious. However, if you want something more complicated, I recommend looking up a recipe for rice stuffed artichokes, middle eastern spiced rice (if you like lots of flavor!), or braised asparagus.

Now we come to the big honcho: the turkey. Clearly, real turkey is not an option. Tofurkey is always an option, but what if you want to be more creative than that? Some recipes to think about are stuffed acorn squash with gravy, a lentil rice loaf, or a nice mushroom rice pilaf. Of course, you can't forget the stuffing, though. Go for a nice apple or cranberry stuffing. There's also always the option of cornbread stuffing, but I personally prefer fruit stuffings.

Finally we come to the best part of any meal, dessert. If you want to be festive, I suggest going for a vegan recipe of pumpkin pie or some apple cinnamon cookies. However, if you're a chocolate addict, like myself, I would go for a chocolate cake, brownies, or chocolate cookies.

They say blonds have more fun, but I think it may be vegans who have the best times. Although there may be a break with a lot of thanksgiving tradition, the tradition of delicious food can still be observed. Just remember, there are many ways to make a delicious meal.