How to Pull Off a Vegetarian Thanksgiving Meal

Most people think of Thanksgiving dinner as including the traditional holiday fare: large turkey and gravy, loads of stuffing, baked ham, scalloped potatoes and perhaps even roasted duck. However, if you're a vegetarian or even if you're just watching calories, there are many kinds of fabulous holiday and seasonal vegetarian dishes that don't consist of any meat products. The trick to serving a fantastic vegetarian holiday banquet is to plan for it well in advance and make it elegant and scrumptious.

1. There are many vegetarian great main courses. One of the first ones that comes to mind is a vegetable lasagna full of rich decadent cheeses, pasta, tomatoes, mushrooms, onions and peppers. Of course there are also other terrific vegetarian main dishes, such as vegetable moussaka, which is made with potatoes, eggplant, mushrooms, tomatoes and thick and beautiful cheesy Bechamel sauce. Look for other vegetarian casseroles for more vegetarian entree ideas.

2. Add in to your all vegetarian holiday buffet any number of traditional vegetable sides, such as luscious cranberry sauce, sweet potatoes with cinnamon and brown sugar, hash brown casserole, green bean casserole, broccoli and cheese, creamed corn, homemade rolls, etc.

3. Salads are also a great touch to any banquet. They can be garden in nature, such as spinach salads adorned with walnuts and vinaigrette, or they can be lavish holiday dessert salads, such as tropical fruit and cherries mixed with marshmallow cream, walnuts and coconut flakes.

4. Fruit pies and fruit compotes also make nice touches to a vegetarian Thanksgiving meal. One of my favorite recipes is for fresh fruit trifles, with either pound cake or sponge cake and whipped cream. It's easy and light and makes for a great, eye-catching presentation.

5. Old traditional staples of pumpkin pie or pecan pie made with graham cracker crusts will make any diner happy.

6. Another tip to make sure all your Thanksgiving guests enjoy themselves, whether vegetarian or not, is to just inquire on what they will or will not eat. Many vegetarians will still eat dairy, such as eggs and cheese, and this opens up many other terrific vegetarian dish ideas. One of my top picks would be a souffle or a quiche, but the main thing to remember is to simply ask your dinner guests ahead of time. However, one important note worth mentioning is that vegans most of the time will not eat dairy, including butter and sour cream. For these guests, consider making vegan cornbread stuffing or stuffed pumpkin.

7. Make sure you substitute items in your recipes. For example, vegetable stock can be substituted for chicken stock, and mushrooms, tofu or meat substitutes (like seitan or textured vegetable protein) can usually take the place of meat in many traditional main dishes. For example, stuffed mushrooms are a great appetizer, and large grilled portobello mushrooms or seitan with grilled onions and provolone cheese make for great substitute sliders.

8. Make placement cards for the holiday buffet so that your dinner guests will know if something has dairy and/or egg products or not. Give small, token, vegetarian gifts, such as holiday jellies or fruit baskets.

9. Make sure guests know the menu beforehand, and if they're interested, ask them to help with the preparation of some of the dishes, as well as the decorations. Don't call the dinner a meatless meal, but instead call it a healthy alternative meal. After all, since obesity has risen in America to an all-time high, many of us (including meat-eaters) should at least give healthy, alternative eating a try every now and then to better our health.

Sources:
www.theveggietable.com/recipes/thanksgiving.html
www.delish.com/entertaining-ideas/holidays/thanksgiving/vegetarian-thanksgiving-recipes
www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php
www.divinedinnerparty.com/vegetarian-thanksgiving.html