Vegan Cooking and Holiday Meals

So you've made the decision to eat vegan and you're feeling great. Unfortunately, the holidays are looming, and you dread food confrontations with the rest of your family, so you decide to chuck the whole vegan thing and just get back on the wagon after the holidays. STOP RIGHT THERE!

With these five simple tricks and a little compromise, you can work vegan dishes into your traditional holiday meal without sending anyone home hungry.

1. Set some ground rules.

The first step to incorporating vegan foods into your holiday meal is to set a few ground rules. Know what you will and won't compromise on before planning a menu. It will make this step of entertaining much easier, and will ensure that whether you go totally meatless or mix it up, there will be plenty of food for everyone.

2. Practice full disclosure with your guests.

If you are sticking to the no animal product mantra of veganism, let guests of other dietary persuasions know ahead of time, and reassure them that there will still be plenty of food to stuff themselves full. If you plan to include meat, let vegetarian guests know as well, so they understand that there will be alternatives to a turkey leg for them to gnaw on.

3. Take advantage of the vegan dishes you already serve.

Instead of pouring over vegan cookbooks and websites, take a look through your holiday recipes and pull out those dishes that are already vegan. This will save the stress of preparing all new recipes for a big holiday get together, and will increase the chances that all your guests will be comfortable with the food being put in front of them.

4. Find easy ways to makeover recipes that are on the carnivorous side.

Soy products can be great substitutes for dairy products in many recipes and can be found in most grocery stores. The variety of products available has greatly increased in the last few years as well. There are several soy milk brands to choose from and products ranging from soy cheese shreds to soy yogurt are available in most supermarkets.

Vegetable broth is another great substitute in recipes like mashed potatoes and vegan stuffing. Ener G Foods even makes an eggless egg replacement that can be used in baked goods.

5. Take a few chances.

While preparing all new recipes for a large holiday get together could prove disastrous, adding a few new vegan recipes to your repertoire could create new holiday meal must-haves for your family. A simple Google search will return thousands of vegan recipes.

The holidays are about being together and accepting each other in all our differences. Even if you and your holiday guests are at opposite ends of the food spectrum, you can still create warm and inviting meals for everyone on your guest list.