How to survive Thanksgiving as a Vegetarian/Vegan

Thanksgiving.

It’s so close I can already picture it; cranberry sauce simmering on the stove as the smells of roasting vegetables and homemade pies fill the house. The fireplace crackling to remind us that company is coming. A flurry of activity in the kitchen, as the children set the table and the cats roam around begging for scraps. A classic holiday…except my family will be dining sans turkey for the second year in a row.

Surprisingly for some, Thanksgiving is not just about the bird. Some people just don’t care for it (like my parents, who prefer to cook venison or lamb), while others prefer something a bit more traditional of their heritage (like baked pastas or paella).

 

 

 

I’ve been a vegetarian for a decade now and while I love any and every holiday revolving around food, the idea of hundreds of thousands of turkeys being consumed at the same time seems unsettling to me.Even repulsive.

Some people absolutely live for that part of the meal. So we agree to disagree. However, it is undeniably difficult for vegetarians and vegans to approach this holiday and leave happy and well-fed, especially when you’re eating at someone else’s house.

I’ve managed to survive everything from judgmental relatives to secretly meat-laden side dishes to my very first vegan Thanksgiving (complete with a gawd awful mishap with tofurkey).

Here are my tips on how to survive Thanksgiving as a Vegetarian/Vegan:

1. Be in charge of making at least one protein-rich vegetarian dish, like baked tofu or white bean chili.
2. Don’t just load up on carbohydrates and dessert! Take advantage of the ubiquitous garden salad, crudités, and veggie sides.
3. If you are going to a relative’s house, make sure you have a nutritious breakfast beforehand and pack a few healthy snacks, like raw almonds, just in case.
4. Do your research. It is almost guaranteed any time you get together with extended family; someone is going to hound you about your diet. Anticipate their questions and have a good response – where do you get your protein and vital nutrients? How do you maintain a healthy balance as a vegetarian/vegan? (It’s good to know the answers to these questions anyway!)
5. Don’t expect others to accommodate to your specific dietary needs. Take responsibility for your own food and cook something! And tell your friends to check out www.afoodcoma.com for recipe ideas.