Tips to Plan a Vegan or Vegetarian Thanksgiving

If you are a vegan or a vegetarian or are planning on inviting one to your home for the holidays, you may want to prepare a vegetarian Thanksgiving meal to accommodate everyone. There are many creative and delicious dishes you can make that will keep your guests satisfied and hungry for more food.

Inviting the Guests

Plan your guest list and decide how many people you would like to invite to your Thanksgiving dinner. This will help you determine how much food you should prepare and what sorts of foods your guests enjoy. You may also want to make sure of what food allergies your guests might have, so that you can work around them when planning your meal.

Appetizers

There are many appetizers that do not require meats or dairy-based foods. It is important to choose one or two that will have wholesome and tantalizing tastes that your guests will enjoy. Consider making an appetizer from another culture as well, as many cultures use soy and tofu products and there are several different recipes from which you can chose. Keep in mind that natural foods like fruits and vegetables are safe for vegans and vegetarians, and you can make dips like hummus.

The Main Course

If you want to keep the turkey-theme of Thanksgiving, there are several tofu-turkeys ("tofurkey") or vegetarian birds that you can purchase and prepare. Ones with the best tastes will cost a little more than other tofu-type turkeys, so it is important to splurge a little on your main course. This is a good idea if there will be people who enjoy eating meat coming to your home as a guest and a good way to keep tradition.

If you do not wish to make a turkey-type main dish, you can make something else that will take the main stage. Make sure that there is a lot of the dish and that it is fulfilling and delicious. For example, you could make vegetable cakes with beans, vegetables and fruits. You can serve these with grilled vegetables or even a pasta for a filling entrée.

Side Dishes

Make sure that you have more than a simple salad for your side dish. You can include breads, corn on the cob, collard greens, fresh cranberries, sweet potatoes and other fruits and vegetables that will liven up your table. Make a stuffing with fruits and vegetables, choosing from several recipes available for vegetarian stuffing.

Make sure that you have light dishes to go with your heavy dishes, so that your guests can chose what they want to eat and how they will feel when they are done eating.

Dessert

There are several soy-desert recipes you can easily make. To keep with the themes and traditions of Thanksgiving, consider making a soy-based pumpkin pie or soy ice cream to with fruits.

As with any Thanksgiving meal, the point of the meal is for you and your friends and family to get together, have fun and celebrate. Talk with your guests and see if they would like to bring anything or help in any way.