Hello, and welcome back to Eight Years In! Today we’re talking about hosting a vegan Thanksgiving celebration, known to some as “Thanksliving”. If you’re interested in attending a nonvegan Thanksgiving but feel overwhelmed at the idea, consider checking out my previous post about that right here. Otherwise, let’s get on with it!
To some, the idea of an all-vegan Thanksgiving may seem a little extreme. After all, isn’t it supposed to be “Turkey Day”? But when you think about it, it makes sense. All of our holiday celebrations are outward reflections of us and our practices already. And just like meat eaters insert that into most celebrations they host, it would make sense for vegans to host vegan versions of their holidays as well, whether that’s a birthday party or a Thanksgiving dinner.
But beyond that, I would like to point out the combined ethos of veganism and the “Thankfulness” that we give this day credit for. What I mean is, it seems odd to me to think that you’re going to celebrate all that you’re thankful for in your life by necessitating the death and preparation of someone’s corpse. And unfortunately, that’s what this “Turkey Day” mentality is.
So what I’m saying is that hosting a Thanksliving is in line with the heart of Thanksgiving, as a concept. Celebrating the blessings in life while not causing the end of the lives of other sentient beings. And, not to worry. I can assure you, you won’t need to skimp on the fun or the decadent food.
Activities
Eating’s not the only thing that happens on Thanksgiving day. And while every family has their own traditions, there are a couple that I can think of that are the most common, and still fit easily into a Thanksliving celebration.
Cooks Congregating
This one’s pretty straightforward. All of the cooks sharing one kitchen, elbowing each other for more room, sharing conversation as they prepare the food, and perhaps a glass of wine. Really, there’s no further explanation needed on this one.
Watch the Game/Parade
So, depending on the family, there’s usually something playing on the TV. Whether that’s the Thanksgiving Parade or the football game, you don’t have to change this tradition in the name of veganism.
Get active!
Some families also like to put some movement into their Thanksgiving day traditions. Whether that’s a game of flag football or a post-meal walk around the neighborhood, everyone could benefit there, vegan or not.
Be Thankful
Let me tell you, there is nothing nonvegan about practicing gratitude and thankfulness. This is also the heart of this holiday, and in my opinion, should be part of any Thanksgiving celebration. Giving thanks. It’s in the name, after all!
The Wishbone
This is the one tradition that seems quite mired in nonveganism, unfortunately. Seeing as it is literally the bone of the animal, and all. But that doesn’t mean all is lost.
There are a lot of different ways you can work a wishing tradition into your Thanksliving. Here are two, off the top of my head.
If you want something more formal and universal, you can have the whole gang congregate and write something that they wish for the future on a piece of paper and then burn them to release the intention.
Or, if you’re looking for a game for the kids, you can draw straws or sticks, and whoever gets the longest (or shortest) piece, gets their wish. This is also better than the wishbone because more than two people can play.
The food
But we all know that food is the star of the show when it comes to Thanksgiving and your Thanksliving does not have to disappoint! I will say that the way to make sure your Thanksliving food is good is pretty much the same as making vegan food in general. Make sure you’re seasoning enough. Don’t be afraid to put some salt and/or fat in there to add flavor. Especially since this is a holiday—you can be a little more free with the decadence.
But what if it’s not about how to cook it, but instead that you’re stumped on what to make? I get it, especially if this is your first time making any sort of large meal for guests. It can be daunting.
The Internet
As with any food, the internet is a great source of inspiration these days—but you already know that, because you’re here. The truth is, many of my ideas for holiday food come from either actively looking for recipes online or passive immersion for inspiration.
I like to look at YouTube, social media groups, or recipe blogs to see what other vegans have cooked up, and see what ideas come highly recommended. But you’re here to see what I think. So let’s get into it.
Two approaches
In my opinion, it’s good to start off with perspective. There are two ways of going about gathering a recipe. You can either 1) look for recipes that mimic the foods you’re used to or 2) get creative and stop looking for replacements. Now, don’t get me wrong. You don’t have to pick one or the other. However, this is where your two perspectives will be coming from.
There may be some dishes that you just don’t want to give up from your Thanksgiving memories. These are the ones that you’re going to want to find either a recipe for a vegan version or find where to buy a vegan replacement.
And this will depend on your skill level and general interest in cooking, as well as the dish. Some people have more money than they do time, and for these people, it will make sense to buy most things. Last year I was in the opposite situation and made a day of cooking for my Thanksliving feast. Like I said, it’s really all down to you and how you want to work it—just do what works for you. But if you want some ideas on foods to include in your Thanksliving feast, read on!
Main Dishes
Store Bought Roasts—if you’re looking to have a vegan turkey substitute, you might want to look into storebought vegan roasts. My favorite are the Gardein and Field Roast Celebration Roast, but there are many to try out there, with new ones coming out each year.
Lentil loaf—it may sound funny, but I really enjoy a good lentil loaf. You can take some cooked lentils and mash them with spices, onion, garlic and some starch (saltine crackers are my go-to). Form that into a loaf pan and bake until it’s hot and dry enough to cut. If you liked meatloaf back in the day and you like lentils now, it’s a great option and very easy to customize to your taste.
Stuffed, roasted veg—So this one might not sit well with the more staunch meat eaters, but you can make a vegetable into a main dish if you’re determined enough. We see different approaches to this, whether it’s a braised cabbage, roasted cauliflower or stuffed squashes or peppers, a vegetable main dish can truly be a star.
Meat replacements— And then you could also take a page out of the everyday vegan playbook and look for a more generic meat substitute that you can dress up for Thanksliving like tofu, tempeh, or seitan. You can also look into certain meat replacements like vegan chicken tenders or patties. They may not be super exciting if you eat them on the regular, but as an addition to the rest of the feast, they’ll do the trick too.
A Casserole— I know I mentioned this one in my post about attending a Thanksgiving with meat-eaters as well, but I can’t help it. A casserole is just so versatile, and you can really do whatever kind you’d like. It makes for a filling meal all by itself and a hearty, delicious centerpiece for any Thanksliving table, in my opinion.
Soups
There’s just something so comforting about a nice bowl of soup on a fall day, and adding it as an appetizer to your Thanksliving table is, in my opinion, a great idea and a classy move. Here are some soup ideas if you don’t have a go-to.
Chili
Lentil Soup
Split Pea
Vegetable Soup
Butternut Squash
Potato leek
Salads
I don’t think I need to do much explaining on this one, but a good salad is always a great addition to any holiday meal. Mix greens with some nuts/seeds, bits of dried or fresh fruit, roasted vegetables or raw, with a sweet, acidic, bitter or savory dressing. Very few people love salads on their own, but on the side of mountains of starch and fat, they really help brighten up a meal.
Starchy Sides
Bread—Honestly, there are all sorts of kinds of bread you can make on the side of your Thanksgiving meal—it’s really hard to go wrong. My mom has her famous dinner rolls that she makes for every holiday. You could also try your hand at biscuits, garlic knots, a loaf of sourdough, cornbread, whatever tickles your fancy. In my experience, as long as your company isn’t gluten sensitive, bread will not go unappreciated.
Mashed Potatoes—You’ll be happy to know that vegan mashed potatoes are just as delicious as nonvegan ones. Peel and boil up some potatoes and add in some salt (or seasoning salt) along with some plant milk and/or vegetable stock and you’re good to go. Just mash until your heart’s content. And add a vegan butter, if you wish!
Yams—there are many ways to make delicious yams for Thanksgiving, and most of them are easily veganizable if you have vegan butter. If you’re the kind of person who puts marshmallows with your yams, try Dandies marshmallows. They’re corn free too, for anyone who is allergic to corn or otherwise trying to avoid it.
Scalloped Potatoes—The key to scalloped potatoes is the cheese sauce, in my opinion. Sliced potatoes are sliced potatoes, but you’ll want a nice creamy sauce to put them in. You can achieve this by making a simple roux and add some spices in, or you could also add some nutritional yeast or some of your favorite vegan cheese to the mix to get it cheesier.
Mac and Cheese—And this is the technique that I recommend for Mac and cheese, too. Cook some flour and butter together and add some onion, garlic and salt, and once your roux is ready, and some vegan milk and plant cheese and let it cook together, adding cooked noodles in at the end once you’ve got a cohesive sauce. And there you go-vegan mac. Now, you can mess around with this if you want—add vegetables, spices or different kinds of cheese. But this is the base idea, and it works really well.
Dressing— Now some of you may call this side dish “stuffing” (myself included), but since we are not actually putting it inside of anything, I suppose dressing is the more appropriate term.
And it wasn’t until I started making my own vegan dressing that I started to really like it. (There’s only so much to love about boxed stuffing. Just like anything, if you know how to cook, you can make things way better from scratch.) You can start off with the packaged and spiced bread cubes if you like, or otherwise cube and dry out some bread that you prefer.
From there, you can get creative! I like to add vegan sausage, garlic, onion, and yes, even a little bit of green apple! And generally, since it’s Thanksgiving I like to shoehorn in rosemary, sage and thyme wherever I can. And sauté it all together with a little bit of canola or olive oil, then add some vegetable stock and let simmer and cook. And there you go, vegan dressing!
Veggie Sides
Cooked greens (Kale, collard, mustard, beet, spinach, etc)
Roasted veg (squash, brussel sprouts, asparagus, broccoli, carrots, whatever you like)
Green bean casserole (yes, you can still have your green bean casserole as a vegan.)
Sauces
Gravy—Believe it or not, making gravy vegan is pretty much just as easy as it is making a nonvegan gravy. All you need is some flour and vegan butter to make a roux, then you can add whatever spices, flavors and liquids you like from there. I like using vegetable stock, some plant milk and then adding in some sage and thyme.
Cranberry sauce—And most people won’t have to change their way of making cranberry sauce, whether it’s from a can or over the stovetop. For me personally, I like cooking cranberries in water with a bunch of sugar until it reduces. I also will add in some spices, like ginger, cinnamon or cloves, and a hint of orange always helps brighten things up, if that’s your thing.
Desserts
There are all sorts of fall desserts you can make to go with your Thanksliving feast, and I don’t think I have to convince anyone of the importance of a good dessert. Here are a few ideas to get your creative juices flowing.
Pumpkin/Apple/Berry pie–Now, pumpkin might be traditional, but with most guests, any pie will be eaten. Special points for pecan or sweet potato pie, both of which are quite traditional as well.
Apple Cake—I just really love Apple cake. It’s something that I want to eat whenever it’s cold outside, and I don’t think that will change as long as I live.
Peach or pear crisp–making a crisp is my favorite lazy dessert. It’s warm and delicious, but you really don’t have to work that hard on it. Just grab a can of fruit (or pie filling if you’re feeling extra decadent) and dump it in a square pan. In a separate bowl, mix together oats, vegan butter, brown sugar and any sort of accoutrements like nutmeg, allspice, cinnamon or vanilla that you’d like. Cover it with foil and put it in the oven until you can smell it and there’s your dessert!
Pumpkin bars—pumpkin bars are both quite autumnal and particularly delicious. Top with a vegan cream cheese and you’re going places!
Vegan cheesecake—Now, this suggestion will certainly be a bit of work, but you can make a great vegan cheesecake too! (Or buy one–that’d certainly be easier.) Consider making a pumpkin spice cheesecake (most recipes use either cashews or tofu, some use both), because it’s the season, definitely!
Thanksliving, it’s possible!
So there you have it. Not only is a vegan thanksgiving possible, but it can be tons of fun with absolutely delicious food.
If you’re having a dull thanksgiving with just a plain plate of white rice and steamed vegetables (like I did my first thanksgiving as a vegan), just know that that isn’t what a vegan thanksgiving needs to look like. With a little bit of preparation and know-how, you can have a day that’s just as great as it ever was!
As always, thank you for reading my thoughts. If you have any tips about putting together a Thanksliving feast, share them in the comments so we can all learn from each other. And have a happy Thanksgiving!