There are certain times of year being a vegetarian is difficult. Most of the time, I don’t think much about it. Skimming through labels at the grocery store is second nature (you’d be surprised what products contain chicken fat or stock), as is ordering my Thai food with no fish sauce and avoiding most Mexican restaurants (beans and rice often are made with lard). I’ve been a vegetarian for 13 years and converted my husband over six years ago.
Thanksgiving is always one of those challenging situations for us. And this year we have an 18 month old, vegetarian daughter who is going to be partaking in her first Thanksgiving dinner. It adds another dimension to the issue. This year it isn’t too bad, it’s easy enough to give her what my husband and I eat and let her get excited about turkey decorations everywhere. But it’s making me wonder what’s going to happen in the next several years. How do you explain to a child that the reason there are turkey decorations around is because people like to eat them? How to tell her that her beloved grandparents and aunt and uncle are all eating a dead bird? I think when children grow up eating meat they don’t think much about it; it’s just normal. I’m more than happy to put that conversation off for a few more years!
The main problem with the holiday, though, is the dinner’s main course. Gone are the days of tofu turkey sculptures from three decades ago. Thankfully, we completely missed out on that craze. My husband (veggie for 6.5 years) and I always have to find an entree that goes well with all the rest of the courses. It’s not always easy, which explains why so many vegetarians resort to Tofurkey brand frozen mock turkey dinners. We’ve tried it in the past, ourselves. While Tofurkey’s deli lunch mock meats are delicious, we found their turkey dry and rubbery. If you’re wondering what mock meat is, it’s usually made out of wheat gluten (an ingredient in bread) instead of tofu, although tofu versions exist. It ends up having the texture of various meats and takes on the flavor of whatever sauce it is made with. If we go the mock meat route nowadays, we usually buy some frozen chicken breasts at an Asian market instead and make our own onion gravy to go on top. And of course we have to have the person who is making the stuffing set some aside to be cooked separately, so it is also vegetarian.
We’ve made a lot of other types of entrees for the dinner in the past. Lasagna, Indian curry, last year it was pot pies. Other possibilities include wild mushroom risotto, stuffed peppers or squash (try putting in wild rice, beans, and even some fresh fall apples), a hearty stew or tagine, a casserole such as Shepherd’s Pie, or even a rich bean and vegetable soup. The presentation can be memorable as wellsquashes or pumpkins can do double duty as both part of the mean and the bowl! If you’re thinking bout making a vegetarian entree and want to to mesh with the rest of the meal, the best bet is to incorporate ingredients that you associate with fall and comfort, but you can still be creative. The entree doesn’t have to just substitute for turkey, it can be a focal piece and even make the non-vegetarians want some, too.
-Scooter
It’s great when a veggie meal tastes so good that non-veggies want it as well. But to anyone cooking for veggies and non-veggies alike: if you think that is going to happen, please be sure to make enough food for everyone! There have been so many times I am excited for the veggie meal someone prepared only to get a tiny portion because all of the meat eaters want to take a taste as well. Somehow they all seem to forget that while they are also eating turkey, turkey-filled stuffing and chicken-based soup, I have nothing else but salad!