Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with vegetarian and thanksgiving

Turkey is a vegetable, right?

SeanCier — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 14:23:25 -0800

Last Thanksgiving, the sight of the raw turkey brining in the fridge tipped my wife from being somewhat "icked out" out by some meat (specifically, uncooked and bone-in cooked) over to being a (lacto, semi-ovo) vegetarian. She is uncomfortable with having turkey in the house at all this year -- but to me a Thanksgiving without a turkey seems hardly a Thanksgiving at all. What to do? We usually share Thanksgiving cooking duties, my wife doing more dishes than I. I'm no master cook -- a decade ago I couldn't cook spaghetti -- but I try to push myself with the occasional very modest foray into the culinary arts, be it grilling kebabs, experimenting with spice mixtures for burgers, or trying a new pan sauce for a filet; pretty much anything in Cooks Illustrated is hard to screw up too badly (and oddly, nearly anything grilled -- assuming it's still on the vaguely recognizable side of the charred spectrum -- tends to turn out tasty). So when she was rather stressed and busy last year, I took turkey duties as an adventure.

I've joked since then that my cooking turned her into a vegetarian, but in fact I do understand where she's coming from and her choice is entirely reasonable, and hers to make. I've been been supportive in the intervening months, happily eating the meatless dishes she prepares for dinners, which have been rather good in general (though I have a bit of Soy Overload, so ironically she ends up wanting more meat "substitutes" than I). I get my carnivore fix at restaurants on the weekend. My own cooking contributions have been reduced somewhat, as my specialties were mostly rather meat-based.

But Thanksgiving is different; she doesn't want a turkey anywhere in the house lest she have flashbacks, yet I have no interest in the Tofurkey route. Even the turkey roulade we did a couple years ago as an experiment seemed unfestive (albeit an interesting diversion), and that was at least real turkey. Our kids (1 and 4) are too young to have a strong opinion either way; it'd be nice to provide some traditions for them to enjoy, but realistically there's nothing inherent about turkey that will ruin their childhood if it's missing.

So for the vegetarians in the house and their omnivorous significant others, how is this usually handled in mixed households? Am I being close-minded?

Your best vegetarain Thanksgiving recipe, please

jujube — Wed, 21 Nov 2007 06:25:36 -0800

Tried and true vegetarian side dish recipes for Thanksgiving please! We will be hosting omnivores, vegetarians, and all-but-beef-eaters for Thanksgiving. I'm looking for things that have the greatest potential for enjoyment by all. Since Thanksgiving is tomorrow, I don't have time to try out the recipe. Also, I don't want random vegetarian side dishes--it must be Thanksgiving/fall themed. Here is what I have so far:
Start with beet soup served in acorn squash half bowls.
Turkey, of course, with stuffing that has pork in it, and separate vegetarian stuffing.
Roasted garlic mashed potatoes, and sweet potatoes.
For dessert, we will have pumpkin cheesecake.
I would like to have 1-2 more vegetarian side dishes, one that is hearty that the vegetarian friends can enjoy as their main dish, but also one that is a green vegetable. Both should be something that others can enjoy as well.

I've looked at this and this, and have gotten some great ideas (pumpkin cheesecake), but am still looking!

The restrictions are that, of course, I want it to fit with the Thanksgiving/fall theme. Also, the oven is going to be occupied by the turkey, so it should be something that can be small tucked in next to the turkey, cooking at the same temp as the turkey. Otherwise, it should be something that can be made the day before, and be simple to heat up before being served.

Also, I don't want something that is heavy on the cheese, because we will be having cheesecake for dessert, and I just don't think it will go well with the other dishes that are already planned. But if you have something that will go with with the above, do share!

One more thing--vegetarian gravy?!? Recipes please!

All of the delicious without the turkey

schroedinger — Mon, 13 Nov 2006 16:56:44 -0800

Recommendations for a hearty ovo-lacto vegetarian traditional-themed Thanksgiving entree that will knock the socks off my boyfriend's hardcore Italian, meat-lovin' family? No Tofurkeys or vegetarian lasagnas, please. Details inside. This will be the first time visiting my boyfriend's family. I'm nervous. Tofurkeys will come off as weird to them and I think anything Italian I make would be seen as "Italian without the meat". Also, his mom is the kind of hardcore Italian cook who used to make her own noodles, so I don't even want to try to match up to that.

Other concerns:
Re-heating needs to be OK, since I'll be making the Tuesday before Thanksgiving and re-heating it in their oven. This probably eliminates pastries and the like.

Heartiness and filling-ness a plus (I don't know how many non-meaty sides will be there)

It must be delicious enough to withstand the skepticism of the meat-loving friend who will be accompanying us.

My cooking skills are limited to baking cookies and opening cans of tuna. If the recipe is quick-to-prepare and difficult-to-screw-up that would be awesome.

Thank you!

Vegetarian thanksgiving options in southern Minnesota?

jennaba — Mon, 30 Oct 2006 07:09:43 -0800

I'm looking for a good vegetarian-focused (as opposed to just vegetarian-friendly) restaurant or buffet for Thanksgiving brunch/dinner somewhere around the Twin Cities area. It doesn't need to be actually in Minneapolis or St. Paul, but within a few hours' driving distance is preferred. Bonus points if the city where this elusive destination also has family friendly Thanksgiving-themed events like hay rides, etc.