At some holiday gatherings, there is very little for vegans to eat. Thursday’s Thanksgiving feast, however, was not one of those parties! Literally, every time I blinked, a new vegan dish appeared.
Anthony Nelson, your new genie is ready. 🙂
Dishes included the incredibly easy, yet so delicious Vegan Magic Mushrooms, and my favorite Creamy Vegan Polenta
Without lifting a finger (or engaging in the aforementioned blinking), I could’ve easily made a meal simply from the vegan side-dishes my mom prepared. Oh heck, I could’ve easily made a meal from just the magic mushrooms alone! My family’s always been big on vegetables; therefore some of what my mom prepares for Thanksgiving has always already been vegan. And other dishes, such as the polenta she made, are easily veganized.
Mom also makes a broccoli dish that is vegan (originally my grandma’s recipe). As I said, I could have made a meal feast from just the sides. But I didn’t. No, I made my own vegetarian main dish to share. It was so good, it deserves its own post. (I’ll post the recipe tomorrow.)
What a great meal that your whole family could enjoy! And I can’t wait to see you entree.
I like cooking for myself because, as you said, I know how I like things (example: I like 3x the amt of garlic that most people do), but I really enjoy going out to dinner and having someone do the work for me! My parents don’t cook much, but I like it when they do make things for me. Its the thought that counts and the loving gesture is what makes it especially tasty!
You food all looks so fantastic it makes me want to go out and buy all of the ingredients!!!!
yum those looks delicious! i like cooking my own stuff but certainly don’t mind if my husband wants to take the reigns as he knows i can’t tolerate gluten or dairy. also, re: pie situation…i think there is a fine line between being a zealot and being a compassionate recipient of home cooked food. i certainly don’t knock the tiny morsel of dairy found in that pie. you and your dad both win eating!
I’m okay with having others cook for me, but I definitely like to know what’s in my own food!
That looks great! Yum.
I love cooking for myself and others. I am fine when others to cook for me but I prefer too way more. 🙂
That almost vegan apple pie looks amazing.
Have a great day!
Hi Katie,
I love your blog. You have such a kind heart. I was wondering if you could help me with a dilema I’ve been having. You see, I’m a new vegetarian and I was wondering if you ever felt awkward at holiday parties? Like parties where you’re the only vegan and not everyone knows about your special diet. I love animals and don’t want to give in and eat meat ever again, but I’m not very outgoing and hate being the center of attention. How do you deal with being different at holiday parties like this one?
A very wonderful looking feast indeed, Katie. Glad you enjoyed yourself.
Like you, I prefer to do the hosting and cooking on most days. I like the control aspect but I also just LOVE to cook. Now and then though, I enjoy a bit of pampering by the hubby or friends/family and will gladly let them cook me up a thing or two. 🙂
Like you, I know what i like and how I like things,sobi cook for myself mostly! I don’t mind restaraunt cooking tho! Mmmm polenta, I’m on a bit of a polenta kick at the moment, I love making polenta fries or baking chunks of if in the oven! It’s a real comfort food. Xxx
Where was I at this dinner?? Trying all those vegan dishes would have been incredible!
I’m much happier cooking for myself. Even when I’m home visiting, I usually have a seperate dinner from everyone else (mainly because I’m the only non-meat eater)..but still.
I cook for myself pretty much all the time unless I’m visiting my mom. But the one thing I LOVE having other people make me is salad! I’d just love someone else to do all that chopping!
All the dishes look amazing and cannot wait for the recipe for your main dish. 🙂 I tend to cook my own food but sometimes it is nice to have some else cook for you.
I love cooking for others and just laughed the other night a friend’s place that I always spend most of the time in other people’s kitchens than in other parts of their apartments 😀
i think theres something to be said about cooking together! sharing ideas and creativity can lead to something much greater than anticipated!
Food looks delicious! I prefer to make food for myself mainly because I have such unique and complicated food needs and choices, LOL 🙂
But it is nice to have someone make me something every once in awhile!!
~Lori
Everything looks so good! I was vegan earlier this year, and I was stressing out about what I was going to eat at Thanksgiving. (I might have been thinking a little too far ahead…) I’m a vegetarian now, so I was able to eat a lot more of the Thanksgiving feast, but your dishes would have been great to serve to vegans, vegetarians, and meat-eaters like 🙂
Oh man, all of that looks soooo good! I wish I could redo my Thanksgiving and include all of it. 🙂
I loved your thoughts on a ‘perfect’ vegan diet and it makes me happy that you still ate the pie. Like you said, some things just need to be “don’t ask-don’t tell,” especially when it’s made by someone you love. For example, my mom makes AWESOME tortilla soup, and she knows it’s my favorite. I visited her for the first time in months and she had a pot hot on the stove for me when I got there. It was the first time she’d cooked for me since I had become a vegetarian, and I guess she forgot that chicken stock was made out of well- chickens. But since she put so much thought into it, I ate it anyways. She’s my mom, and I didn’t want to hurt her feelings. But the next time I visited, I helped make the soup and recommended we use vegetable stock instead and she realized what happened and quickly apologized. It was just as delicious and now she always makes it with vegetable stock- even when I’m not there! 😀
And my mission this week is to try some of your magic mushrooms. Yum!
Aww Ashley, I’m so happy to know there’s someone out there who feels like I do! My mom made me “vegan” chocolate chip cookies once, and didn’t realize there was dairy in the chips. I ate them, but I made sure to stock her pantry vegan chocolate chips for the future! 🙂