VEGAN EATS: Baking a vegan Thanksgiving

BY HANNAH DEAR (‘17)

NEWS EDITOR

Thanksgiving dinner is usually thought to be made up of pumpkin pie, buttery dinner rolls and most importantly, turkey. However, some people are forced to take an alternative route with their Thanksgiving feast.

The basic vegan diet is primarily a plant based diet. A vegan is someone who refuses to eat any animal products. This generally refers to meat, dairy, and eggs, but there are also hidden animal products in some foods such as gelatin. Vegans do not only eat fruits and vegetables but also eat plenty of grains and, occasionally, plenty of junk food.

Vegans do not eat the dairy in the typical buttered rolls or the obvious animal product in the Thanksgiving turkey. This may seem unfortunate to the average omnivore, but we herbivores don’t exactly see it that way.

Most vegans have a reason for following their lifestyle and will not give it up even for a holiday meal, nor will they want to. Nevertheless, the fact that these standard entries are missing is rather obvious. Thankfully, there are plenty of alternatives to the typical dinner.

Some recipes are made vegan easily. This is the case when it comes to sweet potato casserole. The elimination of animal products hardly makes a difference, and you can still add a nice, thick marshmallow topping. This is the same way with side dishes such as green bean casserole.

Buying specialty foods is also a possibility. The Tofurky brand is the vegan substitute for turkey that is made of tofu. Tofu is sometimes thought of as a tasteless food only a person with no tastebuds and no other option should partake in. However, when seasoned correctly and paired with other flavors, it can be a fantastic meat substitute. Gardein is another brand that provides extra protein for vegans. Dinner roll recipes can be vegan or not, but there are vegan brands that can be bought to accompany the meal.

New vegan recipes can be added to Thanksgiving traditions. There are countless vegan desserts to be found whether they are cakes, cookies, or whatever you can imagine. Frozen bananas can turn into ice cream and an overload of peanut butter and chocolate can turn into vegan peanut butter cups. Raw fruits and vegetables are staples in the vegan diet. Adding a conglomeration of them is always a great addition to the meal.

When it comes to the dinner, though, what is on the table is not the most important thing. Whether the meal is vegan or not, it is those who sit around the table and the giving of thanks that truly matters. The food may be delicious, but if the focus is solely on the food than the entire point of Thanksgiving has been missed. Instead, on Thanksgiving we should give thanks for our many blessings and the food on the table in front of us, vegan or not.