I became a vegetarian while I was in university back in the 1970s. Diet for a Small Planet by Frances Moore Lappe was all the rage. I embraced the belief that by becoming a vegetarian I could save our planet. I joined the vegetarian move for their beliefs but I stayed for the flavours and the health benefits.
When my first vegetarian Thanksgiving rolled around I was served a bowl of peas with mashed potatoes while the rest of the Smith clan ate turkey with all the fix'ns. I felt virtuous, but I did miss having something more filling, say a drumstick.
I have since become a loosy-goosy vegetarian. I eat mostly beans, seeds and nuts but I also eat fish, which makes me an official pescatarian, oh, and turkey and chicken, which really makes me by definition a non-red meat eater.
As the host of Thanksgiving dinner having a vegetarian coming over for the big bird feast can be a tad intimidating, but it doesn't have to be. You can ask them to bring something to share at the meal or make a couple of simple alterations to your menu.
Here are some suggestions to help you and your vegetarian guests.
First of all ask them if they are vegan or vegetarian. Vegans are dairy free, vegetarians by in large will eat dairy.
If you're serving a creamed soup as a first course you need to pay attention to the ingredients.
First of all sauté any onion and garlic in oil instead of butter; which is a better choice for everyone anyway. Add double strength vegetable stock instead of chicken. I find that vegetables stock, unless it's a commercial product in a Tetra Pak, is blander than chicken stock so I usually use a vegan product that's a dried bouillon cube and then double the cube to the products recommended amount of water. Before I add skim or fat free evaporated milk instead of cream I remove a portion of the soup and add either soy or rice milk to the vegetarian servings. You may have to add salt, and I never suggest that you do that, but some vegan products are extremely low in sodium so before serving taste and season accordingly.
Because your vegan guests don't eat any animal products and that includes dairy, they won't be able to eat those butter soaked cream infused mashed spuds everyone in the family is clamoring for.
Here's a vegan method: Boil all the potatoes with peeled whole garlic cloves till soft. Remove one potato per vegan guest and one clove cooked garlic per two vegan guests. Mash the potatoes and garlic together with olive oil and a little salt, yikes here comes the salt again. The rest of the potatoes go ahead and go crazy with any family recipe that you use.
When it comes to veggie side dishes for vegans just watch the butter and milk again. I always serve either sweet potatoes or squash at Thanksgiving and both dishes can be dairy-free as long as you use non-hydrogenated margarine or oil instead of butter.
Now the main course.
This is the trickiest one to pull off.
My favourite option is to serve Vegan Barley and Dried Mushroom Dinner. Its hearty, smells fabulous, goes with the rest of the supper and any vegan or vegetarian will be thrilled you went to the trouble to make it. It's made in a crock-pot so your stove will still be available for gravy and veggies on the day of the dinner or you can make it the day before on top of the stove and reheat it before serving. The protein is from nuts which in Canada's Food Guide is under the category Meat and Alternatives.
Vegan Barley and Dried Mushroom Dinner
Serves: 4
Adapted from a recipe I created for alive magazine in January 2009 this version is extremely low in sodium with only 92 grams per serving. If you are looking for a saltier kick use a commercial vegetable broth available in cans or tetra paks or try adding salted cashews instead of the walnuts.
1 cup (250 mL) pot barley, not pearl
1 L (4 cups) vegetable stock* see note below
½ oz. (14 g) sliced mixed dried mushrooms - you can buy them in a 14 g. package
1 ½ cups (375 mL) peeled, coarsely chopped sweet potato, approx 1 medium
2 leeks, sliced thinly to equal approx 3 cups (750 mL)* see note below
4 cloves garlic, minced
¼ tsp (1 mL) cracked pepper
1 cup (250 mL) chopped California walnuts or cashews
1. Rinse pot barley under cool running water. Drain well and place in slow cooker.
2. Add vegetable broth, dried mushrooms, sweet potato, leeks, garlic, and pepper. Stir slightly.
3. Cover with lid and cook on Low for 3 to 4 hours or High for 1 ½ to 2 ½ hours. My slow cooker takes about 2 hours to cook this amount.
4. (If cooking on top of the stove: Add all ingredients to a large heavy bottomed pot, heat over medium high heat till it comes to a boil, cover and reduce heat to simmer. Cook till barley is cooked and veggies are soft, approx. 50 minutes. Follow the next step, by removing the pot from the heat and continuing on.)
5. When barley is soft and most of the liquid has been absorbed turn off the slow cooker. Stir once and let sit for 15 minutes.
6. Divide equally between four plates and sprinkle each with ¼ cup (60 mL) walnuts or cashews per serving. Season to taste.
Makes approx. four - 1 ¼ cup (310 mL) portions
The nutrient breakdown uses Harvest Sun Organic Low sodium Vegetable Bouillon cubes.
Each 1 ¼ cup (310 mL) serving with ¼ cup (60 mL) cashews contains and no added salt:
425 Calories, 13.2 g Total fat, 2.2 g Sat Fat, 0 g Trans Fat, 93.2 mg Sodium, 71 g Carbs, 12 g Fibre, 15 g Protein
*I use Harvest Sun Organic Low Sodium Vegetable Bouillon cubes, they are vegan. I don't follow the directions on the package. I use 2 whole cubes to 4 cups (1 L) boiling water and stir till they are dissolved. I buy them at my local Metro grocery store in the soup aisle, but you can find this at a health food store. OR use a vegetable stock or broth in either a can or a tetra pak carton.
*Cleaning Leeks
Leeks are grown in sand, so you need to give them a really good bath. Best to cut off most of the bitter dark green part. I usually save about 3 inches (8 cm) of the light green part, so the leek is about 6-8 inches (15-20 cm) long once I've discarded the really dark green part. Now the issue about the sand. Make a lengthwise cut from the bottom to the top, but just half way through. Stick them in a sink of cold water and fan the leaves out and swish them in the water, finish with a rinse under the running water. Sounds like a lot, but it's very simple once you get the knack of it.
When my first vegetarian Thanksgiving rolled around I was served a bowl of peas with mashed potatoes while the rest of the Smith clan ate turkey with all the fix'ns. I felt virtuous, but I did miss having something more filling, say a drumstick.
I have since become a loosy-goosy vegetarian. I eat mostly beans, seeds and nuts but I also eat fish, which makes me an official pescatarian, oh, and turkey and chicken, which really makes me by definition a non-red meat eater.
As the host of Thanksgiving dinner having a vegetarian coming over for the big bird feast can be a tad intimidating, but it doesn't have to be. You can ask them to bring something to share at the meal or make a couple of simple alterations to your menu.
Here are some suggestions to help you and your vegetarian guests.
First of all ask them if they are vegan or vegetarian. Vegans are dairy free, vegetarians by in large will eat dairy.
If you're serving a creamed soup as a first course you need to pay attention to the ingredients.
First of all sauté any onion and garlic in oil instead of butter; which is a better choice for everyone anyway. Add double strength vegetable stock instead of chicken. I find that vegetables stock, unless it's a commercial product in a Tetra Pak, is blander than chicken stock so I usually use a vegan product that's a dried bouillon cube and then double the cube to the products recommended amount of water. Before I add skim or fat free evaporated milk instead of cream I remove a portion of the soup and add either soy or rice milk to the vegetarian servings. You may have to add salt, and I never suggest that you do that, but some vegan products are extremely low in sodium so before serving taste and season accordingly.
Because your vegan guests don't eat any animal products and that includes dairy, they won't be able to eat those butter soaked cream infused mashed spuds everyone in the family is clamoring for.
Here's a vegan method: Boil all the potatoes with peeled whole garlic cloves till soft. Remove one potato per vegan guest and one clove cooked garlic per two vegan guests. Mash the potatoes and garlic together with olive oil and a little salt, yikes here comes the salt again. The rest of the potatoes go ahead and go crazy with any family recipe that you use.
When it comes to veggie side dishes for vegans just watch the butter and milk again. I always serve either sweet potatoes or squash at Thanksgiving and both dishes can be dairy-free as long as you use non-hydrogenated margarine or oil instead of butter.
Now the main course.
This is the trickiest one to pull off.
My favourite option is to serve Vegan Barley and Dried Mushroom Dinner. Its hearty, smells fabulous, goes with the rest of the supper and any vegan or vegetarian will be thrilled you went to the trouble to make it. It's made in a crock-pot so your stove will still be available for gravy and veggies on the day of the dinner or you can make it the day before on top of the stove and reheat it before serving. The protein is from nuts which in Canada's Food Guide is under the category Meat and Alternatives.
Vegan Barley and Dried Mushroom Dinner
Serves: 4
Adapted from a recipe I created for alive magazine in January 2009 this version is extremely low in sodium with only 92 grams per serving. If you are looking for a saltier kick use a commercial vegetable broth available in cans or tetra paks or try adding salted cashews instead of the walnuts.
1 cup (250 mL) pot barley, not pearl
1 L (4 cups) vegetable stock* see note below
½ oz. (14 g) sliced mixed dried mushrooms - you can buy them in a 14 g. package
1 ½ cups (375 mL) peeled, coarsely chopped sweet potato, approx 1 medium
2 leeks, sliced thinly to equal approx 3 cups (750 mL)* see note below
4 cloves garlic, minced
¼ tsp (1 mL) cracked pepper
1 cup (250 mL) chopped California walnuts or cashews
1. Rinse pot barley under cool running water. Drain well and place in slow cooker.
2. Add vegetable broth, dried mushrooms, sweet potato, leeks, garlic, and pepper. Stir slightly.
3. Cover with lid and cook on Low for 3 to 4 hours or High for 1 ½ to 2 ½ hours. My slow cooker takes about 2 hours to cook this amount.
4. (If cooking on top of the stove: Add all ingredients to a large heavy bottomed pot, heat over medium high heat till it comes to a boil, cover and reduce heat to simmer. Cook till barley is cooked and veggies are soft, approx. 50 minutes. Follow the next step, by removing the pot from the heat and continuing on.)
5. When barley is soft and most of the liquid has been absorbed turn off the slow cooker. Stir once and let sit for 15 minutes.
6. Divide equally between four plates and sprinkle each with ¼ cup (60 mL) walnuts or cashews per serving. Season to taste.
Makes approx. four - 1 ¼ cup (310 mL) portions
The nutrient breakdown uses Harvest Sun Organic Low sodium Vegetable Bouillon cubes.
Each 1 ¼ cup (310 mL) serving with ¼ cup (60 mL) cashews contains and no added salt:
425 Calories, 13.2 g Total fat, 2.2 g Sat Fat, 0 g Trans Fat, 93.2 mg Sodium, 71 g Carbs, 12 g Fibre, 15 g Protein
*I use Harvest Sun Organic Low Sodium Vegetable Bouillon cubes, they are vegan. I don't follow the directions on the package. I use 2 whole cubes to 4 cups (1 L) boiling water and stir till they are dissolved. I buy them at my local Metro grocery store in the soup aisle, but you can find this at a health food store. OR use a vegetable stock or broth in either a can or a tetra pak carton.
*Cleaning Leeks
Leeks are grown in sand, so you need to give them a really good bath. Best to cut off most of the bitter dark green part. I usually save about 3 inches (8 cm) of the light green part, so the leek is about 6-8 inches (15-20 cm) long once I've discarded the really dark green part. Now the issue about the sand. Make a lengthwise cut from the bottom to the top, but just half way through. Stick them in a sink of cold water and fan the leaves out and swish them in the water, finish with a rinse under the running water. Sounds like a lot, but it's very simple once you get the knack of it.
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