Stuffing, turkey, ham, cranberries, mash potatoes, pumpkin pie, green beans and gravy fill the typical American Thanksgiving dinner table. But what does a vegan’s dinner table look like on the day of thanks? Turns out, it’s not much different.
A vegan diet is an animal product-free and plant-based lifestyle. A lot of people choose to become vegan to take care of their health or because of ethical considerations. Some say they are vegan because of their disgust with the industrialization of cruelty to animals. “It was heartbreaking when I discovered what veal cows were, and how those cows were separated from their mothers who lived in confinement and were killed when they no longer produced these calves,” Daniel Austin said. He is the author of “The Way of the Vegan Meathead: Eating for Strength.”
“I decided I have to go vegan to not support that.”
A vegan’s Thanksgiving meal centers around a main dish, usually a vegan roast, like Tofurky, or a seitan roast. Both have a meaty texture and are made out of the same ingredients: vital wheat gluten, tofu and stuffing.
Austin said that, as side dishes, vegans have “mushroom oriented gravy, a lot of roasted vegetables — like green beans and sweet potatoes — regular white mashed potatoes, salad, vegan dressings and cranberry sauce.” One dish he is proud of making is “vegan macaroni and cheese.” Austin uses an old-school recipe consisting of elbow pasta noodles and nutritional yeast, tofu-based smoky cheese sauce. He blends and pours the sauce over the boiled noodles and then bakes it. “People love it, even non-vegan members of my family.” Austin admits their family ends up making a lot of food, much like any typical holiday meal.
Vegan bakeries offer a lot of seasonal food during the holidays, too, making it easy to provide options for guests with dietary restrictions.
“We make many products for Thanksgiving,” Taylor Nicholson, co-founder of the Unrefined Bakery, said. “Vegan pumpkin pie. Vegan dressings — like stuffing, savory and delicious without any animal products. Vegan dinner rolls — crusty and yeasty, wonderful with non dairy butter or jam. Vegan pumpkin bread. Vegan pumpkin walnut muffins. Vegan cookies and cupcakes. Vegan dark chocolate silk pie. Vegan mashed and sweet potatoes.”
Being vegan has many benefits. “This is my 20th year as a vegan,” Austin said. “I’m the strongest I’ve ever been. Vegans on average have a healthier body index because they ingest more fiber.”
“Prior to being vegan, I had upper respiratory infections, sinus infections and things like that. I didn’t realize it was a dairy allergy,” said Austin.
Thanksgiving is about gathering with family and expressing gratitude. The bottom line is, it doesn’t matter what type of food is on the Thanksgiving dinner table. Both meals end with the same result — naps for everyone!
