This Thanksgiving marked a lot of firsts for me:
1) It was the first Thanksgiving that I didn’t spend in Phoenix with my family.
2) It was Leo’s first Thanksgiving ever.
3) It was my first Thanksgiving as a vegan.
Fortunately, I have my fabulous extended family here in Seattle: my dear friend Trish, her fiance Jesse and her sister Julie, who was in town for the holiday. Trisha’s vegan, too — in fact, she’s the one who got me started on the whole thing. (My boss when I told him this: “Oh, good. I feel better now that I have someone to blame.”) Jesse and Julie aren’t vegan, but they love us enough that they agreed to a vegan Thanksgiving after we promised them that it would rock. Honestly, Trish and I weren’t very sure how it all would turn out, but we figured that Thanksgiving is about togetherness and alcohol anyway, and if the food sucked we’d all still have a good time.
I went shopping on Tuesday for the vegan specialty items. Among them: seitan (pronounced “SAY-tan,” it’s pure wheat gluten), TVP (textured vegetable protein, which looks like rice and, when mixed with water, smells like oatmeal), soy “egg” nog (soy nog is waaaay better than regular egg nog, it turns out), soy whipped “cream” and vegan marshmallows (we’re not sure why regular marshmallows aren’t vegan, but I guess they’re not).
Our main dish was squash with a stuffing made from the seitan, TVP and a bunch of vegetables. When we first saw the seitan, we were nervous, to say the least. This is what is looks like, before and after being diced:
Gross, right? Except it’s not. We totally got grossed out at first, but it has the texture of tofu and smells like fresh wheat bread. I’m serious! It’s not gross at all once you actually start working with it. And this is the TVP after it’s mixed with water. Again, it smells like oatmeal and is just pure protein:
So here’s some more photos of our main dish coming to life:
And when it was done? It was delicious. Seriously, you never would have known it was vegan. It was super-tasty and the seitan and TVP actually do successfully give it a meaty texture.
We made a bunch of side dishes, too, including a green bean casserole with a breaded topping, candied yams with pecans, cauliflower “au gratin” (we thought that one was gonna suck as we were making it; Trisha was like “This is our miss, I’m calling it right now,” but guess what? It was good!) and mashed potatoes. All 100% vegan and all 100% awesome. Seriously!!! We were SO PROUD of ourselves. Here’s some pics of our side dishes being created:
Honestly? The two things we liked the least were the two things that we bought from a vegan bakery: the rolls and the pumpkin pie (although our home-made whipped cream was tasty!). It turns out we’re better vegan chefs than the pros!
To confirm our vegan success, we sat Trisha down to do an interview with her meat-eating fiance, Jesse, who’s going to be dealing with her vegan cooking for the rest of his life, to see what he thought of our vegan Thanksgiving. Here’s what he had to say:
Perhaps the best part of the night was watching our doggies, my teeny tiny chihuahua, Leo, and their huge Harlequin Great Dane, Bruter. Fortunately, Bruter is an absolute sweetheart and plays very nicely with Leo, even when Leo mounts Bruter from behind. I think Leo is so small that Bruter just thinks he’s being petted. Photographic evidence of Leo’s misdeeds here:
Oh, and Bruter also has little shoes to help him get better traction on the wood floors, and it’s absolutely the cutest thing to watch him walk around in them. He takes very meticulous, exaggerated steps, like he’s wading through shallow water. I should have gotten video of it but forgot.
After we finished dinner, we played WAY too many rounds of Scene It on XBOX (I won all the rounds, ‘natch) and then watched Get Smart, which didn’t suck anywhere near as much as I expected it to. By that point, everyone, including the dogs, was exhausted, so we called it a night.
I have to say, for my first vegan Thanksgiving and my first Thanksgiving away from home, it was a stunning success! It was one of the best and most memorable Thanksgivings ever, and I feel so lucky to have found such a wonderful home away from home here in Seattle. Thank you to Trisha and Julie and Jesse for a spectacular holiday, and one for which I am truly thankful.
More pics of our Thanksgiving fun (and of the doggies!!) after the jump! Also, Trisha would like me to mention that she was not so remiss in her hostessing duties as to put red wine in white wine glasses — the dark liquid you see in the white wine glasses is Diet Coke, which I insisted I be allowed to drink from a white wine glass, because I’m classy like that, yo.
Update: Links to the recipes are also after the jump now.
RECIPES
Seitan-stuffed squash
Cauliflower “au gratin”
Green bean casserole
Yam recipe coming soon …
marshmellows have gelatin, which is the collagen in animals bones/skin, and most commonly comes from pigs.
delicious.
not.
p.s. i am in love with your blog, read it everyday, and am vegan, too.
hey beet could you post those recipes at some point? they all looked very tasty!!
You should lose weight just from all the work you put in cooking that stuff! :-) Glad to see you had a Happy Thanksgiving amongst friends.
how can you not miss meat ???
PS you all look good :)
I was a vegan for 12 years (can’t eat dairy so giving up meat kind of forced me that way hehe) until I got so anaemic when pregnant that I was forced to start eating it again.
Sounds like you guys had a great time, any chance you could post your recipes for the side dishes so I can try some of them out and maybe use them at Christmas (I’m in the uk).
Beet, you are looking good lady!! AND Leo’s sweater is SOO adorable.
Happy thanksgiving!
I miss celeb posts.
For real.
totally ot, but your friends brown sweater is really cute. do you know where she got it? :D
My Uncle who lives in EE.UU told me that the food is good in thanksgiving..
Unfortunately, In my country (Peru South America) is not tradicional. But i want to try!!. :P
I follow your blog…… Is good!. Try to follow me blog, is in spanish,..
Sorry for my english :P.
besos!!!.
vegan? really? why?
Sounds like you had a great time! Most of my family are vegan, and you can definitely eat plenty of delicious, nutritious food that doesn’t have animal products in it. Once you know where to get your nutrients from, it’s just a question of creativity.
As someone else said, marshmallows contain gelatin, as do many other chewy sweets. It’s always worth checking the ingredients.
The Vegan Society in Britain publish a book called The Animal Free Shopper, which lists thousands of common brands, telling you if they are vegan or not. I don’t know if you can get it in the US, or if there is a US edition.
http://www.vegansociety.com/shop/product_info.php?products_id=238
They also do a great wall chart showing vegan foods that supply all the necessary nutrient groups and amino acids for a healthy diet.
http://www.vegansociety.com/shop/product_info.php?cPath=22&products_id=69
They also sell other stuff, like vegan chapstick and vegan condoms! And loads of other good books.
UK Vegan Society shop: http://www.vegansociety.com/shop/
Sorry if all this turns out to be irrelevant for an American, but they’ve always been a helpful resource for my family.
nice pics!
& seitan looks delicious!!
Skinny Bitch will get you all revved up for vegan eating. I’m not going all vegan after reading it but it does have some useful things you can glean from it for a healthier lifestyle. And it makes you sad for the little animals :(
Forget about the horrible excuse for food, them is some nice boobies!
(poor grammar intentional)
yup, you definitely need to shut up about being fat and ugly and unwanted, sasha. you’re gorgeous. well, i already knew that, but i just thought i’d let you know.
I am a dedicated carnivore with a Vegan daughter. I made a Vegan lasagna and an organic salad for her Thanksgiving. The rest was a bunch of meat and butter and stuff. I am secretly proud of her, and not just for excelling in Law School.
BTW, Leo is a champion humper!
#1 You looked very pretty
#2 Leo is the MAN!
#3 I will never give up meat. I’d rather stab my eyes out, but good for you for having the willpower to do it!
i agree with mochajellybean.
I’m eating leftover turkey while reading this. I could never go vegan, but am happy for you and also happy you don’t try to force it upon others. Just like I would never force my turkey on you…:)
It was my first vegan Thanksgiving, too! I had mashed potatoes, stuffing, Tofurkey (sounds disgusting but my vegan cousin, vegetarian sister in law, and I all agreed it was fantsatic) sweet potatoes, blueberry peach crisp, VEGAN pumpkin cheesecake (ohmygod, yum), and a lot of veggies.
I’m glad you enjoyed yours too!
If you didn’t know marshmallows weren’t vegan than you might want to also be aware you can’t eat jello pudding and gummy things, including a lot of candy. Gelatin.
ah what a good fiance!
that looks like fun.
leo looks adorable as always
if thats you in the gray top. you and leo match! hehe
looks yummy!
btw, they do have vegan marshmallows!
and two, too much of anything CAN be bad for you, i.e. soy products.
do some research and you’ll find out that too much non fermented soy can be harmful to your health.
I think it is commendable going veggie or vegan for both env and health reasons — as long as there is an eye to getting the proper nutrition etc. You can do some serious damage to your health if you are not careful. I do wonder how the vegans out there view leather goods and shoes and whether they have also given that up? I am also missing more of the celeb stories.
I’ve actually made vegan marshmallows. Not sure why…but I did.
Beet, I love your blog, but isn’t a post like this better reserved for your personal blog?
Just sayin’… I miss the old Beet! More celebs!!
I can’t believe you turned Trisha all the way to vegan too!
…and Jesse’s a traitor. I’m going to have to have a word with that boy. That he let you get video evidence is just too far.
Happy Turkey Day my Seattlite friends.
Trisha is one lucky lady…her fiancee is a hottie! You look fab as well. Happy belated thanksgiving from Canada!
Your main course looked really tasty, kind of like a hash dish.
Good for you sticking with the exercising, no-smoking and healthy eating!
Kortney – you know the food looked good so quit hating! Don’t you have a bathroom to remodel or something? :o)
Happy Tofurkey day to you and Abs too. Wish you were here (or we were there)!
No? No one’s gonna say it? Well okay, I will, inappropriate as it may be. Meee-owwww, Jesse.
Beet, didn’t you read in the Skinny Bitch about how aspertame and other no calorie sweeteners are bad for you? look it up! alcohol is bad too, but ain’t no way I could give that up either.
sounds like you had a good time :)
I am diabetic so food has lost its interest a little while ago, but I was a vegetarian for a few years and I wish I had stick to it (dang BF, now hubby!! LOL)
ok, the purpose of my post, I W-A-N-T that Great dane!! NOW!! :)
He is GORGEOUS!!!
ask him if he wants to move out in the country, have a 15 acres backyard plus a new family of 2 labs, 2 bassets and a blue heeler??
plus, he would be able to wear his boots if he wanted, but the other dogs might make fun of him…LOL
the food looks good. (seitan still scary though. i won’t lie now. meat is sooo familiar) the place totally cozy. love leo’s matching outfit. like the great dane’s idea of a couch as he looks out the window. creative dog! you look really good and happy. even glowing. someone must be a painter. i love the artwork. im assuming that middle one is a bison. very cool. if it’s not, i am sooo sorry. it still looks cool. brownie points for jesse for participating.
seitan is the bomb.
But that stuff was all full of carbs…don’t they bother you? For me, the carbs are more detrimental then the meat. I’m not much of a meat eater, either, but weight drops off when the carbs are reduced. How does it work with vegan and carbs?
wow, congratulations for your determination!
PS: is Leo serious?
Looking great Beet! You’ve lost weight already, I can definitely tell. I’m a vegan as well, began about a year ago just because I never liked the idea of using animals for food when its completely unnecessary. Since then, I’ve lost about 15 pounds without even trying. I was 120 before, now I’m 105 (i’m 5’3) – losing weight was not the goal, and now I struggle to keep weight on. I eat ALOT. I’d recommend veganism to anyone who needs to lose weight. Seriously, it’ll happen quickly and you can eat whatever you want and as much as you want – so long as its vegan.
We roasted a vegan for Thanksgiving!
That looks wheat gluten shit looks so disgusting. I’d rather fast than have to eat that on Thanksgiving. Thank God I didn’t have to eat it. But I guess if you drink enough anything looks good.
I am so glad you had a VEGAN and HAPPY Thanksgiving. We had a vegan thanksgiving too with mashed potatoes, gravy and stuffing all made vegan and organic and they rocked! (Vegan cooking gets more creative and tasty the more you learn about it, trust me.)
Keep it freaky, keep it vegan!
Love to you.
ps. Vegan pregnancy is totally possible. I already have a vegan 3-year old kid and I’m pregnant with my second! :) tata!
Happy thxgiving, btw, marshmallows don’t only cointain gellatin but also egg whites (they’re actually their main ingredient) congrats on your vegan celebration!
I am trying to get my boyfriend to cut down on the meat-eating. He usually wants pasta, too. I don’t get it. He bitches about everything I eat, and everything I make him, and the only thing that can make him happy is fettucini steak ravioli potato pancake. But for some reason today he snapped and bought Morningstar chicken nuggets and Boca burgers. I could NOT believe it. Yaaay!
Justwondering – some people are dietary vegans only, but many vegans avoid *all* animal products, including leather, silk and (in some cases) wool. Some vegans think wool is OK because the sheep doesn’t have to die to give it. But there are also other dietary things you might not think of, like avoiding honey or vinegar.
YAY for a positive post about a vegan thanksgiving! I appreciate you taking the time away from your blog to post something personal (unlike some of your readers) I think it makes for a better blog.
And how appropriate that you chose a compassionate vegan post for it. I think it’s great that you tried new things. Thanksgiving is supposed to be people being thankful for what they have. So go on girl!
I support you 100%!!
Oooh, I have that same J Crew dress that you’re wearing in black!!
@yeah: carbs are not the devil, contrary to what magazines say. they are necessary for energy and brain function and if you just exercise a bit they will burn off very quickly. and because vegans do not eat dairy which is nothing but fat and calcium (which you can get from dark leafy greens) the weight does tend to come off faster than if you eat dairy and cut out carbs. i am a vegetarian (and also a pastry chef) who loves carbs, but when i want to drop a few pounds i just cut out all dairy and i can lose 5 pounds in about 10 days. its like magic! but then someone busts out the triple cream brie and the 5 pounds comes right back! grrrrr…..
I am IMPRESSED at how easy and fast you have seemed to take to veganism. I know that I wouldn’t be able to do it, I would miss seafood too much I am already lactose intolerant though so the dairy part would be easy.
Everything looks awesome!
Glad I ate meat….
if you think soy egg nog tastes better than the real thing, then you are either smoking crack, or mixing the crack in with the egg nog.
You might want to be careful with eating so much unfermented soy – it is very estrogenic, and for certain women can cause serious hormonal issues/imbalances. For example, many breast cancers are fed by estrogen, and women who are diagnosed with these kind of cancers are advised to avoid soy products (especially unfermented ones).
Do some reading yo! Soy is safe when it’s not GMO. ;)