Thanksgiving tradition is about celebrating life, and a growing number of people in the nation’s capital, and across the country, are doing so by taking part in a compassionate holiday tradition with a vegetarian feast that everyone can be thankful—even the turkeys.

Each year in the U.S., more than 250 million turkeys are raised and killed for food, more than 65 million of whom are killed during the winter holiday season alone. To many people’s surprise, turkeys are social and inquisitive birds with individual personalities. Yet on today’s factory farms, from the moment they’re hatched, turkeys are forced to endure conditions so cruel, it would lead to criminal prosecution if those same abuses were inflicted upon the cats and dogs with whom we share our homes.

Thankfully, putting compassion at the center of our Thanksgiving feast has never been easier. Whether this is your first meat-free Thanksgiving feast or your tenth, here are some tips to help make your vegetarian feast a delicious success:

Feast on This: Vegetarian Roasts & Recipes

Leaving turkey off our plates doesn’t mean we’re missing out on the traditional holiday flavors. Rather, it simply means choosing the cruelty-free versions of our favorite tastes—and for holiday roast in particular, it means carving into a Tofurky or Celebration Roast, which are available at most health food stores nationwide. Or if you’re at Whole Foods, you can stop by the deli counter to ask if they’re selling Gardein’s Veggie Stuffed Turkey Roast.

Then you’ll need all the fixings, like stuffing, gravy, and of course, pumpkin pie. To get started, check out Compassion Over Killing’s special holiday feature, “Harvesting Compassion for Thanksgiving” with lots of recipes or other meal ideas.

Getting the Goods: Grocery Stores

While grocery stores everywhere are stocking up on a variety of vegan food, there are several places in the D.C.-area that truly cater to the growing demand for healthier and humane options. For all your vegan Thanksgiving cooking needs, check out:

• Glut Co-Op (located in Mt. Rainier, Md; closed on Thanksgiving Day)
• Mom’s Organic Market (five area locations, closed on Thanksgiving Day)
• Roots Market (two Maryland locations, closed on Thanksgiving Day)
• Takoma Park-Silver Spring Co-Op (two Maryland locations, open until 2pm on Thanksgiving Day)
• Trader Joe’s (more than a dozen area locations, closed on Thanksgiving Day)
• Whole Foods Market (dozens of area locations, hours vary and some are open on Thanksgiving Day so call ahead)
• Yes! Organic Market (five locations in DC, hours vary on Thanksgiving Day so call ahead)

Thanksgiving Specials & Events

If you’d rather go out or pick up a pre-made vegan Thanksgiving feast, there are plenty of options in the DC-area:

Now through Nov. 26: Sticky Fingers Bakery Holiday Feast to Go
D.C.’s only all-vegan bakery may be known for its mouthwatering desserts, but the award-winning Sticky Fingers Bakery serves so much more than sweets. This year, you can order an entire Thanksgiving meal including a Match Meats holiday loaf, red and gold mashed potatoes, garlic sesame kale, cranberry-jalapeno relish, and zesty corn bread. Place your order now, and pick up on Thanksgiving Day (open Nov. 26 from 8am to 1pm). But what about the sweets, you ask? They’ve got that covered, too: pumpkin cheesecake, cranberry-ginger-orange bread, pecan pie, and pumpkin spice muffins.

Nov 24-25: Great Sage’s Four Course Vegan Thanksgiving Dinner
Great Sage is an award-winning all-vegetarian restaurant in Clarksville, MD offering a pre-Thanksgiving feast. The holiday menu features a delicious four-course dinner, including a rosemary-filled Field Roast with roasted butternut squash, on Nov. 24-25 for only $30. (Closed on Thanksgiving Day)

Nov 25: The Brookland Café Thanksgiving Feast
Known for its weekly Vegan Delite Nights, The Brookland Café in N.E., D.C. will be serving a special vegan Thanksgiving Dinner for $50 per couple. Reservations required. (Closed on Thanksgiving Day)

Nov. 26: The Vegetable Garden Holiday Feast
A local favorite, The Vegetable Garden is an all-vegan restaurant that stays open 365 days a year—including Thanksgiving Day! This year’s special feast includes a holiday loaf by Match Meats, yams, cranberry sauce, squash soup, pumpkin pie and more for only $34.99—and it’s enough food for two. Call ahead to reserve.

Nov. 26: VSDC’s Life-Affirming Thanksgiving Celebration
On Thanksgiving Day, join the Vegetarian Society of DC and hundreds of guests for a savory vegan dinner at the Hyatt Regency in Bethesda. You’ll also get a chance to hear from special guest Colman McCarthy, a journalist, teacher/lecturer, ethical vegetarian and nationally former syndicated columnist with the Washington Post. Reservations are required.