When you have a vegan or vegetarian at the Thanksgiving table

November 20, 10:17 AMSF Fiftysomething Lifestyle ExaminerAmy Wachspress

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Butternut squash

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Cooking for a vegan or vegetarian does not have to be a challenge. First of all, what’s the difference between the two? People with a wide range of dietary choices call themselves vegetarian. Some vegetarians simply don’t eat meat. Some don’t eat meat or fish. Most will eat eggs and dairy products. If they don’t eat meat, fish, eggs or dairy products, then they are a vegan. Vegans eat no animal or fish products whatsoever. A surefire way to stop worrying about what the vegans/vegetarians will eat is to have them bring a dish to contribute to the meal. Then you know that they will have something they like on the table. And chances are that they will bring something delicious and different that others will enjoy.

There are a few traditional Thanksgiving foods that vegans will eat, such as cranberry sauce, green beans, and sweet potatoes, when cooked without the use of butter or animal products. Use a plant-based margarine instead. You can round out a meal for a vegan by baking a fat potato, which is very filling. Top it with plant-based margarine, tofu sour cream (look for this in the refrigerator case in the natural foods section of the grocery store or at a natural foods specialty store), and chives. To make a tasty green bean dish for everyone, that your vegan friend will eat, gently stir-fry the following in olive oil (for about 10 minutes just before the meal is served): green beans, red peppers, onions, walnuts, tarragon, black pepper.

Your vegetarian guest will be easier to cook for than the vegan if you can use dairy products and eggs. Just about everything on the Thanksgiving table will work for this guest, who won’t eat turkey, gravy, or dressing made with meat in it. Here is a vegetarian “dressing” recipe (note that it can be revised for vegans) you can make for your vegetarian guest. Cut a half a loaf of bread up into crouton-sized pieces. Cut up and fry ½ a red pepper and ½ a green pepper, ½ an onion, 1 clove of garlic (crushed), 3 stalks of celery, and 1 Portobello mushroom in olive oil until soft. Combine the fried veggies with the bread croutons. Add 2 beaten eggs, ¼ cup olive oil, 2 tsp sage, 1 tsp dill, 1 tsp thyme, ½ tsp pepper, and ½ tsp salt. Blend all the ingredients well and bake at 350 for ½ hour in a baking dish. This recipe can be altered to accommodate a vegan by adding ¼ cup of water instead of the eggs and using a bread that has no eggs or dairy products in it.

As for dessert, include an apple pie with a crust that was made with non-dairy shortening or margarine. And remember that there is always room at the table for interesting side dishes, which leaves you the option of trying anything that looks good in a vegetarian or vegan cookbook. Don’t be afraid to experiment and be creative.