Last year my parents had their first plant-based (vegan) Thanksgiving dinner at my house (as omnivores) and loved it. They both went 100% plant-based this past January, but due to my work schedule, they couuldn't make it to my house again this year... leaving them on their own for Thanksgiving.
My parents were invited to my cousin's house (not plant-based) and brought along food they could eat and share with everyone else. At one point one of my cousins said to my mom, "Are you sure you have enough food?" and My mom said, "I used your line! I said, 'We're here for the celebration of the family not the food.' but we had more than enough!"
Here's what they made!
Dijon-Herb Green Beans from HHC. My mom noted not to use lemon juice in the bottle, only fresh --she had a blooper the first time around ;)
Traditional Stuffing from HHC, topped with Mushroom Gravy from EHH.
"Oh it was delicious! We put your gravy on top of it at the last minute -- such a good move!" My mom said.
Candied Sweet Potatoes -- my mom veganized her old recipe.
Mashed Potatoes - my mom veganized her old recipe.
Their place setting :)
and dessert -- you know what my mom's favorite is! Pumpkin Pie!
"You know that whole pie went! Even the kids liked it! I have this little sad sliver of a piece left that's it. I barely got that. None of the other desserts went like that pie." My mom said (very disappointed she had no leftovers).
"John [Editorial note: my cousin-in-law who hosted] also smoked acorn squash for us, which we thought was very thoughtful of him." My mom said, "and Aunt Connie's cranberry sauce was plant-based."
Finally, a little humor:
For the last few weeks, my Dad has been joking that he's going to have "one bite" of turkey "like Bill Clinton does." He wasn't serious (he's very committed to eating plant-based) but I did wonder how the day would go for him. Although my parents have been to social gatherings where meat was present, they've yet to attend a family dinner on a holiday, so I wondered what it would be like for them.
On the way home in the car, my Dad said to my Mom, "That turkey really grossed me out." My Mom's reply, "Man you really ARE plant-based!" LOL. They both said that they were surprised how unappetizing the turkey looked (and my Dad used to LIVE for turkey). My, my how things change :)
