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!"
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.
Their place setting :)
and dessert -- you know what my mom's favorite is! Pumpkin Pie!
"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 :)