How you can crush Thanksgiving as a vegetarian

Thanksgiving this year was a little bit different. This June, I made the decision to be a vegetarian. Well, I’m still eating fish, so officially I’m a ‘pescatarian’. (Basically since FoCo not having the best variety for tasty alternatives to protein)

It’s been almost six months since I’ve eaten meat, and the change has been really rewarding for me. I planned to completely commit to being vegetarian soon.

The only problem is the holidays.  How could I commit to this through Thanksgiving and the end of the year holidays?

Thankfully, my family and friends have eased my concerns with their support for my lifestyle. They’ll still tease me by sending promos from Chick-fil-A from time to time because they know I can’t resist their Oreo milkshakes and waffle fries, but it’s all in good fun.

To prepare for “Turkey Day” my mom called me to ask me what I could eat for the big meal. To my surprise, when I got home from school she had cooked everything I requested. Even more of a surprise was the fact that the entire meal was vegetarian for our whole family.

I took note of the highlights from our meal so you can crush next Thanksgiving as a vegetarian, or even just to give you some ideas on how to navigate DDS this winter term…

Starter salad

The salad included sunflower seeds with herbes de provence vinaigrette dressing.

Meatless meat

“Is this meat?” was the first question I had before and after eating this dish. The consistency reminded me of sausage, but it’s completely meatless. It’s meat made from grain with vegetables inside and a pineapple and mustard glaze on top.

Not your grandmother’s casserole

Broccoli and rice casserole, a staple for Thanksgiving in my family.

Another favorite was the string bean casserole topped with french fried onions.

Baked mac & cheese

The macaroni and cheese was still very creamy although it was baked. You can do this by using heavily whipped cream, a half-a-stick of butter and an egg.

Stuffing alternative

This roll was stuffed with with cranberries, kale and wild rice stuffing. I hadn’t tried this before but it was delicious!

Don’t skimp on the gravy

The holiday roast above wasn’t complete without our family’s special gravy drizzle that adds that extra flavor.

Don’t forget the cornbread

Cornbread and sweet rolls are an absolute necessity for any family meal.

…and the sauce too

Our signature cranberry sauce was still a staple of the meal.

Save room for dessert

For dessert, there was chocolate cake…

…and a blueberry pie (prematurely cut into before the big dinner)

I hope this Thanksgiving gave you an opportunity to reflect on all of the things that you’re thankful for. This Thanksgiving was special to me because of my family’s consideration for my new lifestyle choice, which made me feel very loved.

I never knew all the options out there for vegetarians, especially for big holiday meals, so I hope this is helpful for you if you’re thinking about going vegetarian as we move into the holiday season and start winter term at Dartmouth.