Most of my family is out of town this year. This gives me the opportunity to make a meal that I can enjoy without hearing folks gripe about the lack of having a ‘traditional’ meal. To be fair, it’s mostly traditional, but it will be a meal of side dishes.
I’m going to have sweet potatoes, stuffing, cranberry sauce, mashed potatoes, green beans, pumpkin pie… the works. Just no ham or turkey.
Sides have always been my favorite part of the meal anyway. I don’t think I’m the only one who feels that way. To be honest, I think MOST folks feel the sides make the day special. The sides are what turns it from a meal into a feast.
Dinner is not going to be vegan, just vegetarian. (Remember, this is FALLEN VEGAN talking here.) I’m going to have diary products. The green bean casserole requires milk (I may try using almond milk this year), there WILL be whipped cream on the pie, and I’m also using marshmallows on the sweet potatoes. Are there vegan marshmallows that don’t taste like an eraser on a pencil?
The trick to making everything feel like the ‘real deal’ is the gravy. Without gravy, mashed potatoes might as well be wallpaper paste. In the past, the gravy was supplied by my loving mother. Using turkey drippings, and a little bit of love, she made the gravy we all grew up with. This year, I’m in charge and I’m using Simply Organic Vegetarian Brown Gravy.
I’ve found some vegan mushroom gravy, but after a quick taste, I nopped all the way out of that idea. It wasn’t horrible, but it wouldn’t be my first, or second, or third choice. Ok, if I was stranded on an island, and I had a gravy boat filled with vegan mushroom gravy, or a hand full of sand… I’d be hard pressed deciding on which one I’d try first.
Unfortunately, I haven’t been able to find a good vegan/vegetarian turkey flavored gravy. I’d prefer having a vegetarian turkey flavored gravy, ’cause I’m trying to remember my childhood without regrets, but I just can’t find a good substitute. That’s why I’m going with a cheap, organic, vegetarian, brown gravy mix. To be brutally honest, I’m not offended by the fake meat flavor and let’s face it, it ain’t a holiday without gravy. Facts are facts.
Hit me up in the comments if you find a cheap turkey gravy that’s vegan/vegetarian friendly. I keep seeing Heinz turkey gravy when searching for vegan gravy, but I think I’m getting a false hit. Is Heinz turkey gravy really vegan? I don’t think so.
Finding Heinz in all of my vegetarian gravy search results just confirms my suspicions that some monster has been tweeking the Google search algorithms to make me crave meat. You Bastards!
Anyway, one last quick trip to the store to pick up onions and beer and I think I’ll be ready. With virtually no company, I can dress for the occasion. All I’ll have to do is find my sweatpants, the ones with the stretched out elastic band. I already have my extra loose t-shirts ready to go.
The plan is to dress like I’m playing strip poker. Why? The way I see it, the key to success is to wear lots of layers. I’m going to layer the t-shirts so when I spill food, I can peel off a layer like an onion, or a cheap stripper, and I can keep on eating without interruption. By the time dinner is over, I plan on having on at least ONE clean shirt, a full belly, and a cold craft beer at my side.
This year, I’m going to have the REAL DEAL, which means all the fixings and none of the guilt.
Happy Thanksgiving everyone!
Fallen Vegan 