I’ve been a vegan for almost 4 months now, and since this beginning this new lifestyle I haven’t had any trouble with it. However, once Thanksgiving was close, I started thinking about how I could make this successful without feeling left out. I already had people asking me what I plan to eat for Thanksgiving and my instant thoughts were FOOD.
At the time, I didn't realize realizing that if I went to a family member's house there would be nothing I could eat because pretty much every typical Thanksgiving food has some ingredient that is not vegan, with the exception of cranberry sauce.
Things that went through my head as Thanksgiving approached: So wait... you can’t eat the turkey? No, I can’t eat turkey, or pretty much anything that you all are planning on cooking. Wait, even the mash potatoes aren’t vegan? Typically, American mashed potatoes are loaded with butter and milk, so no, those definitely not vegan. I then realized that I would need to prepare my own Thanksgiving dinner, and having a whole different meal at the table, the questions would begin. Why don’t you eat meat? What’s wrong with meat and cheese?
As a result, I decided to have Thanksgiving at my house this year, so I could be in control of the meal preparation and what went into it. And my first Vegan Thanksgiving was a SUCCESS! The deal was anything that I could eat would be prepared with Vegan butter and none of the veggies would contain meat.
Everything was a success, the only thing I had to make separate was my vegan cornbread. My Thanksgiving contained — Mash potatoes, sweet potatoes, green beans, cabbage, corn on the cob and cornbread. Everything was prepared with almond milk and vegan Butter. And no one could tell the difference! SCORED!
I know every Thanksgiving won't be this easy, but I am excited that my first one was a huge success. This will help me prepare my mind when next year comes around and I bring my plate to Thanksgiving dinner and not feel left out or worry about all the questions and responses.
I did get some jokes doing dinner, but it was ok because I didn’t take it offensive. At one point of the night, I made my plate and sat it down to assist my family. With food everywhere, I couldn’t find my plate. Lol! I know, who loses their plate. When I made the comment, I can’t find my plate. I immediately got a response that said. It’s the one with all the veggies on it.
