A Vegetarian Thanksgiving

[Guest guest]

A Vegetarian Thanksgiving

By Kate

Special to the Town Times

Thanksgiving

is all about the turkey. Turkey stuffing, turkey gravy and turkey meat,

both white and dark, grace most of the tables on this holiday. Turkeys

are on every greeting card, holiday cartoon and even commercials. And

what would the Thanksgiving Day parade be without a turkey balloon? So

what is a vegetarian to do among all this celebration?

Having

been a vegetarian for 15 years, I can tell you the holidays can be

slightly awkward, especially when you, like me, are the only vegetarian

at the table. I have at least reached the point where my family is used

to me. But for someone who is new to this, your level of difficulty

will depend on how strict of a diet you have. Some people restrict only

their intake of red meat. This shouldn't affect you at too much this

holiday season, and you should be able to enjoy anything on the table.

The next level down is ovo-lacto vegetarians. Here, there is no meat,

poultry or fish, but you can eat dairy products and eggs. Strictest of

all are the vegans, who try to avoid any animal products at all. No

matter how restrictive you are, there should be something at the table

you can munch on. Although if you are really particular, it may be

prudent to offer to bring along a veggie dish for everyone to share!

After

all that, it seems like you would be hard-pressed to figure out what to

serve the veggie lover at your table, but rest assured, there are many

options out there! Even at your most basic table setting, a vegetarian

can usually fill up a plate. Mashed potatoes without gravy, rolls,

cranberry sauce and whatever veggie side dishes are offered will fill

them up, even if they aren't the most exciting dinner choices. But

getting a little creative with your green beans is not only going to

make your family happy, it will give you a few more healthy options

among some of the high fat choices that usually show their faces at

holiday get-togethers. Where do you start? Think about the veggies that

are offered every fall; corn, squash and pumpkins are all perfect

choices to add flavor to a holiday meal.

A great place to start

is with winter squash. Acorn and butternut squash are sweet and easy

additions to a table and can be cooked in many different ways. Even

cubed and served with cinnamon and butter sprinkled over the top,

squash can be a warm and hearty side dish.

With a blender or food

processor, you can add a soup as an opener. Carrots make a great soup

as well as squash, and both are sweet and filling. Corn chowders are

always popular and the sweet soups can be a great contrast for the

saltier menu items on the table. Even cranberries can be turned into a

soup.

For main courses, you may have to get a little creative if

you are not used to cooking without meat. Search through your recipe

books at home and see what you can find. Many international recipes

offer vegetarian options. Indian and African foods are delicious, spicy

and exotic ways to celebrate. Adding whole grains to veggies will not

only make a tasty addition to your table, you will be protecting your

family's heart health as well! Bulgur wheat and couscous may sound

foreign, but they are well-worth looking into. You may find something

to eat all year!

Are you the type who doesn't like to experiment

as much? Even tossing some pasta on the table with marinara sauce will

provide a healthy, hearty and inexpensive vegetarian main course. Try

tossing some legumes into your salad, or adding some potatoes in with

your broccoli and cheese sauce. Stir fry some vegetables and toss in

tofu instead of chicken. Make up lasagna without the meat and add in

some carrots and peppers and you'll have veggie lasagna that everyone

at the table will appreciate. There are all sorts of options out there

for even the most conservative eaters.

But for the most daring,

you may want to check out some of the soy replacement foods on the

market. You can now purchase everything from vegetarian bacon to

hotdogs. And you know I wouldn't have brought it up if you couldn't

find yourself some soy turkey! Visit www.tofurky.com and purchase

yourself a tofurky turkey. A tofurky roast feeds about six and you can

even get it with its own "giblet" gravy. As do many other soy food

providers, tofurky makes turkey replacement slices (so you can simulate

leftover sandwiches!) and even tofurky jerky.

As you can see, the

variations are endless. I hope that this season you might want to try

adding some extra vegetables to your feast, even if you don't have a

picky eater with you. Your new healthy side dish may turn into a family

favorite for the years to come!

Recipes:

Curried Carrot Soup

1 Tbs. extra virgin olive oil

2 Tbs. butter

1 medium onion chopped

1 ½ lbs. packaged baby carrots

6 C. (vegetarian) vegetable stock

1 Tbs. mild curry paste or 1 ½ Tbs. dried curry powder

¼ to ½ tsp. ground cayenne pepper

coarse salt to taste

1 C. sour cream

6 blades fresh chives

Preheat

medium pot over medium high heat. Add olive oil, butter, onions and

carrots and sautee five minutes. Add four cups stock, curry, cayenne

and about 1 tsp salt to pot. Bring to a boil, cover and cook until

carrots are tender. Place mixture into food processor a little at a

time and puree. Return soup to low heat and slowly add remaining stock

until soup reaches desired consistency. Adjust the seasonings to taste.

Add a dollop of sour cream to each serving and garnish with chopped

chives.

Lentil Stew:

2 Tbs. vegetable oil

1 C. chopped onion

1 clove garlic finely chopped

2 C. chopped potatoes or 1 cup uncooked orzo

1 C. dried lentils

¼ C. chopped fresh parsley

3 C. water

½ tsp. salt

½ tsp. ground cumin

¼ tsp. pepper

¼ tsp. ground mace

8 oz. small mushrooms cut into halves

1 can (28 oz.) diced tomatoes, undrained

Heat

oil in Dutch oven over medium high heat. Sautee onion and garlic until

onion is tender. Stir in remaining ingredients and heat to boiling.

Cover and reduce heat to simmer, stirring occasionally. Cook for about

40 minutes or until lentils and potatoes (or orzo) are tender.