What the hell does a vegan eat on the most non-vegan holiday of the year?
THIS IS WHAT:
That's right. My first ever vegan thanksgiving. Cooked by me, eaten and enjoyed by all. So here's the menu:-Pumpkin Pecan Crescent Rolls
-Sun-Dried Tomato Almond and Cashew "Cheese"
-Stuffed Zucchini
-Spinach Mashed Potatoes
-Vegan Sausage Stuffing
-Mushroom and Nutritional Yeast Gravy
-Green Bean Casserole
Um YUM.
I have a few close-ups and recipe insights, but I didn't manage to snap a photo of the cheese or the pumpkin pie which was a shame because they were both delicious.
The stuffed zucchini was easy and so good. I'm definitely going to make this more often. Basically you just hollow out the zucchini, brush it down with olive oil and fill it with a food processed combination of the following: fire roasted tomatoes, sun-dried tomatoes, bread crumbs, nutritional yeast, spices, and other veggies you have around pretty much. Then I topped it with some tofutti cream cheese and more breadcrumbs. You want to make sure and put some breadcrumbs in the actual mixture though because they help to absorb excess moisture.
Spinach Mashed Potatoes. This are soo good and easy. All you have to do is use your favorite vegan mashed potato recipe and add a bag of frozen (thawed) spinach. It adds a ton of flavor and vitamins. There is really no way to lose with this recipe.
The stuffing was basically just a vegan box mix with added carrots, onions and celery and then mixed with sausage and mushroom broth.
The stuffed zucchini was easy and so good. I'm definitely going to make this more often. Basically you just hollow out the zucchini, brush it down with olive oil and fill it with a food processed combination of the following: fire roasted tomatoes, sun-dried tomatoes, bread crumbs, nutritional yeast, spices, and other veggies you have around pretty much. Then I topped it with some tofutti cream cheese and more breadcrumbs. You want to make sure and put some breadcrumbs in the actual mixture though because they help to absorb excess moisture.
Spinach Mashed Potatoes. This are soo good and easy. All you have to do is use your favorite vegan mashed potato recipe and add a bag of frozen (thawed) spinach. It adds a ton of flavor and vitamins. There is really no way to lose with this recipe. 
The stuffing was basically just a vegan box mix with added carrots, onions and celery and then mixed with sausage and mushroom broth. The pumpkin crescent rolls were Pillsbury crescent rolls spread with canned pumpkin, a little brown sugar and crushed pecans. Very Thanksgiving-y.
Green Bean Casserole was pretty much the traditional, but with vegan creamer and subbed ingredients. I had never had Green Bean Casserole before (my mother deprived me) and I was pleasantly surprised.
This would not have happened without my wonderful mom who financed my thanksgiving endeavors and believed in my ability to cook a full thanksgiving meal for 5 people without animal products. Her boyfriend, a staunch meat eater, expressed his surprise at how good the food was ("wait...so this is VEGAN?!") at least four times. Best part: I've been eating left overs for a week straight.
Cruelty-free holidays? Heck yeah, those are the only kind of holidays! Now THATS something to be thankful for!
