Thanksgiving turkey replacement

[Mom+Me]

Well, if you're at all like me, you're thinking, "How in the world can Thanksgiving be only 3 weeks away?!".

We've done all sorts of different vegetarian things over the years: McDougall approved veggie shepherds pie, Tofurky loaf, etc.. Last year I made a "meatloaf" with Soy Curls and no added oils.

I know there are all kinds of recipes for different loaves...from vegetarian to vegan to high fat, etc.. My question is, what are you planning on doing/making?

Thankfully for us, the vegetarians who will be here will eat McDougall style, like last year, so we want to keep it that way. Unfortunately, one year we learned the hard way. If meat-eaters are going to be present, provide meat! Our go-down-in-history-never-hear-the-end-of-it-dinner happened to be a Christmas dinner. At least the sides are pretty easy to McDougalize and everyone still relatively enjoys them.

So, do you have any turkey replacement ideas/recipes? Any that are McDougall approved that you make? Thanks, in advance...and let me be the first(?) to wish you and yours a very Happy, safe, enjoyable Thanksgiving!

[Idgie]

I always make mashed potatoes and punk rock chickpea gravy. Some years, stuffed squash. Some years, some kind of bean/grain loaf to eat with the gravy. Back when I did seitan, I would make a seitan "turkey" loaf.

[Lyndzie]

I have never replaced the turkey. There are so many side dishes, I hardly have room for everything as it is! Mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, rolls, Brussels sprouts, cranberry sauce, yum yum yum.

I’d love to hear side dish ideas, too, to take to Thanksgiving. I’ve taken Kite Hill chive spread and Engine 2 crackers, and no one knew it wasn’t cheese. What are your favorites?

[GeoffreyLevens]

Yes, flip the bird! (couldn't resist). Get very large squash, Hubbard, pumpkin, big kabocha,whatever your favorite. Cut top off and pull the seeds. Then go crazy with stuffing! Wild rice, mushrooms, onions, I like traditional turkey stuffing spices, but your creativity rules. Then put that top circle back on and bake until squash is nice and soft. Gravy is great to go along with

[Vegankit]

Years ago when we were vegetarian, I used to make an elaborate layered torte that was wrapped up in filo dough which made a fabulous centerpiece of the meal. It truly was a stunning dish and when that came to the table no one cared about the fact that there was no turkey. Sadly it's not McDougall compliant and it was a ton of work so I no longer bother. You can do something similar. As mentioned above, stuffing a squash makes a very memorable dish.

I have a mixed table.Omnivores will get Costco rotisserie chicken. The vegan always requests tofurkey. The vegetarian makes a dessert with dairy for her and the omnivores. The McDougall compliant food will be the whole feast for DH and works for everyone else as their sides.

[Mom+Me]

Thanks, everyone for your replies!

Idgie--punk rock chickpea gravy? Sounds groovy--Ha! Ha! No, really though; it sounds intetesting and delicious! Do you mind sharing how you make it?

Lyndzie--I know what you mean about the sides! There are so many that can be made that one finally has to say, "That's enough." and put a cap on the amount/variety. Ahh...what a "problem" to have, ehh? ... Kite Hill chive spread. Is that the one made with cashews? I'm certain I've seen it, but am not 100% certain of its contents. Does it contain oil of any kind? ... For ideas to take, you can never go wrong with a relish tray with healthy dip(s). Also, I recently subscribed to a website run by a man named Chuck. The website is called Brand New Vegan. I didn't have time to look in-depth, yet, but I did see something about "buttermilk" biscuits and corn"butter". You may want to check it out. I only found out about him when a fellow McDougaller on a different thread mentioned his site.

GeoffreyLevens--Stuffed squash/pumpkin...yes; we did that on a smaller scale one time. Those of us who ate it, loved it. Thanks for bringing that back to memory. LOL about "flip the bird".

Vegankit--It sounds like you and your dinner guests operate like a well-oiled machine. Um, no pun intended about the oil! It is so nice to be able to make sides that most everyone will eat.

I always make homemade mashed potatoes and gravy; that's a given! Then we have canned cranberry. We've tried various homemade recipes, but all decided it was worth splurging on the traditional canned, the gel version. At least you can get ones made without corn syrup. Usually I'd be happy with just those items along with a green vegetable.

We do have more than that, though! A lot of it depends on who's coming. And sadly, loved ones who requested certain items that they only pretty much wanted have now passed. Creamed corn, sweet potatoes, green beans with toasted onions + slivered almonds, etc. usually all make an appearance.

I still always like to offer some kind of a loaf. I'm just so grateful that a lot of my family will eat McDougall style, that I still like to make the Holiday a little more special. Truthfully, most of them would be happy with the Tofurky, but I just can't bare to think of wishing them well and giving them an oil-filled loaf anymore, since they're willing to have an alternative to the Tofurky alternative.

Thank you, again, for your input!

[Lyndzie]

Brand New Vegan is a good resource. He has a homemade “hot dog” recipe that I’d like to try. Gave the corn butter a go a few days ago, but didn’t really follow the instructions, so it didn’t really turn out. I will try it again sometime and actually do what he says.

The Kite Hill spreads are almond based, NO added oils. Too rich for regular consumption, but perfect for Thanksgiving and Christmas. I wish Whole Foods hadn’t changed the recipe for their hummus to include oil. Oh well, that has saved me a lot of money in the end.

[Mom+Me]

Thank you for replying, Lyndzie--sorry. I just realized that your username is spelled this way, but the actual spelling of your name is, Lindsey. Ahh, yes; I do remember seeing an almond-based spread. I'll look at it better the next time I see it. It's good to know that the people who ate it didn't even realize that it wasn't cheese.

I've seen several fairly similar "hot dog" recipes made out of carrots. I have yet to try them, but will check out Brand New Vegan's recipe. ... I can follow recipes, but I usually don't use any. So when I go to make an actual recipe (like you with the corn butter), it's usually a bit tweaked.

Whole Foods doesn't sell no-oil hummus anymore?! . My WF had the Engine 2 brand the last time I looked. My local supermarket sells a brand out of Ohio--the name escapes me right now--but their varieties don't have oil. They have tahini (like Engine 2), but this Ohio brand has it high on the ingredient list, so I like to thin it out some. Their Baba Gounash(I know that's spelled wrong!) is yummy! ... But yes, it definitely gets pricey purchasing the already made.

[Mom+Me]

To Vegankit and anyone else to whom this may apply,

When l wrote:

I still always like to offer some kind of a loaf. I'm just so grateful that a lot of my family will eat McDougall style, that I still like to make the Holiday a little more special. Truthfully, most of them would be happy with the Tofurky, but I just can't bare to think of wishing them well and giving them an oil-filled loaf anymore, since they're willing to have an alternative to the Tofurky alternative.

I sincerely hope that you didn't take it in a way that I did not intend. I hope it did not sound condescending, because that is not how I meant it! I think the Tofurky turkey is a very good alternative and have served and consumed it quite a few times. I only meant that, in the recent couple of years, as I've gotten back to the McDougall Plan and--this is the key--several family members and others are agreeable to having a McDougalized turkey and Tofurky alternative, I am so grateful for this and the opportunity. So, I want to provide the very best for them and their health! But, everyone is at a different place in life...hence our serving meat to the meat-eaters. Afterall, everyone's company is more important than to cause arguments or no-shows; it's just not worth it.

I know you said that the vegan requests the Tofurky, so that's different...kind of like the meat-eaters. Even though I think my original post was clear, I just wanted to re-visit this in case there was any doubt or hurt. That certainly was not my intention.

[Idgie]

Mom+Me, the gravy is from Isa Chandra Moskowitz's Vegan with a Vengeance but it's google-able. My ex really didn't believe that it was vegan. I leave out the small amount of oil and sautee the onions dry, and I use whole-wheat flour in place of the all-purpose.

[Mom+Me]

Idgie, thanks for letting me know, including your tips. Wow--great that it can be passed off as non-vegan. Now it's off to Google I go.

[Mom+Me]

Update: the brand of hummus from Ohio is called Oasis. While all the varieties I've seen contain tahini, at least there are no free oils.

[Lyndzie]

I just found the Oasis brand website. It’s sold at a couple locations here. They have a store locator page, thank goodness!

[dstewart]

Brand New Vegan is a good resource. He has a homemade “hot dog” recipe that I’d like to try. Gave the corn butter a go a few days ago, but didn’t really follow the instructions, so it didn’t really turn out. I will try it again sometime and actually do what he says.

The Kite Hill spreads are almond based, do added oils. Too rich for regular consumption, but perfect for Thanksgiving and Christmas. I wish Whole Foods hadn’t changed the recipe for their hummus to include oil. Oh well, that has saved me a lot of money in the end.

There’s no oil in Kite Hill cheeses.

[Lyndzie]

Thanks for the clarification. The “do” is a typo and should be “no”. I have fixed it.