How do you handle being a vegetarian throughout the holidays?
January 21, 2010 by admin
Filed under vegetarian
This will be my first thanksgiving and christmas as a vegetarian. As everyone knows, christmas and thanksgiving have alot to do with food. I will be going to my parents for both occasions and I will bring my own food to contribute to the meal. Is this how other vegetarians get through the holidays? What types of food do you prepare?
I know my holiday food traditions will have to change, but I’m not sure where to start.
I usually bring my own main dish(which can double as a side for other people). I never feel left out or as if I am missing out on the holiday b/c I don’t eat meat. In fact I always look forward to thinking about what I am going to make that year. I feel lucky that I get to choose something different every year, instead of eating the same thing.
You holiday food traditions really don’t change much. It is still about good food(just good vegetarian food), and family.
For my Thanksgiving main course I like to use a lot of the winter vegetables. There are a lot of great recipes for vegetarian Thanksgiving, as well as recipes that work well in the fall.
Start by enjoying the wholesome goodness of carrots. Take a carrot dish where ever you travel this holiday season. You’ll always have something to eat and the meaties will enjoy them too.
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I think the more confortable you are as a vegan/vegetarian, the more naturally you dont even want all the other stuff. I would just bring some food if i knew they wouldnt have anything for me, and then you an also eat everything availiable that you can have : D
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You have the right idea. There will probably be some things there that you can eat like cranberry sauce, stuffing ( if it’s not inside the turkey and mixed with its grease) candy yams, greens (if they don’t season it with meat, bread rolls or garlic bread. Maybe take along some type of protein dish made with tofu, seitan or something like that. Only don’t take tofurkey because it’s like you’re trying to show up the turkey or something. The host might find that offensive.
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Yes, bring your own dish!
I don’t know any recipes but i’m sure you can google some.
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I usually bring my own main dish(which can double as a side for other people). I never feel left out or as if I am missing out on the holiday b/c I don’t eat meat. In fact I always look forward to thinking about what I am going to make that year. I feel lucky that I get to choose something different every year, instead of eating the same thing.
You holiday food traditions really don’t change much. It is still about good food(just good vegetarian food), and family.
For my Thanksgiving main course I like to use a lot of the winter vegetables. There are a lot of great recipes for vegetarian Thanksgiving, as well as recipes that work well in the fall.
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Bring a main dish to share and make sure you pack some snacks in the car or your purse. I cooked almost everything last year and let my family cook any meat dishes they wanted. There were lots of new veggie dishes to try (maybe some new traditions
.
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I do not take any food with me. My family knows that I am a vegetarian. I usually help out on the non-meat food, so i know that not the same thing is used for the meat items as the non-meat items
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I’m not a vegetarian but I don’t like most meats so I look forward to the "socializing "more than the meal anyway. I will eat meat only if it is well done, drowned in sauce or caramelized to death with strong spices or soya or something good. I am not going to ask for food to be cooked a certain way or ask for pasta, or fish, etc….instead, which I would prefer. With me it’s not just the taste of the meat or a personal stand against not eating meat, but I just plain can’t stand the smell of some meats, especially pork when it is under cooked, yuck, it makes my stomach turn. I have a strong sense of smell that really works against me in that way.
If these are celebrations with your relatives you probably know what’s on the menu and you can figure out if you have enough sides to get you through or if you need to bring your own dish as a side to share with everyone. I have done that.
As long as it isn’t an all turkey, pig/pork, roast meal, I am there with a smile on. But otherwise, and it has happened, I just take a little taste of something on my plate, to be polite, and don’t eat it, instead fill up on potatoe or bread and count the seconds until the table is clear of the offending dishes. It’s tough to explain, people don’t sympathize or get what I am talking about, in fact I am the weird one in their world. It doesn’t bother me because I think they are all weird for liking to eat that gross food.
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Urgh, for years my family just put in a vegetable lasagna every time I came over. I now HATE vegetable lasgana as it was way overload.
I usually try to eat something before I go to parties (especially now that I’m a vegan, this is what I plan to do). and then offer to bring a dish so you will know that what you bring is infact vegetarian. I have a lot of relatives that have no idea what a vegetarian is and assume jello, marshmellows, stuffing etc. is all okay.
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