Monday, November 17, 2014

A Vegan Thanksgiving Feast in Under an Hour?

Maybe you are the only vegan in the household this Thanksgiving?  Maybe this is your first year hosting a Thanksgiving in your home?  Maybe you aren't so surefooted in the kitchen and are nervous about pulling off the perfect meal?  Or maybe you have to work Thanksgiving day (like me!) and can't figure out how you are ever going to be able to make a full on vegan feast after a full day at work? I give you a Vegan Thanksgiving Feast ready in under an hour!  


I did a trial run last night to make sure that it still tasted home made, because a lot of this meal is made from a package.  But guess what?  This semi-homemade feast had all of the flavors and practically none of the fuss of a scratch-made Thanksgiving.

So what do you need to make a full on vegan Thanksgiving meal in under an hour?


Here is what on the plate, clockwise from the top:

  • Whole Foods Market 365 Instant Mashed Potatoes -- the only ingredient on the box is potato! (I always make mine with less liquid than suggested on the package so my potatoes come out thicker.  And I do not shy away from adding lots of vegan butter to make them extra flavorful.)
  • Gardein Lightly Breaded Turk'y Cutlets (These come with gravy, but I opted for making homemade gravy)
  • Whole Foods Market 365 Organic Vegan Stuffing Mix (To make it taste a little bit more homemade, I made sure to add a few of my own touches to the stuffing by sauteing diced onions and celery in the oil recommended on the package instructions before adding the water.  On the big day, I might throw in some dried cranberries, too!)
  • Steamed broccoli tossed with olive oil, roasted garlic, salt and pepper. (Though on the big day I plan on making Garlic and Mustard Roasted Brussels Sprouts instead, because, although this broccoli was super yummy, I prefer brussels on Thanksgiving.)
  • And the whole thing is topped off with White Pepper Gravy



I also plan on purchasing premade cranberry sauce from the Whole Foods Market deli, as well as a premade vegan pumpkin or apple pie from the bakery, and a tub of the new SoDelicious Coconut Whipped topping.

I will say I feel a little bummed out that I won't be able to make everything from scratch like I normally would, but I am so thankful for these awesome and convenient (and really gosh darn tasty!) vegan options.

For those of you who do not live near a Whole Foods Market, or other health food store, hope is not lost!  I have seen these Gardein Turk'y cutlets (as well as their stuffed roast!) at Vons/Safeway and Ralph's/Kroger's as well.  And it seems that every grocery store in the world has instant mashed potatoes, a vegan friendly boxed stuffing mix, and premade cranberry sauce (double chack ingredients to be sure!).

That only leaves you with figuring out the pie!  And that can be fun to make on your own the day before.  My go to holiday pie is the Pumpkin Cheesecake Pie. It's pretty easy to make, especially if you use a store-bought crust, and it taste pretty great, too.

Now go forth and create a tasty vegan Thanksgiving feast!  It doesn't have to cost a million dollars or mean you have to spend all day slaving away in the kitchen!  All it really means is that you will be spending more time with your family, friends, or loved ones giving thanks over a compassionate meal that doesn't revolve around a giant dead bird.


3 comments:

vegan.in.brighton said...

Yum! I'm totally going to make something like this next week so that I can participate in Thanksgiving in spirit even though it's not a thing here!

Panda With Cookie said...

I bought my bag of stuffing mix today.

Terri Cole said...

Target has the Gardein cutlets as well.

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