With 20% of the population embracing some sort of vegetarian lifestyle, there is hardly a family without at least one person abstaining from turkey at the Thanksgiving table. There is no need to allow this to be a source of panic or resentment. Here are a few tips for non-vegetarians to help welcome their beloved herbivores to Thanksgiving dinner.
1. First of all, find out what kind of vegetarian your guest is. By no means are you expected to play short-order cook, but the word, vegetarian, covers a wide range of diets. You don’t want to go to the trouble of preparing something special only to find out that your guest still can’t eat it. If your guest is vegan, that is a very strict form of vegetarianism and it may be difficult for you to make adjustments to your recipes. Vegans encounter this a lot, so don’t worry. Invite your guest to bring something that they can eat and/or share.
2. Often people assume a vegetarian can simply eat all the side dishes. That’s true if you take a few precautions in your preparations. The most important thing is to use vegetable stock instead of chicken stock in everything you cook. If you think vegetable stock isn’t full-bodied enough, allow it to simmer on the stove and reduce a bit. That will concentrate the flavors and make it richer. You can also add some olive oil to it to make up for the missing fat.
3. Make sure you don’t mix utensils while preparing the food. If a spoon just basted the turkey, use a different one to mix the mashed potatoes.
4. Choose side-dish recipes that don’t include sausage or bacon. There are many sausage stuffing recipes, but also many vegetarian dressing recipes. Choose something delicious and inclusive. (Of course, don’t literally stuff the bird.) Bacon bits added to mashed potatoes take them off the menu for your vegetarian. Why not add roasted garlic instead? Check labels when adding canned items to make sure they don’t include any stealth chicken broth.
3. Pay attention to where you place meat and non-meat items, especially for appetizers. Most vegetarians don’t want to eat food that has touched meat, so think about that when arranging an antipasti platter.
4. If you have the time, preparing a vegetarian main dish such as Harvest Nut Loaf, would be an incredibly generous surprise. By no means are you expected to do this, but since the loaf can be made in advance it would be a very welcoming gesture and another great side for everyone at your table.
5. Make sure you’re serving some yummy vegetables. Sometimes a vegetarian ends up with a plate of a rolls, mashed potatoes and cornbread. An all-carb plate isn’t much of a dinner, let alone a feast.
6. Tell your vegetarian guest about the trouble you took. This is not to boast, but to reassure them that they can eat what is served. You don’t want them to hold back out of uncertainty after you’ve gone to all the trouble to accommodate them.
7. Don’t say, “Happy Turkey Day!” First, it’s crass. Second, it’s very offensive to vegetarians who abstain from eating animals for political reasons. “Happy Thanksgiving!” is nicer all around.
8. Talk about things other than vegetarianism. Your guest might not want to debate, offend, or be offended by getting into a conversation about his or her dietary choices. They most likely have very strong feelings and opinions that should be allowed to rest under the surface. Good manners and accepting others should guide everyone’s behavior.
9. Seat your vegetarian away from the turkey, or better yet, carve it in the kitchen.
10. There is nothing you can do about this, but the smell of roasting turkey might be hard for your vegetarian to handle. Non-meat eaters are often revolted by the same smell you may cherish. An open window or a walk outside can offer some much needed fresh air.
I hope this helps you create a warm, welcoming environment for you to celebrate with your loved ones. Of course, we all have to remember the most important blessing we count is not the food, but the people we are so fortunate to share it with. Happy Thanksgiving.
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