I hope you all had a great Halloween! My husband and I decided very last minute (as in day of) to dress up as Snookie and Pauly D from Jersey Shore and attend our friends’ party. haha It’s very far from our normal look so it was a lot of fun.

I skipped the candy this year and instead treated myself to some delicious SoDelicious neopolitan ice cream by Turtle Mountain. It is certified organic and certified vegan. The ingredients list is impressive! It contains: organic soymilk, organic brown rice syrup, organic tapioca syrup, organic dehydrated cane juice, organic soybean oil, organic strawberries, organic cocoa, chicory root extract, natural flavours, vanilla extract, carob bean gum, guar gum, carrageenan and beet juice. 1/2 cup has 120 calorires, 3.5g fat, 2g fiber, 2g protein, 15g sugar and so on. I think it tastes better than any dairy ice cream I’ve had. They also make a coconut milk based one but I haven’t seen it yet.

The next big holiday is, of course, the American Thanksgiving. It’ll be my first vegan Thanksgiving! We’re celebrating it with another couple. The wife is vegetarian, so we’re going to make a lot of vegan options for us but there will be a few traditional items as well (including turkey for the husbands). Here is what I’m thinking of making….
  • I like the sound of mushroom gravy since I’ve become  pretty mushroom obsessed but there is always a more traditional tasting “poultry” gravy.
  • mashed potatoes using Earth Balance instead of regular butter; very simple to vegan-ize. 
  • I will probably do very simple mashed sweet potatoes (with some Earth Balance, pure maple syrup and brown sugar) although this sweet potato casserole with pecans looks amazing. I’ve never had sweet potatoes and apples together but it sounds pretty good, so there’s also that.
  • My friend and I are making a green bean casserole from Peas and Thank You cookbook but this one would be good for anyone who doesn’t own that. They key, IMO, is fresh green beans… I hate canned ones, yuck!
  • Pumpkin pie is a must! I’m not sure if I’ll do it with or without tofu although the latter would be super healthy! For those who liked whipped cream on their pie, there’s coconut whip!
  • I’m also going to make a pumpkin chocolate chip pazookie. I know my friends love pazookies so hopefully they will  love this.
  • Tofurkey. I’ve never had it but my friend says it’s tasty. We’re going to get the “bird” from Trader Joes.
  • I think Tofurkey’s come stuffed but stuffing is my favourite part of the holiday meal so I plan on making my own anyway. Hello, leftovers! I like the simplicity of this one.
  • I love cranberry sauce. I think I’ll cheat and buy the canned stuff even though this cranberry chutney sounds wonderful.
  • I have store bought frozen rolls which are actually vegan but ciabatta bread would be nice too.
  • Of course a salad is important, you want some raw veggies and dark leafy greens. I don’t know what my friends like but my husband and I love simple salads so I will probably do a tossed salad with spinach, romaine, arugula and various other veggies like red pepper, cucumber, tomato, shredded carrot as well as some ground flaxseed and a simple balsamic vinegarette.
I haven’t decided on an appetizer yet. There are too many to chose from! Here are a few that I’m drooling over: cheezy crackers, hot artichoke dip, pumpkin knotsspinach dip, spinach pies, tofu on a stickoven baked onion rings and stuffed mushrooms.
Now I’m hungry!
What are you making for Thanksgiving? Would you consider having even just one vegan option? I bet your guests wouldn’t even notice the difference… but it would be healthier and more eco-friendly! 🙂