What do you serve to your vegetarian dinner guests?
Vegetarians (those who don’t eat meat) and vegans (those who don’t eat meat or any animal products including dairy and eggs) are sprouting up all over.
But here’s the deal…
If one or more will be joining you for Thanksgiving dinner, it’s not all up to you to make them comfortable and provide *everything* for them to eat.
Don’t be afraid to ask your vegan and vegetarian guests to bring some of their own dishes.
After all, they’re the ones who cook like that all the time…
They’re the ones that know what they like to eat…
And maybe they can introduce you to some new vegan or vegetarian dishes that you really enjoy.
You’ve got enough on your plate (so to speak) by hosting Thanksgiving at your home as it is.
So if you’ve got vegan and vegetarian guests joining you for the holidays, enlist their help. Especially around desserts (most pastries and baked goods have eggs, milk, and butter in them) and staples like mashed potatoes, stuffing, and any pasta dishes you might have. (Vegans and vegetarians will not eat things with chicken stock in them, or bacon – even just for light flavoring.)
How have you handled it when vegans and vegetarians have come to your Thanksgiving dinner? Share your advice down in the comments section.
How To Please Vegetarians At Family Thanksgiving [eHow]
Welcome back to Just Parenting Advice. If you haven't already, make sure you sign up for weekly updates using the form on the right.
{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }
Be careful of cheese as well. Cheese with “Rennet” is NOT vegetarian! Make sure to let your vegetarians know whether or not your cheese is “rennet” free.
@Jordan: Good point. Vegetarians do eat cheese, but they don’t eat things composed of animal matter like rennet. If you have resources for rennet-free cheeses, please share them here with our readers so they know which cheese options to look for.
For vegans: Follow Your Heart makes an excellent soy cheese without any dairy components in it. Daiya is a new brand of soy cheese available in limited areas too.
@Miss Mona: Differentiating between vegetarian and non-vegetarian cheeses can certainly be a hassle. I know I was lost when I found out that there is “meat” in my cheese!
Trader Joe’s is a super market that does a fantastic job of differentiating between them. They have a great little flyer here: http://www.traderjoes.com/attachments/rennet_test.pdf
Unfortunately, Trader Joe’s isn’t everywhere yet. For those who do their shopping in a regular shopping market, Tillamook is a decent brand that uses “microbial rennet” (ok for vegetarians). Everything but their “Vintage White Extra Sharp Cheddar Cheese” is suitable for vegetarians.
For vegans…unfortunately that’s a different ballpark in which I’m not as well versed