My 1st Vegan Thanksgiving

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This was the holiday we were worried about as a Vegan family. We knew we would be eating with lots of non-vegan family members and we were afraid of the comments we might hear at dinner. In reality, we worried for nothing!

Dinner was the same as it always is, pleasant and filling. The men gathered in the living room watching football. The ladies gathered in the kitchen, drinking wine and prepping our dishes. The kids sat around, playing their devices and waiting on a plate. The dogs all gathered in the kitchen waiting for a scrap to hit the floor and belly rubs from all the new faces. Nothing was different.

I made (as you see above) garlic mashed potatoes, sausage and apple stuffing, creamy mushroom gravy, roasted fall veggies, crescent rolls (store bought, but I did cook them) and I cooked Gardein chick'n in the gravy. The Gardein was my only Vegan option in my small town. I had originally planned on making a roasted tofu, but time was not on my side this week. It all turned out perfect anyways. I did not tell our extended family members that the food was vegan, just presented it on the counter top along with all the other dishes. 

We all sat around the table, said our blessings and started eating. No one asked me about my food, choices, or was in any way rude to me. I say this because I was, wrongly, expecting it. As everyone ate, I enjoyed all the positive comments on my stuffing, veggies and mashed potatoes. I simply said "thank you" and let it go at that. I was happy that everyone was enjoying vegan food, with or without their knowledge. I have to admit, no one outside our immediate family tried the Gardein, but I expected that and I really only brought enough for my family. The Gardein, by the way, was great. 

When it was time for desert and coffee, I grabbed one of my Vegan pumpkin spice cupcakes with maple cream cheese icing. They were amazing and my entire family loved them! My daughter was nice enough to make a vegan apple cobbler, which everyone also enjoyed. So, we made it through the entire meal without issues. I sat down at the kitchen table with my daughter, cousin, aunt and mom and had a few glasses of wine and a lot of laughs. I really enjoyed Thanksgiving!

Looking for more Family Dinner Ideas? Try my Taco Tuesday , "Beefless" pies with Kale roasted Butternut Squash, Southwestern Sweet Potato Soup with Applesauce Cornbread, Shepard's Pie and finish your meal with my Chocolate Covered Cherry Pie

**Vegan sausage and apple stuffing :

1 (14 oz.)LiteLife vegan sausage 
1 onion, finely diced
1 medium carrot, peeled and finely diced
1 stalk of celery, finely diced
1 granny smith apple, peeled, cored & finely diced
Oil
1 (14 oz)dry herb Stuffing
1 (32 oz) container of veggie broth
1 tsp thyme
1 tsp rosemary
1 tsp parsley
1 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp of sage
Salt and Pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350°.

Heat a little oil over medium heat. Add sausage and begin to crumble as you cook.

Heat your broth over medium heat.

Cook for about 5 minutes, then add thyme, parsley, rosemary, cumin, sage, onions, carrots, celery, and apples.

Cook until veggies are tender.

In a large mixing bowl, add stuffing, sausage mixer and warm broth. Stir well.

Pour into a greased 9x13 casserole dish & bake 30 minutes.

Makes 8 servings.

**Garlic mashed potatoes :

10 Yukon gold potatoes, chopped
2 cup plant milk
1/2 cup vegan butter
4 cloves fresh garlic, pressed
Salt & pepper

Clean and chop potatoes.

Boil until tender and drain.

Melt butter over medium heat. Add crushed garlic.

Allow garlic to flavor butter, but do not let it burn.

Add plant milk and bring to a simmer.

In a large bowl, mix all ingredients and blend until smooth and creamy.

**Creamy Vegan mushroom gravy :
2 Tbsp of vegan butter
2 Tbsp of flour
1/2 corn starch
6 oz. mushrooms, chopped small
1 small onion, finely diced
1 1/2 cups veggie broth
1 1/2 cups of unsweetened cashew milk
1 envelope of onion dip mix
1 tsp of parsley

Melt butter over medium heat.

Add flour and corn starch. Whisk until smooth & allow to cook about 3 minutes.

Add mushrooms, onions, broth, parsley, and onion soup mix. Bring to a boil, whisking occasionally to prevent lumps.

Reduce heat to simmer for 5 minutes. Add cashew milk, salt and pepper and Whisk for 2 more minutes, or until thickened.

Makes 2 cups.

**Roasted Fall Veggies:

4 small potatoes, washed & cubed
2 carrots, peeled and cubed
2 stalks of celery, diced
8 oz. Mushrooms, diced
2 onions, diced
15 Brussel sprouts, halved
1 bottle Italian dressing

Preheat oven to 450°

Put all ingredients in a large mixing bowl and toss well to coat.

Pour into a large roasting pan.

Bake 45 mins, stirring occasionally to coat veggies and make sure they brown up evenly.

Makes 8 servings.

**Pumpkin spice cupcakes :

1 box spice cake mix
1 can 100% pure pumpkin
1 tsp. Pumpkin pie spice
1 vegan icing of choice

Preheat oven to 350°

Mix cake mix, pumpkin, and pumpkin pie spice together in a mixing bowl. *Mixture will be sticky, like peanut butter

Line muffin pan with 14 baking cups.

Divide mixture evenly and pour into baking cups.

Bake about 15 minutes & allow to rest at least 1 hour before frosting.

Makes 14 servings.