Vegan Thanksgiving- The MARATHON!



 Ok, here it go! THANKSGIVING!! Or, I like to call it the vegan marathon. When I first became a vegetarian in 2010 it was so difficult to figure out what to eat. TEN YEARS LATER- I have removed egg and dairy and the only reason I don't know what to make it because the ideas are so expansive! WOW!!! I could make a full seven-course meal or do something small. I have seen it all. . . cabbage "turkey", tofurky, Gardein. . . YOU NAME IT!!!


https://youtu.be/tkk1_WwRl8Q

So, the things I hope to do in later Thanksgivings:

1. Do the Turkey Trot

    Kind of difficult to make a full meal but get up at 4AM to get to the start line to run 3-6 miles and then come back home and continue the Thanksgiving meal. I know it is in the cards for me if I do plant-based the week before and remove the carbs. That tends to give me a boost of energy. Will post the link on here but not directly for the Chicago one. Most races are virtual this year and this year I may actually take the leap and go for a personal run and collect my thoughts on this year and the year to come and be thankful for all that I have, all that I have lost, and the lessons I have learned on the way.

Turkey Trot 2020 site

2. Get with other vegans on Thanksgiving:

   I am sure I will be rolling around stuffed!!! Something about meeting with other like-stomached people will bring out the vegan fairy or something. I am not sure. Maybe when I am older. I tried to get my kids on board and I think my son will take the bait when he is a teen but who knows?


What am I cooking THIS year?

Ok. So, I got the go on catering the standard Thanksgiving items. Here is what is on the vegan roster at this point. (Of course, this is subject to change.)

1. Macaroni and Cheese

    I have gathered the ingredients from the standard Black/African-American mac and cheese and I think I can make it by replacing the egg ( yes sir or ma'am, there is an egg in there) with Just Egg. I also picked up some of my fave vegan cheese, Parmela Creamery aged cashew cheese. Nom. I have no recipe for this as of yet as I will be researching it. I am hitting my distant vegan "sister" Sweet Potato Soul, and my new sister Tabitha Brown as well as my cool vegan "auntie" Chef Babette. (Yes, 10 years in this game and I have some people I highly admire. *insert heart*) Edit- currently searching out recipes. Who will get recommended on here for my 8 readers? LOL!


2. Green Bean Casserole

    I made this a prior year and I am going to attempt this again. I think the prior year I used condensed mushroom soup which has milk. Since I am vegan, that has to go! So, I am looking up some vegan replacements. Thus far, there are three recipes that are in the running.


3. Mashed potatoes with mushroom gravy

   I have made mashed potatoes in the past and they were absolutely delish!!!! So, this will be my first attempt at making mushroom gravy. Also, pulling out some recipes to see what pans out.


4. Vegan roast (*this is an edit- ain't nobody making no black-eyed peas!)

   I got the vegan roast from Trader Joe's this year! I have not tried this. I still can't believe I am still trying out vegan roasts. Mind you, this is my 10th Thanksgiving without meat. This will be my first complete vegan Thanksgiving so yeah, the pressure is on! Of course, there will have to be a blog on this lovely event. If you have been with me since the beginning you know it has been a rough road. (Again, I will post on this later.)


5. Dressing- vegan style!

  Again, this is ambitious for me. I think I made a vegetarian dressing a while back but I can never tell. Here, I am going to attempt this again but vegan which will not be a difficult switch.


6. Dessert- Sweet Potato. . . something

   I have done a sweet potato mash with pecans, nutmeg, cinnamon, and maple syrup. Maybe a Sweet Potato "cheezecake"? Hmmm. . . We will see


   I think I am tired of even talking this up. I have some other items that I would like to utilize like BBQ jackfruit but I have not figured out how to add it to the menu. Again, I may just add collard greens and stop the black-eyed peas and add cornbread to the mix. I had a vegan girlfriend make cornbread with the Just Egg and she said it was amazing! So, with a week left I am shopping and adding and removing things to my list. Pray for me and of course, I will post pictures on here on Black Friday since we all in the house anyway.

May the Vegan Cooking Marathon Begin!

Eclectic Lotus



Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Great Conjunction- Function: What does it all mean?

Image
 If you are living under a rock or not into Google, you most likely did not see this picture:  So, if you did see this and think: how cute! Let me click on this. You already know. So, today is December 21st which is the winter solstice. If you are in the Northern Hemisphere, it marks the astrological first day of winter is the longest night of the year. What you may not know is that two planets are aligned so it appears as if they are giving each other a "high-five". They call this a conjunction when planets are aligned. How cute, right? They have not been this close since 1663, so this is an epic event. So, you will be seeing something that Galileo saw when he devised telescopes. This event happens every 20 years but every 321 years or so where you can see it in great detail. Both of these planets are beautiful, not like Earth but beautiful. Now, if you are like me and live in an area of light pollution, most likely you will see a star and a planet. Here, in Chicago proper, ...
Read more

Where does the Time go?

Image
 I know where my time goes- into treating patients. I am loving this life of treating numerous and multiple patients. Maybe from the suppression of seeing accident and worker's comp patients.  That is really me treating- no Photostock/AI pictures! Side Note: This was created in February 2025. It was stopped and completed in April 2025.  With changes in the schedule, it has been difficult to maintain this blog. I am keeping current and will begin to have a schedule where I post once a month. Wish me luck! 
Read more

Food, Air and Water Show and NAILS

Image
Today has looks very similar to yesterday- work out, eat when you can, read, clean, computer searches for jobs along with ideas and concepts. This morning I went for a run and it looked like rain so I shortened the run and went a little faster just because I did not want to be like the old guy in the tale "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" and get struck by lightning. Hubby somewhat shocked me today because he asked about the Air and Water Show. I asked why and he thought it would be good for both of us to go either this year or next year. I have always hated the Air and Water Show because when I lived two blocks from the lakefront I could never nap or focus because of the noise of the planes. One thing about living in the city I do not like and that is all the noise pollution. I have pretty sensitive hearing so at times my hearing goes out for a day once it went out for three days and when I say goes out I mean it feels and sounds like someone put cotton in both my ears...
Read more