Hi everyone! As this is my first vegan Thanksgiving, I am completely clueless about what to make for my non-vegan family/friends. What are some of your favorite recipes/ideas? Also, is there any other place besides the Chicago Diner that has a special dinner planned?
Thanks!!

Congratulations Erica!

Ya know, this is a common question but when you think about it, the traditional Thanksgiving meal is practically vegan already! I mean you have the big dead bird on the table but beyond that it’s just vegetables that are often slathered in dairy products which we all know can be easily substituted. Vegan margarine and soy milk are practically indistinguishable from the animal derived versions especially as an ingredient.

If a turkey substitute is necessary you can try Tofurky, Field Roast (quite delicious!) or Match Meats to name a few or make your own.

When it comes to making vegan food personally I veganize non-vegan recipes and rarely rely on vegan cookbooks or recipes. So if you already have recipes, you're practically done!

Good luck!

Hey! I was a t Whole Foods on Roosevelt a few days ago and they have great vegan friendly recipes up at their service desk, ALSO they are doing catering type meals that you can order the entire vegan meal and they will have it ready for you. A little pricey, but worth saving yourself from cooking! Then again, I am the sole vegan in my family of meatatarians.....sad but true!

Good one Jennifer Jones!

Oh and Karyn's cooked also has a to-go meal:
http://www.karynraw.c...

Cooked Thanksgiving To-Go Menu
$40/per meal
Orders due 11/23 by 6pm. all pickups at Raw (1901 N. Halsted St.) Wednesday 11/25 9am-10pm

Tofu Turkey

Stuffing
whole wheat bread, cornbread, onion, celery, garlic, cranberries, raisins, pecans and spices

Mashed Potatoes
Potatoes with fresh garlic, olive oil, sea salt and soy cheese

Gravy
shiitake mushrooms, onion, garlic, whole wheat flour, thyme

Cranberry Sauce
fresh cranberries with orange and apple juice

String Beans
green beans with sesame oil, garlic, red bell peppers, soy sauce, walnuts

Candied Yams
barley malt, cinnamon, orange juice

Salad
with white balsamic vinegar, apples, cranberries and walnuts

Whole Wheat Dinner Roll

Pumpkin Pie

The November/December Vegetarian Times has several recipes appropriate for a vegan Thanksgiving Feast. If you don't want to buy the issue, you might be able to search their site for recipes or copy the recipes at your library.

Some vegan recipes to note:
Main dishes
Smothered Seitan Medallions in Mixed Mushroom Gravy-pg 62
Thanksgiving Pot Pie- pg 71

sides/appetizers
Butternut Squash-Bartlett Pear Soup- pg 60 (I made it the other day with the addition of an apple and it was incredible)
Citrus Collards with Raisins- pg 60
Carrot-Cranberry-Walnut Salad-pg 64
Cumin-Cayenne Mashed Potatoes with Caramelized Onions- pg 64
Fruit and Toasted Almond Stuffing- pg 73

desserts
Almost-Raw Honey Cheesecake Bars with Cranberry Topping- pg 42
Chocolate Pecan Pudding Pie- pg 64
Pumpkin Cheesecake with Candied Cranberries- pg 75

And there's even more that I didn't bother to list. I love to cook, but if you're new to cooking, in general, I agree with Dave that you can make most any recipe vegan with proper substitutes. I would chose a few recipes you are already familiar with and make the appropriate substitutions. You don't want to be freaking out about the meal when you've got several other things to worry about to get yourself and your home ready for visitors.

Hi Erica!

If you still need ideas for a meal, Nava Atlas is offering an e-cookbook for $9 with tons of yummy recipes from various vegan cookbook authors. http://vegkitchen.com...

And though I am loathe to link to Erik Marcus' site, he has posted a vegan Thanksgiving feast from Robin Robertson, whose cookbooks I adore: http://www.vegan.com/...

I'm personally using the Triple Cranberry Relish and the Ginger-Dusted Pumpkin Cheezecake this year!

Have a great holiday!

All, wishing you a very Happy Thanksgiving in advance.
Seems like many people are moving to being vegetarian this year. Found this article on CNN website, thought to share with all my Vegan friends here
http://www.cnn.com/20...

Also, a blog post I found http://ooglersgoogler...

Hail Vegetarianism :)