Vegan Thanksgiving

Every year, Peaches and I go to our local vegetarian society's vegan Thanksgiving feast. Here's what I ate this year:

Starting with the salad at the top left:

• organic mixed greens with avocado, toasted pine nuts, and some sort of vinagrette
• tofu fritters (tofu, celery, onions, herbs, some sort of crusty coating)
• cranberry relish
• wild mushroom ravioli (yes, there's no dairy in them) with a light sauce of tomato and spinach
• stuffing
• baked sweet potatoes
• collard greens

We also had vegan pumpkin pie for dessert, but I was too busy eating it to take a picture. Here's a recipe instead.

Every year, there's a speaker who talks about mindful eating for a healthy, peaceful planet. This year's speaker ended his talk by reading this poem by Shel Silverstein:

Point of View

Thanksgiving dinner's sad and thankless
Christmas dinner's dark and blue
When you stop and try to see it
From the turkey's point of view.
Sunday dinner isn't sunny
Easter feasts are just bad luck
When you see it from the viewpoint
Of a chicken or a duck.
Oh how I once loved tuna salad
Pork and lobsters, lamb chops too
'Til I stopped and looked at dinner
From the dinner's point of view.

If you look behind the scenes of your dinner and you're OK with what you see there, if it doesn't make you lose your appetite or feel even just a little sorry for the animals that you see there who will find their way to your plate -- if you can look here and find no trace of guilt -- then, go ahead and eat as you've always eaten.

But ... we have so many other choices today! Instead of featuring dead cows, chickens, turkeys, and pigs at your next big meal, why not try some of these delicious, healthy, and cruelty-free dishes instead? If you need a cookbook, there are even more recipes here (vegan) and here (vegetarian) and here (vegan).

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Food should be a celebration of life, don't you think? 

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Cheers to you an yours for a holiday season full of good food, good drink, and much merry making!

Via where you will find yet another yummy recipe for vegan pumpkin pie