Daily Loaf

(Check out the Vegan Thanksgiving part 2 and part 3.)

I spent three Thanksgivings poring over homemade dishes at my Jewish grandma’s house, wondering if she understood entirely what I meant when I told her I was  vegan.

“Sarah, honey, you’ll eat the turkey, won’t you?” she would ask me.

“No, grandma, vegans don’t eat turkey.”

“But you’ll eat the green bean casserole.”

“No, grandma. It has milk in it. I don’t eat milk.”

“You’ll eat the sweet potatoes, then.”

“They’ve got marshmallows, grandma. I don’t eat marshmallows.”

This is where she became concerned. Because, you see, my grandma is old. She turned ninety this year. Thanksgiving is already tough for a woman her age. She’s got all this mixing and stirring and lifting to do—she doesn’t want any extra work, and to her, dreaming up vegan dishes is a challenge.

But it doesn’t have to be. Vegan Thanksgiving is no harder than carnivore Thanksgiving. You don’t even have to hunt down a Tofurky (even though they’re not that hard to find these days). You know what? I’ll be honest. Tofurky is kind of gross, anyway. And it’s a cop-out. Don’t buy a Tofurky.

“So, what should I do, then?” you ask. “My crazy vegan sister-in-law is coming over. I never know what to make for her!”

Shhhh, calm down. There’s no need to fret. Just make shish kebabs.

Shish kebabs? For Thanksgiving?

Oh, yeah. Shish kebabs have everything a good Thanksgiving meal needs. They have:

1 sweet Vidalia onion
3 bell peppers
1 package Tofurky sausage or ½ pound fried tofu
1 box button mushrooms
1/2 pound pineapple
1 large box cherry tomatoes

And best of all? They’re easy. Sooo easy. Cut, skewer and broil. Watch them for about 45 minutes (this shouldn’t be a problem, since you have to leave the oven open to broil anyway.) Turn them over halfway through. Pull them out and let them cool for ten minutes so you don’t burn your little mouth. And voila! You just made your vegan guests happy and saved yourself some dishes.

If you’re wondering about the fried tofu, here’s an easy batter recipe:

1/2 pound firm tofu, cubed
3 –4 tablespoon corn starch or flour
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 inch veggie oil for deep-frying

Be sure not to make the oil too hot, as they’re hard to manage if they fry too quickly. If you’re worried that your oil isn’t hot enough, turn a wooden spoon upside-down and place the handle in the middle of the pan. If it bubbles, it’s hot. Strain your fried tofu in a colander lined with paper towels and let it cool for ten minutes before trying to skewer it. Provide some honey-free BBQ sauce for dipping, and eat your gluttonous hearts out.

Entertaining vegan guests this Thanksgiving? Don't just resort to Tofurkey.

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