How about we rename this holiday, “ThanksLiving”? This major holiday in the US is slowly experiencing a makeover on a couple of levels.
First, there’s a burgeoning sensitivity to Native Americans and their plight amid centuries of oppression. For Native Americans, Thanksgiving Day is (understandably) a day of mourning. You can read more here.
Second, increasing numbers of people are choosing compassionate food choices on their celebration table. For my vegan friends and me, we call it ThanksLiving! Let’s celebrate being together and the sanctity of all lives, human and animal.
And there’s no shortage of plant-based food options either! Nutriciously has curated a massive list of options which you can find here. (I recommend subscribing to their newsletter too for good tips yearound.)
Sam Turnbull, the chef from It Doesn’t Taste Like Chicken (where I get many of my recipes) has curated a suggested list of recipes. She just sent out a great list to her email subscribers. You can subscribe to her email list here.
She also offers a HUGE list of suggested vegan Thanksgiving recipes on her website that you can find here.
(It differs from the list she emailed out, so let me know if you’d like her recently emailed list. If you email me, I can forward it to you.)
If you would like some ideas to have a more compassionate holiday this year (and every year in the future), this short post offers some tips.
And here’s Alicia Silverstone’s well-written take on the holiday including her favorite dishes.
This year we will have a quiet ThanksLiving at home. At least one of my kids will be here and it’s possible that both will be, which will be nice. They’ve never had a vegan Thanksgiving before. I’m still pulling together a menu, though I do know that there will be cranberry sauce. (I love homemade cranberry sauce and it’s so easy to make!).
I suspect there will be a bit of grumbling, but there will be plenty of food and I bet they will even enjoy a dish or two.
Enjoy a safe and compassionate holiday however you choose to celebrate.