A Vegetarian & Family Friendly Thanksgiving Dinner Party
by
jwncoexists
Your foundation for a successful party starts with a menu that vegetarians, carnivores and children will love! Non meat-eaters will know they're not an afterthought when they see a lovely, large pumpkin filled with savory stuffing coming out of the oven. Turkey lover's mouthes will water when they smell your beautiful moist turkey roasting in the oven, and everyone will enjoy the always-comforting mashed potatoes, green beans, and German red cabbage! Finish off the perfect meal with an apple tarte tatin, as party goers sit around the table laughing and playing games. When your Thanksgiving party is over, you can be confident that everyone will go home feeling blessed!
Spiced Hot Cider
Brandy and Whipped Cream Optional!
- Serves: 8
It's nice to have a special drink for your dinner party, and warm apple cider is the perfect beverage to sip during the cool autumn days. This cider can be made alcoholic or non-alcoholic, it makes your house smell wonderful, and most children love it too! Serve the cider with store bought appetizers such as cheese and crackers, nuts, or vegetables and dip.
Ingredients
- 1 half gallon apple cider
- 2 cinnamon sticks
- 1 pinch nutmeg
- 1 orange quartered with the peel on
- whipped cream (optional)
- brandy (optional)
Instructions
Before your guests arrive, place all ingredients (except the whipped cream and brandy) in a large pot over low heat and simmer for an hour. Serve with brandy and whipped cream if desired.
Roasted & Stuffed Pumpkin
Vegetarian Friendly
This is a favorite Thanksgiving stuffing recipe in our family! The large pumpkin presentation is unique and fun, and eating the cooked pumpkin mixed with the stuffing is delicious. If you can't find a large pumpkin, you can use several smaller pumpkins. This recipe can be found on page 428 in the cookbook, Passionate Vegetarian by Crescent Dragonwagon (see below). If I am in a hurry, sometimes I will just stuff the pumpkin with my favorite boxed stuffing (which is Mrs. Cubbins').
Ingredients
- 1 medium to large pumpkin (preferably one of the buff colored ones)
- 1 cup dried apricots
- 1 cup dried pitted prunes
- 1 cup apple juice
- 1 loaf good-quality pre-sliced whole wheat bread
- 1 large onion diced
- 1-2 stalks leafy celery
- diced (leaves included)
- 1-1/2 teaspoons to 1 tablespoon dried leaf (not ground) sage
- 1/2 cup butter melted
- vegetable stock as needed
- Tamari or Shoyu Soy sauce to taste
- A small amount of dried leaf basil and oregano to taste (optional)
- cooking spray
Instructions
Soften the Fruit
Place the apricots and prunes in a small heatproof bowl. Place the apple juice in a small saucepan over high heat and bring to a boil. Immediately pour the juice over the dried fruit. Let stand for at least two hours, but overnight or a day or two in advance is fine. Drain the dried fruit, reserving both the fruit and the soaking liquid. Coarsely chop the fruit and set aside.
Prepare the Pumpkin
Cut off and reserve a lid, as you would preparatory to carving a jack-o-lantern. Scoop out all of the seeds and fibers. Put an inch or two of water in a large pot. Place the pumpkin, cut side down, in the water, cap wedged in near it. Bring to a boil over high heat. Cover tightly and steam for 10 to 15 minutes to precook slightly. Remove the pot from the heat and let cool. When cool, remove the pumpkin from the pot. Since the pumpkin will be eaten with the stuffing, I like to season the inside with salt, pepper, a little tamari soy sauce, Pickapeppa, and brown sugar, rubbing this into the exposed interior flesh after steaming.
Prepare the Stuffing
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees fahrenheit, then turn down to 200 degrees. Set a wire rack on a baking sheet and place a single layer of bread slices on the rack. Place in the preheated oven and bake, slowly turning once, until the bread is hard, crunchy, and dry all the way through, but not browned. This is a fairly slow process--it might take 45 to 60 minutes, but set the timer at 20-minute intervals to remind you to check. You will either need to do 2 sheets worth of bread (in which case, reverse their positions in the oven halfway through), or repeat the toasting again until all bread is prepared. Remove the dry bread from the oven and let cool.
Coarsely crumble the bread into a large bowl. Add the onlon, and leafy celery and toss to combine. Measure the sage (starting with the smaller amount) into your hands and rub the leaves back and forth in your palms until they crumble (this releases the volatile essential oils). Add the sage to the bread mixture. Pour the melted butter over the mixture and toss well to combine. Add the soaked dried fruit and toss again. The dressing should still be dry. Begin adding the liquid, a combination of vegetable broth and reserved fruit soaking liquid. Use more stock than juice, and use just enough to moisten the dressing without making it soggy. Keep tossing, adding stock as needed. Add soy sauce, starting with about one tablespoon. Taste for salt, and add it and plenty of pepper to taste. More sage, maybe? This is also the point at which you can add a little dried basil and oregano, too, if you like. The stuffing can be prepared up to this point and stored, covered and refrigerated, overnight.
On the day you plan to stuff the pumpkin, preheat the oven to 375 degrees fahrenheit. If not using nonstick, pan spray a baking dish large enough to accommodate the pumpkin with cooking spray. Stuff the dressing into the cavity of the prepared pumpkin, topping with the pumpkin's cap. Place the stuffed pumpkin in the prepared baking dish. Place in the preheated oven and bake until the pumpkin is slightly brown and looks a bit collapsed in on itself, about 40 minutes. Server whole, at the table.
Photo used under Creative Commons from kimberlykv
Passionate Vegetarian
Amazon Price: $5.98 (as of 05/27/2012)
Brined & Roasted Upside Down Turkey
- Serves: 12
This is an incredibly moist and flavorful turkey recipe! Brining your turkey the night before in a mixture of vegetable broth and brown sugar seals in the flavor. Then roasting the turkey upside down (breast side down) in the oven for the first couple of hours makes for incredibly moist and tender white meat. It is the best!
Ingredients
- 15 pound turkey
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 1/2 cup Kosher salt
- 8 quarts vegetable broth (do not use low salt -- I prefer Wofgang Puck's)
- 12 cups of ice
- 1 carrot peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces
- 1 stalk celery cut into 1-inch chunks
- 4-6 tablespoons unsalted butter melted
Instructions
Brine the turkey.Rinse turkey in cool water. Using a brining bag (see below) inserted into a 5-gallon bucket, or a very large non-corrosive pan, or stockpot such as stainless steel or glass), mix vegetable broth, salt, and brown sugar together until the sugar and salt dissolve. Add the ice, then completely submerge the turkey into the solution and store in the refrigerator for 6 to 8 hours. IMPORTANT - Make sure the turkey stays submerged in the liquid, and that the temperature is kept below 40 degrees fahrenheit throughout the entire brining process.
Cook the turkey,Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Remove turkey from brine. Discard the brine. Thoroughly rinse turkey using cool water, rubbing gently to release salt and sugar, both inside and out. Pat skin and both interior cavities dry.
In the cavity of the turkey, place the carrot and celery. Brush turkey with melted butter. Roast turkey, breast side down, in 325 degree oven for 2 hours. During this time, baste legs and back twice with melted butter. Remove turkey from oven, and holding turkey with several layers of clean paper towels at both ends, turn turkey breast side up. Return turkey to oven and continue troasting, basting twice with pan drippings. Roast until internal temperature reaches 170 degrees Fahrenheit in the breast and 180 degrees Fahrenheit in the thigh.
NOTE: A brined turkey cooks slightly faster than an unbrined turkey, so check the internal temperature frequently. Remove turkey from the oven and allow it to stand for 20 minutes before carving. Transfer to a platter and garnish with fresh fruit.
NOTE: Don't get rid of the pan drippings yet because you will use some of them to make the gravy!
A Great Bag for Brining your Turkey
Elizabeth Karmel's 24-inch Turkey Brining Bag
Amazon Price: $2.99 (as of 05/27/2012)
Turkey Gravy
This recipe uses some of the turkey pan drippings for the gravy so that you get the flavor of the roasted turkey in the gravy, but not all of the saltiness.
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup of the juices from the brined and roasted turkey (after the fat has been separated off)
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 1/4 cup flour
- 2 cups chicken or turkey broth
Instructions
Pour the drippings and juices from the roasted, brined turkey into a fat separator cup. Let the fat rise to the top. In a medium saucepan, melt 3 tablespoons butter over medium low heat. Add the flour and 1/4 cup of the turkey juices (after the fat has been removed). Stir with a whisk to combine. Cook over medium-low or medium heat, stirring constantly, for 1-2 minutes, until the butter/flour mixture is golden. Slowly whisk in the broth and cook over medium heat, stirring or whisking often, for about 10-15 minutes until the gravy has thickened and is bubbly and hot. Season with salt and pepper if needed.
Vegetarian Mushroom Gravy
Vegetarian Friendly
This is a delicious, vegan mushroom gravy.
Ingredients
- 1/3 cup vegetable oil
- 1/3 cup chopped onion
- 2 large cloves garlic minced
- 1/3 cup flour
- 3 tablespoons light soy sauce
- 4 teaspoons nutritional yeast
- 4 cups vegetable broth (I recommend Wolfgang Puck's)
- 1 teaspoon fresh chopped sage leaves or 1/2 teaspoon dried sage
- 1/2 cup chopped mushrooms
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
Heat oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Saute onion and garlic until soft and translucent, about 5 minutes. Stir in flour, nutritional yeast, and soy sauce to form a smooth paste. Gradually whisk in the broth and the mushrooms. Season with sage, salt, and pepper. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer, stirring constantly, for 8 to 10 minutes, or until thickened.
Mashed Potatoes
Vegetarian Friendly
- Serves: 8
Keep them plain and simple, and children will love these mashed potatoes!
Ingredients
- 5 lbs baking potatoes peeled and quartered
- 5 tablespoons butter
- 2-1/2 cups milk
- salt & pepper to taste
Instructions
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add potatoes and cook until tender, about 15 minutes. Drain potatoes and put into a large mixing bowl. In a small saucepan heat the butter and milk over low heat until butter mlelts. Using a potato masher or electric mixer, slowly blend milk mixture into potatoes until smooth and creamy. Season with salt and pepper to taste and serve immediately.
German Red Cabbage
Vegetarian Friendly
- Serves: 10
People love this dish! My sister-in-law, who lived in Germany for many years, gave me this recipe. It has the consistency of a saurkraut, but it is not sour. It is fruity, mellow, and slightly sweet.
Ingredients
- 2 pounds red cabbage
- 1/2 pound onions
- 2 tablespoons cooking oil
- 5 tablespoons vinegar
- 1 pound apples
- 2 whole cloves
- 8 ounces red currant jelly (or any red jelly if you can't find red currant)
- 2 tablespoons heavy cream*
Instructions
Melt oil in a large cooking pot. Dice onions and saute the onions in butter until softened. Grate cabbage and add to the onions. Cook cabbage mixture over medium heat for 20 minutes. Add vinegar. Peel, core, and quarter the apples and add them to the cabbage. Add the jelly and cloves. Cover cabbage mixture and cook over low heat until cabbage is soft (for approximately one hour). Add the cream at the end just before serving.
* Substitute coconut milk for the heavy cream for a vegan version of this recipe.
Lemony Green Beans
Vegetarian Friendly
- Serves: 8
Ingredients
- 2 pounds fresh string beans (I prefer the thin french string beans)
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 1 tablespoon lemon peel
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
Instructions
Cook green beans in a pot of salted boiling water until they are tender crisp, about 2 minutes. Drain the beans and immerse in ice water to stop them from cooking. Melt butter in a skillet. Add the beans to the butter and saute over medium heat for about five minutes until desired degree of tenderness is reached. Mix in the lemon zest and lemon peel and stir over medium low heat for about 1 minute until combined. Serve immediately
Apple Tarte Tatin
Vegetarian Friendly
- Serves: 8
This is unbelievably delicious! The buttery, caramel flavor combined with the tartness of the apples, and the richness of the puff pastry, is the utlimate experience for your taste buds!
Ingredients
- 1 frozen puff pastry sheet from a 17-1/4 ounce frozen package thawed
- 1/2 stick unsalted butter softened
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 7-9 gala or other moderately tart apples peeled cored and quartered lengthwise
- and quartered lengthwise
- vanilla ice cream or whipped cream (optional)
Instructions
Preheat oven to 425 degrees fahrenheit. Roll pastry sheet into a 101/2-inch square on a floured work surface with a floured rolling pin. Brush off excess flour and cut out a 10-inch round with a sharp knife, using a plate as a guide. Transfer the round to a baking sheet and chill.
Spread butter thickly on bottom and side of large oven-proof skillet and pour sugar evenly over the bottom. Arrange as many apples as will fit vertically on sugar in the skillet, packing them tightly in concentric circles . Apples will stick up above the rim of the skillet.
Cook apples over moderately high heat, undisturbed, until juices are deep golden and bubbling, 18 to 25 minutes. Don't worry if the juices color unevenly. Place the skillet in the middle of the oven over a piece of foil (to catch any drips). Bake for 20 minutes, then remove from oven and lay the pastry round over the apples.
Return the skillet to the oven and bake the tart until pastry is browned, 20 to 25 minutes. Transfer skillet to a rack and cool at least 10 minutes.
Just before serving, invert a large platter with a lip over skillet and, using potholders to hold skillet and plate tightly together, invert the tart onto platter. Replace any apples that stick to skillet. Don't worry if there are black spots; they won't affect the flavor of the tart. Brush any excess caramel from skillet over apples.
Serve immediately, or you can let the tart stand in the skillet, uncovered, for up to 5 hours, then reheat it over moderately low heat for 1 to 2 minutes to loosen caramel. Shake skillet gently to loosen tart before inverting.
Serve with a small scoop of vanilla ice cream or whipped cream if desired.
Dinner Music Playlist
Dinner is a time for classical guitar and piano music. The songs on your dinnertime playlist should provide the perfect background for great conversation. Here are some of the pieces on my Thanksgiving dinner time playlist this year.
| Track | Artist | Album | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Leyenda (Albeniz) | Andrés Segovia | Andrés Segovia Recital (1944-1949) | |
| Danza Espanola No. 10 in G Major, Op. 37 | Andrés Segovia | The Legendary Andres Segovia | |
| Suite Nº 1 En G Major For Violoncello BWV 1007-Prelude | Andrés Segovia | Guitarra Española Vol.4 | |
| Summer Day | Brad Mehldau & Pat Metheny | Metheny Mehldau | |
| Make Peace | Brad Mehldau & Pat Metheny | Metheny Mehldau | |
| Mertz: Elegy | Connie Sheu | Waking or Sleeping |
Seating Arrangement Rules
- 1Husbands and wives (as well as significant others) should not sit next to each other.
- 2Try to arrange everyone in a guy-gal-guy-gal order.
- 3Spread the livelier conversationalists out around the table.
- 4Small children usually prefer to sit next to a parent
Place Cards for the Table
Your placecards don't have to be fancy. Here is a free downloadable template from Martha Stewart's website for creating your own Martha Stewart Place Cards Family Friendly Games
Eating Thanksgiving dinner is wonderful, but my favorite time is gathering around the dining room table after dinner and playing games. We like to play charades, and here are some more fun family-friendly games I recommend.Psychiatrist Game
Choose one player in the group to be the psychiatrist, and everyone else in the group will have a shared problem."The psychiatrist's job is to diagnose what everyone's shared problem is. To start things off, the chosen psychiatrist leaves the room while the rest of the group decides on their problem. An example of a problem might be that everyone is addicted to video games. After the problem is chosen, the psychiatrist returns to the room and they must ask each patient personal questions in order to identify their affliction. They don't have to be yes or no questions.If a patient answers incorrectly, or if the question was one that the patient didn't know-- another player yells "Psychiatrist!" and that player and the player who made the incorrect statement get up and swap places. The game continues until the psychiatrist determines the group's affliction.
Memory Game
One guest is chosen to start the game. They start out saying, "I went to a party and brought a XXX" filling in the XXX with something, real or imaginary. Example: "I went to a party and brought a black dog." The next guest must add another item to the previous guest's item. This goes around the table, and each person must list off all the items, then add their own. Once a player forgets an item, they are out of the game. The individual who stays in the longest wins.
Secret Phrase Game
Write different phrases on each of several small pieces of paper and place the phrase under each of your dinner guests' plates. Make the phrases usable but strange. Example: "I am a space cowboy," or "Have you tried ostrich eggs?" Before dinner, ask everybody to read their phrase under their plate-- they're not to read it aloud or share its contents with anybody. Instruct your guests to use their phrase as naturally as they can in conversation. The goal is for each guest to figure out when another guest is using an assigned phrase. If your guests are able to slip the phrase into conversation naturally without anybody noticing, they win.
More Recipes by Jennifer Nelson
Comments & Suggestions:
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JoshK47 Nov 20, 2011 @ 10:49 am | delete
- Wonderful stuff - the turkey alone made my mouth water. Thanks for sharing, blessed by a SquidAngel! :)
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goo2eyes Nov 19, 2011 @ 9:37 pm | delete
- have you played uno or othello? i love these.
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juliavm
Nov 18, 2011 @ 9:03 am | delete
- I love all the games you've got here, for guests to play. This is a great lens.
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PamelaDW
Nov 18, 2011 @ 6:26 am | delete
- What a fabulous menu that has something for everyone. Love it!
The stuffed pumpkin sounds delicious.
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aquarian_insight
Nov 18, 2011 @ 4:27 am | delete
- My mum is a vegetarian so this lens will come in very handy - thank you!
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This Thanksgiving Magazine page written by
jwncoexists
I am a daughter, sister, mother, wife, vegetarian, and animal lover who has a master's degree in computer science and an undergraduate degree in mathe... more »
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