Meatless substitutes for classic fare

On a holiday centered on a large meat-based dish, vegetarians and vegans—especially the recently converted—often have trouble fitting their own dishes into the mix.

Luckily for them, it's become relatively easy to have a veg-friendly Thanksgiving meal. Many restaurants are serving vegetarian friendly options, and for those less inclined to cook, many restaurants offer a vegetarian or vegan-friendly Thanksgiving dinner.
One such restaurant is Plum Bistro, a vegan restaurant on Capitol Hill.

Though Plum's Thanksgiving menu isn't completely set in stone, manager Sonja Spinarski said there will definitely be some sort of event.

Most likely, there will be two four-course meal options: traditional and gourmet. The traditional will be vegan versions of traditional Thanksgiving dishes, while the gourmet choices will more likely be based on items from Plum's regular menu.

Instead of several smaller tables, the restaurant will have two big tables for the holiday, allowing customers to mingle and giving the restaurant more of a family feel. This also gives Thanksgiving company to eaters who may choose to come alone.

Other vegan restaurants, such as Squid & Ink in Georgetown, will be having a more traditional vegan Thanksgiving, serving items like homemade stuffed tofurkey loaf and cornbread stuffing.

Fremont's Flying Apron Bakery will be selling specialty Thanksgiving items like pumpkin and sweet potato-pecan pies.

Many vegans, like junior biochemistry major Heather Nicholas, prefer to make their own Thanksgiving dinner. Since she's the only vegan in her family, she uses easy substitutes to make traditional dishes vegan-friendly yet appealing to the rest of her family.

"It's pretty easy," Nicholas said. "You can make a lot of things like mashed potatoes, yams and stuffing by substituting margarine and soy products for butter and cream."

Some, like junior sociology major Faith Markham, prefer slightly less traditional cuisine.
Markham doesn't really like tofurkey, a turkey substitute usually made with wheat or tofu. She usually makes more seasonal vegetable dishes like stuffed butternut squash and mushroom risotto.

"I do most of the cooking anyway," Markham said, "so my family doesn't really mind."

Markham likes to mix some traditional dishes in with her own favorites. She makes small changes, like using sourdough bread, which is almost always vegan, to make vegan stuffing.

Markham also likes to make vegan versions of staple Thanksgiving desserts such as pumpkin and apple pie. She said the most difficult part is making her own crust, since most pre-made piecrusts are not vegan.

Whatever the tradition, diners who avoid animal products need not settle for a bland tofurkey dinner. Substitutions are easy, options are abundant and carnivorous family members might not even notice the difference.

Katy may be reached at kmccourt@su-spectator.com