Inlaws for Thanksgiving. What can I take to have something to eat????
Oh PLEASE help me. I do not care for my in laws, and my wonderful husband just told me we have to go this year :( I got out of it last year, but i need to take a dish or 2 that won't overstep the boundaries of bringing my own meal, but just bringing a "dish". The mother is a total control freak and even when i wasn't vegan, her food sucked. Instant potatoes, turkey "loaf" icky......I need a nice hearty dish that I can take so that I will actually have something to eat. HELP!!!! 2 years ago, we had to go, and I think i had a handfull of greenbeans, that was all i could eat, and then we stopped for veggie Chinese on the way home. totally pathetic :(
I am slowly venturing out into new dishes, but i have not perfected anything yet. I am the only vegan there among 7 omni's that HUNT!!!! help :(
green bean casserole?
To avoid stepping on toes, you could ask (or have your husband ask) what your MIL is planning to make. Hopefully you can find something that might fit in as a side dish for others, but wouldn't be a duplicate.
Which Thanksgiving dish do you like most? For me, it would probably be sweet potato casserole (basically mashed sweet potatoes with plenty of brown sugar and a walnut topping) - if I knew there wouldn't be anything I could eat, I'd probably make that. It's not exactly a balanced meal in itself - but I could eat a whole meal's worth. :) But, if you want something a that could be a whole meal for you, but a side dish for others, how about a hearty soup? I would do lentil soup or perhaps a squash soup.
If you wanted to bring a second thing, how about an awesome vegan dessert? Pumpkin pie (if your MIL isn't already making one), or apple pie would be delicious. Cookies or cupcakes in either a "fall" flavor or decorated with a fall theme (or both) would be great too.
Whatever you bring, I would suggest trying out the recipe beforehand so you can feel more confident when sharing with others. :) I'm sure your husband will appreciate your efforts to get along with his family!
I would bring a lentil shepard's pie, everyone seems to love it when I make it and it's very filling.
Stuffed zucchini (With sage and onions and bread crumbsss. mm.)
And basil green beans. (blanche them and then quickly saute them with a tiny bit of olive oil and a ton of basil. yum.)
vegan stuffing, 7 layer dip, vegan mashed potatoes, roasted veggies
Thank you guys. I am having such trouble coming up with anything. The mil is such a control freak. I hesitate at taking anything. i figured i could sit there with a glass of water and be good.
i guess i will lean on a pie/dessert type thing. maybe a pasta salad or something. it is just so hard to try to find something to incorporate into the traditional thanksgivings day items. The mil doesn't go outside the norm.
I am kind of stuck at it having to be a cold item too. no crockpot, no stove/burner option.
if only you knew how i dread this......................:(
thank you so much again
Yummy Nut Roast http://vegweb.com/index.php?topic=7406.0 is delicious hot or cold. Cut it in slices like meatloaf. If you don't want to take the whole thing, take a slice or two for yourself. It's rich and filling and satisfying. But a lot of people like it, not just veg*ns.
Wild rice, brown rice, lentil, mushroom pilaf. Goes well with other Thanksgiving dishes.
Stuffed and baked winter squashes, like the golden acorn. Beautiful on the plate.
Oh, yes, definitely stuffed acorn squash. Try this stuffing in them:
http://vegweb.com/index.php?topic=30913.msg365349#msg365349
and tell me what you think
Wild rice, brown rice, lentil, mushroom pilaf. Goes well with other Thanksgiving dishes.
How about LucidAnne's Lentil Rice Salad: http://vegweb.com/index.php?topic=18137.0
It's served cold, and it's filling and nutritious.
you could make potato salad and a big salad with vegan dressing for you
Thank you for all of the great ideas. I definately am going to try one, if not 2 of the yummy suggested filling side dishes and then a couple of desserts too. The mother in law doesn't make desserts either.....WHO doesn't make some kind of dessert for thanksgiving.....oh i wish i didn't have to go :(
Thank you again, very eager to try some of these out. I usually take something and no one either tries it or noone even looks at it. it is just pathetic. hard core omnis....
I like yabbitgirls recipe for the stuffing. If you add some dried cranberries to it, the color will be incredible with golden acorn squash. Who could resist it?
Or if you do a lentil, rice, nut loaf, make a mushroom gravy for it or what's prettier is a cherry sauce. Get a jar of your favorite cherry preserves, heat it up in a sauce pan with a little red or white wine and some rosemary. Again, it looks beautiful on the plate.
Take not only delish side dishes and dessert but take a spirit of generosity and tolerance. I know they do not understand you or anything you believe in but be gracious, polite and steadfast in your own beliefs without throwing them at others. Kill them with kindness. Smother them with politeness. In general have a great time being the one can rise above differences to be gracious to all.
Im not saying you dont, but its always a good reminder to all of us especially during trying times around the holidays. (Or really anytime that we have to suffer through omni meals with nothing but water and raw carrots.)
Situations like these make me ever so glad that I don't do holidays.
cali, i guess you are right. i am kind of coming off as a mean vegan. I am not. I am very respectful of his parents. I am very patient. It just frustrates me that I try to be nice and greatful, but all i ever get is made fun of. On rare occasions, i get a baked potato too......
i am thankful for everything i have, and i never push my lifestyle on anyone. I feel that you choose what you want to do and what you want to belive in. I just wish that they had more respect for me too.
secondbase, i hear you. I am still fairly new to all of this, going on 2 years. I find it so exciting to make new meals, desserts ect...with the challenge of making recipes vegan. Some people really can't wait to try my stuff, and i am excited to share. It is just the inlaws mainly. They are hardcore "just the regular staples of the traditional meals". I have to chuckle at the suggestions of bean loaves and squash ideas. i am ridiculed now for desserts that are vegan and you can't even tell are. I can only imagine if i came in with a bean loaf. I don't mind a bean loaf, but to walk in a room there with something like a bean loaf....oh my, i can only imagine. I may as well walk in the door in a lettuce bikini. ::)
Well hey, it would be cooler than Lady Gaga and her meat bikini....really fresh! ;)b
I may as well walk in the door in a lettuce bikini. ::)
Take THAT, Lady Gaga!