Thanksliving

{photo credit: powerpigsetups via Flickr}

What a weekend! After my crazy business travel earlier this week, I was looking forward to some much-needed R&R this past weekend. Long story short, I was still at the office until after 7:30 pm Friday, and here I am working from home on a Sunday. I have a bunch of deadlines coming up this week, and I’m really hoping once I get through this week, things calm down a bit for me. Good news though is I did get to go out on Friday night with Jim and some friends and we had such a good time, it pretty much took me all day yesterday to recuperate! Sometimes letting loose is the best way to get grounded and get the much-needed rest your body craves.

While working today at my computer I remembered it’s November! And that means Thanksgiving is right around the corner. Thanksgiving has always been my favorite holiday, and the past few years I’ve hosted my in-laws at our Brooklyn apartment. I love to cook so hosting comes naturally to me. Turkey day is still always a weird thing for me though being I’m adamantly opposed to eating turkeys.

The menu I put together last year was entirely vegan, with the exception of the turkey. Jim took on the turkey challenge and made it himself. This year’s going to be a bit different though being for the first time ever, we’re both veg. So after some discussion, we both decided our Thanksgiving was going to be a vegan event. I am so incredibly excited by this, because I’ve always wanted to host an all-veg Thanksliving. No joke. It’s been a dream of mine since I was a kid. I’ve for the past few years wanted to take the money we would have used buying a turkey to sponsor a rescued turkey, and make the most delicious vegan spread for my loved ones to celebrate and give thanks for all my good fortune.

We let all our guests know the Thanksliving plan in advance, and everyone’s been amazingly cool about it. I haven’t divulged the menu just yet because I’m still working on it, but I think I’m going to do the same menu I did last year because it was delicious. Here’s what I’m thinking as of now. If you’re wondering where the tofurkey is… as of right now I think I’m going to skip it. Since I’m hosting a bunch of omnivores, they’re going to hate it anyway and I have another tried and tested option as our “showcase” entrée for the meal. Once I decide on a final menu, I’ll go ahead and post all the recipes for anyone who might be looking for a great vegan Thanksgiving menu that’s a crowd pleaser.

Starters (buffet style):

My homemade baked herb almond cheese
Spinach and Artichoke Dip
Crudité Plate
Some sort of phyllo cup (maybe filled with mushrooms, vegan sausage or something similar)

Dinner: