And of course comes the next topic of discussion that seems to becoming more and more interesting over the Holidays. How do we feed the "odd" one in the family lol. For some families who are all vegetarians or vegans this isn't so hard but for a lot of us our families like the traditional turkey dinner with all the trimmings and if we eat even a little different then the rest we are sometimes labelled the picky eaters or the "hard" ones to feed.
Personally I am quite use to this. Growing up my step dad was usually the only vegetarian present at our family meals and I learned from him you can make quite a meal with the veggies and dinner trimmings. Of course stuffing was out if it was cooked in the Turkey but he still managed to enjoy the meal with out fuss. Now being vegan can be a bit more challenging. With the use of butters and cheeses and milk it can rule out a lot of foods at family dinners.
For my vegan friends who go to family dinners like this do you bring your own foods? Or do you make small exceptions during the holidays? My grandmother is actually allergic to milk protein so going to her house for Turkey dinner if you are a vegan is actually a bonus. Just avoid the turkey and the gravy.
I was raised of the mind to be respectful to my host and not to refuse what was given to me, even if I normally would not eat it. Now this may seem old fashioned but that is how my parents raised me. If someone was going to slave all day in the kitchen I should show a little appreciation. But for some who have never eaten meat or dairy this may result in you feeling very ill later. What are your feelings on this? If you cooked for 4-5 hours making a turkey dinner or even a tofurky dinner would you find it offensive if someone brought their own food? Or kindly refused over half of what you made?
Before I got pregnant I was eating a vegan diet more or less. I didn't get excited if I found my bread was baked with some milk but I also didn't intentionally eat any animal products. Since the end of my first trimester this time around I found I craved meat and started to eat small portions of it again 2-3 times a week.
I still love my vegan meals and raw foods though. And this year I spoiled myself and purchased a Vitamix. (Actually scored it second hand from my mothers aunt who never even used it after purchase! Whoo Hoo.) So I am totally stoked to make some awesome raw vegan desserts and side dishes to bring to family supper. More than anything to get people to experiment with new foods. I have already found 2 gluten free and/or sugar free cookie recipes I really love and feed to my daughter who is 1.5 yrs old.
The first is a peanut butter/banana oatmeal cookie you can find here: Gluten-Free Vegan Banana Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
The next one isn't vegan but you could easily make it so by substituting the egg with flax or maybe a banana or two. But it is gluten free. You can find it here: Flourless Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
I haven't tried this yet but I would really love to: Raw Vegan Pumpkin Pie
And you can bet your bottom dollar I will be making this Eggnog substitute. I loved eggnog growing up.
Here are some other recipe sites I plan to reference this season: 10 Vegetarian Christmas Recipes from glutenfreegoddess.blogspot.ca, The Best Vegan Christmas Recipes from Sheknows.com.
If you have any tried and true recipes you love, vegan, vegetarian or otherwise I would love to hear them. I truly enjoy trying new foods - specially healthy foods.
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