6 Tips For A Stress-Free Vegan Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving is a week away in the U.S.! And though it’s bound to be at least a little less stressful this year for the introverts among us (that’s me!), cooking a festive meal could stress anyone out–no matter the size of your group.
So I’m here to help! These tips could apply to not just a quarantine version of a vegan thanksgiving, but hopefully also to those planning a smaller thanksgiving for any reason (if you’re reading this in the future).
It doesn’t have to be hard, and it doesn’t have to be complicated.
Here are six tips for a stress-free vegan thanksgiving!
1. Start planning your meal at least a week in advance.
This will give you time to decide what you’d like to make and compile a shopping list, as well as a broad window for when you’ll go to the grocery store.
2. Focus on the star of your meal.
Make the main dish one of the first things you prepare on Thanksgiving morning. Not only do vegan roasts (such as a tofurky) usually take longer to cook than everything else, it will remove the biggest stressor from your back first thing in the morning.
As far as what main to choose, think about what everyone likes, how many people you have coming and how much leftover you would like to have (because leftovers can be just as good, if not better).
If you’re cooking for two people (or just yourself), a good option may be the Field Roast 1lb roast, enough for a first meal and some great sandwiches the day after. If you’re having a bigger group, Tofurky’s Plant-Based Holiday Feast is an excellent option–it even comes with gravy and a dessert!
3. Decide on the two sides you love the most.
As far as my thanksgiving meal is concerned, I am a sucker for sides and I prepare a vegan version of everything traditional: stuffing, green bean casserole, sweet potato mash, even biscuits!
But especially if you’re new to cooking vegan food, that can seem a little overwhelming to you. Or, perhaps you’d like a less complicated meal. If that’s you, an easy solution is to think about which two sides are your absolute favorite, and just stick with those.
Having only three dishes to prepare (four if you count dessert) is a lot less daunting, and will enable you to take your time preparing each one.
4. Make dessert the easiest thing.
If your heart won’t feel full on Thanksgiving without a pumpkin pie, that’s perfectly fine. You do you! But otherwise, try and make dessert the simplest thing you prepare.
Reason number one is that there’s a chance you’ll be too full for dessert in the first place. But another reason for this is that your oven will be busy all morning cooking dinner, so if you can find something that you can either make ahead or that is no-bake, you will find that life is a lot easier.
Even better yet, buy dessert! If you’re lucky enough to find it, Daiya has vegan cheezecakes in the freezer section at the grocery store (they even have pumpkin spice flavor, and yes it is delicious). If you buy the Tofurky Feast for dinner, a dessert such as brownies or cheezecake is usually included with that.
If worst comes to worst, a vegan mug cake is an easy, quick, single-serving option to satisfy your sweet tooth.
5. Order your ingredients from a food delivery or curbside service (such as Instacart).
If time is an issue for you (or if you’d rather not brave through the stressful minefield that is the grocery store), services like Instacart or Postmates Fresh will pick up your ingredients for you and deliver them right to your door. This option might not be for everyone, but it’s certainly worth looking into if it would save you some time and some overwhelm.
You might also check with your local grocery store for similar services; I know my Shoprite has a service called Shop From Home, where you can get your groceries through curbside pick-up.
6. Create a Pinterest board or a recipe binder with a section for holiday recipes.
Especially if you’re a new vegan, you’ll want to have a lot of great recipes in your arsenal for the future. And while this is just as helpful a practice year-round, it can be especially helpful around the holidays to have a stack of tried-and-true recipes to pull out at a moment’s notice.
My recipe binder has a section of Thanksgiving recipes that I reference every year, and I have never not been glad I have it. If you’d like to save paper, you can make a Pinterest board dedicated to vegan recipes.
Bottom line: save every Thanksgiving recipe you make and love this year, and your future self will thank you.
Those are my tips! I hope they make your holiday a little less stressful and a little more enjoyable. Stay safe y’all, and happy Thanksgiving!