The holidays are upon us, with Thanksgiving only a week away. Not only is it a time for us to reflect on the year and enjoy the family and friends around us, it’s a time to indulge in all the holiday goodies we only get once a year – candy canes, gingerbread cookies, roast turkey, deep-fried turkey, turkey gravy, turkey sandwiches. For vegetarians and vegans, however, the thought of sitting down at the table with relatives to dig into a giant pile of meat seems more like torture than a pleasant get-together.
Alienate your vegetarian friends and family members no more! The Wall Street Journal has done the leg work (ha ha) in finding the best turkey alternative for your table this year. Sure veggie-lovers enjoy the mashed potatoes and cranberry sauce, but wouldn’t it be nice if Cousin Scott actually left the table with a smile on his face this year instead of a smirk?
The tried and tested holiday meat alternatives include Tofurky, directly from Oregon-based Turtle Island Foods Inc.; Vegetarian Plus whole “turkey” from VegeUSA; the Celebration Roast, made by the Field Roast Grain Meat Company; and the Vegetarian “Ham”, made by All Vegetarian Inc.
At least one alternative had the testers running in horror:
When the foil was lifted from the roast, an odor evocative of a barnyard or a 4-H fair filled the room. Testers recoiled. One gagged slightly with the first bite. The consensus: forks down.
When making your grocery list this week, be sure to include a tasty meat alternative for your holiday meal. Your vegetarian friends will thank you.
Need more vegetarian holiday meal tips? You can check out ‘What Do Vegetarians Eat At Christmas’ over at the Well Fed Network.