By: Taylor Briscoe

When one thinks of Thanksgiving, words like fall, harvest, pumpkin, and turkey come to mind.  However, for a non meat eater on this holiday, turkey means much more than a tasty main course.  

Sure, there are many other food options that can be eaten, but what about an entrée for the rising number of American vegetarians and vegans?  Some may still want the taste of turkey on Thanksgiving without the meat, while others want nothing that is even similar.  Since turkey is such a staple of the traditional Thanksgiving meal, it of course is not easy to replace.  Nonetheless, there are some great alternatives out there.  Here are some examples of what a vegetarian plate may consist of, each including a delicious substitute for turkey.  Vegetarians, feast on!

What about taking this challenge one step farther?  In addition to the increasing number of vegetarians, the vegan diet and lifestyle is also quickly becoming popular.  For those who do not know, there is a distinct difference between a vegan and a vegetarian.  The definition of a classic vegetarian is a person who does not eat or does not believe in eating meat or fish, while the definition of a vegan is a vegetarian who omits all animal products from the diet. So like a vegetarian, vegans cannot consume any type of meat; however, the diet also exempts any sort of product even derived from an animal.

For example, a vegan diet would rule out popular foods like cheese, milk, egg, and needless to say, even ice cream!  This would make it extremely challenging to find a variety of foods to eat on a normal day-to-day basis, let alone on the annual American feasting day of Thanksgiving!  Although vegetarian foods like

Tofurky ®, cranberry bean salad, and vegetable soup are all still great entrees for a vegan, there are also a wide spread of sides that vegans may enjoy on Thanksgiving Day as well!