Thanksgiving can be a time of positive memories and traditions, where we can beautifully claim how we’ve taken this American holiday and given it our own vibes. I still can taste my late grandmother’s collard greens cooked with turkey neck bones and her four-cheesed mac and cheese.
We also have to negotiate within our own families as our community continues to adopt healthier lifestyles or traditions, including a vegan diet, a transformation of our favorite passed-down recipes. But that doesn’t mean we’ve got to give up the flavor!
Reigning plant-based queen Tabitha Brown spoke with EBONY about her tips on making vegetarian Thanksgiving dishes that are good enough to claim prime real estate on your holiday dinner table.
“Don’t overthink it! You can still have all the traditional favorites,” she urged. Family favorites like mac and cheese get new life when you combine cashew milk, carrots, potatoes, vegan cheeses and spices for a hearty dish.
For the main event—the Thanksgiving turkey—Brown suggested that we “slow cook jackfruit in a crock pot using McCormick Burger Business and other spices to give it a roasted flavor. It’s a great substitute for turkey.”
Now, about those greens! The author of I Did a New Thing: 30 Days to Living Free likes to season this dish with McCormick Sweet, Like Smoky, garlic, onions and olive oil. “You still get all the flavor without meat being added!” I think my Nana would have approved!
