Comments on: The Whole Deal™ on Thanksgiving

By: Cheryl Sohn

Cheryl Sohn — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 20:07:31 +0000

We are not vegetarian, buy we entertain friends that are. So we make sure to inquire whenever we invite people over, what they do or do not eat.
What we have done the last couple of years is buy a pumpkin just after Halloween and set it out, uncut, to decorate our front stoop. Then, the week of Thanksgiving, we cut it up, roast it (salt, pepper and a little olive oil), and roast the seeds (season with something like Tony’s). We bag it and put it in the fridge until turkey day. The roast pumpkin is yummy as is, or can then be turned into soup or pumpkin risotto. And the seeds make a nice topping for the soup! This year, we tried a batch with no seasonings, and I’m going to try it out as pumpkin pie.

By: Linda Reddish

Linda Reddish — Sun, 23 Nov 2008 23:04:23 +0000

Thank you for posting recipes for vegetarians! I was starting to panic as I am cooking this year for my family who are all eat meaters and I am not. The website has helped me find a balance to prepare meals I can eat and I can make for them as well.

By: sandra bowles

sandra bowles — Sat, 22 Nov 2008 23:06:40 +0000

I get Mollys comment about veggans and turkey but somehow I don’t think the first Thanksgiving celebration was about being veggan or not. They just wanted to eat and give thanks for having food, etc. I find that choosing to be veggan often means limited choices when attempting to go traditional- especially in a scenario where turkey and thanksgiving are practically synonomous.

One thing I am sure of as a Whole Foods customer myself, is that you will have many non turkey choices and lots of veggan recipes for the holidays online and even around the store. Enjoy your turkey free day of gratitude!

By: Jody

Jody — Sat, 22 Nov 2008 13:30:34 +0000

I am a single dad and my daughter in college spends Thanksgiving with me this year. We are having our favorite- Home made Organic Tofu Turkey, Organic Mashed Potatoes, Organic Yams, Organic Peas, Organic cranberry sauce, Vegan Gravy, Sparkling Cider, Organic home made Vegan Tofu-Pumpkin Pie, and Apple Pie. These are all very easy to make, and we get all our groceries at Whole Foods. They even have a Vegan Pumpkin Pie but I prefer to make my own, which is easy. this Wednesday night when I get home I just press the tofu in a cheese cloth lined colander and the tofu turkey is ready to cook Thanksgiving afternoon. The sides take minutes. Here is a nice recipe for Tofu Turkey and the Pumpkin Pie:

http://vegweb.com/index.php?topic=7691.0

http://vegweb.com/index.php?topic=6174.0

Happy Thanksgiving to All!!

By: Jenn

Jenn — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 22:34:07 +0000

I, too, am a frequent Whole Foods shopper and site surfer and would like to see more vegan tips, featured recipes, and products! Thanks, Molly, for requesting some vegan recipes adn thanks Winnie for your response.

I want to know if there are any vegan cooking classes offered at Whole Foods in Nashville Tennessee and who/where I can go to discuss this with someone in person. Thanks!

By: Winnie Hsia

Winnie Hsia — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 21:33:11 +0000

@Molly Our customer tips are chosen what customers have submitted to us and unfortunately, that did not include any vegetarian tips. As a vegan myself, I know how tough the holidays can be for anyone with any dietary restriction (gluten free, vegan, vegetarian, lactose intolerant, etc). However, we do offer some great vegetarian recipes in our Holiday Recipe guide: http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/holidays/recipes/maincourses.php#vegetarian as well as guidance for other dietary needs.

By: Molly

Molly — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 17:41:17 +0000

Nice to see you paying attention to vegetarians. Love how everyone thinks they too eat turkeys. In other words, can you provide tips beneficial for all of your customers?

By: Diane Pavlovich

Diane Pavlovich — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 23:42:32 +0000

I come from a big family ( 20 people are attending and thats immediate family and a couple family friends, what we always do is each member of the family does 2-3 dfferent things, someone does the starch, sides, salad, desserts etc, then when we have done the turkey we clean the carcass out and make turkey stock and freeze it in ice cubes so we can make soup with it whenever we want.

By: Daniella Calenzo

Daniella Calenzo — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 18:07:40 +0000

I am a grad student stuck in the throes of finals and thus, am stuck in my apartment for Thanksgiving. Just because you’re alone, does not mean you have to eat Chinese food on Thanksgiving!

Instead of buying a whole turkey, I am going to buy smaller portions, like Turkey Breasts and Wings/Thighs (my favorite part of thanksgiving is the turkey, stuffing and cranberry sauce sandwich the next day so I will be mindful of this when I am choosing how much to buy). For the stuffing, I found an Italian Sausage stuffing recipe that uses loafs of Italian Bread, and so it will easily be adapted to a smaller portion. For other side dishes, such as the cranberry sauce, I will probably cheat a little and buy it at Whole Foods (I doubt I will be sacrificing anything!).

While you may not always be able to spend Thanksgiving with those you love, there is no reason to deny yourself delicious, home-cooked, affordable food on this delicious day of Thanks!