6th Annual Thankful Veghead Dinner

clockwise from top center: Fresh Ginger Coconut Sweet Potato Mash (courtesy of Tracy), Sage- and Pumpkin Seed-Encrusted Seitan With Roasted Garlic-Pumpkin Sauce, Tangerine Cranberry Sauce, FatFree Stuffing, Tofurky and Gravy, Almost Beef Wellington, Herbed Scalloepd Potatoes, Spicy Parmesan Green Beans and Kale, Hazelnut & Chard Ravioli Salad (courtesy of my sister) .

[Not pictured: Christmas Kale Chopped Salad, Mashed Spiced Sweet Potatoes, and Potato-Sweet Potato Mash (courtesy of Becky).]

Even before I went vegan, I started a vegetarian tradition of hosting a vegan dinner in the fall- a place where vegetarians, vegans, veg-curious, and veg-friendly could gather and feast. It's basically in the style of a tradtional Thanksgiving, only I don't like the Thanksgiving label and I prefer my meals to be free of harm to others.

This year was the 6th Annual Thankful Veghead Dinner. I'm not sure I originally expected it to be an annual tradition, but now I look forward to it every year.

clockwise from the pumpkin: Vegan Cream Cheese Sugar Cookies, Gingerbread Apple Pie, Vegan Pecan Pie Muffins, Chocolate Toffee Shortbread Bars (courtesy of my sister), Pumpkin Pie Brownies.


This reference will probably be lost on most of you, since it is rather obscure, but for some reason every time I host a nice dinner party like this I think of the Disney movie, Child of Glass, where Barbara Barrie plans a fancy cotillion with mint juleps. Maybe it's her enthusiasm. Or that I love the idea of mint juleps even if I am not fond of the actual drink itself. And I'd love to go to a cotillion or even a masquerade ball. Alas, I'll just have to settle for movies and the rare syrupy sweet non-alcoholic mint juleps from Disneyland.

[You can watch the whole movie on youtube, just look for part one to get started, but you at the beginning of this clip is one spot where Barbara Barrie is talking about having a party. I love this movie. Sure, it's from the 70s but Disney made some good ghost stories back then. It's also based on the book, The Ghost Belonged to Me by Robert Peck, author of the Blossom Culp series, which this is a part of. Lastly, Anthony Zerbe plays a damn funny drunk.]