Thanksgiving

Good Stories and Good Food for Vegan Thanksgiving Activism

The graphic to the left is based on a billboard and poster campaign from Peaceful Prairie Sanctuary, a Colorado-based vegan-advocacy group and sanctuary for rescued farmed animals.

When I posted it on my facebook page a few weeks ago, it clearly resonated with many people, given the number of shares it received. In fact, when I shared it on my personal page, it even got a few “likes” from non-vegetarians among my circle of friends.

That suggests to me that this is […]

By Ginny Messina|2017-07-11T21:03:31-04:00November 25th, 2013|Tags: Thanksgiving, Vegan activism|6 Comments

Vegan Thanksgiving is Easy and Traditional

[updated 11/26/19]

Finding recipes for a fabulous vegan Thanksgiving feast is not exactly a challenge. My own Vegan Thanksgiving board on pinterest is quickly filling up with all kinds of delectable dishes that I will probably never make. The reason I won’t make them is that I tend to be traditional regarding Thanksgiving dinner. I want it to be pretty much the way it was when I was growing up, but with a compassionate makeover.

I might be tempted to make one or two new things some years, but mostly it’s all about […]

By Ginny Messina|2019-11-26T10:10:55-05:00November 14th, 2013|Tags: Celebrations, Thanksgiving, Vegan activism|15 Comments

A Vegan Thanksgiving Celebrates Good Food, Activism and Hope

Clove, a rescued turkey at Animal Place

When I sit down with friends to carve the Tofurky on Thanksgiving, it always feels a little bit like lighting a candle in the darkness. People eat meat every day, of course, but somehow a holiday that places such intense focus on the carcass of one particular animal—and is responsible for the slaughter of some 45 million of them—is especially hard for those who care about animals.

Because Thanksgiving feels so heartbreaking to some of us, it can be […]

By Ginny Messina|2017-11-23T16:36:29-05:00November 22nd, 2011|Tags: Celebrations, Thanksgiving, Vegan activism|16 Comments

A Thanksgiving Prayer for the Animals

It’s Thanksgiving Eve and I’m cooking up a storm. There will be nine of us tomorrow around the table plus another couple coming for dessert. I’m also answering email and reading the numerous holiday messages that are rolling in to the various email lists to which I subscribe. It’s depressing.

Most of the emails are about plans for tomorrow’s dinner, about who is cooking the turkey and how. Not a hint of any twinge of misgiving about feasting on an animal who lived a miserable life and died a horrible death for the family holiday. All are cheerfully […]

By Ginny Messina|2009-11-25T17:06:00-05:00November 25th, 2009|Tags: Cookbooks, Poems, Thanksgiving|4 Comments

Vegan Thanksgiving is Easy, Traditional and Delicious

This year, I wrote a letter to the editor of our local newspaper about why we don't have turkey in my home on Thanksgiving. I hope that I was able to capture some of the joy that comes with embracing compassion on this day of all days–one that celebrates family, friendship, abundance and gratitude. (Please take a look at my article on the myth of free-range turkeys, too.)

I look forward to my cruelty-free Thanksgiving dinner every year. I’m a traditionalist, and so my Thanksgiving menu doesn’t change a lot from year to year. There is an entrée surrounded by […]

By Ginny Messina|2009-11-17T12:53:00-05:00November 17th, 2009|Tags: Celebrations, Cookbooks, Recipes, Thanksgiving|2 Comments

A New Vegan Thanksgiving Feast

I loved my Thanksgiving menu from last year and am not especially eager to make too many changes. But it’s always fun to try something new, so I’m tweaking the menu a little bit. I have some reluctant omnivores coming this year so dinner had better be good!

We’re trying a new sweet potato recipe, made with coconut milk. And there will be three kinds of cranberries on the table (you can never have too many cranberry dishes!) I’m also going to try to create a veggie version of that wonderful green bean casserole with French onions, although I […]