turkey talk

Day 11 of 40 Days of Blogging, today’s topic is turkey. Here in the midst of the Nativity Fast there are varying ideas about how Orthodox Christians can appropriately celebrate Thanksgiving, a secular holiday. Some choose to keep the fast believing our religious obligations trump anything secular, but many priests and bishops do grant a dispensation from fasting – although just because we can break the fast on Thanksgiving doesn’t mean we have to. As a layperson, I don’t have to worry about debating this or figuring it out for anyone. This is where a spiritual father comes in really handy.

In my family, some people will be eating turkey, some will stick to fish, which is permitted on Thursdays anyway, and a couple of us will keep our vegan diet. All of us will enjoy great food and, more importantly, wonderful company. The fact we have so many options available to us, that we can eat pretty much whatever we want, is just something else to be thankful for.

Since we’re talking about Thanksgiving, I’m going to provide a list here of some of my own Thanksgiving favorites, including a sort of postmodern turkey alternative (srsly, does anyone really Tofurkey??). Of course they’re vegan, but if you want to replace the margarine with butter, or add eggs or meat or cheese to the recipes, so be it. I will do my best to keep my eyes on my own plate (not making any promises, but I’ll try! Haha).

Green Bean Casserole
Protein Squares and Gravy (better than it sounds, I just couldn’t come up with a good name!)
Stuffing
Scalloped Pineapple (Pineapple Bread Pudding)
Experimental Vegan Pumpkin Pie

Wishing a happy holiday to all!