Vegan for the holidays: Merry without the meat

If you think dairy is scary and couldn't care less about roasting the perfect turkey, you may be facing one of the most challenging times of year to beveganor vegetarian the Christmas holidays.

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Sometimes one person eating differently than the rest of the family can create not just confusion, but tension.

CBC News asked plant-based food lovers on the Facebook site Vegetarians and Vegans of PEI how they handle holiday dining, and many people shared their experiences.

I don't show up to my family's traditional turkey dinner and try to make people feed bad about their choices. Tracey Leigh, vegan

"What I find challenging is the lack of veg products on the Island," wrote Crystal Cromwell, who has been vegetarian for 26 years.

She recently moved from Ontario, and noted many of the meat substitutes and vegan-friendly dip and soup mixes she's used to using aren't available here.

"After many years, my husband now enjoys our tofurkey with us as well, so does my dad," Cromwell added.

Tofurkey is tofu loaf seasoned to taste like poultry.

'Prime time'

"When you choose to be vegan you know that cooking for yourself comes along with that often, but I look at it as a prime time to show how fun and delicious vegan food can be," enthuseed P.E.I. plant-based recipe blogger Tracey Leigh.

"Holidays are a great excuse to put in some extra effort, like my Thanksgiving homemade tofurkey and stuffing, mashed thyme cauliflower, roasted vegetables with reduced balsamic and candied walnuts and a kale, squash salad," Leigh explained.

She designs some of her own recipes find them at madebytraceyleigh.com and on herFacebooksite andfinds others online at sites like myvegancookbook.com.

Skip the meat substitutes

Some vegetarians on the Facebook site, frustrated they can't find a tofurkey brand they enjoy in Island stores, are talking about bulk shopping for the products off-Island.

Others like Julianna Chaulk just skip the turkey-alternative idea for holidays such as Christmas and Thanksgiving.

"My mom and I made everything. We had vegan lasagna, shepherd's pie, apple crisp, pumpkin harvest rice, mashed potatoes & veggies, stuffing, pumpkin pie with soy ice cream, squash soup and cranberry sauce. It was great," Chaulk posted, along with photos. Her family, who are not vegan, ate the dishes too and enjoyed them, she said.

Chaulk does not use soy meat veggie ground round which looks and tastes remarkably like ground beef but instead cooks up her own blend of tofu, onions and spices to put in lasagna and shepherd's pie.

'Stick to what you believe'

"Some of my family thinks of my vegan diet as 'extreme' or a 'fad' when in reality a vegan lifestyle has completely changed my life for the better," said Megan MacLeod, 22, of Kensington, who has been eating vegan for less than a year after being vegetarian for about two years.

Her family sometimes questions what's on her plate at family gatherings, she said, but she tries not to get defensive.

"If your family does not agree with it then that is their own issue and it does not affect them. Just stick to what you believe is best for you," she stressed.

Not a time to convert people

Leigh, who is trained in holistic nutrition and is a student in Holland College's Bioscience and Technology program, is vey diplomatic about her approach to holiday dining with non-vegans.

"I don't show up to my family's traditional turkey dinner and try to make people feed bad about their choices, or fill them with facts about how factory farming is harming us and our planet," she said.

"I show up with a delicious vegan plate of food with plenty to share. I fill them in later that it's vegan, once they're done telling me how much they love it."

If you show people the option of living vegan without the fear of losing delicious food, they are more likely to be open-minded, she said.

"The holidays are about spending time with those you love, there's no point in making it a negative environment."

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