With this crazy weather, it’s hard to remember what time of year it is. Just a couple weeks ago it was freezing rain and windy and this past weekend, it was so warm, we enjoyed lunch outside. Can Thanksgiving really be next Thursday?
During the holidays, I get lots of e-mails, especially from new vegans, asking for advice. So from now until the end of the year, I’m going to post some of my favorite holiday menus, tips, and recipes to help you get through the season deliciously stress-free. Let’s begin with my favorite cranberry sauce made with lime marmalade, pictured above.
To launch my Holiday Hotline, I’m also giving away a copy of my holiday (and everyday) cookbook, Party Vegan. Filled with menus and recipes for everything from casual get-togethers, to potluck dishes, to holiday dinners, Party Vegan is filled with advice for all kinds of entertaining, gleaned from my years of experience as a caterer.
To win a copy of Party Vegan, just leave a comment at the end of this post. Your comment can be anything from your favorite holiday food, to a question you’d like to see answered in an upcoming post. You can even leave your own tip for stress-free holidays!
Enter now – the giveaway closes on Friday night 11/16 at midnight. A winner will be chosen at random and announced on Saturday morning. Good luck!
P.S. Even if you already own Party Vegan, you should still enter this giveaway. If you win, that second copy will make a great gift!
P.P.S. FOR A SECOND CHANCE TO WIN: Link to this giveaway on Twitter or Facebook and then leave a second comment telling me you did so.
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red mashed potatoes!! after going vegan, i’ve devolped a pretty tasty mashed potatoe recipe! can’t wait to make it for thanksgiving & xmas! woohoo!
Those cranberries look Gorgeous!! I’d love to win a copy of your book. Thanks!
Right now I am craving some vegan Pumpkin Cheesecake!!!
My favorite holiday food is the “finger food / tapas” that we eat with cocktails 😀
Oh what a great giveaway! This would be fun for new recipes when my friends and I do our “friends thanksgiving” – which usually involves a vegan lentil loaf and some delicious vegan sides 🙂
Looking forward to my first vegan Holiday Season.
I love your recipes, Robin! You make it so easy to be vegan 🙂
I am thinking of attempting to go vegan for a few weeks after exams. I think one of the things I will miss the most is Greek Yogurt, if there is anyway to make soy-yogurt creamier I would love to know! 🙂
Here’s my comment…hoping we win this awesome book for our Silent Book Auction at our Santa Clara County Activists for Animals 3rd Annual Holiday Vegan Bake Sale on Dec. 8th here in ever-sunny San Jose, Ca. You can offer to bake, help out in other ways or simply stop by and partake. Check out our vegan Gingerbread Animal Decoration Station for the kids too!
Happy Holidays!
Here is our Facebook event page: https://www.facebook.com/#!/events/155216984618271/
What a shameless plug! all for the animals.
I love your cookbooks! In fact, I own most of them, but not Party Vegan. We are having 15 people for Thanksgiving at my house, so this sure could come in handy. I’m already serving your comfort loaf and mushroom gravy from Vegan on the Cheap.
I love stuffing…and vegan stuffing is the best!!!
My best holiday tip is to plan your menu and then make as much ahead as possible. If you are also having overnight guests, make breakfast items ahead of time and then freeze! Here’s a link to my feast from last year, I made the omelette burgers and pancakes ahead and froze them. Just had to reheat when needed (toaster oven for the pancakes, cast iron skillet for the breakfast burgers): http://veganfazool.blogspot.com/2011/11/feast-photos-thanksgiving-2011.html
Thanks for a great giveaway! I don’t have this book but it’s been on my wishlist a while!
XOXO
Veggie Kabobs, YUM!
My fave holiday food is stuffing!
Oh, I’d have to say that I’m a bit of a stuffing fiend! I could live on it around this time of year! And, I would looooove your book!
I tweeted the giveaway.
I have no parties in the plan but this book might be the inspiration to have one. Just to mention “Vegan on the Cheap” got me started on a vegan diet and then added 1000 Vegan Recipes and with the two was able to have a solid varying offering everyday. Both are extremely dependable in turning out great fare!
Stuart
Would love to win the cookbook- need some ideas for a vegan wedding coming up next year.
I’m well on my way to owning all of your books and winning this book would be a great addition! Love your books/recipes!!!
this is my first thanksgiving as a vegan and i’m wondering if you have any advice or recipes for me, since i’m driving 4+ hours to spend the long weekend with my sister’s omni family. i’d love to prepare (or partially prepare) one or two balanced dishes that will do ok on the drive.
Kim, Here are some suggestions: a shepherd’s pie or a stuffed squash (with beans or other protein in the stuffing) would be easy to transport and reheat in the oven. A hearty grain salad made with brown rice or quinoa, white beans or chickpeas, lots of veggies, dried cranberries, and pecans, would be good to have over the long weekend to supplement. A nice vegetable lasagna would do well, too.
thanks so much!
Mashed potatoes are my favorite holiday food. I love your cookbooks, Robin–thanks for the giveaway!
I linked to this giveaway on Twitter. https://twitter.com/msmollygirl/status/268037376813707265
somehow I gave up having parties or entertaining when I stopped using animal products. we eat simple foods and I can’t deal with trying to ‘fancy’ them up. This book might be a life saver for me.
I love the holidays! It’s all about the sweets for me… pumpkin everything, peppermint brownies, gingerbread cookies…. YUM!
How about vegan gingerbread ANIMAL cookies? We are making them for our bake sale!
I would love this book!
I used to enjoy a WW Thanksgiving recipe for brussels sprouts with chestnuts, a splash of maple syrup, and turkey bacon. Now that I see the vegan light, I might try this one with vegan bacon. So many recipes, so little time!
I always think of chocolate peanut butter balls when it comes to holiday foods. We used to sneak into the basement and grab a handful from the freezer. Quite often, by Christmas time, there were none of these treats left!
I shared on Facebook
Right now I am working on Thanksgiving ideas. This book would be so helpful! And that cranberry sauce looks delish!
Planning the menu and pre-cooking is my lifesaver. Makes everything much less stressful on the day 🙂
My favorite holiday food is fudge because my mother wouls make it at Thanksgiving and Christmas so it reminds me of her.
Will be looking here for tips! I’ve been vegan since 1990 and just discovered you thru friends’ posts about your new slow cooker cookbook. I now have Fire & Spice–excellent recipes! I’m looking forward to your slow cooker cookbook and am considering your cookbook on healthier dishes (the name escapes me). I mention you every day to someone new. Very happy to have discovered your cookbooks!
I tweeted, too– @mollypc
i love planning our vegan thanksgiving dinner every year…and baking pies! roasted brussels sprouts and mashed sweet potatoes are a must, but i’m always looking for new entree ideas. i love bringing “our” food to our omnivore families’ holidays and seeing them get excited about what we’ve made for ourselves.
I love all things STUFFED for parties… particularly stuffed peppadew peppers and stuffed “deviled” potatoes!
love it…http://nuestracena-vegancuisine.blogspot.com
I would have to say mashed potatoes, gravy and stuffing YUM!!!!!!!!!!!!
this will be my first vegan holiday and I am looking forward to it. I have pulled out one of your cookbooks to look through it. I am sure it will be lovely and a compassionate feast whatever I make!
thanks for all your hard work and sharing your passion with us.
cranberry sauce with sweet potato flapjacks-YUM!!!!
That cranberry sauce looks AMAZING!
The pies! I made my first vegan pumpkin pie recently – needs some work, but was pretty good!
I love the idea of a vegan cookbook for special occasions. I have the whole weeknight, simple dinners for our family of four down pretty well but could use some good ideas (though still relatively simple and healthy!) for guests and holidays.
I love sweet potato casserole!
I make the holidays simple by making my mashed potatoes, stuffing, and pies the day before. My mother thought it was impossible that make-ahead mashed potatoes actually tasted good- my secret is that I use a blend of vegan cream cheese and vegan sour cream to the potatoes, a nice bunch of fresh chives, and then bake it the next day for about 25 minutes. Less dishes while everybody is at my house since it’s baking in the pretty corningware that it’s served in! More time for me to enjoy seeing the family!
Love your books Robin! My favourite is Vegetarian Meat and Potatoes, and I just purchased Fresh From the Vegan Slow Cooker Every recipe is delicious!
I love cinnamon rolls on Christmas Morning!
I can’t wait for vegan pumpkin cheesecake!
I tweeted about the giveaway: https://twitter.com/SabrinaInDE/status/268176370138509314
Pumpkin Pie!! That is what I would choose!
And I Tweeted … https://twitter.com/jasubabasuja
I’m just interested in any recipes that readily appeals to everyone (vegan or omnivore). Any new twist on the standard ‘sweet potato’ dish would be particularly interesting to me 😀
Just want to say thanks for the yummy cookbooks you write and the great blog!
I shared this giveaway on Facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/janel.myers.5/posts/446768058712742
Is this giveaway open to Canadians?
If so, I’d love to win! I’m a big fan of seitan roasts and mashed potatoes during the holidays.
I’m excited to be going to a friend’s house for Thanksgiving this year; she knows I’m vegan and bought a seitan wellington for me! I’d love to win this cookbook so I can throw some kickin’ vegan parties!
I tweeted this giveaway!
I would so love to win a copy of this book. Being newly vegan I am very interested in these recipes.
I reposted the link for a second entry
Do you have any recipes for a homemade faux turkey seitan?
Karen, I think the Seitan Loaf recipe in Vegan on the Cheap might do the trick. To make it more Thanksgiving-ish, I add some extra seasonings such as ground thyme and sage.
I just shared your post on my facebook!
I just bought the Vegan Slow Cooker book – can’t wait to use it. I would LOVE to win a copy of the Party Vegan book. Happy happy joy joy!
Hi Robin,
Wonderful and most timely, I look forward to reading your holiday tips. I’m still a vegan newbie and this will be my first vegan holiday. I do enjoy a good pumpkin pie. Your cranberry looks delicious and colorful.
My favorite holiday food is stuffing and gravy. One subject I’m interesting in learning more about is how to successfully roast vegetables without any oil. I’m trying to avoid using oil, and my family loves roasted vegetables.
Gail, To dry-roast vegetables, I usually arrange them on a baking pan lined with parchment paper or a nonstick baking pan. To give them some flavor, you can first toss them with a little vegetable broth and salt, pepper, and whatever herbs or spices you like. When roasting, turn the veggies over about halfway through.
I have been looking for a good low sugar cranberry sauce recipe. Awesome! Will have to try this.
My favorite holiday food is Vegan Hummingbird Cake w/Cream Cheese Frosting.
Facebook shared. https://www.facebook.com/kathy.stickneyklaus
I love the holidays, especially Thanksgiving and Christmas. Every year my daughter makes some of my favorite treats. Even though my wife and I are recently turned vegan, we relax our diet rules and enjoy these holiday dinners. Some of my favorites are: artichoke dip, marinated figs, and turkey pepperoni and cream cheese horns, spinach and cheddar cheese squares. Happy Holidays – Tom and Patti Bruno
There are great vegan alternatives to all the favorites you mentioned!
Thanks, Robin. I certainly plan on trying to use some of the great recipes on your website, this holiday season. – Tom
I am slowly convincing those around me that vegan meals are delicious!
Your quick-fix books made feeding me and my son during the week a joy rather than a chore.
Happy Thanksgiving!
~cyn
I love roasted root vegetables at Thanksgiving.
I never miss a holiday without my cranberry, applesauce. So good, and adding apples reduces the sugar (maple syrup, in this case) needed. I could eat it for days… and I do!
I love the idea of adding lime to your cranberry sauce. Note to self… two batches this year, I think!
I already know who on my list would get this book! Winning would be perfect for my budget-driven holiday shopping. Fingers crossed!
I love cranberries. Mt Mom made the best ones. Now when I make them for my family I think of her.
My favorite holiday food is mashed potatoes. And, my favorite dish to make for guests for any holiday is a stuffed portobello mushroom.
Shared on FB
I love to make a white wine mushroom sauce served over polenta.
I am looking forward to cooking my first vegan thanksgiving. It’s going to be an adventure for sure.
Cranberry sauce! We will be having Thanksgiving several hundred miles away. So volunteering to make a few dishes once I’m there. Taking my “mixes” (all the dry ingredients) with me.
My favorite holiday food is the desert… I’m thinking peanut butter chocolate pie this year.
My favorite holiday food is sauteed mushrooms. Sure, it’s a little nontraditional, but we always make it 🙂
My mom makes this crazy good Brussels sprout casserole. Once veganized, Its brussels and watercress’s topped with a can of mushroom soup, daiya cheese, some unsweetened soy milk and toasted slivered almonds. All baked in the oven together. Best thing ever.
I took my stand by Corn Bread Dressing and made it vegan by leaving out the egg, making the cornbread without the egg, and using veggie broth instead of chicken broth. It RockS!!!!!!
I posted a link to my FB page about your awesome cookbook give away!!
It’s not Thanksgiving without Pumpkin Pie and my Cranberry Apple Compote.
As a kid my favorite Tday food was arancini (rice balls)…we had a very Italian Thanksgiving dinner. 🙂 If you happen to have a vegan version of this delight, I’d totally love it!
Now my favorite is blueberry cornbread, freshly-baked-warm and sometimes with a little vegan butter. Cheers!
This will be my first holiday season cooking for my vegan daughter and myself. Would love to win such a lovely looking book to help us celebrate in style!
I’m a sucker for a good mock turkey with gravy! Thanks so much for the giveaway! 🙂
I tweeted
Since I own 4 of your other cookbooks,,it indeed would be a pleasure to win party vegan.This is just the right time of year !!
My favorite holiday food for December is cookies. For November it’s pie. I’d love a copy of this!
I have wanted to get my hands on this cookbook since it came out! My library doesn’t have a copy, so winning one would be amazing!
Courtney
This book is supposed to be incredible! I’d love to win a copy, Robin.
This is great, thanks!
My favorite holiday foods are mashed potatoes with gravy and stuffing! I’d love to win a copy of Party Vegan. 🙂
I always get a tofurky with the gravy for my sisters and I to eat. But I also love to eat the mashed potatoes and candied yams.
I am a newbie at this. I changed my lifestyle on Oct 8th of this year, due to some very serious health issues. I am learning daily about new ways of eating. Before if it did not come from a drive-thru or go from freezer to microwave and to plate, I did not eat it. I went 3 years and never turned on the stove in my home. Your book “Vegan on the Cheap” was my first vegan cook book. Even though my eating is a little more strict that a vegan, I am enjoying the book and I am learning how to make a few alterations to the recipes to fit my way of eating now. I look forward to a LONG and Healthy life now. Thanks for all you do for us.
My 14 year old daughter and I were just discussing our favorite Thanksgiving foods, and we agreed that it was a tie between cranberries and stuffing. Do you have a really good stuffing recipe that meat-eating relatives would like? How about some snappy comebacks for when meat-eating relatives make fun of us at the dinner table?
well, when they are stuffed and laying around and feeling miserable perhaps that would be the time to make a small comment about vegan and feeling GREAT!!!
Carolyn, Omnis always love my Thanksgiving stuffing — it has “meaty” pieces of chestnuts in it! I sometimes add sauteed mushrooms, and other times, crumbled vegan sausage. Use a rich vegetable broth as your liquid, and a good seasoning blend, sauteed onion and celery, and you’ve got it! As for snappy comebacks, I’ve found that they usually don’t work because omnis can be defensive about their meat-eating and who wants bad feelings at the dinner table. Maybe just smile and say, “I’m happy with my choices, thank you.” Anyone else have ideas?
Shared on Facebook and linked it to a vegan friend’s page, too!
I’m a relatively new vegan (~2 years), creating party foods and/or dishes for entertaining others is one of those areas I still struggle with. It seems when I have guests over, I keep making the same (albeit delicious) dishes over and over again. I need to add more variety to my repertoire, and with the holidays fast approaching, I need it quick! I think this cookbook can help me to be the “hostess with the mostess”! I would love to receive a copy!
Oh, and by the way, I also posted to Facebook! Thanks for giving me an extra contest entry.
Thanks for offering the giveaway! One unique holiday tradition my family has is serving stuffed dates as an appetizer: large, soft dates, split and filled with peanut butter, then rolled in powdered sugar. Over the years, we’ve experimented with more healthful, “foodie” versions – almond butter, hazlenut butter, evaporated cain juice, maple sugar – but the original is still the best.
Oh, I would just LOVE to win this book! My 40th birthday is coming up in February, and I want to throw an all-vegan shindig. This book would be perfect!!
I posted about the giveaway on my Facebook page.
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Bankrupt-Vegan/363760247034847
I tweeted!
https://twitter.com/BankruptVegan/status/268759768414429184
I love your cookbooks and Party Vegan sounds amazing!
I would love to win this book! One of my favorite things to veganize for the holidays is Pumpkin Pie! Super easy and nobody can tell the difference 😉
I’m desperate for vegan thanksgiving recipes!
I’d love to see a blog post about vegan recipes that would be good for children’s parties. xo
My favourite holiday food is anything baked and sweet!
I am always trying to come up with new party ideas- and Thanksgiving ideas. A tasty salad has become a new favorite addition to all of the heavy food. Simple mixed greens, toasted nuts, dried cranberries, assorted other veggies. This year my mom has decided to host a ‘Thanksgiving-Eve Cocktail Party’ (as if having 22 people on the actual Thanksgiving Day isn’t enough : ) !! Well, I’ve been having fun planning that menu with her, too.
i would love to learn more winter vegan dishes i can make with minimal effort. since moving east from cali for school my time schedule and the variety of produce has left me ????… but i love vegan eatin!!
vegan stuffing
Here’s my holiday anti-stress tip: Don’t worry about messing up when you’re cooking! The worst case scenario is your food doesn’t taste good and you serve PB&J’s to your guests. It doesn’t matter! People who love you are going to love you even if you don’t serve them a gourmet meal. Don’t worry, and cook with confidence!
Also, I’d love to win a copy of the book! 🙂
Would love a copy of the book! Some much vegan food to try this season!
My favorite holiday food is freshly mashed Red Potatoes (skin left on!) with plenty of Earth Balance, course sea salt, and freshly ground black pepper. Yum!
I looooove garlic mashed potatoes and stuffing! and cranberry sauce on everything!!!
This would help out sooo much~
my favorite thanksgiving food is STUFFING, MMmmMmmm!
I can’t wait to eat me some vegan mashed potatoes and pumpkin pie!
Food 52 has a great recipe for vegetarian gravy which is easily veganized:
http://www.food52.com/recipes/7483_vegetarian_mushroom_thyme_gravy
I think my favorite Thanksgiving item is Green Bean Casserole. It somehow surpassed my mom’s macaroni (which had been my solid favorite for years) and maybe began my journey of eating vegetables on purpose. Nowadays, I make it much healthier and dairy free, and it is something I certainly look forward to on the Thanksgiving menu.
I would love this! I’ve been vegan for 8 years, but I still have trouble convincing those closest to me that it’s not weird– that it is, in fact, wonderful!
Would love a copy of your party vegan cookbook- my vegan best friend from college and I are planning to veganize my family’s Thanksgiving this year and are looking for inspiration! Thank you so much for sharing your wonderful recipes, I hope to show my family that Thanksgiving isn’t all about animal products!
This would be perfect for the vegan Thanksgiving meetup that I’m going to!
I think I could live on seitan roast and pie over the holidays…or really, just about any time…
Please enter me; this looks great!
I also tweeted the giveaway link
Your cranberry sauce looks lovely! That is one of the must haves on our Thanksgiving table each year. No cans, lol! 🙂
For a stress-free holiday are: Make tried and true dishes you enjoy, and make a lot! Everyone loves Thanksgiving leftovers!
Thanks so much for the giveaway and always-awesome recipes, Robin!
It’s my first time hosting Thanksgiving as a vegan. The pressure is on to make to impress all the omnivores! Thank you so much for the great tips & recipes.
I’m so happy my parents also turned vegan six months after I’ve stopped eating and using anything from animals! When I hear others vegans telling about the trouble Christmas brings (I’m from Europe, we don’t celebrate Thanksgiving), with endless discussions with their parents about eating meat at Christmas because it’s tradition… Yuk!
Holiday, or any entertaining event, prep as much as possible before so you can enjoy your event. I have the book, yet would like to win a copy to use as a giveaway at our monthly vegan potluck dinners. Have yet to get your new book. Question: Been using your Vegetarian Slow Cooker book for years; other than the title, is there much difference between it and the new book? Thank you.
I love green bean casserole! I celebrated my first vegan Thanksgiving last year by making it, and I got several comments later (so as not to step on any toes) that it was the best one there out of three versions that had been made for our family/friends event!
This book looks great! Thanks for having this giveaway!
I would love to win this- I ‘m vegetarian moving toward vegan but a lot of my friends are vegan and this would give me more things to cook for them when we get together.
twitter link: https://twitter.com/samantha3050/status/269055387276304384
It’s gotta be pumpkin pie. Can’t do without it!
I love personal mushroom pot pies for a main course dish. They look so cute in their ramekins and people are always amazed by the taste.
I posted this on facebook! I hope I win! 🙂
I’m a little nutzo for mashed potatoes with vegan gravy! I’d love to win your book for more holiday and party ideas.
I just posted link on Facebook!
Oh boy so excited I hope I win this!! I just put ‘Fresh from the Vegan Slow Cooker’ on my Amazon wishlist last night! These recipes are exactly what I need. Thanks for your great ideas and inspiration. Now if only I had a wise tip to share…. For what it’s worth I’ll share a thought I had recently. When I was young I’d always secretly share with the host that I was vegetarian and would love to bring a veg dish to the event and then kept it super hush hush and under raps unless any other guests would specifically mention it to me or ask about it. I was just very shy about expressing my opinions. But now that I’m older I reget always being so silent. I would never get in anybody’s face or be pushy but the turkey can’t speak up so if you care about animals don’t be afraid to say so and express it. Be proud, you are saving lives!
Green bean casserole! Reminds me of Gramma.
Just made my first ever vegan ‘meatloaf’ (Dreena Burton’s no-fu Love Loaf) and it was so good we may repeat it for thanksgiving!
I love the sweet potatoes and crescent rolls!
Banana bread with cranberries is one of my all time favortie and you can only got fresh cranberries this time of year. I like to freeze some for special times the rest of year.
Would love to win this! I love this time of the year because of all the indulgence! mmm, vegan cheesecake.
My favorite holiday food is pumpkin garlic knots. Not exactly traditional, I know, but I started making them a couple years ago and now they are my most-looked-forward-to dish. http://ohsheglows.com/2010/10/21/itty-bitty-garlic-pumpkin-knots/
I just posted about this on facebook. My sweetheart would LOVE to win this 🙂
Thank you for the giveaway, Robin! I love your cookbooks.
Oh – and I shared this on Facebook :-).
Pumpkin pie! I crave it all year!
Other than a vegan pumpkin bars for dessert, I’m hoping to stick to green beans and Brussels sprouts as my Thanksgiving meal.
Love vegan sides … mash potatoes, green beans, etc.
Looking forward to this book. I have three of your other cookbooks. Does this one contain any slow cooker recipes?
So nice to see more people are getting away from sitting at the table for hours eating a horribly cruel
high fat meal. Move around, mingle, eat vegan “small plates”. Be grateful.
I would love to win this so I can gift it to my friend! I have my own copy and wasn’t going to enter until I thought of someone who can really use it!
I’d love to win this book! I am a party animal, well not really but I host a lot of “get togethers” I’d love to have a great resource like this to make party planning easier!
I linked it on my Facebook page!
https://www.facebook.com/pages/My-Plant-Based-Family/273075226092079?sk=wall&filter=2#!/pages/My-Plant-Based-Family/273075226092079
Sweet potatoes all ways, any way, every day, all the time. I love sweet potatoes! 🙂
My favorite holiday food is pumpkin/squash pie filling. I get my mother to make a batch special for me in a glass container with no crust.
My favorite holiday dish is a greenbean casserole I make which is topped with carmelized onions
Trying to learn a little more about Vegan this book will help. Tip for the holidays plan as much as you can a head of time. This will greatly reduce the stress.
Vegan Chocolate Pumpkin Pie!
For me, this time of year is special because of the fresh persimmons and pomegranates! The pomegranates are fun to eat and add red sparkle to salads. When I’ve harvested lots of persimmons from neighborhood trees, I enjoy finding ways to use them.
i wanna win! 🙂
OI don’t know if it’s too late to enter, but I always wanted to try this cookbook so here goes 🙂
Fingers crossed!
I shared on Facebook too 🙂
It’s hard to come by knowledgeable people on this topic, however, you seem lke you know what
you’re talking about! Thanks