Friendsgiving Gone Wild: DFW's Vegan Scene is Giving Traditional Turkey the Boot

Hello everyone,

Thanksgiving's getting a delicious twist in DFW this year! From The Vegan Food House's epic buffet collab with DaMunchies to Swirled Peace's inaugural Friendsgiving Potluck, plant-based feasting is taking over Oak Cliff. Meanwhile, My Pig Life is spreading holiday cheer with a pumpkin pickup drive, and the Black Vegan Pin Up is bringing their A-game to a Friendsgiving Brunch in Fort Worth.

Out in LA, a plant-based revolution is reshaping Thanksgiving traditions, with creative alternatives popping up faster than you can say "Tofurkey." And if you're looking to impress at your own gathering, our Wild Rice Stuffing recipe – packed with cranberries, pecans, and aromatic herbs – might just steal the show from any traditional bird!

From food truck adventures at Irving's Levy Plaza to casual meetups at Plano's Nishiki Ramen, this week's lineup proves that the vegan scene in DFW is more vibrant than ever. Who knew saving turkeys could be this delicious?

Events for the upcoming week

• On Thursday, November 28th the Vegan Food House will offer a buffet with DaMunchies from 1-4pm in Oak Cliff. Details can be found here.

• On Friday, November 29th, Swirled Peace will host it’s first Friendsgiving Potluck from 3-8pm in Oak Cliff. To RSVP and for details, visit here.

• On Saturday, November 30th, My Pig Life will be conducting Pumpkin pickup drive from 10 am to 2 pm at 6474 Norway Rd Dallas.

• On Saturday, November 30th , from 12-2pm, the Black Vegan Pin Up will be hosting a Friendsgiving Brunch in FortWorth. Here’s the link for details.

• On Saturday November 30th, Chef Daddy will have a Plant Pleasures pop up 8pm onwards in Dallas. Details can be found here.

• On Sunday December 1st, DFW Ladies will meet at Nishiki Ramen in Plano at 1pm. Meetup details can be found here.

• On Tuesday December 3rd, Happy Vegan Food Truck will be parked at Levy Plaza in Irving 7pm onwards in Irving. Details can be found here.

_{Beyond the Bird: How LA is Reimagining a Cruelty-Free Thanksgiving}

As Thanksgiving approaches, numerous organizations and businesses in Los Angeles are offering alternatives to traditional turkey dinners, with options ranging from Tofurkey roasts to local vegan potlucks. Multiple animal rights organizations, including Farm Sanctuary and PETA, are running campaigns to raise awareness about turkey welfare and promote plant-based alternatives, with initiatives like the "Adopt A Turkey Project" and "ThanksVegan" campaign. The article highlights both the scale of turkey consumption (over 46 million turkeys killed for Thanksgiving) and concerns about factory farming practices, while also noting the environmental impact of turkey production compared to vegan alternatives.

You can read the original article here.

Recipe of the week

Vegan Wild Rice Stuffing

Ingredients

Stuffing Ingredients:

• 1 cup yellow onions, fine dice

• 2 celery ribs, fine dice

• 1 Tablespoons unsalted, unsweetened almond butter

• 1 Tablespoon reduced-sodium tamari *

• 1 ½ cups low-sodium vegetable broth *

• 1 cup water (or vegetable broth)

• 1 cup brown rice, uncooked

• ½ cup wild rice, uncooked

Spice/Herb Ingredients:

• 1 teaspoon onion powder

• 1 teaspoon garlic powder

• 2 Tablespoons dried minced onions

• ½ teaspoon dried rubbed sage (+/-)

• ½ teaspoon dried crushed thyme leaves (+/-) *

• ¼ teaspoon dried rosemary powder (+/-)

• 1 teaspoon sea salt (+/-) *

• 1/8 teaspoon black pepper

Other Ingredients:

• ½ cup dried cranberries

• 1/3 cup pecan halves, (or walnuts) toasted and chopped (optional)

Optional Baked Acorn Squash Ingredients:

• 2 to 3 medium-sized acorn squash, unpeeled, halved, seeds removed *

• Sprinkle sea salt (+/- to taste) *

• Sprinkle black pepper

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Instructions

Baked Acorn Squash Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 425 F.

2. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, set aside.

3. Cut a small piece off the ends of the acorn squash before slicing in half. This is to create a flat surface, so the acorn squash halves do not teeter around on the plate. Then spoon out the seeds, clean up the interior, sprinkle the insides with sea salt and pepper; then place each of the halves cut side (the side that will be stuffed) down  onto the parchment paper lined baking sheet.  Bake for 30 to 45 minutes (largely dependent upon the size of the acorn squash) or until fork tender.

Wild Rice Instructions:

1. Rinse the brown rice and wild rice with hot tap water, then place the brown rice and wild rice in a bowl and cover with hot tap water and allow to soak until ready to use in Step 6.

2. Place the Spice/Herb Ingredients into a small bowl, mix well, set aside.

3. In the meantime, in an enamel/ceramic lined skillet or similar non-stick skillet, add the diced onions and celery. Sauté over medium-high heat for 7 to 9 minutes until the onions and celery are tender. If needed to prevent sticking, add a splash of vegetable broth or water.

4. Add the almond butter to the skillet of sautéed onions/celery and stir for one minute.

5. Add the vegetable broth, water, and tamari. Stir. Heat to boiling, then immediately lower to a simmer (low boil). Scrape the bottom of the skillet with a wooden spoon or stiff plastic spatula to pull up anything that stuck to the bottom of the pan. Then add the Spice/Herb Mix, stir to combine.

6. Drain the rice, shake to remove any extra water, add the rice to the skillet.  Stir to incorporate.  Cover with a tight-fitting lid and simmer (with a low boil) for 30 minutes undisturbed.

7. After 30 minutes, check the tenderness of the rice by lifting a few pieces from the edge. If not tender, cover and cook longer (see notes).

8. If tender, remove the lid, stir in the dried cranberries and toasted chopped pecans. Remove from the stove and allow to sit covered for 5 minutes to allow the cranberries to plump up. Serve.

9. Baked Acorn Squash Serving: Serve by spooning the wild rice mixture into the roasted acorn squash halves.

Meme of the week.