Giving Thanks for Thanksgiving

So how did it go?  All was well on the holiday.

My sister-in-law made me special soup.  This may not seem like a big deal, but it made my day.  We always start the meal with a tortellini meatball soup.  Not very Thanksgiving-y you say?  Too bad, it is my favorite part of the meal.  My SIL made a separate portion with vegetable broth and no meatballs.  No one even noticed I had anything different and I got to enjoy hot soup on a very cold Thanksgiving.

She also made eggplant parm.  Also not typical on everyone's Thanksgiving table, but my husband grew up having an entire pasta course (with meatballs and sausage) at Thanksgiving dinner so this did not seem out of place.   My Thanksgiving dinner consisted of broccoli gratin and eggplant parm.  The only person who commented on my plate?  My husband!  But not in a critical way.  He was worried I was missing out on other things, like the stuffing and cranberry sauce, which I enjoy so much.  I did miss those, and I had a few bites, but it did not go with the other things I was eating.

Overall, a successful, confrontation-free holiday.  Hurray!

In thinking about next year, I want to come up with a dish that will truly replace the turkey.  Not tofurkey, or any of those terrible meat replacement products (you already know how I feel about those).  I want something that goes with the mashed potatoes and corn that I enjoy and makes me feel like I am eating like everyone else.  Suggestions?

For a first meat-free Thanksgiving, I will not be greedy.  I am putting this in the win column and moving on from there.