Memories from our first Caribbean Thanksgiving

the Thanksgiving sunset

one of the sailboats we see sailing by every evening

one of the many cruise ships we see cruising by,

but this one was different from the rest with its black bottom

Ezra helping prepare the vegan pumpkin pie

the final result

cranberry sauce from scratch . . . so easy and so tasty!

arugula salad with beets and toasted almonds and a balsamic vinaigrette

my plate of leftovers

This was our first Thanksgiving on an island as well as our first Thanksgiving without at least one set of our parents there. It was also our first Thanksgiving as vegans - not just vegetarians. I wanted to make it special and by making everything we ate that day, I felt I had created a special culinary tradition for our family. It was a lot of work getting ready and Ezra was quite patient with me by playing alone for the majority of the day before Thanksgiving and Thanksgiving day, while I worked in the kitchen. But, Ezra likes to be my helper, true to the meaning of his name which is "strong helper," and he helped me pour the pie ingredients into the blender. It came out perfectly and I can't wait to make another one soon. I made everything that we ate from scratch, except for the stuffing. We had an entirely vegan meal with an arugula salad, vegan meatloaf, stuffing, cranberry sauce, mashed potatoes and gravy. I also made cornmeal muffins, a maple syrup tart, and the pumpkin pie. Everything was delicious and even our non-vegan guests enjoyed their meal. It was a day to remember with lots to be grateful for here and now on this beautiful island.