When we think of holiday dinners we think of turkey, dressing, yams, mashed potatoes and ever popular green bean casserole. But you know sometimes we want something different. We don’t want to eat the same old foods and have the same old leftovers. Guess what?

That is ok.

I have a friend whose mother always cooked what we know as the traditional “holiday” meal more than on Christmas and Thanksgiving. Her mom’s husband enjoyed those holiday dishes all year around; even in the summertime. She soon grew tired of cooking dressing, greens, turkey, yams and the rest of the typical menu. After my friend’s father was stricken with Alzheimer?s disease and his mind was not what it once was, my friend’s mom did something a little different. She shocked us one year and cooked enchiladas. That started a new family tradition in their family and that tradition was, that there was to be no more typical “holiday” meals.

What an eye opener for me. I thought her mother was crazy not cooking what I was used to eating during Thanksgiving and Christmas. When I became a mom and had my own family to care for, that idea changed.

Now I know that we can have those type of meals anytime. Therefore, it is not beyond me to cook an Italian meal for Thanksgiving or even Chinese. But what I really enjoy doing is jazzing up the old favorites and making them shine.

Instead of a green bean casserole with all of the cream and fluff, why not just do a simple stir fry. It is a very simple yet delicious dish. I start with about a pound of fresh green beans, an onion sliced, three pearls of garlic sliced, as well as a sliced red and yellow bell pepper. For additional seasonings I use sesame oil, soy seasoning, and a little sea salt. That’s it, but oh the wallop of flavor when those babies are done.

Another twist to the traditional holiday meal is mashed yams. It is so easy to so this. I use about 6 medium potatoes, 1/2 cup of soy milk, two tablespoons of basil, two teaspoons of ginger powder, 2 tablespoons of soy butter, and sea salt to taste. Talk about good!

A few other jazz it up ideas are:

? Instead of mashed potatoes with no skin, do them Rachel Ray style and smash them. That means they are not whips or mashed until smooth. There may be some chunks of potatoes, but that make it even more fun to eat. And instead of gravy try some vegan sour cream with garlic and basil. Your kids will love it.

? Why cook your greens to death? Saut? them for. Try our Collard Green and Kale dish in the Vegan Menu Pick section. Hey you might even want to find a good raw green recipe.

? To jazz up a vegan stuffing, try adding jalape?o or raw nuts, like cashews.

Never think that traditions can’t be broken because… YES they can!

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