Lima church hosts vegetarian Thanksgiving

LIMA — Imagine the upcoming Thanksgiving dinner with all the trimmings.

The slowly roasted turkey. The mashed potatoes. The green bean casserole.

Well, except the turkey isn’t an actual turkey at all. The mashed potatoes are only half-potatoes, the other half is cauliflower whipped into the same consistency as the mashed potatoes.

Visitors to the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Lima were treated to such a meal Sunday as they got to try a vegetarian Thanksgiving meal.

Jennifer Calvelage, a vegetarian, and other members of the congregation made a Thanksgiving dinner Sunday for the healthy eating group that meets monthly.

Calvelage delivered vegetarian seminars before moving here from Michigan in February. She now teaches healthy eating techniques to her fellow Adventists in Lima.

“I became a vegetarian my second year in college,” Calvelage said. “Health is very important to us [Seventh-day Adventist adherents]. It is great because you can eat more and it still tastes good.”

The turkey was actually made out of gluten, made into rolls with a cashew sauce. The green bean casserole included flour, soy milk, mushrooms and a small amount of salt. The mashed potatoes had cauliflower blended in. It was a not-so-traditional, but still traditional, Thanksgiving dinner.

“It’s a healthier way to eat,” Calvelage said. “If I have my choice between a piece of lemon meringue pie that is 200 calories and one that is 590, and they taste the same, I know there is a healthier way.”

Adventist Dianna Charron said she has been a vegetarian for 48 years.

“I did it because I like animals and I visited a slaughterhouse once,” Charron said. “That did it for me. There have been many health studies that have shown the health benefits.”

Some people in attendance were convinced, while others weren’t.

Karen Capers, of Lima, has been making the slow transition to becoming a vegetarian.

“I’m not all the time but that is my ultimate goal,” Capers said. “I like to experiment and I thought the cheese ball and the bread was really good.”

Brianna Snyder liked some things but said she is ready to stay with a more traditional meal.

“I liked the cranberry salad and the cheese ball,” she said, “but I think I rather have the traditional Thanksgiving.”

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Amanda Wilson | The Lima News Guests try the vegan dishes during the plant-based supper club dinner at the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Lima on Sunday afternoon.
http://www.limaohio.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/54/2015/11/web1_PlantBasedSupper-November-15-20156.jpgAmanda Wilson | The Lima News Guests try the vegan dishes during the plant-based supper club dinner at the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Lima on Sunday afternoon.
Church hosts vegetarian Thanksgiving

By Lance Mihm

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Reach Lance Mihm at 567-242-0409 or at Twitter@LanceMihm