vegan oktoberfest!
Traditionally, Oktoberfest is celebrated during the last week of September through the first weekend in October. And although beer is center stage, food is a big part of the fun too! Here are a few ideas for veganizing Oktoberfest for your friends and family.
Have a vegan beer tasting! PETA has an exhaustive list of vegan beers, including lots of familiar brand names. You may want to try Sprecher Brewing Company, which makes traditional (vegan) European beers and actually sells a beer called Oktoberfest (pictured above). Of course, organic is always best. Some of my favorite beers are Samuel Smith Organic Ale and Lager and Pinkus beers from Merchant du Vin. Not exactly traditional Oktoberfest beers, but they're really good!
For your menu, start with Field Roast Sausages (the smoked apple ones are my fav) and sauerkraut. Pickled foods like sauerkraut are an important part of the superhero diet, so dig in! But if you want to be super healthy, the best kind of sauerkraut has nothing in it but cabbage and salt. This variety lives in the refrigerated section of the store and is very pure.
Other traditional dishes that you can easily veganize include knodel (potato or bread dumplings), kasspatzn (cheese noodles - does anyone have a vegan recipe for this?), and reiberdatschi (potato pancakes). You can also get creative and veganize other traditional dishes.
Are there any vegan Oktoberfest events happening near you? Share them in the comments below, and tell me how you plan to celebrate!
25 comments
-
Meg - check out Pure Market Express - they are certified vegan and certified gluten free and they make a kick butt sausage!!
-
I'm responding a little late for Oktoberfest, but Sprecher makes excellent beers. They're from Milwaukee, WI. I no longer live in WI, and can't fine these where I live. But when I go home, Sprecher Amber is a favorite of mine.
-
-
whew, i found a more extensive list. this website has a list of vegan wines & liquors also.
-
just browsing the PETA list of vegan beers, and i'm surprised that most of my favorites are not on the list!!!!! what am i to do, drink Buds for the rest of my life, god forbid? does anyone know of a more extensive list of vegan beers out there?
-
Hi CuGi, I'm formerly from the Bodensee and I loved Käsespätzle. But since I'm a vegan I thought there would be no Käsespätzle for me anymore. So, I will thank you so much for your recipe!
-
Meg - check out wheatlessandmeatless.com. It must be pretty difficult to be both vegan and have a gluten sensitivity.
-
I'm very glad to have been introduced to this site, but I find it so discouraging to look for vegan products that are free from gluten. Gluten is pretty bad stuff for 'most everyone, but particularly if you have Celiac disease. I'd love to find brands of "sausage" that could be made from grains other than the gluten-containing ones, and I had a real problem with the sausages recommended here for Octoberfest, being that their very first listed ingredient was vital wheat gluten. Ugh!
-
-
-
-
Käsespätzle is AMAZING!!! It's homemade noodles (a very messy and time consuming process!) and shredded emmental cheese topped with fried onions. You could probably make it with vegan cheese, but I doubt it would be the same :P
-
Swinswizzle, have you tried Hitachino Nest Beer brewed with real ginger? It's imported from Japan. I've read that it's vegan and personally, I love it. The only downside is that it is quite pricey. Like, $4 or $5 for one bottle. I get it at Whole Foods.
-
Last weekend in Ann Arbor Michigan the Arbor Brewery had an October fest. According to barnivore.com all their beers are vegan freindly. It was really fun the had people playing german music and some dancing. They even had veggie brats and pretzels! Although they also had animal based brats, but I was very happy that they had an option for me.
-
Anyone know of a good vegan beer that is brewed with ginger...I used to love starhills Lucy.
-
At the cost of being called a wet blanket, I must represent the health contingent.
To quote Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn, Jr. of the Cleveland Clinic: "Moderation Kills." Moderate consumption of unhealthy foods, even vegan foods, can hurt your health.
In the US, we celebrate consumption of unhealthy items. Alcohol, excess fat/oils, refined sugars all seem to be considered a comfort foods. They are all addictive according to former FDA director Dr. David Kessler. Some of us celebrate healthy foods and come to the forum to encourage health. You can choose health or not. It's totally up to you.
With that caveat, celebrate life as you choose. I'm not judging.
-
On Long Island, NY we love Oompahfest in Franklin Square~ and the seasonal beers! Here's my taste-test results from my column last week: http://merrick.patch.com/articles/whats-in-your-beer
-
-
I threw away all my son's (2 yrs) pacifiers (that he only used in his crib) two days ago, and I could use some of that beer! No sleep in 2 days!
-
Hi there! I am actually German and so surprised that you all know about the famous Oktoberfest. Kässpätzle is a meal that is similar to mac and cheese but the noodles are homemade. For the noodles you need:
400g flour
250ml water
2 tbsp carob gum
1/2 tsp salt
a tiny bit of nutmeg
maybe a little semolina ( the one used for polenta)
1. Mix carob and water.
2. Mix the other ingredients in a separate bowl.
3. Put the dry ingredients into the water while stirring constantly.
4. Boil saltwater. And now comes the critical part! Most Germans own some kind of tool which is called a "Spätzlehobel" - it's a kind of pastamaker. But the "real professionals" (like my grandma) just use a simple plank (again: I am not sure if this is the right word for it!). What you do is this: You put the quite runny dough on the plank and with a knife, you cut the noodles straight into the water. You have to be really fast or they will melt in the water!!
5. The noodles will sink to the bottom of the pot. When they're ready, they will swim on the surface.
Caution: if the water is boiling too much, the noodles will melt.
And now: The "cheesy" part!
1. put the noodles in a fire resistent bowl.
2. like lasagne, add vegan cheese layers.
3. put the Kässpätzle in the oven until the cheese is completely melted.
This is the simplest form of the Kässpätzle. Now for the chefs out there:
1. You could also make a sauce with soy/rice/oat cream: Heat a pan, put in some garlic, add salt and pepper and the cream. Let it boil and add everything to the noodles along with the cheese.
2. A classic would be , after the noodles have come out of the oven, to add some roasted onions: Simply heat up some margerine or oil, add the chopped onions, a little salt and pepper and a tsp. of flour.
Love, Charlotte
-
Sprecher Beer is so good! My husband and his buddies visited the brewery and came back with a case! They also make root beer and cherry soda, which I think is a little on the sweet side, but a great treat nonetheless. I'm glad to hear it's vegan!
-
field roast is my favorite! they acutally just came out with a frankfurter too! and i'm dying for some beer, but need to wait til this pregnancy is over (hopefully just a couple more weeks!). here's a link to the recipes i make incorporating field roast. all are extra special with field roast!
http://www.lovelifeandlollipops.com/?s=field+roast
the bolognese and lentils are expecially fantabulous and autumnal;)
eve
-
We have an Oktoberfest celebration in my community, but it is not a "vegan" event. The sausages are usually supplied by one of our local eateries, Jerry's Dogs and they usually have a vegan option.
Being that I am part German I grew-up with sauerkraut and LOVE it.
Let the celebrating begin!
Gretchen
-
unless you can find a vegan "egg" type noodle... the easiest way to veganise Kas Spatzn would be to bake a spagetti squash until stringable, string, stir in enough Earth Balance to coat and sprinkle with salt and pepper, mozza Daiya and some Nooch.
-
Yay for Milwaukee! Sprecher is made here in Milwaukee, just one of many fantastic, local breweries with vegan beer!
Available at:
Available at:
Join the Discussion!