Simple & Delicious Vegan Thanksgiving Recipes: Make Your Holiday Cruelty-Free!

Since Thanksgiving is just around the corner, Ellen and I have decided to gather up some wonderful recipes for a cruelty-free holiday. Who needs a dead bird at the center of your table, when there are so many amazing meat substitutes and simple recipes for delicious plant-based dishes?

It’s so easy to make your holiday table festive and appetizing using the vibrant colors of fruits and vegetables. Thanksgiving makes me visualize the oranges and greens found in winter squashes, yams, brussel sprouts and broccoli, as well as the lovely reds of cranberries and beets.

In honor of the beautiful rainbow of colors found in magnificent plant foods, we have compiled this list of suggestions for your Thanksgiving meal. We hope you enjoy them…

1. FIELD ROAST’S HOLIDAY HAZELNUT CRANBERRY ROAST EN CROUTE WITH VEGAN MUSHROOM GRAVY

 

 

 

 

My family has enjoyed this Field Roast Hazelnut Cranberry Roast En Croute for several years in a row. It serves very nicely as the “centerpiece” of the table as opposed to the dead bird. It’s really fabulous with this recipe for mushroom gravy…

VEGAN MUSHROOM GRAVY

Makes about 3 1/2 cups

Ingredients:

• 3 1/2 cups low-sodium vegetable broth, divided  (I will make a vegetable broth using “Rapunzel” brand Vegan Vegetable Bouillon Cubes)
• 1 cup chopped white onion
• 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 8 ounces wild mushrooms, trimmed and chopped
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh thyme
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh rosemary
• 1/4 cup Merlot or other spicy red wine
• 2 tablespoons reduced-sodium tamari
• 3 tablespoons nutritional yeast
• 2 tablespoons whole wheat or spelt flour
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

Directions:

1. In a large skillet over medium-high heat, bring 1/2 cup broth to a simmer.
2. Add onion and garlic and cook for about 4 minutes or until onion is translucent.
3. Stir in mushrooms, rosemary and thyme and continue to cook about 2 minutes or until mushrooms release their liquid and start to become tender.
4. Add wine and cook 1 minute, stirring constantly.
5. Stir in remaining 3 cups broth and bring to a simmer.
6. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, whisk together tamari, yeast and flour to form a thick paste.
7. Add mixture to skillet about 1 teaspoon at a time, whisking constantly to make sure paste dissolves.
8. Bring to a boil and boil 1 minute, stirring constantly. Add pepper.

2. THE BEST VEGAN MUSHROOM-BARLEY SOUP

 

 

 

 

 

Serves: 6 to 8

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 2 large celery stalks, finely chopped
• 1 large carrot, diced
• 3/4 cup raw pearl barley
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 vegetable bouillon cubes
• 1 tablespoon all-purpose seasoning blend (such as Spike or Mrs. Dash)
• 10 to 12 ounces mushrooms, any variety, sliced (see note)
• 2 cups rice milk, or more or less as needed
• Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
• 1/4 cup minced fresh parsley
• 2 tablespoons minced fresh dill

Directions:

1. Heat the oil in a soup pot. Add the onion and saute over medium heat until golden.
2. Add 6 cups water, followed by the celery, carrot, barley, bay leaves, bouillon cubes, and seasoning blend.
3. Bring to a gentle boil, then cover and simmer gently for 30 minutes.
4. Add the mushrooms and simmer for 20 to 30 minutes longer, or until the barley and vegetables are tender.
5. Stir in enough rice milk to give the soup a slightly thick consistency.
6. Season with salt and pepper and stir in the parsley and dill.
7. Allow the soup to stand for 30 minutes off the heat before serving.
8. The soup thickens quite a bit if it is refrigerated.
9. Add more rice milk as needed and adjust the seasonings; heat through as needed.
10. NOTE: Use any of white, baby bella, cremini, shiitake, or oyster mushrooms, or a combination.

3. ROASTED ROOT VEGETABLES

Nothing screams “Thanksgiving” like a platter of roasted root vegetables! And they’re so easy to make too. They’re always found on my holiday table, and they never disappoint.

 

 

 

 

 

Serves 4 as a side dish

Ingredients:

• 2 medium carrots, peeled and cut into 2-inch pieces
• 2 parsnips, peeled and cut into small chunks
• 2 beets, peeled and cut into small chunks
• 1 yam, peeled and cut into small chunks
• 1 garlic clove, sliced
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 tablespoons shoyu or tamari soy sauce
• pinch of dried basil
• pinch of dried oregano
• pinch of dried thyme
• pinch of freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt hot sauce (optional)

Directions:

1. Pre-heat oven to 325 degrees F.
2. Place the carrots, parsnips, beets, yam, and garlic in a large mixing bowl. Add the olive oil, shoyu or tamari soy sauce, basil, oregano, thyme, pepper, salt, and hot sauce, if desired, to the bowl and toss well to combine.
3. Transfer to a shallow baking sheet and bake for 45 minutes, or until tender. Taste and adjust the seasonings. Serve warm or at room temperature.

4. MAPLE-GLAZED BRUSSEL SPROUTS: 3-WAYS

Who doesn’t love Brussel Sprouts? These “maple-glazed” ones taste like candy!

 

 

 

 

 

MAPLE GLAZED BRUSSELS SPROUTS (NO-OIL)

by Chef AJ from Unprocessed

Serves 6

Ingredients:

• 1 and 1/2 pound Brussels sprouts
• 1/4 cup finely minced shallot
• 1/4 cup maple syrup
• 1 Tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 1 Tablespoon low sodium tamari
• 1 Tablespoon arrowroot powder
• Finely diced red bell pepper (optional)
• Chopped candied walnuts or spiced pecans (optional)

Directions:

1. Cut off stems from Brussels sprouts and then cut in half. Cook for 2 minutes in boiling water. Drain and rinse in cold water. (This step can be done in advance.)
2. In a heavy non-stick sauce pan, sauté shallots in vegetable broth or water for 2-3 minutes. Add Brussels sprouts and sauté for 4 minutes longer.
3. Whisk together maple syrup, tamari, Dijon mustard and arrowroot. Pour over vegetables and cook 2 minutes longer until sauce is thickened.
4. Garnish with red bell pepper or nuts, if desired.
5. *Chef’s note: If you don’t want to use maple syrup, use date syrup and add 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon of maple extract.

MAPLE-ROASTED BRUSSELS SPROUTS WITH TOASTED HAZELNUTS

by Chloe Coscarelli from Chloe’s Kitchen

Serves 6

Ingredients:

• 1 and 1/2 pounds Brussels sprouts
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 3/4 teaspoon sea salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 2 tablespoons maple syrup
• 1/2 cup coarsely chopped hazelnuts, toasted

Directions:

1. Pre-heat the oven to 375 degrees. To prepare Brussels sprouts, remove any yellow or brown outer leaves, cut off the stems, and cut in half.
2. In a large bowl, toss the Brussels sprouts, oil, salt, and pepper together. Once all of the Brussels sprouts are coated in oil, arrange them in a 9 x 13-inch pan.
3. Roast for 15 minutes. Stir Brussels sprouts around with a spatula or large spoon to even out the browning; continue to roast for another 30 minutes.
4. Stir the Brussels sprouts again, and drizzle maple syrup over the top. Roast the Brussels sprouts for about 15 minutes more, or until they are fork tender (about 45 minutes total roasting time).
5. Toss the roasted Brussels sprouts with the hazelnuts and serve.
6. *Chef’s note: Brussels sprouts can be roasted a day in advance and kept refrigerated. Reheat before serving by roasting at 375 degrees until heated through.  

DEBBY’S SUPER-EASY “HARD-TO-CLEAN PAN” MAPLE-ROASTED BRUSSELS SPROUTS (NO-OIL)

by Debby Sunshine

Serves 3

Ingredients:

• 3/4 pound of Brussels sprouts
• 1/4 cup maple syrup
• 1 Tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 1 Tablespoon tamari

Directions:

1. Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Remove yellow or brown outer leaves from Brussels sprouts, cut off the stems, and cut in half.
3. Combine maple syrup, Dijon mustard, and tamari in a bowl.
4. Add Brussels sprouts into the mixture and stir everything together until Brussels sprouts are coated.
5. Place Brussels sprouts into a baking pan and pour any of the remaining sauce mixture over them.
6. Cover the pan tightly with aluminum foil.
7. Roast for about 45 minutes, stirring once midway during the roasting time.
8. Enjoy, but beware that the mixture really sticks to the pan. Hard to clean. But I do it!

5. QUINOA RISOTTO WITH ARUGULA, SHIITAKE MUSHROOMS AND VEGAN PARMESAN 

 

 

 

 

 

Serves 6

Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/2 yellow onion, chopped
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 cup quinoa, well rinsed
• 2 1/4 cups vegetable broth
• 2 cups chopped, stemmed rocket arugula
• 1 small carrot, peeled and finely shredded
• 1/2 cup thinly sliced fresh shiitake mushrooms
• 1/4 cup vegan grated Parmesan cheese (I used “Galaxy Nutritional Foods” brand)
• 1/2 teaspoon
• salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

Directions:

1. In a large saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion and saute until soft and translucent, about 4 minutes.
2. Add the garlic and quinoa and cook for about 1 minute, stirring occasionally. Do not let the garlic brown.
3. Add the vegetable broth and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer until the quinoa is almost tender to the bite but slightly hard in the center, about 12 minutes. The mixture will be brothy.
4. Stir in the arugula, carrot, and mushrooms and simmer until the quinoa grains have turned from white to translucent, about 2 minutes longer.
5. Stir in the vegan parmesan cheese and season with salt and pepper.
6. Serve immediately.

6. BROCCOLETTE WITH SUN DRIED TOMATOES, CANNELLINI BEANS & GARLIC

 

 

 

 

 

Serves 4

Ingredients:

• 3 bunches organic broccolette
• 1 15 oz. can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/3 lb. sun dried tomatoes, cut into strips
• 2 tablespoons of olive oil
• 2 to 2 1/2  cups low sodium vegetable broth, as necessary for cooking

Directions:

• 1. Clean and trim ends of broccolette. Then, drop broccolette in boiling water in a large pot for about 2 minutes or just until broccolette turns bright green. Remove from boiling water and set aside.
• 2. In a separate wok or large frying pan, heat garlic in olive oil over medium/medium high heat until garlic starts to turn light brown. Then, add sun dried tomatoes and cannellini beans to the wok/pan with about 1 cup of the vegetable broth. Mix these ingredients together and continue to cook the garlic, sun dried tomatoes and cannellini beans in the vegetable broth until the sun dried tomatoes start to soften up. Keep adding vegetable broth, if necessary, to prevent sticking.
• 3. When sun dried tomatoes soften up, add the lightly cooked broccolette to the wok/frying pan with the other ingredients. Add more vegetable broth, as necessary, to continue heating up everything together.
• 4. Mix all the ingredients together and continue to cook in the broth until the broccolette softens a little. When done, remove ingredients with a large slotted spoon onto a serving platter. Bon appetit!

7. BAKED GOLDIE SQUASH RINGS WITH PINE NUTS & GARLIC

 

 

 

 

 

Serves 4

Ingredients:

• 1 large “Goldie” squash or 2 small acorn squashes (about 2 lbs total weight)
• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 8 garlic cloves, halved
• 1 tablespoon pine nuts
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
2. Coat a shallow dish or baking sheet with cooking spray.
3. Cut the squash into 1/2 inch thick rings (TIP: for easier cutting, microwave whole unpeeled squash for 3 to 5 minutes) leaving the peel intact.
4. Scrape the seeds out of the center of each ring and discard.
5. Place rings in the prepared baking dish in a single layer and brush them with 1 1/2 teaspoons of oil (I sprayed the rings with olive oil from a MISTO sprayer), and sprinkle with 1/8 teaspoon of the salt.
6. Bake for 15 minutes.
7. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, toss the garlic with the remaining 1 1/2 teaspoons of olive oil.
8. Sprinkle the garlic, olive oil and pine nuts evenly over the squash rings and continue baking until the squash is tender and the pine nuts are lightly browned, about 10-15 minutes longer.
9. Season with the remaining salt and pepper.
10. Serve immediately.

8. 5 ESSENTIAL VEGAN MASHED VEGETABLE RECIPES

Who doesn’t love vegan mashed vegetables? Whether it’s cauliflower, sweet potatoes, rutabagas or white potatoes, everyone loves a good mashed vegetable!

 

 

 

 

 

Vegan Garlic Mashed Potatoes

From The Candle Cafe Cookbook

Serves 8 as a side dish

Ingredients:

• 6 medium Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/4-inch slices
• 3 garlic cloves, peeled and finely minced
• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• Sea salt
• Freshly ground pepper
• 1/2 cup plain soy milk (optional)

Directions:

• 1. In a large saucepan, place the potatoes and add enough water to cover. Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to medium, cover, and cook until the potatoes are tender, about 20 to 25 minutes. Drain the potatoes and return them to the pot.
• 2. In a small bowl, mix together the garlic, oil, and salt and pepper to taste, then add them to the potatoes. Mash the potatoes with a potato masher to make a fairly smooth purée. If a creamier texture is desired, add the soy milk. Serve immediately.
• Variations: For wasabi mashed potatoes, omit the garlic and add a teaspoon of wasabi paste. For rich, buttery mashed potatoes add a few tablespoons of Earth’s Balance buttery spread.

Vegan Mashed Cauliflower With Chives

From Cooking the Whole Foods Way by Christina Pirello

Makes 3 or 4 servings

Ingredients:

• 1 head cauliflower, broken into florets
• 1/8 cup unsweetened soymilk
• 3 tablespoons vegetarian buttery spread (like Earth Balance)
• Sea salt
• Cracked black pepper
• Small bunch chives, finely minced

Directions:

1. Place cauliflower in a steamer basket above a pot of boiling water. Cook, uncovered, until fork-tender, about 12 minutes.
2. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
3. Lightly oil a 9-inch baking dish and set aside.
4. Transfer cauliflower to a food processor or blender.
5. Add soy milk, the spread and salt and pepper to taste and puree until smooth.
6. Spoon into prepared baking dish and bake, uncovered, about 8 minutes, until bubbly.
7. Fold in chives and serve hot.

Braised Celery Root And Red Bliss Smash

Recipe by Myra Kornfeld, from the Natural Gourmet Institute For Food & Health, NYC

Serves 4

Ingredients:

• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 pound celery root, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces (3 cups)
• 1 pound thin skinned potatoes, such as red bliss, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces (2 cups)
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• black pepper, to taste
• 1 cup water or vegetable stock
• 1 1/2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice, plus more to taste
• 1 tablespoon butter, optional

Directions:

1. 1. Warm 2 tablespoons of the olive oil in a large skillet until shimmering. Add the celery root and the potatoes, sprinkle with salt and pepper and sauté until beginning to brown, about 5 to 7 minutes. You may have a lot of brown bits sticking to the pan at this point. Add the water or stock to the pan, then scrape up any bits that have stuck.
2. 2. Cover and simmer until the vegetables are completely tender, about 10 to 12 minutes. Mash the vegetables, stirring to soak up the pan juices. Stir in the lemon juice and the last tablespoon of oil. Taste and add additional salt and pepper if desired and an additional splash more lemon if necessary. Stir in the butter if using.

Variation: Make crispy shallots and use the shallot oil for the recipe. Stir in half the crispy shallots and sprinkle the rest on top.

Crispy Shallots:

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/2 cup shallots, cut into thin rings (from 2 medium shallots)

Directions:

Warm the olive oil in a medium skillet. Add the shallots and sauté until golden and crispy, about 5 minutes. Immediately strain the shallots, reserving the shallots and the oil separately.

Vegan Mashed Spiced Sweet Potatoes

From Veganomicon by Isa Chandra Moskowitz & Terry Hope Romero

Serves 6

Ingredients:

• 3 pounds sweet potatoes
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/8 teaspoon ground allspice
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
• 2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
• 1 tablespoon grapeseed oil or other light vegetable oil (but not olive oil)

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
2. Place the sweet potatoes directly on an oven rack (no tray is needed and  no need to poke holes in them). Depending on the size of the sweet potatoes, the cooking time will vary. An average-size sweet potato takes about 45 minutes but large ones can take longer, sometimes up to 75 minutes if they are the giant kind.
3. Once you can easily poke through the potatoes in the center, they are done.
4. Remove from the oven and split them lengthwise; leave them opened to speed up cooling.
5. When still warm but not too hot to handle, scoop out the sweet potatoes with a spoon and place in a large bowl. Discard the skins. Add the remaining ingredients and mash everything with a strong fork. Serve warm.

Rutabaga Puree (With a Thai Twist)

From Veganomicon by Isa Chandra Moskowitz & Terry Hope Romero

Serves 4 to 6

Ingredients:

• 2 1/2 pounds rutabaga, peeled, cut into 3/4-inch chunks
• 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
• 1/4 cup coconut milk
• 2 teaspoons agave syrup
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

Directions:

1. Place the rutabaga in a medium-size lidded saucepan and cover with water. Put on the lid and bring to a boil. Once the water is boiling, lower the heat to a simmer and cook for about 20 minutes, until the rutabaga is tender.
2. Drain and transfer to a food processor.
3. Add the remaining ingredients and puree until smooth.
4. Serve immediately, while still warm.
5. Variation: Cilantro-Pureed Rutabaga: Add 2 loosely packed cups of chopped fresh cilantro to the food processor and blend until the rutabaga is bright green.

There you have it! Some fabulous recipes for a wonderful vegan Thanksgiving!

Here are a few links to some more excellent holiday favorites…

Winter Squash Recipes For Everyday and Holidays

Cauliflower Mashed Potatoes (Caulipots)

Pumpkin Fever (11 Vegan Recipes With Pumpkin)

Happy Holidays!

Debby

xoxo