The Ultimate Vegan Thanksgiving Feast

Thanksgiving is coming up sooner than you think! For us vegans, it can sometimes be a stressful time. Especially if you are planning on spending the holiday surrounded by omnivores. I always like to prep for these situations ahead of time, and this year I want to give you guys a look into the dishes that I plan to make. Included in my Thanksgiving feast are mashed potatoes, gravy, cranberry relish, mac and cheese casserole, and pumpkin pie.

Enough with the introduction let’s talk food…

I don’t care if it’s “that time of year” for indulgence, I’m not going to compromise my health! So, I’m here to ensure all you wonderful readers that with these recipes you won’t experience any setbacks during the holiday.

Mashed potatoes and gravy are a must have for Thanksgiving dinner, and let me tell you this will not disappoint. 

I have found that the best substitute for oil in mashed potatoes is vegetable stock. Not only is it healthier, but it adds more flavor to any dish. When purchasing vegetable stock be conscious of the ingredients. The best vegetable stock should include water, sea salt, and a short list of vegetables and spices only.

Enough with the boring details let’s get cooking! So, without further ado here is the healthiest and most mouth-watering mashed potatoes and gravy recipe around.

Cauliflower Mashed Potatoes & Mushroom Gravy

INGREDIENTS:

Mashed Potatoes

• 1 large head cauliflower, florets
• 2 large potatoes, peeled and cubed
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 1⁄2 tsp vegetable stock
• 1⁄4 tsp sea salt

Gravy

• 6 cups mushrooms
• 1 onion, diced
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1⁄4 cup sundried tomatoes
• ¼ cup vegetable stock*
• 1⁄8 tsp or one dash each of thyme, sage, and rosemary

DIRECTIONS:

1. Steam cauliflower, potatoes, and garlic until tender, about 10-15 minutes. Strain and place into a food processor with vegetable stock and sea salt. Process until smooth.
2. For the gravy steam mushrooms, onion, garlic, sundried tomato, and herbs in 2 cups of water in a large pan until tender. Blend mixture with vegetable stock until smooth. *NOTE: slowly add vegetable stock until desired thickness, feel free to use more if a thinner consistency is desired.
3. Pour over cauliflower mashed potatoes and serve.

Up next is a recipe all you raw foodists will enjoy. For such a heavily cooked meal I always like to enjoy something raw, fresh, and flavorful. You may be surprised to learn this is where cranberries come in. Traditionally on Thanksgiving, a cranberry sauce is served to be eaten with the turkey. This cranberry relish, however, is perfect on its own and absolutely divine on salad. And trust me when I say your taste buds and your body will thank you.

Raw Cranberry Relish

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 cup cranberries
• 2 cups roughly diced apple (about 2 medium sized apples)
• ½ cup orange sections (about 1 medium orange)
• ¼ teaspoon orange zest
• 4 tbsp coconut sugar
• 3 mint leaves

DIRECTIONS:

1. Pulse-blend all ingredients in a food processor until roughly combined. Store in the fridge for at least 30 minutes before serving.
2. Serve as a side dish or on top of a salad.

This next recipe is the ultimate comfort food, that I definitely will be making, again and again, all year long. Spicy and creamy mac & cheese with the perfect gluten-free casserole crust.

For this dish, I chose Banza shell-shaped chickpea pasta because it most resembles the texture of traditional pasta. Feel free to use your favorite gluten-free pasta of any shape.

Then I took it to the next level by adding quinoa as a kind of breadcrumb casserole crust if you will. This crust adds a great balance of textures. If you serve this at your family Thanksgiving I guarantee you’ll even have cheese lovers scratching their heads. Cheese sauce made from vegetables whaaaa….????

Mac and Cheese Casserole

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 box veggie or brown rice pasta of choice
• ¼ cup quinoa
• ½ cup vegetable stock
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp sea salt
• Cilantro (optional topping)

Cheese sauce

• 1 large potato, peeled and diced
• 1 carrot, diced
• 1 tsp turmeric
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1/4 tsp cayenne
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 tsp sea salt
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 1/4 cup steaming vegetable stock

DIRECTIONS:

1. Rinse quinoa thoroughly in a fine strainer until water runs clear. Combine ½ cup vegetable broth with ¼ cup quinoa in a saucepan. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover, and let simmer for 15-20  minutes or until tender. Once the seeds are fully translucent and expanded add garlic powder and sea salt.
2. Follow directions on box to cook pasta. Once cooked, strained, and rinsed set aside.
3. To make the sauce, add a couple of inches of water to a medium-sized pot and place a steaming basket in it. Add the diced potato and carrot, cover and cook for 25-30 minutes until soft.
4. Place the cooked potatoes and carrots in a blender with turmeric, garlic powder, cayenne, lemon juice, sea salt, pepper, and the steaming vegetable stock. Blend until fully smooth.
5. Mix cheese sauce with pasta and place mixture in glass baking dish (I used an 8.3 in x 4.6 in x 2.7 in). Top with quinoa and broil in oven for 1-2 minutes until crispy golden brown. Add cilantro for garnish and serve.

Last but not least, dessert. Not just any dessert, a classic pumpkin pie turned vegan and gluten-free. Here comes the major shocker…this pie is made without any pumpkin. Can you believe it?

Although this pie is high in fat content, I’m willing to let it slide because it’s just that good. Just make sure you keep your health in mind and although its tempting, keep yourself from grabbing too many pieces. All in all, it’s not a Thanksgiving feast without this pie. Enjoy!

Pumpkin Pie

INGREDIENTS:

Crust

• 1 cup cashews (dry)
• ½ cup GF oats
• ¼ tsp salt
• 2 tbsp maple syrup

Filling

• 1 ½ cups cashews (soaked overnight)
• ½ cup maple syrup
• ½ cup carrot juice
• ¼ cup coconut oil
• 2 tbsp pumpkin spice

DIRECTIONS:

1. Soak cashews in filtered water overnight, or at least 8 hours
2. In a food processor, add all crust ingredients and process until crust becomes sticky forming a “crumble.” In a 5-6 inch pie pan. Lay crust and press down to form a crust in an even layer.
3. In a blender, blend all filling ingredients till completely smooth, no gritty-ness from cashews should be left. Pour filling over pie pan crust and spread evenly. Freeze until firm.
4. Store in the fridge. When the pie is firm. Slice and serve best chilled.

That’s all folks! I hope you all have fun cooking, eating, and sharing these dishes over the holiday. Give thanks to Mother Earth and her abundance of food that feeds and heals us. Happy Thanksgiving!