Can you believe it’s almost been a year since the last Thanksgiving? It feels like we’ve come a long way since then, but the time has also just flown by!
Thanksgiving is one of our favorite holidays, so I love planning the menu early. We hope you’ll enjoy these perenial favorites. Let us know your own food traditions in the comments!
Our family is now vegetarian, so we’ve had to alter our Thanksgiving menu a bit over recent years. But there are still plenty of ways to modify the classics so that you can still enjoy them — even if you’re vegan. Here are some of our favorites:
Stuffing
There’s no need to give up this ultimate holiday comfort food if you’re eating plant-based. Simply switch out butter for a vegetable-based spread. Here’s our modern take on making it the old fashioned way.
Here are the ingredients:
- 1 or 2 bags of Pepperidge Farm herb-seasoned stuffing mix
- Carrots, between 5-8 sticks, chopped finely
- Celery, between 5-8 sticks, chopped finely
- 1 large white onion, chopped finely
- Garlic, 1 clove chopped finely
- Dried cranberries, 1 cup
- Walnuts (or chestnuts — whatever your heart desires), 1 cup
- Miyoko’s Cultured Vegan Butter, half a stick
- Salt and pepper
First, sauté your large white onion in Miyoko’s Vegan Butter. Throw in chopped celery, garlic, salt and pepper. Once you have that base, add in cranberries and finely chopped carrots and walnuts. Then it’s time to add the stuffing! After that’s all mixed, put it in a cooking dish and cook until the top is lightly toasted — about 20-30 minutes on 350 degrees. Then let it cool.
Roast vegetables
Delicious, simple and super nutritious. For this dish, you can steam or grill your veggies after splashing on a little olive oil and balsamic vinegar. We especially love sweet potatoes, carrots, root vegetable, green beans and broccoli. But just about any veggies will do!
Cranberry sauce
For killer cranberry sauce, boil a bag’s worth of cranberries and a cup of sugar in water. Stir them until they open up, soften, thicken and gel. Pour the sauce in a pan and let it sit for a bit, then put it in the fridge. You can make the sauce the night before or the day of.
Pie
I love to make fresh pumpkin pie for dessert. It’s easiest to get pre-prepared vegan pie crust. You’ll also want to pick up pumpkin puree, coconut cream, cornstarch, brown sugar and spices like nutmeg, cinnamon and cloves. Stir up the ingredients and pour them onto the crust, then bake at 350 degrees for an hour.
Apple pie is another classic for the big day. There’s something about apples and cinnamon that makes for a divine November treat. Check out this well-loved vegan version from Tasty.
Of course, a fabulous wine complements any Thanksgiving meal. With Lake Placid’s cold, cozy winter, I like to get a full bodied Pinot Noir. One of my favorites is the Reserve Pinot Noir from Angeline Vineyards.
We have a small family, and Thanksgiving always gives me a chance to appreciate it even more. We hope you can be with your loved ones this year and remember all there is to be grateful for!
