Thanksgiving is all about sharing hearty meals with family and friends, giving thanks, and appreciating all your blessings.
If you have been looking for some yummy plant-based dish inspiration for Thanksgiving, you need to keep on reading!
These delicious dishes offer a great variety of fresh, warm, hearty, and healthy! Crunchy, creamy, sweet, and spicy! Your tastebuds will be happy, and your heart content!
Starter: Roasted Pumpkin Soup and Sourdough Bread
Salads: Cauliflower Garbanzo Salad, Harvest Kale Caesar Salad
Main: Hearty Lentil Shepherds Pie
Dessert: Luscious Tres Leches Cake
INGREDIENTS
- 1 medium minced onion
- 2 Tbs vegan butter
- 2 cans of pumpkin or 2 roasted sugar-pie pumpkins
- 1 cup of vegetable broth
- 1 can of coconut milk (save some for garnish)
- 2 tsp curry powder
- 1 tsp paprika
- Salt and pepper to taste
DIRECTIONS
- Roast pumpkins tossed with olive oil and salt and pepper at 356 F for 30 - 40 minutes (until golden and tender)
- Caramelize the onions in butter in a pot or a deep dish pan.
- Add curry and paprika. Cook for 3 - 5 minutes.
- Deglaze with broth, and then add the roasted pumpkin and cook until the pumpkin is soft enough to puree.
- Puree your mixture in a blender until smooth and add back into the pot
- Whisk in coconut milk and stir through, cooking for 5 minutes.
- Ladle into serving bowls, drizzle with coconut cream, and top with pumpkin seeds.
- Serve with sourdough bread (get the sourdough recipe here).
INGREDIENTS
- 1 lb chopped cauliflower (raw or frozen)
- 2 lbs chopped gold potatoes (or any small variety)
- 2 cans garbanzo beans (chickpeas)
- 1 medium yellow onion
- 1 Tbs garlic powder
- 1/4 tsp cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp smoked paprika
- 1/4 tsp cumin
- Pinch of nutmeg
- Green onion to garnish
DIRECTIONS
- Roast cauliflower and potatoes drizzled with olive oil and salt at 400 F for 30 min until tender and browning.
- In a small saucepan, sauté onions until translucent, add garbanzo beans and spices, and cook for 10 minutes.
- Serve roasted veggies topped with garbanzo mix and drizzle with cashew sauce.
CASHEW CREAM SAUCE
Soak 1/2 cup of cashews overnight. Add soaked cashews, juice of 1 orange, 1 cup unsweetened almond milk, 2 garlic cloves, 1/4 tsp salt, and 1/4 tsp cinnamon to a blender and blend until smooth.
INGREDIENTS
For the Kale Caesar Dressing:
- 1 1/2 lemons, juiced
- 1/4 cup (60 ml) tahini
- 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
- 2 - 3 tbsp filtered water to thin
For the salad:
- 1 bunch washed kale (315g, or approx. 6 large stems)
- 1/2 cup raw cashews
- 2 tbsp hemp hearts
- 1 apple, thinly sliced
- 1/3 cup pomegranate seeds
- 2 tbsp dried cranberries
- 3 dates, pits removed and chopped
- Sea salt and pepper to taste
DIRECTIONS
- For the dressing: In a small bowl, add lemon juice, tahini, chopped garlic, and sea salt. Whisk to combine. Add 2-3 tbsp water to thin until desired dressing consistency.
- Tear kale leaves into small bite-sized pieces, and place in a large mixing bowl.
- Pour dressing over kale leaves and toss to combine.
- Roast cashews in a saucepan on medium heat, occasionally stirring until cashews are browned (approx. 6-8 minutes).
- Let cashews cool slightly, then chop and sprinkle over kale salad. Add hemp hearts and toss to combine.
- Transfer salad to a serving bowl and top with sliced apple, pomegranate seeds, cranberries, and chopped dates. Season with salt and pepper and serve.
This delicious recipe is from Two Spoons.
INGREDIENTS
- 2 1/4 cups french lentils
- 1 Large diced onion
- 3 Chopped medium carrots
- 1 Cup green peas
- 3 Tbs nutritional yeast flakes
- 1 Tbs herb seasoning salt of your choice
- 1 Tsp dried thyme
- 1/2 Tsp dried sage
- 1 Tsp garlic seasoning
- 4 1/2 cups of water
- Prepared mashed potatoes (you can find a delicious recipe here)
DIRECTIONS
- Add french lentils, carrots, and diced onions to a pan
- Add nutritional yeast, salt, remaining herbs, and garlic.
- Add water, boil, and let it simmer on low heat.
- Add green peas right before the lentils are almost cooked soft. Add water as needed. The water needs to be cooked off to make the pie.
- Spread cooked lentils in a baking dish and top with mashed potatoes.
- Bake at 350 F for 30 - 45 minutes until the mashed potatoes and golden and crispy.
- Garnish with chopped parsley or rosemary twigs.
INGREDIENTS
For the cake:
- 1 1/2 cups unsweetened soy milk, or plant-based milk of choice
- 2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup canola oil, or other neutral-flavored oil
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
For the milk mixture:
- 1 cup full-fat coconut milk
- 1/2 cup oat milk or plant-based milk of choice
- 1 can of vegan sweetened condensed milk
DIRECTIONS
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and grease a 9×13 inch cake pan.
- Mix soy milk and vinegar in a bowl and set aside to curdle.
- In a large bowl, mix the flour, cornstarch, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
- Add the milk/vinegar mix, oil, and vanilla and whisk until there are no large lumps left.
- Pour the batter into the cake pan and bake for 20-25 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Remove from oven and let the cake cool for 15 minutes. The cake should still be warm when you pour the milk over it; it will absorb better.
- Prepare the milk mixture by pouring the coconut milk into a large microwave-safe bowl and heat for 1 minute.
- Add the sweetened condensed coconut milk and oat milk to the bowl with the coconut milk and whisk well.
- Poke holes all over the cake, down to the bottom of the pan, and slowly pour the milk mixture over the cake.
- Refrigerate the cake for an hour to let it soak up the milk.
- Add coconut whipped cream all over, sprinkle with cinnamon and coconut shavings, and sliced strawberries.
