Easy Plant-Based Thanksgiving Recipes
I’ve loved Thanksgiving for as long as I can remember. My mom’s broccoli casserole and my MawMaw’s crock-pot mac-n-cheese would have me up early just waiting for the dinner hour to arrive!
Growing up, we celebrated Thanksgiving on the Sunday before with my mom’s family and then kept it low-key on the day of. That is until I met Raymond. His family would gather at his MamMaw’s house so I started to fill in that day with some boyfriend family time (we were 17 btw!).
Her Thanksgiving was one for the books; the way she entertained a crowd with such ease and grace is still a mystery to me (mainly because it stresses me the heck out). :P
When she passed away, Thanksgiving got weird. Raymond saved the day with several Thanksgiving-In-A-Box options from Cracker Barrel. Until his dad had two heart attacks in two weeks, so we went from downhome cooking to no-salt and heart healthy.
We all missed the butter and the salt and the fat, but that year we were just happy to be gathered round the table. All of us.
In the eight years since that Heart-Healthy (bland) Thanksgiving, many things have changed and many things have returned to “normal”.
My mom’s family stopped gathering after several deaths and one divorce.
Raymond’s family went back to the salt and the butter kind of Thanksgiving.
Yet Raymond and I took the road less traveled and went the plant-based route.
We’ve felt like the odd bunch out before with our “weird” eating ways, but truth be told, plant-based Thanksgiving is just as delicious and oh-so-achievable as the meat and dairy kind.
I don’t miss the turkey (it was always dry and boring anyways), and we’ve learned to adapt the side dishes into tasty non-dairy, non-meat versions!
Our original go-tos are:
Twice Baked Potato
Kale Salad
Apple Pie
Stay tuned for recipes and a video for the above! :)
Here are several plant-based options for those looking to gather and give thanks with family yet still feel good afterwards! (no heartburn or turkey coma)
Keep scrolling for a few more tips! :)
(Plant Based ) THANKSGIVING RECIPE ROUNDUP
SAVE TIME W/ THIS ORGANIZING TIP
I saw this tip from Martha Stewart before I lived in a house and before I contributed to the family feast.
Before you get to the cooking, decide
What you will serve the dish in
What you will cook the dish in (hint: it might be the same)
Lay them out on the counter and label them with scrap paper.
I’ll add on to this:
Make a list of what you are cooking
Have a column for how long it will cook for
Have another column for the temperature setting on the oven
Plan accordingly so you don’t have burnt things or not-quite-done things. :)
DECORATING THE TABLE WITH PUMPKINS
I love the idea of using up what you already have when it comes to decorating and making the home feeling cozy.
We have a gigantic pumpkin sitting on our kitchen counter that would make the perfect fall centerpiece!
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