Vegetarian Thanksgiving Dinner

Traditionally, Thanksgiving dinner includes foods like turkey, ham, and meatballs. However, Thanksgiving is not actually about the specific meal. It is the tradition for get together of the family and relatives. So, planning for vegetarian Thanksgiving is a good idea to make everyone happy. When a person who plans for Thanksgiving dinner is a vegetarian or a meat-eater, it can be difficult task for him/her to find vegetarian thanksgiving recipes and to prepare a delicious Thanksgiving dinner without the meat. However, vegetarian Thanksgiving dinner is easy to plan with the focusing on hearty grains and vegetables.

Generally, the white meat of turkey is believed to be healthier than dark meat due to lower fat content. However, turkey meat cause sleepiness after the Thanksgiving dinner because it contains a component called L-tryptophan which is a sedative in itself. Turkey meat can also be dangerous to health if it is deep fried or unsafely handled with large quantities of hot oil. So, it is better to plan for vegetarian Thanksgiving dinner.

Planning for vegetarian Thanksgiving meal is the best way as vegan people can not feel left out at the table. By such way, you can provide a balanced meal to everyone. Vegetarian Thanksgiving dishes ideas includes vegetarian recipes for appetizers, bread, main courses, side dishes, and dessert. For vegans and vegetarians, if you want to prepare something that related to turkey and doesn’t need too much time for preparation, consider receiving a Tofurky turkey.
Vegetarian Thanksgiving Dishes Ideas & Menu:

Appetizers/Starters:

* Savour plate of sliced vegetables and fruits.
* Sweet potato soup made with corn, peppers, and carmelized onions.
* An elegant soup prepared from wild rice and cranberries decorated with sherry.
* Pumpkin soup laced with apple slices and a dollop of crème fraiche.
* Crudites: Typically, a plate of crudités is made up of one or more types of raw vegetables which are served with one or more dips. In place of a salad, serve this as an appetizer, at a buffet.
* Squash Soup: It has taste similarity with beef stew and has notably thick consistency although it contains no cream or eggs.
* French Onion Soup: Traditionally, it is prepared with beef broth. This vegetarian soup is so flavorful and meat-eaters will never know the difference.

Side Dishes:

* Cranberry-studded wild rice pilaf
* Red Cabbage with Cranberries as a sweet-and-sour side dish
* Stuffed sweet potatoes which are sweet and buttery
* Balsamic roasted Brussels sprouts
* Coconut curried sweet potatoes
* Roasted winter vegetables with rosemary, garlic and olive oil
* Mushroom Sauce: To thicken this vegan mushroom sauce into mushroom gravy, you can add another ¼ cup of flour.
* Mashed Potatoes: Mashed potatoes are quick and easy to prepare. For all types of variations like vegan mashed potatoes and garlic mashed potatoes, they acts as a great base.

Main Dishes:

* Shepherd’s Pie: A simple yet delicious lambless version of the real thing.
* Spanakopita: It is a Greece vegetarian recipe having rich and delicious spinach-cheese pie.
* Sweet Potato Gratin: It is healthy main course made by layering of sweet potatoes with black beans, rice, and spinach.
* Potato and Bell Pepper Gratin with Pepper Jack Cheese: It is a spiced variety which melts beautifully. Add this gratin for just enough start and receive praises from guests.
* Vegetarian Stuffed Peppers: This vegetarian recipe is made up of green peppers with stuffing of a mixture of brown rice, nuts, dried cranberries, tofu and cheese. To make a vegan delight, you can use Parmesan as a substitute of soy cheese.
* Vegetarian lasagna: Basically, it is prepared with layers of flat noodles, vegetables, cheese, and sometimes meat. Many delicious variations can be carried out in lasagna with vegetables and mozzarella and ricotta cheese. Mushroom lasagna, mushroom goat cheese lasagna, spinach lasagna, and zucchini lasagna are other variations of it.
* Shepherd’s Pie: Prepare it with mashed potatoes and mixed vegetables. Other substitutes for filling are mushrooms, bell peppers, carrots, corn, spinach, zucchini or green beans. Boost the protein content with filling of Lentils or tofu.

Desserts:

* Vegan pumpkin custard
* Pear crumble with maple ice cream
* Pumpkin pie parfaits with gingersnap cookie crumble topping
* Cranberry-Nut Bread: Sweet-tart bread for dessert, tea, or breakfast
* Vegan pumpkin pie: The classic pumpkin pie recipe prepared by using tofu as a binder instead of eggs.
* Cranberry Pear Crumble: A classic fruit crumble, prepared with pears and cranberries and also apples.
* Gluten-Free Pumpkin Cookies: Made with canned pumpkin, potato starch and rice flour.
* Sweet Potato Pie: You can consume it as a dessert after Thanksgiving dinner. It is sweet but not too sweet.
* Apple Cinnamon Crisp: A quick and easy recipe for apple crisp topped with cereal.