Vegan Thanksgiving Alternatives to Turkey
This year, why not save a turkey's life and try some incredibly delicious vegan alternatives! I've tried quite a few vegan alternatives for my Thanksgiving main course and here are my top five:
1. The Turkey Alternative
There are actually quite a few companies making turkey alternatives for Thanksgiving; my favorite is the Celebration Roast from Field Roast. It's the perfect size, I like the texture, and the seasoning is awesome. Other vegan turkey alternatives I've tried: the Tofurkey Roast from Tofurkey, the Hazelnut and Cranberry Roast En Croute, the Holiday Roast from Gardein, and the Turkey-less Stuffed Roast from Trader Joe's. All delicious options if you want the "turkey" option for Thanksgiving.
2. Cauliflower!
Olives for Dinner has a great (and tasty) cauliflower steak option as a main course that would be light and delicious for the holidays. It's not traditional but it leaves more gilt-free room for pumpkin pie and desserts after dinner! Cauliflower is super versatile so you could rub it with some Thanksgiving-esque seasoning (garlic powder, rosemary, sage, thyme, salt, and pepper), roast it, then put it over some mashed potatoes and slather it in vegan gravy! I personally just stick a whole head of cauliflower in a large pot of tomato sauce, add my favorite spices, drizzle with olive oil, and roast it low and slow until it just about falls apart. Then, eat it piping hot with some crunchy french bread.
3. Off The Grid
Another option that I LOVE is to do something completely and totally out of the norm for Thanksgiving like shepherds pie or butternut squash veggie pizza. I find that these are often the most fun because you can choose something totally wacky to try and possible start a new holiday tradition of your own!
4. To Go
You can always save yourself the clean up and opt for Thanksgiving dinner at a local vegan restaurant in your area. I'm in LA so my favorite options here are Crossroads Kitchen, Doomie's Home Cookin', The Springs, Real Food Daily, and Mohawk Bend. Whether you eat out or take it home, it'll make your holiday delicious and stress-free!
5. Leave It Out!
This is what I'll be doing this year, skipping the main course and opting for extra sides. I'm actually a fan of having lots of sides instead of a main course because I like to try a bunch of different things. My personal holiday menu will include the following: carrot and butternut squash soup, spinach and arugula salad with avocado and cherry tomatoes, roasted brussels sprouts with a side of swiss chard, corn bread stuffing, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, and cranberry sauce. It goes without saying that there will also be pies of the pumpkin and apple variety along with chocolate chip cookies, a make-it-yourself hot chocolate station, and persimmon pudding. YUM!
Happy Thanksgiving!