Mashed cauliflower with mushroom gravy. This dish is a great alternative to the staple item-mashed potatoes and gravy. Changing to this vegan style option, with creamy cauliflower makes one forget you said “no” to the buttery mashed potatoes. The main ingredients for this dish is cauliflower, olive oil, garlic, vegan butter, along with salt and pepper. The mushroom gravy requires shallots, vegetable stock, flour, onions, olive oil and sliced mushroom. Chef Gretchen, from Gretchen’s Vegan Baker shares, “I’ve adapted this recipe to be fat free, so instead of using half a cup of oil that the original recipe calls for, I use vegetable stock.”
Roasted sweet potatoes. Candied yams are delicious, but this version of yams might make you never want to go back to traditional. This dish requires very little preparation and cook time. First, you will need virgin coconut oil, peeled sweet potatoes, light brown sugar, kosher salt, black pepper and nutmeg. Then, you bake them in the oven until they are no longer firm.
Cranberry sauce. Cranberry sauce is a holiday staple. This vegan recipe is simple, delicious and can be made a few days before the big day. It calls for cranberries, sugar, water, orange juice and cinnamon. It uses organic agave nectar instead of honey, and arrowroot powder instead of cornstarch, for thickening. Chef Gretchen suggests that you reduce to a simmer until the berries pop and the sauce has thickened.
Dressing. Dressing (or stuffing) is a hearty portion of the meal that many people desire. This vegan-friendly recipe has earned the pick of many and yours may be next! For this dish, you will need olive oil, green tea bags, onion, mushrooms, sage, kosher salt, ground pepper, bread and vegetable stock. Chef Gretchen clarifies, “For the stuffing, I use vegan sausage from Lightlife, but you can use whatever brand you like best.” This dish does require more preparation and cook time, so make sure you allow enough time to make this dish.
Field roast. Field roast is a popular alternative to turkey. Field roast is vegetarian “meat” made from grains, vegetables and seasoning. It usually comes pre-sliced and pre-seasoned, which means it is a low maintenance dish. You can place it over sliced vegetable, such as carrots, celery, onions and vegetable stock. Then, place it in the oven to bake.
Your holiday dinner, whether you’re the guest or doing the cooking, can still turn out amazing with vegan/vegetarian dishes. You can enjoy your meal equally as much as traditional meals, if not more! You no longer need to worry about being left out.