My Plant Based Thanksgiving Menu

This is pretty much what we are making for Thanksgiving again this year, so I refreshed this post to the top. 🙂 ……..Thanksgiving is right around the corner so I want to share what is on the menu for the day. It’s just my husband and I for Thanksgiving and we always look forward to the holiday. It’s a day of living slowly, being present, enjoying good food, drinks, each other’s company, and our own traditions. This is our first year without making a roast – my husband’s idea – and of course I was fully on board. So here is my plant based thanksgiving menu. If you still want meat, just add it to this delicious lineup.

My Plant Based Thanksgiving Menu

EASY HEALTHY PUMPKIN BREAD

First up, pumpkin bread. As soon as I get up in the morning, I will get this bread in the oven. It takes an hour to bake and another few hours to cool before you can eat it, so you could always make it the night before too. We’ll have our lemon water, celery juice, and some fruit to hold us over until it’s ready. When the pumpkin bread has cooled enough, we’ll be enjoying it with some pour over coffee while watching the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. Recipe here. If you feel like cinnamon donuts instead, we have made this recipe on Thanksgiving morning the last two years and they are SO good.

Medical Medium Eggnog

I’m guessing we will have a salad, green smoothie, or more fruit and pumpkin bread in the afternoon before we eat our feast. As for a fun holiday drink in the afternoon though, I’ll be drinking this eggnog while my husband has a cocktail. It’s hands down the best eggnog I’ve ever had. You can top it with a dollop of the coconut whip cream below too.

• 1/3 cup raw cashews
• 2 cups unsweetened almond milk
• 3-4 pitted dates
• 1/4 tsp ground cloves
• 1/4 tsp turmeric (for color)
• 1 tsp vanilla powder or alcohol-free vanilla extract
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp ground cardamom

Add all the ingredients to a blender and blend until very smooth and frothy, about 2-3 minutes. Divide between serving glasses and sprinkle cinnamon on top. Serve immediately. Serves 2

Sourdough Mushroom Herb Stuffing

Now to the main meal. This stuffing is hearty enough with the mushrooms to stand as a main dish. With that said, we’ll have just as much if not more of the other sides on our plate so we don’t fill ourselves on bread. Check out my savory stuffing recipe here.

Green Beans & Shallots

I will steam French green beans with a shallot in a little water on the stove. Once the beans are tender (but with some crunch), I’ll drizzle a little olive oil or melted Miyoko’s vegan butter over the beans and give it all a good stir to get the shallots mixed in well. By stirring in the oil or butter after the beans are steamed, it allows me to use very little while still giving it extra flavor.

Baked Sweet Potatoes

It does not get much easier than a baked sweet potato. I’m going to keep it simple and just bake them with their skins on, holes poked in them, at 400 degrees for around 50 minutes. I’ll season them with Himalayan salt and ground pepper once they are on the plate. Put a little sweet potato on that fork, add some stuffing to it, maybe a little cranberry and take a bite. I love a good mixed bite.

Orange Cinnamon Cranberries

• 3 cups organic fresh cranberries
• 1-2 cinnamon sticks, I use 2
• zest and juice from 1-2 oranges
• 1/4 cup pure maple syrup, add more in the end if you want them sweeter instead of tart
• 1/2 water

Add everything to a saucepan or small pot and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and cook the cranberries down for around 20 minutes. Carefully mash some cranberries (leaving some whole still), down some with a fork once done. Take off the heat and let them cool. They will thicken up as they sit.

Cool before serving. I make these ahead of time so they are able to be in the fridge a few hours prior to eating.

Cauliflower Mashed Potatoes

• 1 large head cauliflower, cut into large chunks
• 3 russet potatoes, cut into smaller chunks so they cook in the same time as the cauliflower
• 3 cloves of garlic
• 3/4 cup vegetable broth, with the instant pot method
• sea salt, ground pepper, Miyoko’s butter, or olive oil to taste

Steam the cauliflower, potatoes and garlic for about 15 minutes on the stovetop or for 5 minutes with 3/4 cup vegetable broth in the Instant Pot on the manual setting. If using the instant pot, make sure to quick release right away or they will overcook and will be too watery. I’ve learned the hard way. Drain the liquid from cauliflower potato garlic mixture and mash everything in a bowl with the optional olive oil/butter, sea salt and ground pepper.

*You can also just use cauliflower for a potato mash! They taste delicious! Because I’m adding gravy to these potatoes though, I prefer it with the blend of potatoes and cauliflower. Also, normally I avoid the fat (vegan butter) in potatoes, but I’m adding it for a richer meal for us for Thanksgiving. You can certainly skip it though.

Mushroom Gravy

(divide by two if you don’t want a good amount of leftovers)

• 16 oz brown mushrooms, roughly chopped
• 1 small yellow onion, chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/4 tsp fresh thyme
• 1/4 tsp fresh sage, finely chopped
• 1/8 tsp fresh rosemary, finely chopped
• 2 cups vegetable broth
• 1 tsp vegan Mykonos butter or olive oil (butter gives a richer taste)
• 1/4 cup Cauliflower Mashed Potatoes 
• sea salt & ground pepper to taste

Sautee the onion and garlic in a few teaspoons of vegetable broth or water for 2-3 minutes. Add in the mushrooms, herbs, and vegan butter or olive oil. Sauté the mushrooms until they are cooked down. Once the mushrooms are cooked and reduced down, add in the 2 cups of vegetable broth and stir the pan frequently for another few minutes. You do this so the broth heats up as well as picks up the mushroom flavor a bit more. Add the mushroom broth mixture, 1/4 cup mashed potatoes, sea salt, and pepper to your blender. Blend until smooth.

Kale Brussels Orange Salad

Our salad will consist of chopped kale, chopped raw brussels, green onions, and chopped oranges, all tossed with juice from an orange, ground pepper and a little toasted sesame oil. I use the sesame oil from Trader Joe’s. A great winter salad that will pair well with the other sides.

Pumpkin Pie with Coconut Whip Cream

For dessert, I’ll be making Medical Medium’s Pumpkin Pie Recipe Here and topping it with his coconut whip cream. The whip cream is insane. I make it earlier in the day and store it in the refrigerator. It’s great in hot drinks too.

Medical Medium Coconut Whip Cream

• 2 13.5-ounce cans full fat coconut milk, refrigerated (I use 1 can)
• 1/4 teaspoon grated ginger
• 1 teaspoon maple syrup
• Lemon juice (from about 1⁄4 lemon)
• 1 2-inch piece vanilla bean pod, split lengthwise – I just use a dash of alcohol free vanilla from Trader Joe’s
• 1 teaspoon lemon zest

Open the cans of coconut milk, being careful not to shake them. Coconut milk naturally separates in the can, leaving a thick, heavy layer on top. Scoop out the solid cream from each can and place it in a small mixing bowl. (You will need 1⁄2 cup of cream.) Discard the thin liquid that remains. Using a fork, whisk together the coconut cream, ginger, maple syrup, lemon juice, and the scraped seeds from the vanilla bean pod. Whisk until the mixture is well combined and smooth.

I hope you found something to incorporate into your own Thanksgiving Day Menu! Comment below if you do.🖤 I hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving.

Grateful you are following along,

xx Riane

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