THE CROSBY WELLNESS CENTER'S BLOG

3 Vegetarian Thanksgiving Recipes

By: Crosby Staff

November 24, 2020, 9:00 am - Categories: Healthy Tips

Have a delicious meal this upcoming holiday, even if you’re skipping the turkey. Here are three of our top vegetarian recipes.

Vegan Stuffing, Yield: 8 servings

INGREDIENTS
-4 tablespoons olive oil, plus more for greasing the baking dish
-2 bags green tea
-1 large onion, chopped
-2 stalks celery, chopped
-8 ounces sliced mushrooms
-1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh sage
-1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh thyme
-Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
-16 cups stale, 1-inch cubed white bread (about 1 pound)
-1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

DIRECTIONS
-Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Grease a 9-by-13-inch baking dish with oil.
-Brew the tea bags in 2 cups of hot water for 5 minutes. Discard the tea bags (don’t squeeze them out).
-Heat 3 tablespoons oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onions and celery and cook, stirring frequently, until just soft, about 6 minutes. Add the mushrooms, sage, thyme, 1 1/2 teaspoon salt and a few grinds of pepper and cook, stirring, until the mushrooms are soft, about 4 minutes. Add the brewed green tea, then bring to a simmer and remove from heat.
-Put the bread in a large bowl and pour in the green tea-vegetable mixture. Add the parsley and toss until the bread is completely coated. Let rest for 10 minutes so the bread can soak up the liquid. Gently toss again and transfer to the prepared baking dish. Drizzle with the remaining 1 tablespoon oil.
-Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Uncover and continue to bake until golden brown, about 15 minutes more. Serve hot.

Mock Mashed Potatoes, Yield: 4 servings

INGREDIENTS
-2 medium heads cauliflower (1 1/2 pounds each)
-2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
-2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves, chopped
-3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
-1/2 cup nonfat Greek yogurt
-1/4 cup grated Parmesan
-Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
-1 tablespoon unsalted butter

DIRECTIONS
-Core the cauliflower heads and cut the stems and florets into 1-inch pieces.
-Bring 1 inch of water to a boil in a large saucepan fitted with a steamer insert. Put the cauliflower into the pot, cover and steam until tender, 10 to 12 minutes. Lift the cauliflower pieces from the saucepan and spread out on a large platter lined with a clean kitchen towel. Let the cauliflower dry for 5 minutes.
-Meanwhile, combine the oil, thyme and garlic in a small nonstick skillet. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until the garlic is fragrant and beginning to brown, about 3 minutes. Scrape the garlic oil into the bowl of a food processor.
-Add the cauliflower, yogurt, Parmesan, and 1 teaspoon salt and several turns of black pepper to the food processor and blend until smooth and light, scraping down the bowl as needed. Transfer to a bowl and top with the butter and some more black pepper. Stir the butter into the cauliflower before serving.

Vegan Pumpkin Pie, Yield: 8 to 10 servings

INGREDIENTS
-1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for rolling
-1 tablespoon vegan granulated sugar
-1 tablespoon white vinegar
-Fine salt
-1/2 cup unrefined virgin or extra-virgin coconut oil (packed)
-4 to 6 tablespoons ice water

Filling:
-One 15-ounce can pure pumpkin puree
-8 ounces silken tofu
-2/3 cup vegan granulated sugar
-2 tablespoons cornstarch
-1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
-1/2 teaspoon grated nutmeg
-1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
-Fine salt

DIRECTIONS
-For the crust: Put the flour, sugar, vinegar and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a food processor, and pulse to combine. Add the coconut oil in small spoonfuls, and pulse until the largest pieces are pea-sized. Add 4 tablespoons ice water, and pulse until evenly combined. Squeeze a handful of the dough together; it should just hold its shape. If the mixture is too powdery, pulse in an additional 1 to 2 tablespoons ice water. Turn the dough out onto a large piece of plastic wrap, pat into a 1/2-inch-thick disc and chill for at least 1 hour up to overnight.
-To make rolling easier, let the dough soften up a bit-it should be slightly soft when pressed-at room temperature (this may take anywhere from 20 to 40 minutes depending on the temperature of your kitchen). Roll the disc into a 12-inch round on a lightly floured surface or between two pieces of floured parchment paper. If the dough gets too warm, refrigerate it to firm it up. Ease the crust into a 9-inch pie plate. Fold the overhanging dough under itself, and crimp the edge as desired. Chill for 30 minutes.
-Position an oven rack in the center of the oven, and preheat to 350 degrees F. Line the chilled pie crust with a large coffee filter or foil, and fill with pie weights. Bake until the edges are lightly golden, 20 to 25 minutes. Remove the coffee filter or foil and weights, and continue baking until the crust is lightly golden all over, 15 to 20 minutes more. Transfer to a rack, and let cool completely.
-For the filling: Process the pumpkin puree, tofu, sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla and 1/4 teaspoon salt in a food processor until completely smooth, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.

Pour the filling into the parbaked pie shell, and bake until firm and set, 40 to 45 minutes. Let cool completely on a rack. Chill for at least 2 hours up to overnight. Slice and serve.

Reference: https://www.foodnetwork.com/thanksgiving/photos/vegetarian-thanksgiving-recipes