22 Delicious Meatless Main Dishes To Make For Thanksgiving

1. Stuffed Butternut Squash

With a simple and nourishing ingredient list, this dish manages to be packed with flavor (one of the many benefits of eating in-season). It also happens to be a very pretty dish that would make a deliciously satisfying addition to your Thanksgiving table. Recipe here.

2. Mediterranean Baked Sweet Potatoes

The concept is simple:

Baked sweet potatoes – cut in half to shorten cooking time
Seasoned, roasted chickpeas
Garlic-herb sauce
Parsley-tomato salad for garnish

The result is a 30-minute lunch or dinner that’s both satisfying, savory and sweet, and seriously healthy. Grab the recipe here and if you already have sweet potatoes on the menu? Make something similar with eggplant.

3. Grilled Chipotle Lime Cauliflower Steaks

These cauliflower "steaks" demonstrate that more than almost anything else we've grilled; their tongue-in-cheek name is a good indicator of how satisfying a centerpiece they make on any table. They're smoky and spicy, with a squirt of lime and flurry of cilantro. Get the spicy recipe here.

4. Potato and Green Garlic Crustless Quiche with Goat Cheese, Gruyère, and Chives

The quiche recipe is quite simple: cook up some vegetables, whip up a batter of eggs, milk, and flour, combine the two and add some cheese, bake, and voilà. Brunch. (Or lunch. Or dinner. Or all of the above.) Try the recipe yourself here.

5. Roasted Vegetable Galette

This savory galette is a wonderful lunch or snack for those who still wait for warm days. It's full of flavors and vitamins that we so much need during a long cold winter. Find the recipe here.

6. Roasted Fall Vegetable and Ricotta Pizza

Such an inventive way to get nutrients without feeling deprived! Also a great day-after-Thanksgiving treat. Snag the delicious, easy recipe here.

7. Acorn Squash with Walnuts & Cranberry

What says “fall” better than pumpkins and squash? They come in such a huge variety of colors, shapes and flavors these days! The addition of walnuts gives you an added boost of healthy oils, which are good for your cardiac health and help you lower cholesterol. Seriously, do you need more convincing? Try the recipe out here.

8. Roasted Cauliflower, Mushroom and Goat Cheese Quiche with Quinoa Crust

The cauliflower and mushroom combo works amazingly well in this quiche and now you can enjoy the favorite combo for breakfast lunch and dinner! Enjoy the recipe here.

9. Chili Polenta Pie

Do you need a "pot pie challenge"? Cause this is the recipe for you.

10. Vegan Mushroom, Chestnut & Cranberry Tart

This tart is perfect for holidays – make it the day before and heat through once dinner’s nearly ready. If you can’t get wild mushrooms, use more chestnut ones. Try it out this year!

11. Roasted Brussels Sprouts and Crispy Baked Tofu with Honey-Sesame Glaze

Tender, caramelized brussels sprouts with extra crispy tofu and brown rice, topped with an irresistible sweet-and-spicy glaze. This meal requires some prep work, but once you're ready, you can cook the rice, sprouts and tofu in about 30 minutes, while making the glaze in the meantime. For a simple side dish, roast 2+ pounds of sprouts and skip the rice and tofu. Find the recipe here.

12. “Ricotta” Stuffed Cabbage

This is the gluten free solution stuffed shells. You’ll notice this recipe also pasta-free but trust me – this “cheesy” cashew filling – tastes just as indulgent.

13. Roasted Eggplant with Cilantro-Almond Salsa

Serve this amazing eggplant with couscous, topped with a dollop of yogurt and a spoonful of salsa. Yummmmm! Try this recipe here.

14. Vegan Lentil & Sweet Potato Shepherd’s Pie

Forget the traditional style shepherd's pie and instead opt for this recipe on stuffed with deliciously seasoned lentils and veggies, and topped with a gorgeous, vitamin-packed sweet potato mash. It’s every bit as delicious as the original, but low in fat and high in protein, fiber, and nutrients. This shepherd’s pie is the perfect simple, economical, hearty dinner that the whole family will love.

15. Butternut Squash Alfredo Baked Shells

This Butternut Squash Alfredo Stuffed Shells recipe is made with a lighter alfredo sauce, and is perfectly sweet, savory, and delicious!

16. Autumn Root Vegetable Gratin with Herbs and Cheese

This classic dish, other than its near universal appeal, is that it is deceptively simple to make relative to its beauty. Plus, you can probably make it with what you have in your fridge and pantry right now. Try it out now!

17. Mushroom, Spinach and Scallion Tart

This vibrant recipe includes spinach leaves intermingle with roasted mushrooms in a light-as-air (and easy-to-assemble) phyllo shell. The custard-like filling comes together quickly in a blender.

18. Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms with Crispy Goat Cheese

The portobellos are lightly grilled and topped with a chunky homemade tomato sauce, sautéed spinach and shallot mixture, soft goat cheese, and topped with a crispy breadcrumb topping. They're hearty enough to be served on their own, with a simple salad or grain (such as quinoa or pasta!), or as a side dish. Try serving this recipe at the table.

19. Vegetarian Wellington with Seitan, Roasted Mushroom & Kale

Make this vegetarian wellington recipe for Thanksgiving and the turkeys of America will love you! And so will your guests. This welling is a puff pastry wrapping, stuffed with orange and fennel seed braised seitan, thyme roasted mushrooms and kale. All served with the best vegetarian gravy ever! 

20. Butternut Squash-Kale Tart

Embrace the flavor of a sweet butternut squash with open arms and into a delicious tart mixed with kale and grated Gruyere. Try this recipe out this Thanksgiving.

21. Provolone and Mushroom Gratin

Cheesy potatoes get a whole new look with the addition of Provolone cheese, Portobello mushrooms and fresh thyme. Find the recipe here.

22. Roasted Sweet Potato & Black Lentil Salad

This roasted sweet potato and black lentil salad recipe is something easy to nosh throughout a meal or even while cooking! It's great served at room temperature and it’s vegan, simple and with the addition of scallions for sharpness and celery for crunch it makes a dish everyone will love.

[via BuzzFeed]

5 Soy-Free Vegan Meat Alternatives

Replacing meat in your diet can be a matter of several factors–be it for health, ethical or simply taste reasons.  Whatever the reason, there are many vegan options to choose from–now more than ever– and each one is versatile enough to keep your meat cravings at bay and creativity high in the kitchen. And if you’re also avoidng soy (whether you’re allergic, concerned about GMOs or have other reasons to replace it), there are also plenty of options. Here are five soy-free ways to fill in the meat gap and be able to enjoy a long, thriving life without animal flesh.

1. Avocado

It’s hard not to appreciate the value of avocado in a plant-based diet. It’s the perfect accompaniment to a salad, makes for a filling snack, and nurtures the transition from heavier, drier foods to lighter, water-based ones. The best way to enjoy avocados is in a mixed salad, as a topping for a veggie burger, as the main ingredient in a guacamole dip, or as simply as possible, with a bit of sea salt and a spoon for scooping as a snack.

Avocados are also a powerhouse of nutrition. Their mono-saturated fats are healthy and will not clog your arteries. They are a great source of fiber, potassium, vitamin C,K, folate and B6. They contain oleic acid, which has been shown to inhibit the growth of breast cancer, lower cholesterol levels, as well as activate the part of your brain that makes your feel full. Avocados also contribute to eye health, lower the incidence of heart disease, protect against strokes, help the body to better absorb nutrients from other foods, and slows aging. 

2. Legumes

Legumes include beans, peas and lentils. If you resort to meat for its protein and can’t imagine where in the plant food world you can get a viable source, look no further than legumes. On average, they offer between 4 and 9 grams per half-cup servng. They provide a good amount of folate, iron, magnesium, and potassium to top it off.

3. Grains

A serving of grains as either a side dish, mixed into a salad, or used more creatively in a veggie burger provides not only a delightful texture but also a great source of B-vitamins, proteins, and carbohydrates. Reach for whole, unrefined grains for a higher protein to carbohydrate ratio as well as a richer quality of fiber. Wheat germ, oat bran, quinoa, amaranth, and kamut are the crème de la crème of whole grains and will provide you with the most bang for you buck.

4. Eggplant

For casserole dishes or those involving some sort of ground beef, I often resort to eggplant. The vegetable is packed with fiber, antioxidants, B-vitamins, and potassium. Eggplants also have a meaty texture when cooked and readily absorb any flavor you add to them, which means they take on a meaty profile quite easily. Use eggplants for meatless lasagnas and pastas as well as a healthier alternative to chicken parmesan.

5. Portobello Mushrooms

If you love a meaty texture and smoky taste turn to portobello mushroom “steaks”. Portobellos are thick and juicy and have a texture that holds together firm and tender. All it takes is some seasoning and a grill, and you’ll be just as satisfied with a mushroom as with an actual steak. The advantage with portobello mushrooms is that they are low in calories, cholesterol and fat — something that can’t be said for steak.

[via Organic Authority]