Tired of Tradition this Thanksgiving
Tired of Tradition this Thanksgiving
Looking for inspiration to upgrade your Thanksgiving menu? Wanting to show your creativity? Or maybe you’re catering for vegans or vegetarians this year as we begin to acknowledge our environmental obligations. Here’s a selection of recipes that work well as a complete meal, won’t have you tied to the kitchen for hours, and will impress just about anybody!
Rather than create my own recipes this year, I honour some of the talented chefs out there and have brought you a fantastic spread. It would work as a complete menu or equally as well as standalone dishes. Some people find it challenging to plan a harmonious menu or simply don’t have the time. My gift to you is this meal plan. You merely have to buy the ingredients, cook, and enjoy.
The App
This Autumn Glow Salad with a lemon dressing from Pinch of Yum is simply divine. A perfect way to start a meal and get into the spirit of fall. Combining the flavours of sweet potato, cauliflower, and apple with warming spices, herbs, and grains, this is a real crowd pleaser and will have everybody going back for more. It can be served warm or cold, so it’s something you could make in advance and pop in the fridge. I like to serve it with warm crusty bread and butter.
The Main Event
These Vegan Pot Pies from one of my favourites, the Minimalist Baker are a winner in my house. They are the ultimate in comfort food, entirely vegan, and their rich filling is perfect for the season. You can pop these in the oven before your guests arrive and enjoy the appetizer while they cook. If you don’t have time to make your own crust, you can use store-bought. You can use fresh or frozen mixed veggies, which will save you all that peeling and chopping. They are also freezer-friendly, so you can make them in advance and bake them on the day, which really takes the pressure off.
Serve with these roasted Sweet Potato Stacks from RecipeTin Eats. They look and taste divine. They’re made in muffin tins, and you can prepare them in advance and pop them in the oven with the other main dishes so that everything is ready simultaneously. I made them using vegan butter, and they were delicious.
The main meal isn’t complete in my mind without a side of greens. I chose this Lemon Pepper Roasted Broccoli as it’s light enough to sit alongside the pot pie and sweet potato stacks, and brings a lovely fresh flavour to the meal. Put it in the oven when the pot pies have around 10-15 minutes of cooking time left and everything will be ready simultaneously. The recipe comes from Taste of Home.
The Finale
The smell of pumpkin is in the air, but why not steer clear of the traditional pumpkin pie and opt for this fluffy Pumpkin Roll, once again from the Minimalist Baker? Not only is it dairy-free, but it’s also gluten-free. Everything gets mixed in one bowl, making it light on the washing up! It’s airy and dreamy and is the perfect end to a meal.
Here are my cooking tips if you plan to make this complete meal:
- Make the Autumn Glow Salad in advance and serve warm or cold.
- Make the Vegan Pot Pies in advance and freeze them, to be cooked on the day. Set the oven to approx. 400F/200C/180C fan and place the pot pies on the middle rack. When the sweet potatoes and broccoli are ready to go in, put them on the bottom rack. If they still need to brown, you can move the potatoes up to the middle rack for the last 15-20 minutes. You can even turn up the temperature, but you must take the broccoli out as soon as it’s ready; otherwise, it will burn.
Have you adapted your Thanksgiving menu this year? Why not share some of your favourite Thanksgiving recipes with us?
If you make any of the dishes above, we’d love to see your photographs – share them and tag #booknbrunch.
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With 30 years of general management experience in the global insurance industry and having lived in 4 countries, Jacqui now spends her time between London and New York where she continues to pursue her passion for writing, food, books and travel.
A Reiki practitioner, yogi and huge animal advocate, her home isn’t complete without a furbaby or three. In addition to being a BooknBrunch contributor, she writes for industry publications.
Favourite book: To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee.
Favourite brunch dish: avocado toast with tomato and chilli
