6 Delicious Vegan Side Dishes for Thanksgiving

Can you believe it? Thanksgiving is just a few days away! I am looking forward to making a delicious turkey-less feast for my family. Our annual vegan thanksgiving meal consists of seasonal vegetables, pumpkin flavored goodies, and traditional dishes with a plant-based twist. I have put together a list of my favorite recipes that would make great side dishes for your family’s thanksgiving meal. Enjoy!

Carmelized Beet & Sweet Potato Farro with Roasted Chickpeas

beet salad

 

 

Classic Vegan Mashed Potatoes

mash potatoes

 

 

Pumpkin Hummus

pumpkin hummus.jpg

 

 

Honeycrisp Apple Salad with Candied Walnuts & Dates

sweet kale salad

 

 

Lemony Walnut-Pesto Brussel Sprouts

brussels

 

 

Wild Rice Stuffed Butternut Squash

squash

Classic Vegan Mashed Potatoes

Growing up as the daughter of an Irish woman, my mom would always make mashed potatoes for dinner. It was a staple and a comfort food for our family. As I got older I stopped eating dairy products due to my dairy sensitivity, therefore I stopped eating mashed potatoes because of the added butter and milk. However, a few years ago I started making vegan mashed potatoes and rediscovered my love for the dish. Here is my recipe, I hope you enjoy!

Preparation + Cook Time: 50 minutes

Makes about 6-7 servings as a side dish

Ingredients:

  • 3 lbs Russet Potatoes
  • 3 T Coconut Oil
  • 2 C Cashew milk (unsweetened, unflavored)
  • 1 1/2 t Minced Garlic
  • 1/2 t Salt
  • 1/2 t Pepper
  • 1/4 C Fresh Chopped Parsley

Instructions:

  1. Peel the potatoes and chop them into cubes.
  2. Put the chopped potatoes into a pot and cover with water. Bring to a rolling boil. Once boiling, simmer for 25-30 minutes until the potatoes are cooked and tender. They should easily break apart with a fork.
  3. Drain the water from the pot. Keep the burner under the pot on a low setting.
  4. Add the coconut oil to the potatoes. Start to mash them.
  5. Slowly add in the cashew milk. Continue to mash until they are creamy, but not liquidy.
  6. Finally, add the garlic, salt, pepper, and parsley. Keep the potatoes cooking on low for about 5 minutes. Continue to stir with a wooden fork to mix in all of the seasoning. Feel free to add more seasoning if necessary.

Tips:

-Do not try to substitute the cashew milk for almond milk. It will not taste right. I have tried this recipe with many different non-dairy milks until I discovered that unflavored, unsweetened cashew milk tastes the best!

-I do not like my mashed potatoes to be super creamy to the point where it is liquidy. If you prefer yours to be even creamier, simply add more coconut oil and cashew milk until it becomes your desired consistency.

Benefits of this recipe:

-Potatoes help to reduce inflammation in the body, lower blood pressure, stimulates brain function, prevents formation of kidney stones, relieves high blood pressure, prevents heart diseases, and facilitates digestion.

The information on the benefits of the ingredients was researched from http://www.organicfacts.net