Vegetarians have many tasty alternatives to traditional Thanksgiving turkey.
Turkey may be the traditional Thanksgiving main dish, but vegetarians have found ways to enjoy their Thanksgiving feasts just as much as meat-lovers. According to an article on the San Francisco Chronicle's website, increasing numbers of Americans gather around vegetarian Thanksgiving dinners. Cook with seasonal autumn vegetables to create your own Thanksgiving vegetarian main course tradition. Make tofurkey if you love it, but also consider branching out. Use pumpkins, apples and wholesome grains, to name only three possibilities, to create savory and crowd-pleasing main dishes.
Tofurkey
Use extra firm tofu for tofu turkey.
Yes, tofurkey, or tofu turkey, is a real main dish that often occupies center stage on vegetarian Thanksgiving tables. Use extra firm tofu to form a Thanksgiving "bird" to grace your holiday table. Stuff your tofurkey with fresh herbs, mushrooms, bread stuffing and celery and baste it with a tamari, honey mustard and rosemary sauce. Serve the dish with brown vegetarian gravy and side dish fixings.
Vegetable Barley Couscous
A vegetarian Thanksgiving main course can be a gourmet delight and need not conform to traditional Thanksgiving dinner notions. Serve aromatic vegetarian barley spooned over couscous with fried almonds. Combine barley couscous, chickpeas, tomatoes and root vegetables with ginger and other spices for a full-bodied main dish. Place the couscous, broth and almonds in the center of your Thanksgiving table. Ask the head of the table to ladle the steaming vegetable-rich broth over the couscous as a substitute for carving the turkey.
Stuffed Pumpkin
Stuff a pumpkin rather than a turkey.
Add a colorful and flavorful dimension to your vegetarian Thanksgiving table. Stuff a pumpkin with portabella mushrooms, wild rice, onions and zucchini, and season it with thyme and sage for a spin on the Thanksgiving cornucopia. The aromatic scent of pumpkin and sage will beckon diners to the table to enjoy a delicious Thanksgiving showstopper main dish. Imagine your guests' delight when they see a bright roasted pumpkin gracing the center of your Thanksgiving table.
Vegetable Curry
Combine spices for a Thanksgiving vegetarian curry.
Step outside of the Thanksgiving box and bring the aromas and tastes of South Asia to your Thanksgiving table. Serve curried autumn vegetables served over steaming basmati rice. Cook potatoes, cauliflower, carrots, green beans and peas in a curry sauce rich with ginger, chilies and coconut milk. Serve your Thanksgiving vegetarian main dish with raita, a mixture of sour cream, lime juice and cucumber, and naan, an Indian flatbread.
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