Vegetarian Thanksgiving Recipes

Whether you're cooking for a vegetarian guest, or are a vegetarian yourself, Patch helps you out this week with five  recipes for a vegan/vegetarian holiday.

Places to get your Tofurky and other vegetarian and vegan ingredients in Sherman Oaks include Whole Foods, Pavillions and Gelsons. Where are you buying your vegetarian or vegan Thanksgiving food? Tell us in the comments!

1. Tofurky: Funny sounding name, seriously tasty substitute.
What you need: 1 Tofurky Roast (can be frozen), 1 can cranberry sauce (chunky or smooth), 1 package dry vegetarian onion soup mix, 16 ounces vegetable broth and 1 tablespoon garlic powder (optional).

What you do: Empty soup mix into a crock pot. Add the vegetable broth and garlic powder. Add the can of cranberry sauce. Stir to mix. Place Tofurky Roast in the center of the pot. Cook on high. Baste roast about    every half hour, cooking for three hours total (two if roast is    thawed). Remove roast from crock pot, retaining the cooking liquid or sauce. Slice thin and pour sauce on top to serve. Eat. 

2. Vegan Gravy: So good, you'll make extra just for leftovers. 
What you need: 1/2 cup vegetable oil, 1/3 cup chopped onion, 5 cloves minced garlic, 1/2 cup all-purpose flour, 4 teaspoons nutritional yeast, 4 tablespoons light soy sauce, 2 cups vegetable broth, 1/2 teaspoon dried sage, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper.

What you do: Heat oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Saute onion and garlic until soft and translucent (for 5 minutes). Stir in flour, nutritional yeast and soy sauce to form a smooth paste. Gradually whisk in the broth. Season with sage, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, stirring constantly, for 8 to 10 minutes or until thickened.

Lentil Meatloaf (6 servings): Cook 1 1/2 cups of French green lentils for about 45 minutes.Using a food processor, blend 3/4 cup of onions, 1/2 cup of carrots, 1/2 cup of red bell pepper and 1/4 cup of wheat germ. Blend until finely chopped. Pour lentils in food processor and blend until it turns into a paste. Mix veggies, lentils, 1/2 cup of brown rice, 3/4 cup of bread crumbs, 1/4 cup of flax seed, 2/3 cup of egg whites, 1 can of tomato sauce and 1 tbsp. of olive oil. Top with 2 tsp. of thyme, 1 pinch of cayenne pepper and salt. Pour mixture in loaf pan and bake at 375ºF for 45 minutes.

4. Easy, Last-Minute Stuffing: In case you've only got an hour.
What you need: 1 loaf day-old bread torn into small pieces, 1 (10.75 oz.) can condensed cream of mushroom soup, 1 (10.5 oz.) can vegetable broth, 2 tablespoons water, 1 tablespoon poultry seasoning, salt and pepper to taste.

What you do: Mix together all ingredients. It will be sticky. Shape into a loaf and wrap in (nonstick, sprayed) foil to bake. Bake for about an hour at 350 degrees. You can slice it like a meatloaf and serve.

5. Au Gratin Potatoes: The beauty is they're already vegetarian.
What you need: 2 lbs. Yukon gold potatoes sliced thin, 1 quart buttermilk, 5 tablespoons kosher salt, 3 tablespoons freshly ground black pepper and 1 (16 oz.) package of sharp cheddar cheese (shredded).

What you do: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9x12 inch glass or ceramic dish with olive oil. Layer potatoes on the bottom of the dish. Pour 1/3 of the buttermilk over the potatoes and sprinkle with 1/3 of the salt, pepper and cheese. Repeat two more times, ending with cheese on top. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until hot, bubbly and golden brown.

This is an abridged list, with recipes pulled from random note cards, a local church's cookbook and the Internet. There are countless more out there, and each recipe can be varied to satisfy your tastes. Either way, we hope this was a good starting point for you!

Recipes courtesy of Patch colleagues Mike  Behrends and Hoa  Quách

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