A Plant-Based Thanksgiving in the Garden State

BY JULIA ALVAREZ AND JUSTIN PHILLIPS

The Thanksgiving feast really is all about the side dish. So if you want to be the most impressive guest at this year’s feast, offer to bring a tantalizing trio of vegan dishes even the most diehard meat eater will enjoy.

The following recipes are all plant-based and a delicious way to eat to your heart’s delight this holiday.

CORNUCOPIA CHOWDER

This soup is the vegan take on a chowder with the addition of pretzel balls with all the traditional stuffing flavors.

6 potatoes (to make 2 cups mashed)
1 cup oat milk
1 tablespoon vegan butter or margarine 2 cups mashed potatoes
1 onion, diced
3 carrots, diced
2 stalks celery, diced
2 turnips, diced
2 parsnips, diced
1 head broccoli, chopped
1 cup mushrooms. chopped
1 tablespoon thyme
1 tablespoon rosemary
1 teaspoon garlic power
1 teaspoon onion power
Salt and pepper to taste

Make the mashed potatoes: Peel and cube 6 potatoes. Cook in a pot of boiling water until soft. Drain and mash and set aside. While potatoes are boiling, sauté the onion, celery, carrots, turnips and parsnips in the vegan butter in a heavy-bottomed pot. Once the veggies are tender, add plant milk of your choice. Add the broccoli and mushrooms and the herbs and spices. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Bring the soup to a boil then add mashed potatoes, stirring to combine. Reduce heat. Let the soup simmer so the flavors meld while you make the pretzel stuffing balls.

SOFT PRETZEL STUFFING BALLS

1⁄2 a carrot, diced
1⁄2 a stalk celery, diced 1⁄2 an onion, diced

1 tablespoon olive oil
2 soft pretzels, chopped into bite-sized pieces 1 tablespoon of thyme
1 tablespoon of rosemary
Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 365 F.

Sauté carrot, celery and onion in olive oil in a deep pot over medium heat until onion and celery are translucent and carrot softens slightly. Add the soft pretzel pieces to the pot. Stir. Add rosemary, thyme and salt and pepper to taste. Cook and stir until sticky, then remove from heat and let cool. Once cool, use a small ice cream or cookie scoop, or your hands, to form the mixture into balls and place on a parchment-lined sheet pan. Bake at 365 F for 10 minutes. Let cool just a bit and then place two or three balls in each bowl of chowder.

KALE, QUINOA & POMEGRANATE SALAD

With a mix of textures and flavors, this side dish will sure be a hit, even with the pickiest salad eaters.

FOR THE SALAD:

5 bunches of kale, trimmed and chopped 1 tablespoon olive oil
1 cup quinoa, cooked

1⁄2 cup slivered almonds 1⁄2 cup pepitas
1 cup pomegranate seeds

FOR THE DRESSING:

1 tablespoon olive oil
1⁄2 a lemon, juiced
1 teaspoon agave nectar or liquid sweetener of your choice
1 tablespoon nutritional yeast
Salt and pepper to taste

The first step is the most important: Massage the kale! This technique makes the greens taste less bitter. Put the chopped kale in a large serving bowl and sprinkle with the olive oil. Using your hands, massage the greens until they are slightly wilted. Place in the refrigerator until ready to eat. Make the dressing: Mix all ingredients in a glass measuring cup or bowl. Whisk well until combined. Toast the slivered almonds and pepitas (pumpkin seeds) in a dry frying pan for a few minutes, watching closely so they don’t burn. Remove from the hot pan to a small bowl when done. When you are ready to serve, remove the kale from the refrigerator and add the cooked quinoa (fluff with a fork if necessary). Mix well. Add the dressing and mix again. Sprinkle the almonds, pepitas and pomegranate seeds over the salad and serve. Happy Thanksgiving!

The article originally appeared in the November 18 – 24, 2021 print edition of The Two River Times.