A Vegan Thanksgiving

Soy-free and guaranteed to get you some gratitude!

By Sally Waggoner

Banana Cranberry Muffins No Thanksgiving is complete without some homemade baked goodies. These are so decadent, whoever eats them will think you snuck in some butter!

For 12 muffins:

  • 9 large bananas
  • 1 bag fresh cranberries
  • 1 C. vegetable oil
  • 1 T. vanilla extract (splurge and get the good stuff—it’s worth it!)
  • 3 ½ C. whole wheat pastry flour
  • 1 ½ C. turbinado or raw sugar, then extra for the tops
  • 2 t. baking soda
  • 2 t. sea salt
  • 1 generous t. nutmeg
  • 1 generous t. cinnamon

Pre-heat the oven to 375 degrees. Then, blend only eight of the bananas until silky smooth. Then combine wet ingredients in one bowl and dry in another, but HOLD OFF on the cranberries until the last minute. Combine the contents of both bowls and mix thoroughly. Then add cranberries to taste (I like a lot!). Grease a muffin tin with vegetable oil and fill with slightly heaping portions of the batter.

Pour a good amount of sugar onto a plate. Slice the remaining banana and coat the slices thoroughly with sugar. Place one slice on the top of each raw muffin. Then bake! Check after about twenty minutes with a toothpick, and keep checking until the toothpick comes out clean. Let cool, remove from pan and enjoy!

Carrot Soup with Pumpkin Seeds Technically, this soup is raw, so all the yummy vitamins in the carrots are live and ready to rock your body.

  • 1 lb of organic carrots, chopped
  • 2 C. raw pumpkin seeds
  • 3-4 stalks of celery
  • 1 ½ C. almond milk
  • 1 C. orange juice
  • 3-4 cloves of garlic
  • 2 t. nutmeg
  • 1 ½ C. hot (not boiling!) water

All proportions can be adjusted to taste. This is a fun one to experiment with a bit!

Blend all ingredients in a food processor or blender until super smooth. Add the water last for warm soup. Garnish portions with a few whole pumpkin seeds and a sprinkle of nutmeg.

Creamy Garlic Mashed Potatoes Almond milk lends some creaminess to these classic garlic mashed potatoes.

  • 5 large organic white potatoes
  • 3 cloves of garlic
  • 1 C. almond milk, or to taste
  • Sea salt, to taste

Cut the potatoes into inch-wide sections — I like to leave the skins on. Bring a pot of water to a boil and add the potatoes. Let them cook for a while, testing tenderness intermittently with a fork. When the fork slides through very easily, turn the heat to low and drain the water from the pot. Chop garlic and add it to the potatoes along with the almond milk and the sea salt. Mash the lot of it together with a big wooden spoon or another appropriate utensil. Enjoy!

Arugula Salad Avocados and flax seeds provide healthy fats and protein while arugula offers a woody, spicy taste perfect for fall.

  • 1 large container of organic baby arugula
  • 1 or 2 avocados, to taste
  • 4 Clementine oranges
  • 1/4 C. raw flax seeds
  • Almond oil for drizzling
  • 1 T. Sea salt

Put the arugula into a bowl. Peel and separate three of the Clementine’s into sections and add to the arugula. Peel and slice the avocado into cubes and add to salad. Top with flax seeds, sea salt, and the juice of the remaining Clementine. Drizzle with almond oil and toss. Serves four hearty appetites.

CultureThe Editors