My all time favorite vegetarian thanksgiving "main dish" is stuffed artichokes. I don't really have a recipe -- I just stuff them with a vegetarian stuffing (your favorite would work great) and put some extra butter and garlic in before adding the stuffing. Also serve with some extra garlic butter, add sage for that Thanksgiving flavor.

They look beautiful and are YUMMY! Of course I'm a big fan of the artichoke, which would be a a must.

StarGazer & I replaced the Tofurky with a Quorn roast. It's really, REALLY good. *drool* Now I wish it were Thanksgiving already. :)

It goes wonderfully with StarGazer's homemade veggie stuffing and mashed potatoes.

I'm allergic to mushrooms, but last year I made these for a veggie potluck, and they went faster than a snowball in Newport...

Take some portabellos and slice into thick slices. Add olive oil, minced garlic, thyme, oregano, a little sea salt (or braggs, but go easy on either), and a dash of cumin. Toss. Make sure your oil is really coating the portabellos!

Put into a metal pan (no glass, it heats too fast), cover with foil and roast for about an hour in a 300 degree oven.

The Risotto is my main dish for Tofurky Day. I actually use a butternut squash, but you can use a cooking pumpkin. This recipe is so popular with my meat-eating in-laws that they request it for Thanksgiving (as a side dish for them). Can also be made vegan by omitting butter and cheese (it's still super yummy). The Root Vegetables are great and healthy and the garlic can be spread on bread. And believe it or not the potatoes are super creamy and satifying.

Pumpkin Sage Risotto
1 1-lb. butternut squash/pumpkin
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon butter
1 large onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, diced
2 cups arborio rice
1 cup dry white wine (I like pinot grigio)
6 cups vegetable broth
1 cup (or more) parmesean cheese (grated)
2 tablespoons chopped fresh sage

Heat ove to 400. Pierce whole squash in several places with a sharp knife making sure to pierce all the way to the hollow inside. Place squash in baking pan and bake for about an hour until it is soft when pierced with a fork (it's hard to overcook it, just be sure you don't undercook it). Set squash aside to cool.

Heat vegetable broth in a saucepan until hot. Keep warm as you cook the risotto.

Heat oil and butter in pan. Add onion and garlic and cook until soft. Add rice and cook about 2 minutes until grains become a bit translucent. Do not brown the rice. Add wine and cook stirring almost constantly until most of the liquid is absorbed. Add one cup veggie broth and cook stirring almost constantly until liquid is absorbed about 3 minutes. Repeat this step until all of the broth is used. Rice should be tender. Remove from heat. Cut open squash and remove seeds. Scoop out the flesh and stir into risotto. Stir in cheese and sage. Serve and enjoy!

Roasted Root Vegetables
2-3 lbs. mixed root vegetables (potatoes, yams, sweet potatoes, carrots, turnips, beets etc.) coarsely cut into 1/2-inch pieces
2 tablespoons olive oil or butter
1 head garlic, cloves separated
fresh rosmary sprigs

Heat oven to 450. Heat oil or butter in skillet. Add vegetables and cook on high for about a minute making sure to coat all veggies with oil. Transfer to a baking dish, stir in garlic cloves and rosemary sprigs. Place in oven and roast for about an hour, stirring several times, until tender. Season with salt a pepper and serve.

Non-Dairy Mashed Potatoes (from 3 Bowls, by Seppo Ed Farrey)
1 1/2 lbs soft tofu
4 lbs. potatoes cut into 1 1/2 inch cubes (recipe says to peel 'em, I don't)
1 tablespoon salt
freshly milled black pepper

Puree tofu in food processor or blender until smooth and creamy. Set aside

Place potatoes in large pot of cold water and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer until potatoes can easily be pierced with a fork, about 10 minutes. Drain and place in a large bowl.

Add the tofu to the potatoes and beat with electric mixer or mash with potato masher to desired consistency. Add the salt and pepper to taste and beat or mash until incorporated. Serve.

one super simple fall fav - cut an acorn squash in half, scoop out guts and poke a few times with a fork. Put a little butter (or olive oil) and a couple of tablespoons maple syrple in the cavity and nuke for about 10 min (or roast for ???)

this was one of my favorite comfort snacks growing up...*sigh*

<adding acorn squash to this weeks grocery list>

i really enjoy seven layer salad w/o the bacon or ham or whatever, vegetarian chili, spaghetti pie, and anything w/ mushrooms and/or barley. OH! and my grandmothers pickles!

i also like to make tofu/fruit smoothies w/ a bit of alcohol in the morning to get me through the non-vegetarian family members..."So...you still going through that phase?" (i've been a veghead for 7 years...)

I cooked an early Thanksgiving dinner and tried the Quorn turkey roast; it was yummy! My boyfriend requested a veggie gravy to go with the "turkey" and mashed pototoes.

So I skeptically looked one a gravy recipe and made it, but it turned out really good!

And it's vegan...

-earth balance or other vegan butter (3 heaping tbs)
-all purpose flour (1/4 cup)
- vegetable broth (3 cups)
- onion powder(1 tbs)
- soy sauce (2 tbs)

Make the roux by heating up the butter to a simmer.
Add flour bit by bit the to heated butter, keep stirring.
When the flour is dissovled and combined, keep stirring until it looks pasty. Lower heat if needed to avoid burning it.
Add vegetable broth 1 cup at a time and stir.
Add onion powder and soy sauce.
Let it simmer for a while so the flavors can meld. It should turn a light brown and pretty much look like any other turkey gravy.

Yum! I ate gravy with Thanksgiving dinner for the first time in 3 years!

This month's Gourmet mag has a Thanksgiving dinner with vegetarians in mind; the only meat is in the turkey, everything else is vegetarian.

I was a lacto ovo Veggie for over 20 years. I despised the whole fake meat industry because if I wanted to eat it I would have.

Toss the whole idea of eating imitations meat and enjoy what you like.

Place special emphasis on comfort foods. That's really what the Turky day meal is all about anyway.

Lately, because of *ahem* perimenopause, I've been going without potatoes, pasta, and bread, and I was lamenting the fact that I'm going to miss out on the mashed taters for Thanksgiving, because there's nothing like mashed taters mixed with that weird canned cranberry stuff (I know, but I love it).

A friend told me about a substitute using cauliflower, and I somewhat trepedatiously tried it tonight.

Damn, but it was good. So good, in fact, that my daughter, who claims to HATE cauliflower, ate it. That's saying something. I may not have potatoes, but I've found something even better! Bring on that funky cranberry stuff!

I found this on vegweb-- I don't really care for bulgar that much, it's ok-- and I already have quinoa at the house that I have been saving to use in something like this. Do you guys think that quinoa would work in substitute for the bulgar?

Stuffed Squash
Ingredients (use vegan versions):
1 large acorn squash
1 cup bulgur wheat
2 cup water (and maybe a little extra)
1 tablespoon salt
bay leaf
1 teaspoon crushed dried rosemary
2 teaspoon bazil leaves
1 small onion, peeled and uncut
1/4 cup roasted chestnuts
Directions:

Halve an acorn squash and bake until thoroughly done, upside down on a pan in a small amount of water, with a piece of onion under each half. Or however you prefer to do it.

Bring to a boil wheat, water, salt, bay leaf, rosemary and basil. When water boils, turn off heat and cover. Once most of the water has been absorbed, stir in 1/4 c. chopped roasted chestnuts. (Slit chestnut skins with a razor blade or sharp knife. Bake at 425 for 15 min or so. Peel off shell and skin). Remove the onion and give it to a friend who likes to eat whole cooked onions.

When squash is done, pack the stuffing (should be moist but not wet) into each half, making a little mound of stuffing on top. Bake for 5-10 min. Serve with cranberry sauce.