Hey, Munchies! I'm Alyssia, and welcome if you're new.
Thanksgiving is next week!
I cannot believe it's so soon, and Christmas is just around the corner.
So, today, I wanted to share a vegan holiday meal, because I have had so many requests
for it this season, and I thought it would be a fun menu to share.
Let's start with our appetizer: Butternut Squash Soup.
I have a video showing a few different butternut squash preparation methods.
If you're interested in watching, I will link it below.
For this recipe, you will need: butternut squash, olive oil, onion, celery, carrots,
chicken or vegetable broth, water, light coconut milk, garlic, fresh thyme, ground ginger,
nutmeg, and salt n' pep.
In a pot over medium heat, sautée your onions in a little olive oil.
Once translucent, add your remaining ingredients and mix well to combine.
Turn the heat down to low and allow to simmer for 30 to 45 minutes.
Once nice and soft, grab your handy-dandy immersion blender and blend until nice and
creamy.
If you don't have an immersion blender, you can always transfer to a regular blender and
blend it up in batches.
You can then return it to the pot and continue to simmer if you want it thicker, or serve
as is.
I like to top mine off with a little bit of Greek or coconut yogurt, and some pumpkin
or leftover butternut squash seeds.
This recipe is directly from my Fall Seasonal Recipes ebook.
You'll find 25 fall friendly recipes in there that I am really proud of.
If you'd like to check it out, it's at mindovermunch.com/ebooks, and I'm offering 10% off any ebook or package
this week using the code "THANKSGIVING."
Next, we're going to make our entrée of the meal, a Vegan Lentil Meatloaf.
For this recipe, you will need: cooked lentils, mashed sweet potato or canned pumpkin, quinoa,
onion, and garlic.To make this as Thanksgiving-y and holiday-ish as possible, we are also going
to be adding some festive flavors, including: green peas, celery, carrots, mushrooms, pecans,
fresh thyme, fresh rosemary, fresh parsley, fresh ginger, poultry seasoning (which is
completely vegan, it's just a bunch of spices mixed together that's put onto the poultry),
and salt n' pep.
In a pot over medium heat, drizzle in a little olive oil and add in your onions, carrot,
celery, mushrooms, and garlic.
Sautée until your onions start to become translucent.
Then, we're going to add in our parsley, rosemary, thyme, poultry seasoning, and salt n' pep.
Mix to combine.
It's going to start to smell like Thanksgiving already!
Then, we're going to add in our lentils, mashed pumpkin or sweet potato, quinoa, green peas,
pecans, and grated ginger.
Mix to combine.
Perfect!
Grab a loaf pan, lined with foil and sprayed, and add in your Lentil Meatloaf mixture, flattening
it out nice and even on top.
You should have enough for 2 loaves.
Then, we can make our glaze, which I'm making by combining organic ketchup and...apricot
jam?
Yep!
It gives the perfect, tangy, sweet flavor, and it is the easiest glaze you'll ever make.
Brush your glaze evenly on top of your meatloaf, and then bake in an oven preheated to 350
degrees Fahrenheit for about an hour.
Remove from the oven, allow to cool for about an hour, and then remove the loaves from the
pan, like so, and peel away the foil.
This is a delicious vegan alternative to traditional meatloaf!
It honestly somehow has sort of a meat-y texture, but it's all plant-based and has all of my
favorite Thanksgiving or holiday flavors.
I hope that you enjoy it!
Alright, so how about dessert?
Today, we are going to make my No-Bake Pumpkin Pie Bars.
Yum!
For your filling, you will need: a can of pumpkin pureé, dates, coconut butter, coconut
flour, vanilla, cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice, and salt.
For the crust, you will need: almonds (or mixed nuts) and dates.
Add your almonds to your food processor and blend them on up.
Then, add in your dates and blend once more until a nice dough forms.
Spray down a 9 x 9 baking pan lined with parchment and add in your dough mixture, pressing it
down nice and evenly.
Transfer that to the freezer, and then, in the meantime, let's make the filling.
Add all of your filling ingredients into your food processor and, once again, blend it on
up until it's nice, smooth, and creamy.
It will be thick!
Pour your filling mix into your baking dish and spread it out evenly.
Transfer to the freezer for 8 hours, or over night.
Allow to thaw in the fridge for a few hours, and then you can remove it from the pan, like
so, peel away your parchment paper, use a large knife to cut into bars, serve, and enjoy!
I like to top mine off with a little bit of coconut whipped cream, cinnamon, and maybe
even some candied pecans.
So cute, and even more delicious!
This meal does not disappoint, whether you follow a plant-based diet or not, I hope you'll
consider trying one of them out this holiday season.
All of these recipes are in the PDF in the description box below.
Thumbs up if you enjoyed, and let me know which of the recipes you're most excited to
try!
Tag me on social if you do make any of these, and check out some of my other holiday videos,
too.
Remember, you can also check out my fall seasonal ebooks and other ebooks at mindovermunch.com/ebooks.
I hope you all have a wonderful week!
Thanks so much for liking, sharing, and subscribing.
And, remember, especially when it comes to holiday meals, it's all a matter of mind over
munch.