Today begins our epic journey into a totally vegetarian Thanksgiving feast, which just happens to be totally gluten-free, and could also be made vegan if you really wanted it to be. Growing up vegetarian, I had a grand total of zero vegetarian Thanksgivings at which I felt any degree of deprived. Instead, I was well aware of the fact that cranberry sauce, mashed potatoes, and (veggie) gravy were the perfect vehicles for, well, just about anything.
I’m thrilled to bring you a full vegetarian Thanksgiving menu this year. The full meal consists of eight dishes:
Shaved Kale, Fennel & Asian Pear Salad
with crispy leeks and a maple stoneground mustard dressing
Brown Butter Citrus Yams with Toasted Walnuts
my mom’s recipe!
Rosemary Chevre Mashed Potatoes
with insane amounts of butter and sour cream (sorry vegans)
Balsamic Brussels Sprouts with Pomegranate, Feta & Mint
and pomegranate molasses pecans
Herb Crusted Tofu
my fave
Shiitake Mushroom Gravy
this will change your life
Fennel Spiced Cranberry Sauce
with star anise & ginger
Gingersnap Chocolate Cream Pie with Bourbon Pecan Crumble
drool
But first things first: What kind of Kale & Caramel Thanksgiving feast would this be without a kale salad? I’ve got your fall kale salad dialed in hard here, replete with a stoneground mustard maple vinaigrette, fried leeks, and toasted pine nuts. Paired with tender asian pear and shaved fennel? It’s kale salad heaven.
Nota bene: It should be prepared just before eating, so save this one for the very last thing you do before the Thanksgiving meal.
Stay tuned for Friday’s Thanksgiving sweet potato magic!
A KALE & CARAMEL THANKSGIVING: SHAVED KALE, FENNEL & ASIAN PEAR SALAD.
Ingredients
- 4 cups thinly sliced kale leaves from about 1 large bunch kale
- 1 cups bulb fennel thinly sliced (about 3 )
- ½ medium asian pear cored and thinly sliced
- 1/3 cup toasted pine nuts
- 2 cups thinly sliced leeks
dressing
- ½ cup olive oil
- 3 tablespoons white balsamic or champagne vinegar
- 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- ½ teaspoon stoneground mustard
- ½ teaspoon maple syrup
- ½ teaspoon sea salt + more to taste
Instructions
- In a cast-iron skillet, heat ½ cup olive oil over medium high flame until a droplet of water flicked in sizzles. Add thinly sliced leeks and spread evenly across pan. Cook for 2-3 minutes, until leeks start to brown and crisp. Once the edges turn golden brown, remove from heat and use a slotted spoon to move the leeks from the oil to a small bowl. Set aside.
- Pour hot oil (careful!!) into a jar or vessel to make the salad dressing. Combine olive white balsamic and red wine vinegars, stoneground mustard, maple syrup, and sea salt, and whisk vigorously. Taste and adjust salt as desired. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, combine thinly sliced kale, fennel, and asian pear, reserving a few slices of asian pear for garnish. Pour in half of dressing, and toss salad gently. Add in most of the pine nuts and most of the crispy leeks, reserving some for garnish. Add more salad dressing (to taste), and toss to incorporate flavors.
- Top salad with extra toasted pine nuts, crispy leeks, and slices of asian pear. Eat immediately.
