Healthy Options for the Thanksgiving Dinner Table: 5 Vegetarian Recipes

Thanksgiving Day is celebrated to give thanks for our blessings and for the wealth of food that we have in the United States. Traditionally, turkey has always been part of the menu, along with cranberry sauce, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, gravy, stuffing, and vegetables. However, many people have decided not to eat meat based on health factors, or the belief that we shouldn't kill animals, or the understanding that a vegetarian diet offers better healthy food alternatives. Whatever the case, the popularity of the vegetarian diet has gained stride in recent years. Here are five yummy vegetarian recipes to enjoy for the Thanksgiving holiday!

In the past, the vegetarian diet hasn't translated into an abundance of alternatives for Thanksgiving dinner. Our society continues to cling to the notion that it isn't Thanksgiving without a turkey. This makes it difficult for vegetarians to find vegetarian food on the Thanksgiving holiday. It seems that we can't get past tradition and a cultural definition of what should happen on certain holidays.

But it really can be easy to get past this and serve only vegan food at Thanksgiving. There are so many wonderful vegan recipes that the turkey won't even be missed! The spirit of the day is about celebrating, and most of the time fall inspired foods are served. So, to keep with the spirit, vegan recipes that have a fall feeling can be used. Here are six vegan recipes to enjoy for the Thanksgiving holiday.

1. Vegan spaghetti. This is considered a main course, because you will get full from this like you would the turkey, except there is no meat. You could choose to make this and then chill it to have it as a cold pasta salad as a side course instead. Decide what favorite fall fresh vegetables you would like to use in your spaghetti mix. You can use almost anything. When my boyfriend and I make it, we use squash, green peppers, tomatoes and onions. Cut up the vegetables, and then put them in a pan to cook. Use some type of cooking oil, such as vegetable oil, in the pan with the vegetables. Add any seasoning you like, such as Italian seasoning. Once the vegetables are sauteed, add your cooked pasta to the mix. You'll get a wonderful vegan pasta dish. To mix it up, try using different types of pasta, like bowtie pasta.

2. Sweet potatoes. Take some canned sweet potatoes. Mash them up. Butter a baking pan. Mix the sweet potatoes with some brown sugar. Place the mix into the pan. Then, cover lightly with a coating of corn syrup. Bake in the oven. When the sweet potatoes are almost finished, put on some baby marshmallows for about five minutes or until they turn golden brown in the oven.

3. Vegan casserole. A casserole doesn't have to have meat. Get a baking bag, and throw in every kind of vegetable you would enjoy. Add some type of vegetarian gravy mix or seasoning mix, and let the vegetables bake in the oven. You'll have a beautiful vegan casserole. If your grill is still outside and the weather's not too bad, instead of cooking the veggies in the oven you could put them inside foil and throw them on the grill.

4. Vegan rice. Rice and vegetables can be another type of main course. The rice will be filling. Use some white rice, and separately cook up some vegetables in a pan. Try using red peppers and carrots and broccoli, for example. Throw in some cajun seasoning, and then let mix the rice and vegetables together in the pan for a few minutes. You'll get a wonderfully flavored rice dish.

5. Vegan pot pie. Take a pie crust that is already made, or make one yourself. Throw in all kinds of fall vegetables, like squash and potatoes. Then, add some vegetarian gravy mix. Let the pie cook as you normally would, and you'll have an interesting pot pie with no meat.

Add these all together and you've got your vegetarian Thanksgiving meal, enjoy! If you're not a vegetarian, there are still plenty of tricks to make a healthier Thanksgiving meal.

Click here to read more tips on how to make your traditional turkey day meal a healthy one.

Happy Thanksgiving!