I don’t know about you, but I absolutely love fall and the Thanksgiving Holiday! It’s a busy time of year for us but I thoroughly enjoy canning all the wonderful fruits and vegetables available to us where we live. And while some may complain about the work of raking up the fallen leaves, I love to see the array of colors in the changing leaves.

With the Thanksgiving Holiday upon us, I thought I’d share a few of our family favorites for you to try. They are filled with lots of vegetables and are a healthier take on some traditional recipes. Enjoy!

Cornbread Dressing
½ c onions, chopped
½ c green bell pepper, chopped
½ c celery, chopped
2 Tbs. oil of your choice
5 c cubed cornbread
2 c unsweetened soymilk, or other nut milk
1 ½ Tbs. chicken-style seasoning
3 c cooked yellow squash, chopped and drained
1 t garlic powder

Preheat oven to 400º F. Sauté onion, peppers and celery in a little water until tender. Mix cornbread and sautéed mixture in a large bowl and stir well. Stir in the rest of the ingredients, mixing well. Pour into a lightly sprayed 18x9x2 baking dish. Bake for 50 minutes or until lightly browned.

Note: This is one of my favorite family recipes that I converted to be non-dairy. It has a lovely mild taste, but if you prefer a spicier dressing, you may personalize it by adding some of your favorite spices.

Cashew Gravy

2 c. Water
½ c. Cashews, washed
¼ tsp. Onion powder
2 Tbs. Flour
2 Tbs. Chicken-style seasoning
1 Tbs. Nutritional yeast flakes

Blend cashews in 1 cup of water until very smooth. Add the rest of the ingredients along with the other cup of water in the blender briefly. Heat slowly until thickened.

Cauliflower and Garlic Mashed Potatoes

4 cups cauliflower, chopped
6 medium white or Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and chopped
8 cloves garlic, peeled

4 Tbs. nutritional yeast flakes
¼ cup (or more as needed) unsweetened soy or almond milk
Salt to taste

In a large stock pot, bring 2-3 quarts of salted water to boil. Boil the cauliflower, potatoes and garlic cloves about 18 minutes or until tender. Drain off the water and place the vegetables in a large bowl.

Using a hand mixer or potato ricer, puree the vegetables and the remaining ingredients, adding liquid as needed.

Yams a la Coconut

2 medium or 1 large white or yellow onion
2 large yams
1 1/2 cans unsweetened coconut milk
1 Tbs. coconut or grape seed oil
2 Tbs. Chicken-style seasoning

Preheat oven to 400°
Chop onion and sauté with oil until very tender then stir in the seasoning.

Peel and wash yams. Cut them into 1/4 inch slices.

In a 9 x 13 inch glass baking dish, place one layer of yam slices to cover the bottom. Spread half of the onion mixture evenly over the yams. Add another layer of yams and spread the remaining onion over them. Cover with a final layer of yams.

Shake coconut milk cans really well before opening. Pour 1 1/2 cans of milk evenly over the yams and onions.

Bake for 50 to 60 minutes, or until yams are tender when tested with a knife.

Luscious Pumpkin Pie

3 c pumpkin or squash puree
1 c raw cashews, washed
1 14 oz. can coconut milk
1 c soft dates, pitted
2 ½ c nut or non-dairy milk
½ c maple syrup
3 T Arrowroot Powder or cornstarch
1 t vanilla
2 t cinnamon substitute (I use cinnamon or pumpkin pie spices)
1 t salt

Put cashews and coconut milk into blender, whiz until perfectly smooth. Add dates to blender and whiz, adding the nut or soy milk gradually. Pour some of mixture into a mixing bowl to make room for rest of ingredients. Add remaining ingredients and blend thoroughly. Pour into prepared 9” pie shells and bake at 400º F for 15 minutes, bake another 40-45 minutes at 350º or until center looks firm when gently jiggled.
Yields 2 pies.