Gluten-Free Vegan Thanksgiving

Enjoy a plant-based meal, including sides, main dishes, and desserts, without a trace of gluten. You'll have guests leaving the table with no idea that the meal was tailored to a restricted diet. 

This impressive plate requires only 5 ingredients (water, oil, salt, and pepper are freebies). Microwaved sweet potatoes are sliced into medallions, brushed with oil, and lightly seared so they become satisfyingly steak-like. The creamy, nutty sauce adds richness, and the lemon-dressed arugula-chickpea salad bulks up the plate beautifully. In place of almond butter, you can use any nut butter you like—try peanut, cashew, or sunflower butter. And if canned chickpeas aren’t in your pantry, try cannellini or navy beans.

Oh, lasagna, that ultimate comfort food. Creamy, cheesy, and flavorful. Now, what happens if you want to make a gluten-free or (heaven forbid) vegan version? Well, two wonderful foods, zucchini and tofu, step into the picture. Thinly-sliced zucchini is a great stand in for noodles. When salted, the excess moisture is drawn out, leaving you with a lasagna just as firm as the noodle version. Mashed tofu, when seasoned correctly, is eerily similar to ricotta, but with significantly less calories and fat.

Chef Jonathan Waxman taught Cooking Light Editor Hunter Lewis how to make this fall salad many years ago. Riff with the ingredients to find the flavor balance you prefer. For a vegan version, omit the Parmesan cheese.

Combine 3 tablespoons olive oil, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, and 1/2 teaspoon black pepper in a bowl, stirring with a whisk. Combine butternut squash, parsnips, Brussels sprouts, and potatoes from master recipe in a large bowl, then follow remaining steps.

If you’re not familiar with parsnips, try these quick recipes to acquaint yourself with them. The root veggies look like white carrots and have a decidedly sweet, earthy flavor. Shop for medium to small parsnips, as larger ones tend to have tough, woody cores. In the main recipe here, a hit of fresh lemon juice and sprinkling of fresh herbs make the whole dish taste fresh and bright. If you don’t have parsley on hand, you can leave it out, but do seek out the dill.

This staff favorite adds color and texture to your buffet and makes a splash on the Thanksgiving table. For a bit of showmanship, bring the whole cauliflower to the table, and then "carve" and dress with the vinaigrette, pomegranate arils, pine nuts, and parsley. While most holiday dishes are designed to be delicious warm or at room temperature, this is one dish that's worth saving until the end of your prep and serving straight out of the oven.

Sautéing tofu cubes for this recipe gives them a nice firm texture and caramelized flavor.

The rosy hue of the hibiscus syrup is a holiday showstopper. Drizzle over spiced poached pears for a dessert that's a bit lighter, gluten-free, and still feels holiday-special. The key to beautifully poached pears is to cook them in just enough liquid to submerge the fruit—any more and the flavor from the spices may be lost. A parchment paper topper and a plate will keep liquid from evaporating too quickly. Reduce additional poaching liquid and reserve as the base for holiday cocktails, the sweet component of a salad dressing, or a drizzle for your cheese board.

For a vegan version, leave out the 1/2 cup of crème fraîche.

Pear, apple, pumpkin - oh my! All the fall flavors you love are now in spreadable form. They might be called butters, but in fact there isn't any butter at all. We cook down the fruit low and slow with warm spices, zesty citrus, and sweet cider to make the perfect fall accompaniment to any dish. We recommend smearing them on toast topped with crushed nuts, spooned over oatmeal, or enjoyed straight from the jar.