It’s hard to believe that Thanksgiving is already around the corner! In preparation for this holiday season, we have something special to share. For anyone with a plant based diet, we all know it can be challenging to find Thanksgiving dishes that are free of animal products and refined sugars. To help you avoid a carbohydrate + sugar crash after your big meal, we’ve collected a few of our seasonal recipes that are nutritious and would complement any Thanksgiving menu perfectly. We hope you enjoy and don’t forget to tag us so that we can see your plant based thanksgiving meal!

Porcini Chestnut Stuffing

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 pounds bread - can be baguettes, french bread, wheat loaves, anything you prefer

• 3 tbsp. Olive Oil

• 1 oz. Dried Porcini Mushrooms

• 1 small rosemary sprig

• 1 medium onion, chopped

• 1 small fennel bulb, halved lengthwise and finely diced

• 1 1/2 teaspoons thyme leaves

• Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

• 1 tablespoon finely grated lemon zest

• 3/4 cup dry white wine

• 2 1/4 cups vegetable broth

• One 10-ounce vacuum-packed jar of chestnuts, very coarsely crumbled

• ¼ cup Flax Seeds, soak in 10 oz. of water

• ½ bunch of Italian Parsley, Finely Chopped

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 400°. Combine 1 1/2 cups hot water and dried porcini in small bowl. Let stand until mushrooms soften, about 30 minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer mushrooms to work surface; chop finely. Pour mushroom soaking liquid into small bowl, leaving any sediment behind, and reserve.

2. On a baking sheet, toss the bread with 3 tbsp. of olive oil. Spread the bread in a single layer and toast in the oven for 15 minutes, stirring once, until golden brown. Let the croutons cool, then transfer to a large bowl. Leave the oven on.

3. In a large skillet, heat 1 tbsp. of olive oil. Add the onion, fennel, and thyme and season with salt and pepper. After 5 minutes, add the strained porcini. Cook, stirring, until the vegetables are lightly caramelized, about 10 minutes total; discard the rosemary. Add white wine and vegetable broth.  Simmer for 15 min.

4. Combine vegetable/broth mixture, flax seed mixture, and croutons in large bowl.  While they rest, saute crumbled chestnuts until lightly browned and fragrant, about 5 min. Add chestnuts to the stuffing mixture.

5. Transfer the stuffing to a generously greased 9x13-inch baking dish (You can use coconut or olive oil). Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for about 20 minutes, or until crisp on top. Serve hot.

Beets & Sweets Maple Medley

• 6 sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed (small, 1 inch dice)

• 4 beets, peeled and cubed (small, 1 inch dice)

• 1 tablespoons olive oil

• 2 teaspoons salt

• 1 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper

• ¼ cup coconut oil

• ¼ cup nut milk

• 2 tablespoons maple syrup

• 3-4 fresh thyme sprigs, plus 2 tablespoons more chopped for garnish

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 435 degrees. In a large bowl, toss together the beets, sweet potatoes, salt and pepper. Roast in the oven for 30 minutes.

2. While the potatoes and beets are in the oven, make the glaze by adding coconut oil and nut milk to a skillet along with the fresh thyme sprigs.

3. Melt down coconut oil and nut milk, simmer for about 5 minutes then stir in the maple syrup and remove from the heat.

4. After 30 minutes, remove the potatoes and beets from the oven and toss with the glaze.

5. Place back in the oven for 15 minutes then remove to a large serving platter and garnish with the two tablespoons of reserved chopped thyme.

Raw Vegan Pumpkin Cheesecake

• 1 cup pitted dates (soaked)

• 1 cup nuts (pecans, almonds, cashews - it's up to you!)

Filling

• 1.5 cup raw cashews (soaked)

• 1 large lemon, juiced

• 1/3 cup coconut oil (melted)

• 3/4 cup sweetener of choice

• 3/4 cup coconut cream

• 1/3 cup pumpkin puree

• 2 tsp. ground cinnamon

• 1 tsp. ground nutmeg

• 1/2 tsp. ground ginger

Instructions

1. For the crust: chop nuts in blender and put aside. Then put the soaked + drained dates in the blender and pulse. Pour chopped nuts back into the blender with the dates and mix the nuts + dates.

2. In a lightly greased 12-cup muffin pan, evenly disperse the crust into each cup, pressing the mixture down with a cup or fingers. Place in the freezer while you prepare the filling.

3. After soaking your cashews for 30 minutes in hot water, drain + rinse the cashews and place in the blender. Add the remaining ingredients into the blender. Blend the mixture till the filling becomes completely smooth.

4. Pull the muffin pan out of the freezer and pour the filling into each cup. Cover and place in freezer for 3-5 hours. Once the cheesecakes are frozen, remove from the freezer.

5. Remove the cheesecakes from the pan (the cheesecakes can be stubborn at times.. we have found it works best if you use a knife to gently cut around the edges and it will eventually pop out). Sprinkle some cinnamon on the tops of the mini cheesecakes for a pretty finished look.

We hope you have a wonderful thanksgiving spent with the ones you love! We are thankful for each and every one of you. Fruitive would not be where it is today without your faithful support.

Love & Peace,
Your Fruitive Family