没有火鸡？没问题！今年尝试以植物为基础的感恩节菜单

(CNN)Thinking about ditching the turkey this Thanksgiving? You're not the only one. Whether you're hosting a smaller group, concerned about the rising cost of groceries, or just looking for an excuse not to roast a bird this year, there are a number or reasons to skip putting a big turkey on the table.

For those who have been choosing to eat more plant-based meals, holidays like Thanksgiving have always been a balancing act between nostalgia and commitment. However, as food technology continues to develop meat- and dairy-free alternatives that are better and better at mimicking the usual ingredients, it's becoming easier than ever to enjoy the traditional feast without the meat.

If you feel like flocking to a turkey-free feast this year, try these suggestions for a flavor-packed Thanksgiving meal with all the trimmings. There's no nemed to put a whole bird on the table when you've got this much goodness to share.

Load up the table with lots of sides

Turkey might hog the spotlight when it comes to prep time, but for many people, Thanksgiving sides are the true stars of the meal. If you're trying more plant-based cooking, side dishes are also fairly easy to adjust for guests who are vegetarian, dairy-free, gluten-free or bringing other food allergies to the party.

Apart from the turkey, "pretty much everything else you make on Thanksgiving is indistinguishable if you make it with vegan butter and 'no-chicken' stock," said Joy Manning, a plant-based recipe developer and food writer in Philadelphia.

The two most beloved sides? Stuffing and mashed potatoes, which vie with the turkey as the most satisfying ways of delivering gravy as well. "In my mind, stuffing is really the Thanksgiving centerpiece," Manning said.

With a nearly endless buffet of bread choices and add-ins, stuffing can be as simple or as, well, stuffed as you desire. Sourdough bread adds an earthy taste and chewy texture to traditional herb stuffing. It's also the main element in the cult favorite artichoke Parmesan stuffing recipe. A vegetarian cornbread stuffing gets pops of texture from chopped nuts and apples.

Mashed potatoes can also take on a variety of flavors to make them stand out as a starring dish. Garlic is a particularly friendly pairing to potatoes, especially when it's roasted. Make roasted garlic rosemary mashed potatoes or garlic-olive oil mashed potatoes, or add in another vegetable like cauliflower.

The key to an all-sides Thanksgiving is to serve a diverse lineup of flavors and textures so you're not leaning too heavily on one element. For a mix-and-match strategy, pick one or two dishes from the following categories:

• stuffing and bready carbs like dinner rolls

• soft and creamy: mashed potatoes, potato gratin, corn pudding, or macaroni and cheese

• roasted or sauteed vegetables: Brussels sprouts, sweet potatoes, carrots, cauliflower, or green beans

• tangy, snappy and sweet: typically cranberry relish, or salads with ingredients such as cranberries and apples or pomegranate seeds and pears

You can still have great gravy

Find a gentle way to break it to your aunts who have been fussing over the turkey drippings all these years: They're not essential to the gravy after all.

Make-ahead gravy has been Manning's (and this writer's) Thanksgiving standard for years, with no last-minute drippings necessary. This technique gets its rich flavor from a roux base of flour browned in fat (such as olive oil, butter or a vegan butter substitute) along with quality stock. The gravy can be made days in advance and reheated just before the meal is ready.

Mushroom gravy is another tried-and-true plant-based gravy option, which can be made with cream or with vegetable stock for vegan guests. Using dried mushrooms is a two-for-one bonus: Their soaking liquid becomes part of the gravy to double up on the umami flavor. As a gluten-free option, white bean gravy is thick and creamy, with an added boost of protein.

Other main courses

While an all-sides Thanksgiving might sound like a dream dinner for some, it might not feel complete to others. Luckily, you don't have to forego a main dish entirely when planning a plant-based Thanksgiving.

"Thanksgiving is not my favorite holiday," admitted Montana Horowitz, a lawyer and mother of two in New Jersey. Though she grew up in a "big Italian family where Thanksgiving is out of control -- my dad makes two turkeys and then there's ham and pasta and rice balls," she feels free to switch up the menu now that she and her husband follow a plant-based diet.

"I feel like I need some sort of main dish," Horowitz said, so she pivots to mushroom Wellington, vegetable pot pie or vegan "turk'y" cutlets that can be served as a main course with the same amount of fanfare as a turkey or roast. "On holidays, when I make something like the Wellington or even the cutlets, I don't at all feel deprived."

Manning also turns to pre-made seitan cutlets for a small-scale Thanksgiving. "They're great for putting gravy on; I can make as little or as much as I want; and they're crammed with those Thanksgiving spices like sage, thyme and rosemary," she said.

However, if plant-based meat substitutes aren't your ideal meal, there are a host of equally impressive vegetable-focused main dishes. Stir up a seasonally appropriate pumpkin risotto, or bake a savory galette filled with wild mushrooms or caramelized leeks.

Remember, it's a holiday for sharing

Deciding to do Thanksgiving without a turkey might ruffle the feathers of some family members, so if someone else wants to cook a smaller cut of meat (or even fish), now's not the time to start a family feud.

"I'm doing Thanksgiving collaboratively with my brother-in-law and he's going to do turkey breast," Manning said. She is bringing her vegan cutlets to the six-person celebration, where family members who are curious can try them if they choose.

Offering a plant-based option gives people a chance to expand their palate, and if it's one choice of many dishes on the table, it's more likely to increase the odds of sampling and decrease resistance to a new way of eating.

Casey Barber is a food writer, illustrator and photographer; the author of "Pierogi Love: New Takes on an Old-World Comfort Food" and "Classic Snacks Made from Scratch: 70 Homemade Versions of Your Favorite Brand-Name Treats"; and editor of the website Good. Food. Stories.

没有火鸡？没问题！今年尝试以植物为基础的感恩节菜单

（美国有线电视新闻网）考虑在这个感恩节放弃火鸡吗？你并不是唯一的一个。无论您是接待一个较小的团体，担心食品价格上涨，还是只是在寻找今年不烤鸟的借口，都有很多或理由不将一只大火鸡放在桌子上。

对于那些一直选择多吃植物性食物的人来说，感恩节这样的假期一直是怀旧和承诺之间的平衡。然而，随着食品技术不断开发无肉和无奶替代品，这些替代品在模仿通常的成分方面越来越好，享受没有肉的传统盛宴变得比以往任何时候都容易。

如果你想在今年涌入一场无火鸡盛宴，试试这些建议，用所有的装饰品来一顿充满风味的感恩节大餐。当你有这么多好东西要分享时，没有必要把整只鸟放在桌子上。

很多配菜上桌

在准备时间方面，火鸡可能会成为人们关注的焦点，但对许多人来说，感恩节才是这顿饭的真正明星。如果您正在尝试更多以植物为基础的烹饪，那么对于素食、无乳制品、无麸质或对派对带来其他食物过敏的客人来说，配菜也很容易调整。

除了火鸡，“如果你用纯素黄油和‘无鸡'高汤做，几乎你在感恩节做的所有其他东西都无法区分，”费城的植物配方开发者和食品作家乔伊曼宁说。

最喜欢的两个方面？馅料和土豆泥，与火鸡相媲美，也是最令人满意的提供肉汁的方式。 “在我看来，馅料真的是感恩节的核心，”曼宁说。

有几乎无穷无尽的自助面包选择和插件，馅料可以很简单，也可以随心所欲地填充。酸面包为传统的香草馅料增添了泥土的味道和耐嚼的质地。它也是最受欢迎的朝鲜蓟帕尔马干酪馅食谱中的主要元素。素食玉米面包馅从切碎的坚果和苹果中获得口感。

土豆泥也可以呈现出多种口味，使它们成为一道突出的主菜。大蒜是土豆特别友好的搭配，尤其是在烤的时候。制作烤大蒜迷迭香土豆泥或大蒜橄榄油土豆泥，或加入另一种蔬菜，如花椰菜。

全方位感恩节的关键是提供各种口味和质地的产品，这样您就不会过于依赖一个元素。对于混合搭配策略，请从以下类别中选择一两道菜：

• 馅料和面包类碳水化合物，如晚餐卷

• 柔软奶油：土豆泥、烤土豆、玉米布丁或通心粉和奶酪

• 烤或炒蔬菜：抱子甘蓝、红薯、胡萝卜、花椰菜或青豆

• 浓郁、活泼、甜美：通常是蔓越莓调味品，或含有蔓越莓和苹果或石榴籽和梨等成分的沙拉

你仍然可以吃到很棒的肉汁

找到一种温和的方式来告诉你这些年来一直在为火鸡滴水大惊小怪的阿姨们：它们毕竟不是肉汁的必需品。

多年来，预先制作的肉汁一直是曼宁（和这位作家）的感恩节标准，不需要在最后一刻滴水。这种技术从含有脂肪（如橄榄油、黄油或纯素黄油替代品）的面粉糊底和优质原料中获得浓郁的风味。肉汁可以提前几天制作，并在饭菜准备好之前重新加热。

蘑菇肉汁是另一种久经考验的植物肉汁选择，它可以用奶油或蔬菜汤制成，供素食客人使用。使用干蘑菇是二合一的好处：它们的浸泡液成为肉汁的一部分，使鲜味加倍。作为一种无麸质选择，白豆肉汁浓稠且呈奶油状，并增加了蛋白质。

其他主要课程

虽然对某些人来说，全方位的感恩节听起来像是一场梦想中的晚餐，但对其他人来说可能并不完整。幸运的是，在计划以植物为基础的感恩节时，您不必完全放弃主菜。

“感恩节不是我最喜欢的假期，”新泽西州的律师和两个孩子的母亲蒙大拿霍洛维茨承认。尽管她在一个“感恩节失控的意大利大家庭长大——我爸爸做了两只火鸡，然后是火腿、意大利面和饭团”，但现在她和她的丈夫都按照植物性饮食。

“我觉得我需要一些主菜，”霍洛维茨说，所以她转向蘑菇惠灵顿、蔬菜馅饼或素食“土耳其”肉饼，它们可以作为主菜，与火鸡或烤。 “在假期里，当我做威灵顿甚至炸肉排之类的东西时，我一点也不觉得被剥夺。”

曼宁还为小规模的感恩节转而使用预制的清汤肉饼。 “它们非常适合浇上肉汁；我可以随心所欲地制作少量或任意量；而且里面塞满了鼠尾草、百里香和迷迭香等感恩节香料，”她说。

然而，如果植物性肉类替代品不是您理想的膳食，那么还有许多同样令人印象深刻的以蔬菜为主的主菜。搅拌季节性合适的南瓜烩饭，或烤一个充满野生蘑菇或焦糖韭菜的美味煎饼。

记住，这是一个分享的假期

决定不吃火鸡过感恩节可能会惹恼一些家庭成员，所以如果其他人想煮一小块肉（甚至鱼），现在不是开始家庭不和的时候。

“我和我姐夫一起过感恩节，他会做火鸡胸肉，”曼宁说。她将她的纯素肉饼带到六人庆祝活动中，好奇的家人可以选择尝试。

提供基于植物的选择让人们有机会扩大他们的味觉，如果它是餐桌上许多菜肴的一个选择，则更有可能增加采样的几率并降低对新饮食方式的抵抗力。

Casey Barber 是一位美食作家、插画家和摄影师； “Pierogi Love: New Takes on a Old World Comfort Food”和“Classic Snacks Made from Scratch: 70 Homemade Version of Your 最喜爱的名牌零食”的作者；和网站Good的编辑。食物。故事。