Hannah Sunderani's love for creating plant-based recipes shared on her blog www.twospoons.ca stems from its benefits to health, humanity, and the environment. Hannah is Canadian born, but now lives in France. Her recipes are intended for everyone to enjoy; whether you’re entirely plant-based, or looking for more plant-based recipes to incorporate into your diet. These are the plant-based recipes worth trying out this Thanksgiving (with two spoons).

By Aleksandra Medina

Can you share a few easy tips on how to substitute some of the most common Thanksgiving treats?

With all that turkey, gravy and pigs-in-a-blanket, one might think it’s impossible to be plant-based at Thanksgiving, but of course we beg to differ. There are plenty of vegan substitutions that don’t compromise on that special dinner with family. That’s something to be thankful for! Below are some simple ingredient substitutions and recipe inspiration to stuff yourself with.

1. Goodbye butter, hello to coconut oil! Coconut oil is a great vegan substitute for butter. I use it in my cake recipes, pies and for roasting veggies to a golden perfection. It has a similar profile as butter; withstanding high heat temperatures, and is a solid at room temperate. I even like it buttered on bread with a little sea salt. This year skip the butter, and ask your table to pass you the coconut oil.

2. Go nuts for dairy! Nuts are a delicious substitution for dairy-based dishes. Instead of adding milk or cream to soups, try almond milk, coconut cream, or cashew cream. For cashew cream: soak cashews in water overnight, then blend with some fresh water into a cream. It’s that easy. Check out my oven-roasted zucchini with cashew cream drizzle for my favourite cream recipe. Hemp hearts are also great for making cream-based dressing. Blending hemp hearts with water and lemon juice makes the creamiest caesar salad dressing. I like drizzling this on kale with pomegranate and hazelnuts. Or, if you’re feeling more adventurous, try making a vegan cheese sauce with soaked cashews, almond milk, and nutritional yeast. My favourite is in this Cheesy Cauliflower Bake.

3. Stuffing on the side. This is another way to enjoy your favourite thanksgiving dish. If your family eats turkey, ask your host to prepare some stuffing on the side for you. I grew up in a family where half liked the stuffing in the bird, and the other half preferred it roasted in a baking pan to give it a nice crisp top. So my mum used to do both. It’s a simple step that’s no trouble to your host, and I bet you won’t be the only one thankful for this baked bliss.

4. Go meatless this year. Who says we can’t make new traditions? Instead of roasting a turkey, try making vegan meat loaf, or pot pies. There are tons of savoury recipes that use chickpeas, lentils, mushrooms, and walnuts for the meaty base. These mini pot pies with Lentil, Fennel and Thyme are one of my favs.

So go ahead and stuff yourself! Because there’s plenty to be thankful for this Thanksgiving.

Here's some of my favourite, easy-to-prepare Thanksgiving recipes:

GREAT CHEESY CAULIFLOWER DISH