A VERY MERRY UN-TURKEY DAY TO ALL!

This year's Thanksgiving was riddled with oh-so-much champagne, scrumptious food and - most importantly - wonderful company. I came equipped with an array of vegan, gluten-free goodies: sparkling Moscato, cornbread stuffing, mushroom gravy and a raw lemon blackberry souffle tart.

The first of several rounds.

My darling hosts whipped up some vegan nosh, including cooked greens, spicy sweet potato patties, miso-marinated tofu and creamy non-dairy mashed potatoes. As my multiple trips back to the kitchen for seconds (and possibly thirds...) proved, it was all beyond tasty.

Here are some more visuals of the delectable bounty:

Cornbread Stuffing

With the Mushroom Gravy

Lemon Blackberry Souffle Tart

The recipe called for raspberries, but I ended up substituting blackberries.

We ended the day in a happy - and very full - stupor, lounging on couches with peppermint tea and a romantic comedy marathon.

A respectably messy kitchen = the markings of a successful Thanksgiving dinner.

Wishing you all a belated happy un-turkey day!

WHAT I'M BRINGING TO THANKSGIVING DINNER

On this year's Day of Thanks, I will be dining with some lovely, omnivorous friends. They are graciously accommodating my veganism and, in addition to their more traditional fare, will be serving up some veggie dishes along with a tofu-turkey concoction for Yours Truly. 

For the past couple of weeks, I have been mulling over what to add to the Thanksgiving spread. And, now, in the eleventh hour, the moment of decision is upon me. I opted for classic dishes with a fun spin:

CORNBREAD STUFFING

I love that it  has a medley of veggies AND fruit and can be made gluten-free! 

GLUTEN-FREE MUSHROOM GRAVY

As far as I'm concerned, no Thanksgiving is complete without some cravings-inducing gravy to pour over everything.

RAW MEYER LEMON RASPBERRY SOUFFLE TART

Thought I'd challenge myself with a raw dessert this year.

Here are a couple of the runners-up, very deserving of mention:

BALSAMIC ROSEMARY CARROTS

BOURBON CRANBERRY COMPOTE

And, in the spirit of Save-A-Turkey Day, I adopted this handsome fella from Farm Sanctuary:

His name is Payton - ain't he a beaut? You can adopt your own wonderful turkey here.

What are you all making for Thanksgiving? Please share your pics - I'd love some inspiration for next year! Check back this weekend - I'll be posting my own pictures from the festivities and of all the food. And be sure to follow me on Instagram (@dirtyrottenvegan) on Thursday for a foodie play-by-play!

xx Here's to all the turkeys of the world (and to stuffing our faces with cruelty-free food)

SNEAK PEEK: Thanksgiving Sample Plate at M Cafe!

Suffice it to say, I couldn't hold off on delicious Thanksgiving vegan fare until the actual Day O'Tofurkey.

Too many delectable temptations! I was outnumbered and, joyfully, caved. Behold, the vegan Thanksgiving sampler plate from M Cafe de Chaya:

*drool*

It was a splendorous feast of seitan turkey, cranberry sauce, mashed potatoes, broccolini, stuffing - all drenched in a mouth-watering gravy. Get on it, LA peeps! This is (obviously) a limited time platter.

Everyday should be Save-A-Turkey Day :)

xx Peace and love to turkeys everywhere.