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ooo! i might steal your sauted kale idea -- my husband loves the stuff. :) sounds yummy! thanks for sharing!

@makemethod - Yay! I just discovered this dish myself - the flavor of caramelized onions complements hearty greens soooo nicely. The best part is you can caramelize the onions ahead of time and set them aside until you're ready to add them to the pan with the greens at the last minute. I usually blanch my greens in salty water ahead of time if they're on the tough side to sweeten and soften them, then quickly sauté with olive oil, salt, and the pre-cooked onions. Very autumnal!

I am traveling, so I just made cornbread/sourdough dressing (the relatives cook it in the bird) and a simple pumpkin lasagna (pureed cushaw, sauteed mushrooms with pinenuts, cashew "ricotta"). I know there are some things on the table that I won't be able to eat (cranberry sauce, turkey) but I'm going to enjoy the day and not sweat the small stuff.

I usually travel on the holidays and I'm not vegetarian, so I can't speak from experience for you. However ... 101 cookbooks had a list of veg and vegan holiday recipes that looks fantastic. Considering this carnivore loves pretty much every one of the 101 cookbooks recipes she's tried so far, I think it would be a good place to start and I would DEFINITELY be hitting that list hard if I were doing a veg/vegan thanksgiving.

thanks, everyone! great ideas! :)

I did an early T-day dinner on Sunday, and while only one guest was vegetarian, making an almost completely vegetarian dinner was easy: roasted Brussels sprouts with brown butter and sage, roasted zucchini and mushrooms, Soyrizo and cornbread stuffing, cheesy dairy-filled mashed potatoes with vegetarian white wine gravy, and mac 'n' cheese.

I third the recommendation of 101 cookbooks. She has a ton of both vegetarian and vegan recipes (and she almost always includes instructions for veganizing a recipe). It's the one cooking site that I've yet to find a dud on; everything I've made has been fantastic.

I'm not a vegetarian but I came across a great recipe that sounds good to me. I'm sharing it in the hopes at least one of you finds it helpful!

Winter Squash with Apricot Stuffing

Delicious squash baked in olive oil is made even better with a sweet and crunchy stuffing.

Ingredients

3 small acorn, butternut or other winter squash, cut in half and seeds scooped out
2 Tbs. olive oil
2 C. matzo flour (or meal), or 4 whole matzo, finely crumbled
1 medium red onion, chopped
1/2 C. chopped celery
1 clove garlic, minced
1 1/2 C. vegetable stock
1/2 C. dried apricots, chopped
1/4 C. cashews, chopped
2 Tbs. fresh parsley, chopped
2 tsp. fresh ground black pepper

Directions

Preheat the oven to 375. Place the squash, cut side down, in a shallow baking pan. Add enough water to cover about 1 inch of the squash halves. Use a pastry brush or cloth to lightly coat the exposed squash skin with olive oil. Bake the squash for about 20 minutes, or until about half cooked. The squash still should be fairly tough. Meanwhile, combine 1 Tbs. of olive oil, matzo, onion, celery and garlic in a medium saucepan and sauté for about 6 minutes, or until very soft. The mixture will stick to the pan, so stir frequently. Add the stock, apricots and cashews and allow to cook for 12 minutes, stirring frequently. Stir in parsley and pepper. Remove the squash from the oven, turn upright and allow to cool for 5 minutes. Fill each squash with stuffing and arrange on a baking sheet. Use remaining olive oil to lightly coat any exposed squash meat. Bake for 50 minutes, or until the squash is soft and easily pierced by a fork.

Makes 6 servings.

Hillary
Chew on That

I made Portabello Wellington last year and have had a lot of requests for it again. Basically, I stuff Portabellos with sauted mushrooms, onion, and garlic and then wrapped it in phyllo dough. It's not the healthiest thing on our menu, by far, but it is delicious. Other than that, we'll have sweet potatoes, stuffing, peas (for my husband), and whatever else our friends bring!

@thepirateking i think some people use gelatin in their cranberry sauce...

this is my first outing as a vegetarian. i'm going to a friend's, someone i don't know very well although i've known her for a long time, and i haven't told her that i stopped eating meat. i wonder what i'll be able to eat?

personally, what i love about thanksgiving are my homemade butter rolls, pumpkin cake, and cranberry sauce. i had some friends over for lunch on sunday and served all of the above, so i don't care what i get on thursday.

@ thepirateking: Spartana is exactly right; it's just cranberries, sugar, water, and horseradish, but without the gelatin (not all recipes require gelatin, but a lot of them do).

im making all of thanksgiving dinner for my family, but im the only vegetarian. since im cooking though, everything is vegetarian except the turkey! there will be herb and onion stuffing, scallion cheddar and black pepper biscuits, macaroni and cheese, roasted vegetables (portabellos, zucchini, onions, carrots), mashed potatoes, green bean casserole, and creamed spinach. pretty standard fare. oh and of course, pumpkin pie, creme brulee tart, and chocolate cupcakes!

cranberries all full of pectin, so they thicken naturally.
i did wild mushroom-pecan pate, braised leeks and roasted portobellos in puff pastry with a madeira reduction. yum!