I like the stuffed squash and red lentil stew suggestions, but it sounds like you already have a lot of cooking going on!
We’re a vegan/vegetarian household and love all the typical fixings. It’s easy to make vegan gravy (there’s a nice NYT recipe), mashed potatoes and stuffing, but you could look to Whole Foods or a similar source for already-cooked vegan entrees; or roast some portobellos ahead of time as they’d be a good stand-in for the turkey, and pick up vegan stuffing, potatoes and gravy. Then zap in the microwave at the last minute, so you’re not taking up oven or stove-top space. I bet your vegan family members wouldn’t mind a bit if their meal isn’t home-cooked.
Honestly, Im not planning to provide more than one vegan dish, outside of probably roasted asparagus. SIL can contribute other vegan dishes if she chooses. I was supposed to be visiting D17 in Spain for Thanksgiving but due to an awful family emergency on dh’s side, I canceled my trip so I’m not exactly excited at the thought of hosting Thanksgiving unexpectedly. SIL is not the type to expect me to provide a separate vegan meal but I’d like to have at least one hearty dish she and my nieces will eat. If I find a recipe that isn’t too time consuming, I don’t mind making it. Otherwise, I appreciate the suggestion of looking at what Whole Foods offers ala carte.
We are only two for Thanksgiving so I started to make and serve some sides tonight. The Pioneer Woman’s Broccoli- Cauliflower Casserole was served at dinner tonight. It was very good, but probably wouldn’t meet the standards for your foodie friends. The cheese part of the casserole was fairly light and would make your picky vegetable eaters tuck into it.
I think I will use shallots instead of onions next time to give it a little more flavor. I don’t buy seasoned breadcrumbs but there are several online recipes.
We have a smaller group this year (~10 as opposed to 18-20 most years). Thinking about adding a soup. DH and I had a cream of lettuce soup, served warm, at a french restaurant decades ago that is still a stand-out to both of us. It would complement the rest of the meal.
DH wants to use his grandmother’s fine china that has the cutest soup bowls. He’s even offered to do the hand washing.
DIL and DD both love the traditional green bean casserole so one or the other will bring that. I don’t get the appeal. But then again it isn’t Thanksgiving to me if cranberry sauce in the shape of a can isn’t served, so what do I know?
@mathmom We do a mostly wheat-free dinner for Thanksgiving because one family member has an allergy to wheat proteins. Luckily he does not have celiac so we don’t have to be quite as careful about contamination. This year we have two others coming who cannot eat wheat (it runs in the family.)
I like @scmom12 's suggestions for prepared items from places like Trader Joe’s, so much easier than making everything from scratch when there is so much going on in the kitchen already. Sometimes GF baking is tricky so prepared bread crumbs or cubes is a great idea.
By now, it seems quite natural to me to make the gravy with rice flour. It comes out perfectly well and there is no need to have one kind GF, one kind with wheat flour. Everyone eats the GF gravy. It does require more rice flour than wheat flour but it is easy enough to experiment with because it doesn’t have the same raw taste, so you can add more rice flour later if the gravy isn’t thick enough.
We make a cornbread stuffing with sausage. I just make the cornbread without, usually adding more cornmeal than usual and some GF flour like Cup for Cup. Then I let it sit for a day to be the appropriate staleness. By the time it is mixed with all the other ingredients and turned into stuffing, nobody realizes it is wheatless.
None of the other dishes require wheat except for rolls and dessert. GF person is fine with no rolls as are about half the rest of us, so I just buy one bag of some prepared rolls for wheat-eaters who aren’t already stuffed with mashed potatoes and stuffing.
For dessert, we often make one or two GF and one not. Or buy one prepared. (Often we buy one pie that has wheat and make a homemade GF chocolate dessert.) Or buy a GF piecrust and make your own filling.
For waffles, I would take @scmom12 's suggestion of a box of GF frozen waffles from TJ’s or Whole Foods. If you have a crowd, it’s already a pain to make enough waffles. Make some with wheat and then also have the GF frozen ones. The rest of a breakfast meal like eggs, bacon, fruit, is all GF.
I bought some bread mix and will make bread the week before Thanksgiving. If it’s no good I’ll head over to Trader Joe’s. Will look for rice flour for gravy. SIL is bringing two GF pies, and one not GF apple pie. I might make a not GF pecan pie, because that’s my favorite. I’ve been paying attention, and while I like an English muffin or bagel with my breakfast, that often the only gluten I eat all week. And lately our CSA has been giving us so many potatoes I’ve been making Spanish omelets for breakfast instead.
If you’re just looking for single servings, the 90 second almond flour mug bread is tasty. You do need to adjust the salt to your liking.
About green beans, if you want al dente, why not just microwave steam them for a minute or so? Then put them in the casserole recipe.
The only thing new here will probably be a kale, chard, arugula salad. I always hated kale, but with a garlic mustard, OO dressing, it’s good. And it works with add-ins like dried cranberry or chopped apples. May not be new to many of you, but is, to me.
Crazy isn’t it? I make all three and everyone loves it. My one DIL practically swoons over the sweet potatoes. Maybe I should ask them this year for sure, LOL.
I think green bean casserole may be one of those things people love to hate, but actually love. I am thinking maybe my ex husband’s family served it, but other than that I don’t remember it being an option on our Thanksgivings.
I never had it growing up and neither did my dh. Or at least I never had it at the many Thanksgivings I had with his parents. One year after reading so much about it I tried Cook’s Illustrated improved version. It wasn’t bad, but like many CI recipes, way too much trouble.
I like green bean casserole. Some college boy first made it for a bunch of us. Far less interesting was MIL’s Minute Rice.
Fuss? His recipe was canned beans, cream of mushroom soup, probably some milk, and handfuls of shreeded cheddar, topped by the canned onion rings. I’ve made it for kids with canned cheddar soup, instead. Comfort food. “Hot Dish.” Not meant to be anything more than it is.
Also like the corn casserole I got here on CC. A diet killer, but totally popular anywhere I take it.
For us, TDay is a chance to connect with memories and each other.
green bean casserole.