New Takes on Thanksgiving: Alternatives to the Traditional Meal

Thanksgiving is a holiday about harvest and gratitude. We celebrate it with extravagant dinners of turkey, stuffing, potatoes, breads, casseroles and various other traditional dishes. The spirit of Thanksgiving is one of appreciation, and centers on a grand meal.

Recently, the traditional Thanksgiving dinner has started to have a new look. People have developed new alternatives in the case of dietary preferences and restrictions. If you want to explore alternatives to the traditional meal this year, here are some alternatives on traditional Thanksgiving dishes that anyone can enjoy.

Gluten-Free Thanksgiving

Celiac disease is a serious condition in which people cannot properly digest gluten proteins found in wheat, rye, barley and oats. Celiac disease is relatively rare, but less-severe gluten intolerance is more common than one might think – and often goes unnoticed. Show that you’re gluten-aware this year by taking a staple Thanksgiving dish and making it gluten-free.

Stuffing is one of the most common dishes at Thanksgiving and loaded with gluten. Luckily, you can make stuffing gluten-free using this recipe from Shauna Ahem. If you like this recipe and want more gluten-free ideas check out her website, www.glutenfreegirl.com or find her on Twitter, @glutenfreegirl.

Vegan Thanksgiving

Being vegan is primarily a lifestyle choice (although some religions also promote vegan diets). However, a vegan diet is can also promote health. A vegan menu is likely most difficult because it removes the centerpiece of Thanksgiving dinner, the turkey!

So, what do you serve for a vegan Thanksgiving? For die-hard traditionalists, there are meatless turkey alternatives you can explore. You can either try stuffed Turk’y from Gardein or Tofurky. In addition, you may serve your tofu turkey with any variation of sides, like these from VeganVagrant.

Raw Thanksgiving

A raw diet, also called “living foods,” consists of foods that haven’t been heated over 115°F. The premise behind this diet is that “live” foods provide more enzymes that would be destroyed if they are cooked at high temperatures. Additionally, a short-term raw food diet is advocated as for toxin cleansing capacities.

Pumpkin pie presents a worthy challenge for a raw Thanksgiving dish. To satisfy all diet alternatives, Sunfood has a special pumpkin (or sweet potato or butternut squash) pie recipe that is raw, vegan, and gluten-free. Now that’s a crowd pleaser!

Importantly, the best thing about these recipes is you don’t have to be gluten-intolerant, strict vegan, or a raw foodie to enjoy a new variation on the traditional meal. Try out any or all of these recipes and save your favorites for next year. You’ll likely be impressed with the results, and that’s something for which we can all give ‘Thanks!’