My Best Thanksgiving sides ( GF)

I was recently served this delicious vegetarian (and of course gluten free) casserole at my friend Melissa's house that knocked my socks off! As soon as I saw it, it screamed Thanksgiving. As soon as I tasted it, I was in love and knew it would be part of my vegetarian/vegan Thanksgiving Dinner plan.

8 Guests Loved it

Not only was the presentation sensational, but all 8 adults at the dinner party raved about it. Thanksgiving was on my mind because I had been trying to plan my menu.

Creamy and Delicious 

Maybe it was the scattered toasted sunflower seeds neatly arranged across the top, the creamy texture of the spinach and rice on the inside, or the brown crusty edges stuck to the four corners. Regardless, I know I couldn't help myself from taking a second helping and eventually asking for the recipe!

Easy to Make

I was delighted to see how easy it was to make, and I couldn't wait to share it with you on my blog.

Melissa is an amazing cook and a thoughtful gracious host. To accommodate my vegetarian and gluten free eating needs, she made a variety of delicious naturally vegetarian/gluten free sides that perfectly enhanced her main chicken entree ( that everyone else ate)  .

 I'm sharing the eggplant and red pepper "ratatouille that Melissa Made-" It was the absolutely the best I have ever tasted- even my mother in law who used to live in France and has been making ratatouille for most of her adult life commented about how much she enjoyed it! ( recipe link below)

There was more- a quinoa and mushroom dish that could easily serve as a healthy vegan and gluten free Thanksgiving stuffing ( recipe link below) 

And a delicious delicious thick vegan split pea soup that I only caught the leftovers for a photo!

In addition,  my Thanksgiving menu will include my vegan and my silky gluten free blender pumpkin pie, simple chocolate covered strawberries, and some easy cranberry apple chutney.
There are links to all the recipes below.

My grandkids made these!

I call it my dream feast because I'll actually be celebrating Thanksgiving at my son and daughter in law's home, and I will only be bringing the pumpkin pie and another vegan/gluten free dessert- probably my eggnog baked donuts .

My Thanksgiving Vegetarian/ Gluten Free Menu 
click for the recipe

Thick Split Pea soup

White quinoa and garlic mushroom stuffing

 Ratatouille  ** amazing recipe

Gluten Free and vegan Pumpkin Pie 

Cranberry Apple Chutney or 

Quick Homemade Cranberry Sauce

The Casserole: Spinach, rice, and toasted sunflower seed casserole ** see recipe below

Spinach, rice, and toasted sunflower seed casserole Recipe

Ingredients: 

2 cups of cooked brown rice
1/4 cup of vegetable broth for sautéing 

Egg Replacer for the equivalent of 2 eggs 

1/2 cup of coconut milk or almond milk
2 cups of diced onions
2 cups of chopped fresh spinach
3 cloves of chopped garlic
1/4 teaspoon of nutmeg
a shake (or more) of cayenne powder to taste
salt and cracked pepper 
1/2 cup of sunflower seeds to scatter on top

Directions: 
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees
To a large skillet, add vegetable broth and turn on high. Sauté the onions for 3-4 minutes, then add the garlic and chopped spinach and continue to sauté until spinach is wilted. 
Remove from heat and mix with the cooked rice. 
In another large mixing bowl, mix the egg replacer, non dairy milk and the seasoning. Add the rice and vegetable mixture and mix well. 
Pour into a greased rectangular casserole dish and bake 35-40 minutes uncovered. Top with the sunflower seeds.

This recipe will be shared on Beth Fish Reads- Weekend Cooking where anyone can share a food related post ( appears on Saturday)  and my daily lists of blog carnivals

Wishing everyone a wonderful healthy and happy Thanksgiving.

My Notes: 

1. The Ratatouille- Melissa's Ratatouille was originally from a recipe on Tori Avey's blog. I provided a link for this incredible recipe which is actually is Tori's mother-in-law's Sephardic recipe- Great tutorial- which is very very similar to my Sephardic mother-in- law's recipe.

2. The casserole
Melissa modified this recipe from the Internet. 

The recipe was originally made popular from a recipe in the Moosewood Cookbook, but has been published and modified by many bloggers. 
 Melissa says she has seen many substitutions for the spinach- including: broccoli slaw mix, collard greens, kale, etc. I posted the version that Melissa made.