Healthy Vegan Thanksgiving Recipe

Turkey is the most popular Thanksgiving meal for sure. But what if you want some different options? After all, November is World Vegan Month, and while not a vegan myself, I sometimes like trying vegan recipes because there are great health benefits to a vegan diet. This vegan sweet potato casserole recipe from Love and Lemons is a perfect example of that! Take a look at a few of the ingredients:

Sweet potatoes - Sweet potatoes contain several nutrients, such as calcium, B vitamins, and beta carotene, which protects eye health and gives the food its orange color.

Almond milk - Almond milk is rich in vitamin E, which benefits many of your body’s systems like skin and blood, and it’s also an antioxidant. Some companies that produce almond milk enrich it with other nutrients as well.

Oats - Oats contain fiber that helps your digestive system function better. There are also studies indicating that oats lower your risk of heart disease.

Pecans - Pecans are high in healthy unsaturated fats. In addition, pecans contain potassium, protein, and other nutrients, and they’ve even been shown to reduce the risk of breast cancer.

Walnuts - Walnuts have more omega-3 fats than any other nut, which contributes to a lower heart disease risk. Also, a study showed that people who ate walnuts had more healthy gut bacteria than those who didn’t. Healthy gut bacteria improves many of your body’s functions.

So if you want to try a fun and delicious vegan recipe for Thanksgiving, this heathy casserole is an excellent choice.

Ingredients

• 5 large sweet potatoes

• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling

• ⅛ teaspoon black pepper

• ½ cup sage leaves

• ½ teaspoon sea salt

• 1 teaspoon ground ginger

• 1 ¼ cup almond milk

Crumble topping ingredients

• ¼ teaspoon fresh rosemary, minced

• ⅛ teaspoon black pepper

• 1 teaspoon sea salt

• 2 teaspoons maple syrup

• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

• ¼ cup walnuts (add more for garnish)

• ¼ teaspoon dried thyme leaves

• ½ garlic clove

• ¼ cup pecans (add more for garnish)

• ⅓ cup whole rolled oats

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 425°F. Line a baking sheet with foil, then brush olive oil onto an 8x11-inch baking dish.

2. Poke a few holes in the sweet potatoes with a fork, then place onto baking sheet. 

3. Roast sweet potatoes until soft and tender (approx. 60 minutes).

4. Create the crumble topping by placing rosemary, pepper, sea salt, maple syrup, olive oil, walnuts, thyme, garlic clove, pecans, and oats into a food processor. Pulse until ingredients are combined, then remove.

5. Scoop sweet potato flesh out of skins and put into food processor.

6. Add ginger, almond milk, olive oil, salt, and pepper. Process to combine.

7. Spread into baking dish, then add crumble topping.

8. Add sage and nuts, and drizzle olive oil.

9. Bake until topping becomes browned and crisp (approx. 20 minutes).

Vegan food is enjoyable to make and eat, and there are amazing health benefits. Whether you’re already vegan or you’ve never made a vegan recipe, this delightfully sweet recipe is worth a try!