Side Dishes Everyone Can Be Thankful For By Julie Senger Whether you are hosting Thanksgiving dinner at your house, or bringing a dish to someone elses home to share, you or other guests may have certain dietary restrictions due to health concerns or humanitarian reasons. The following recipes are vegan, gluten-free and delicious! Mac n Cheese (HappyHealing.com) 9-12oz. / 250-350g gluten-free macaroni pasta 2 tablespoons dried parsley flakes OR cup fresh parsley, chopped 1 cups cauliflower 1 cups sweet potato, diced 1 cup nutritional yeast cup almond milk cup extra virgin olive oil 1 clove garlic (optional) 1 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon onion powder 1 teaspoon yellow mustard seeds teaspoon paprika Procedure - In a medium pot and steamer, bring water to a boil. Steam sweet potato and cauliflower until soft, (about 10-15 minutes).- Cook pasta according to packet directions; drain; and set aside.- While pasta is cooking, add everything except the parsley to a blender, and blend until smooth.- Combine cooked pasta, blender cheese sauce, and parsley in the pot or a large bowl.- Serve, and enjoy! Apple, Quinoa and Kale Salad (NaturalGreenMom.com) 1 green apple, chopped cup cooked and chilled quinoa As much kale as you think your crowd will eat cup extra virgin olive oil zest and juice of lemon 1 tablespoon mustard Salt and pepper to taste Procedure For the dressing- Whisk together olive oil, lemon juice and zest, mustard, and salt and pepper. For the salad- In a large bowl, combine apple, quinoa and kale.- Toss with dressing, and serve. Crispy Orange Cauliflower (VeganRicha.com) 1 small head of cauliflower, cut into bite-sized floretsFor Flour Mixture to Coat Cauliflower 1 tablespoon flaxseed meal + 2 tablespoons water, allow to sit until it thickens 1/3 cup water 1/3 cup corn starch 1/4 cup gluten-free flour blend or use wheat/other flour 1 teaspoon oilFor Orange Sauce 2 tablespoons oil 3-4 garlic cloves, peeled and minced 6 scallion onions, thinly sliced Zest of 1 orange + juice of orange 2 tablespoons gluten-free soy sauce OR use coconut aminos to make soy-free 2 tablespoons rice-wine vinegar Procedure For the Cauliflower- Blend all flour mixture ingredients together until a batter is formed (should be waffle batter consistency).- Heat a skillet with cup oil on medium/high heat. - Dip each cauliflower floret into the batter, making sure each piece is entirely covered.- Fry in oil until completely browned. - Allow the fried florets to drain on a paper towel- lined plate.For the Orange Sauce- In a clean skillet, heat oil and garlic for 1 minute.- Add green onions, zest and juice. Cook for another minute.- Add soy sauce and vinegar, and bring to a boil. - Toss crispy cauliflower florets into the skillet, and coat thoroughly.- Garnish with scallion onions and orange zest, and enjoy. Baked Butternut Squash Risotto (VegNews.com) 1-1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil 1 small sweet onion, minced 3 cloves garlic, minced 1 teaspoon minced rosemary 1 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon pepper 1 cup Arborio rice 1/3 cup white wine 3 cups vegetable broth, divided 2 cups butternut squash, cooked and pured 1 cup chopped collard greens, stems removed 1 cup vegan mozzarella-style cheese 1/2 cup vegan parmesan cheese, divided 1-1 1/2 cups gluten-free corn Chex cereal, crushed Procedure - In a large frying pan, heat olive oil over medium heat. Saut onion, garlic, rosemary, salt and pepper until onions are translucent (about 10 minutes). Stir often to prevent burning.- Add Arborio rice, and saut until rice is browned (about 5 minutes). Stir in white wine, and cook until all liquid has been absorbed. Reduce heat to medium-low, and keep a close eye on the rice while you begin the next step.- In medium bowl, mix 2 cups vegetable broth with the squash. - Add 1 cup of squash mixture to the rice, and let cook until absorbed, stirring continuously.- Add collard greens, and stir to combine. - Add remaining squash mixture to rice, and cook until absorbed (about 20-25 minutes). If rice is not yet tender, add in remaining vegetable broth cup at a time until desired tenderness is reached. Add salt to taste.- Remove the rice from the stovetop, and preheat your oven to 385 degrees. - Stir mozzarella and cup parmesan into the rice mixture, and transfer it to a 9 x 12-inch casserole dish. Top with remaining parmesan and Chex cereal. - Bake the casserole for 15 minutes or until the top is golden brown. Serve hot.