Thanksgiving Help Line

Many vegan diners don't require a main course and are happy to fill their plates with all the delicious vegetable side dishes found on a Thanksgiving table. However, many traditional holiday casseroles and mashed vegetable dishes contain milk, eggs, butter and cream, so they aren't suitable for vegan diners, who eat no animal products.

If you want to serve a protein-rich vegan dish that works as a traditional main course, consider a hearty Curried Lentil, Squash and Apple Stew, or Harvest Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms, filled with savory lentil cashew stuffing and topped off with a sliver of sweet tomato and fresh thyme leaves. Both are from a vegan chef, Chloe Coscarelli. You might also want to try Ms. Coscarelli's Roasted Apple, Butternut Squash and Carmelized Onion Pizza, but make sure you prepare enough servings for the non-vegans at the table. A garlic white bean puree replaces traditional tomato sauce and it's delicious.

Nava Atlas, author of "Vegan Holiday Kitchen," suggests a 7-Vegetable Couscous. You should also try her Coconut Butternut Squash Soup, made with coconut milk instead of dairy. Melissa Clark recently served a Harvest Tart With Pumpkin, Roasted Red Peppers and Olives.

If you want to go with a meat substitute, you could try Candle 79's Seitan Piccata, a Seitan Roulade or a Country "Meatloaf" with gravy. Visit Well's interactive recipe collection to see more vegetarian Thanksgiving recipes.