It’s rare that I post recipe roundups over here, but I just couldn’t help myself today. I can’t have you missing any of the Thanksgiving goodness I’ve posted over the last few years. Maybe you’re trying to finalize your menu and are looking for a veg-friendly main dish? Maybe you want something special for breakfast? Or, maybe you’re still scrambling to come up with your entire menu?

Oh wait, that’s me.

In any event, here are some of your favorites from throughout the years and a handful of recipes from this fall. Enjoy!!

Thanksgiving Breakfast:

Fluffy Pumpkin Spice Pancakes

gluten-free pumpkin spice pancakes | edible perspective

Single Serving Pumpkin Muffin with Pumpkin Crumble

Cinnamon Roll Pancakes

The Best Ever Pumpkin Oatmeal

The Best Ever Pumpkin Oatmeal | edibleperspective.com #vegan #glutenfree

Apple Spice Crumb Cake

Blueberry Pecan Cornbread Bread Pudding

Buttermilk Pear Upside Down Cake (breakfast or dessert)

Buttermilk Pear Upside Down Cake | edibleperspective.com

Everything Doughnuts

Pumpkin Buckwheat Bake For Two

Cornbread Waffles

Gingerbread Buckwheat Cake with Almond Butter Glaze

Breakfast Friday >> Gingerbread Buckwheat Cake | edibleperspective.com

Thanksgiving Side Dishes:

Easy Cornbread Muffins

Easy Cornbread Muffins | edibleperspective.com

Rosemary Everything Quick Bread

Easy Vegan Gravy and Mashed Potatoes

Vegan Butternut Squash Scalloped Potatoes

Herb Bread Baked Stuffing

Bread Stuffing Muffin Cups

Bread Stuffing Muffin Cups | edibleperspective.com

Sage + Garlic Whipped Sweet Potatoes

Vanilla Bean Honey Butter Sweet Potatoes

Sweet Orange Kale Salad

Sweet Orange Kale Salad | edibleperspective.com

Collard Greens + Butter Beans

Roasted Garlic Green Beans with Lemon + Parmesan

Polenta Crostini with Butternut Squash, Ricotta + Sage

Polenta Crostini with Butternut Squash, Ricotta + Sage | edibleperspective.com #glutenfree #thanksgiving

Thanksgiving Main Dishes:

Lentil Rice Veggie Loaf

Lentil Rice Veggie Loaf | edibleperspective.com #thanksgiving

Meatloaf Veggie Burgers with Mashed Potatoes + Gravy

Meatloaf Veggie Burger with Mashed Potatoes + Gravy | edibleperspective.com #vegan #glutenfree #thanksgiving

Delicata Squash with Quinoa Stuffing

stuffed delicata squash with quinoa stuffing | edibleperspective.com

Roasted Acorn Squash and Apples with Quinoa, Kale, and Tahini Maple Dressing

Roasted Acorn Squash and Apples with Quinoa, Kale, and Tahini Maple Dressing | edibleperspective.com

Thanksgiving Desserts:

Pumpkin Spice Swirl Brownies

Pumpkin Spice Swirl Brownies | edibleperspective.com #fall #glutenfree

Chocolate Chip Cookies with Pistachios

Pumpkin Oatmeal Cookie S’mores (3-ways!)

Pumpkin Oatmeal Cookie S'mores | edibleperspective.com

Vanilla Bean Pumpkin Pie with Oatmeal Crust

Vanilla Bean Chai Spice Pudding

Vegan Pumpkin Chia Pudding

vanilla bean chai spice pumpkin pudding | edible perspective

Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting or Carrot Cake with (dairy free) Maple Cashew Cream Frosting

Pumpkin Pie Milkshakes

Chocolate Almond Meal Cake with Chocolate Whipped Coconut Cream

Chocolate Almond Meal Cake with Chocolate Whipped Frosting | edibleperspective.com

Orange Honey Corn Cake

Soft Batch Pumpkin Spice Cookies

Soft Batch Pumpkin Spice Cookies | edibleperspective.com #vegan #glutenfree

What’s on your menu this year? Dish it.

Ashley

Our yearly Thanksgiving plans have slightly changed. Instead of the Friendsgiving we’ve been going to for the past 5 years, we’ll be having a quiet Thanksgiving at home, just the two of us. This means there are going to be piles + piles of leftovers, because I have to cook all of my favorite dishes.

Maybe I should take a lesson from Christina and make everything “for two.”

Thanksgiving Leftovers: Red Lentil Mashed Potato Soup | edibleperspective.com

The sudden change in plans is due to our big pup, Kenna (aka: Beans – our 75lb great dane/labrador mutt), needing TPLO surgery to fix her torn ACL. Major bummer. The backstory is long, but we basically don’t have any other choice at this point. Surgery is next Tuesday. We figured this timing would be best since Chris has a few days off for the holiday to help with the recovery, which is incredibly intense and demanding for the first 12 weeks. She’ll have to be watched like a hawk the first few days and weeks especially. We’ve already come up with a plan on how to make our house as safe as possible for her to avoid slips and falls. Chris is building a ramp up the basement steps for easier access outside, we’re keeping her on carpet only and not on the hardwood floors (to avoid Scooby Doo running), we bought a tall x-pen so she can’t dart and run when she hears the mailman or UPS, and the list goes on…

While it will definitely be a change for all of us for many weeks and months, it’s for the best. We were trying to heal her using conservative management but after a recent setback we know surgery is the best option.

We’ll each try and go solo to say hi to our friends on Thanksgiving but will spend most of the day cooking at home and loving on our furry buddy. It’s sad to miss our big Thanksgiving tradition, but we are completely confident with our decision and are looking forward to keeping things really low-key at our house. We have too much to be thankful for to let this get us down. Also, I’ve already stocked up on wine.

Thanksgiving Leftovers: Red Lentil Mashed Potato Soup | edibleperspective.com

That said, our leftovers will be plentiful. And while I love leftovers I know it’s going to get old come day 3. So this year I’m trying to come up with a plan to repurpose some of the leftovers into completely new recipes!

Take your basic mashed potatoes, photographed above.

Okay, I lied. Those potatoes aren’t totally basic mashed potatoes. I mixed half Yukon gold and half sweet potatoes in this mixture. If you’re not a huge sweet potato fan this cuts the flavor and sweetness down a lot but gives plain mashed potatoes a little something extra. I then followed my simple recipe for Olive Oil Mashed Potatoes for a traditional, simple side dish.

Thanksgiving Leftovers: Red Lentil Mashed Potato Soup | edibleperspective.com

So now, what to do with the leftovers?

I decided to make soup! I knew the mashed potatoes would add a thick and creamy texture, as well that lovely, potatoey-flavor. I added lentils for extra heartiness, protein, fiber, and flavor.

I kept the spices simple with cumin seeds, garam masala, and turmeric.

Thanksgiving Leftovers: Red Lentil Mashed Potato Soup | edibleperspective.com

Today’s post is sponsored by Earthbound Farm. Product opinions are always my own. If I didn’t love it, you wouldn’t hear about it.Thank you for supporting the occasional sponsored post that helps fund all the deliciousness + behind the scenes action you see here.

For a bit more texture and green veggie goodness I added my favorite Earthbound Farm Organic Frozen Green Peas (seriously, the best) and the Earthbound Farm Zen blend baby greens. (Did you know they also sell onions + potatoes?) I’m consistently impressed with the quality of EBF’s frozen vegetables (and fruits!).

They were the perfect additions! I love the texture “pop” from the peas!

Thanksgiving Leftovers: Red Lentil Mashed Potato Soup | edibleperspective.com

You would never guess this came from part of Thanksgiving leftovers. Errr, pre-Thanksgiving leftovers.

Thanksgiving Leftovers: Red Lentil Mashed Potato Soup | edibleperspective.com

Crunchy toppings are always recommended.

For roasted chickpeas: Preheat oven to 350°. Toss chickpeas with oil, sat, pepper, and garlic powder on a baking sheet. Toast until split apart and fully crisped (30-40 minutes). Stir frequently. Quinoa toasts up nicely, too, and takes just 10-15 minutes.

Thanksgiving Leftovers: Red Lentil Mashed Potato Soup | edibleperspective.com

Print this!

Thanksgiving Leftovers: Red Lentil Mashed Potato Soup

gluten-free, vegan // yields 4 servings

1-2 tablespoons unrefined coconut oil
3/4 cup diced yellow onion
2 1/2 teaspoons minced garlic
1 teaspoon garam masala
1 teaspoon whole cumin seeds
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
4 cup low (or no) sodium vegetable broth
1 1/2 cups leftover mashed potatoes*
1 cup red lentils, picked through and rinsed
1/2 tablespoon pure maple syrup
1 1/2 cups EBF frozen green peas, thawed
2 cups EBF Zen blend baby greens, or baby spinach
1/2 – 1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper

Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a large, heavy-bottomed pot over medium heat. One hot, add the onion and a pinch of salt. Stir frequently until softened, 6-8 minutes. Reduce heat to medium-low. Add a bit more oil, then add the garlic, garam masala, cumin seeds, and turmeric. Stir constantly for about 1 minute or so until very fragrant (this toasts the spices – be careful not to burn).

Slowly pour in the broth, then add in the potatoes and lentils. Stir to combine the potatoes. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, then stir and reduce heat to a constant simmer. Stir in the maple syrup, salt, and pepper. Cook until the lentils are broken down and very tender, about 22-30 minutes. Stir every few minutes. Puree soup in a blender, partially blend with an immersion blender in the pot, or leave as is.

Stir in the peas to heat for about 5 minutes (longer if frozen) and then stir in the greens for another 2 minutes. Taste and add more salt, pepper, and/or garam masala if desired.

Serve hot with crunchy toppings like roasted chickpeas, quinoa, croutons, crackers, etc.

Notes:

*Mashed potatoes made with really any kind of potato will work for this (red, yukon, sweet, yams, etc.) or a mixture like I made above. You just want to be sure there aren’t a ton of flavors in your leftover potatoes. Garlic, salt, and pepper are perfect. If you have a light amount or herbs or have mixed in goat cheese (or similar) that could also work well.

Thanksgiving Leftovers: Red Lentil Mashed Potato Soup | edibleperspective.com

Friday cheers!

Ashley