Ok, I know the clock is ticking on this one, but I'm gonna try to give you great Thanksgiving info before the big day.  There is way more to come on this subject, but for now, I want to share some great pick-up options for those of you living in LA (and at the bottom, there's a little tidbit about NY) and some great veggie alternatives to a "regular" Thanksgiving.  It is completely possible to have the most delicious veggie Thanksgiving in the world. 

For pick-up in LA check out:

Real Food Daily - both locations, Santa Monica and West Hollywood, do a great Thanksgiving meal that you pick-up and take wherever you need to be.

Seed - in Venice has a Thanksgiving Bento Box…. haven’t tried that one, but I'm sure it's delicious. 

Here are my favorite veg-style alternatives to the Thanksgiving norm for you to use and make in your own kitchen (recipes are from The Kind Diet unless otherwise noted):

Gravy

I'm not a huge fan of the Tofurky turkey, but I do love their gravy!  It's great and so are the Tofurky sausages and Tofurky jerky…but that's beside the point.  I just wanted to show you that quick Thanksgiving pick-ups are possible in LA.  And maybe these menus will inspire you and give you some great ideas on what to make this year if you have time.

"Meats"/Proteins/Anti-Turkeys
Pecan-Crusted Seitan (pictured)
Seitan Picatta with White Wine and Capers
Ginger-Baked Tofu
Thanksgiving Tofu
Sweet Potato-Lentil Stew - fun side dish
Hijiki-Tofu Croquettes - fun side dish
Fruity French Lentils - fun side dish
Field Roast Sausages… and they have a Celebration Loaf (not from The Kind Diet)
Gardein brand turkey slices or any of their scallopini-style "meats" (not from The Kind Diet)

Vegetable Dishes
Sicilian Collards with Pine Nuts and Raisins (pictured)
Baby Bok Choy Drizzled with Ume Vinaigrette (pictured)
Cuban-Style Roasted Sweet Potatoes - I like to use the white sweet potatoes, the yams, but you might want to use the orange/garnet yams for the holidays.
Scarlet Roasted Vegetables
Maple-Roasted Lotus Root, Sunchokes and  Leeks
Artichoke Dip - fun dip

Bready Things
Whole Wheat Biscuits
Pumpkin Bread
Arame Turnovers - yummy appetizer

Desserts
Crispy Peanut Butter Treats with Chocolate Chips
Oatmeal, Walnut, and Dried Plum Cookies
Peach Crumble - but use apples or pears instead to make it more seasonal
Candied Ginger Pears
Plum Soup - use winter fruit variation

Beverages
Warm Spicy Wine
Hot Chocolate

And for things like butter, milk, marshmallows, and whipped cream, use alternatives.  Use Earth Balance butter, non-dairy milk, non-dairy whipped creams, non-dairy cheese, like the one from Field Roast (put it into a fresh arugula salad with beets.... yum!).  And for marshmallows to use on your sweet potatoes, you can get Suzanne's brand Ricemellow fluff from M Cafe (some specialty stores carry them as well).  Or you can order it from http://www.suzannes-specialties.com.

Just remember that anything you want for Thanksgiving is possible and can be delicious.  Name something you can't find and we will tell you what to do to replace it.  I'm certain though that with these meat options, anything your imagination craves for Thanksgiving can be done!!! 

On a side note:

For those in NY, I have to tell you that I had one of the best Thanksgiving dinners of my life at Candle 79.  It was truly insane.  My husband was on tour with his old band S.T.U.N. and I met him in NY when he was playing there on tour.  We went to Candle.  It was all amazing, but the pumpkin cheesecake was the best thing ever.  I'm sure you can do Thanksgiving pick-ups from them.