Top chefs share Thanksgiving specialties for non-meat eaters

Thanksgiving will be here soon, and so will those finicky dinner guests.

If you have some non-meat eaters in your midst, don't despair. Here, some top chefs offer their favorite vegetarian suggestions for your holiday table.

Executive Chef Rick Bayless, Frontera Grill and Topolobampo, Chicago

The secret's in the sauce, says culinary superstar Rick Bayless, owner of two top Chicago restaurants, an award-winning cookbook author and star of his own PBS cooking show. Last August, he gained national fame by winning Bravo's "Top Chef Masters" contest with his rustic Mexican specialties like Oaxacan black mole with plantain-filled tamal.

"I cook food with flavor, it doesn't have to be all meat," he says. "In fact, in Mexico, the sauce is the star of the plate, not the meat. You can have a great vegetarian meal, as long as you cook with flavors that make an impact."

Thanksgiving dinner is always a treat at the Bayless house with Rick, his wife Deann, and daughter Lanie, 18, who'll be home from New York University. One family favorite is Rick's balsamic green beans.

"This recipe looks uninspiringly simple, but it's exceptionally good," he says. "It offers everything green beans need: enough cooking to mellow their flavor, garlic (for) a tantalizing aroma, and balsamic vinegar's dark, sweet-sour glaze to draw you back, bite after bite."

"These were the first vegetable I actually wanted to eat," Lanie agrees. "We make them every year, and I'm in charge of d-r-i-b-b-l-i-n-g on the balsamic vinegar. Balsamic is expensive ... so we dribble."

Executive Chef Kim Gracen, The Chicago Diner, Chicago

Thanksgiving is no holiday for Chef Kim Gracen and her Chicago Diner crew who, each year, serve over 200 vegan Thanksgiving dinners and hundreds of carryout orders to customers.

Known for its vegan cuisine, the restaurant was named "Best in the Midwest" by Vegetarian Times, and visiting celebrities often stop in. The Fleet Foxes love her black bean burgers, Gracen says, and Ellen DeGeneres can't get enough of her vegan hot wings.

"We're known here for comfort food," she explains. "When you become a vegetarian or a vegan, you still have those childhood ideas about holidays, and certain foods are part of that. We create things that satisfy those memories - turkey, stuffings, gravies."

Her "Roasted Veggie Turkey" is made of tofu, baked in a roll and served with sage gravy. Diners may also opt for pumpkin ravioli or "beefy Wellington" made of seitan with "a nice, savory flavoring," Gracen says.

"You don't miss the meat at all!"

Three of her four grown children work in the food industry - one daughter is a sous chef at the restaurant - so Gracen's own Thanksgiving dinner is shared with her staff.

"After we close, we have a family-style meal for everybody that's worked so hard, so we all get to eat it."

Executive Chef Patrick Stewart, Elgin Community College School of Culinary Arts

Chef Patrick Stewart has some sage advice for Thanksgiving cooks: Write down everything you plan to do, and do as much as you can the day before.

"That's what I tell my students," says the Culinary Institute of America-degreed instructor at Elgin Community College's School of Culinary Arts. "And have lots of refrigerator space."

At Thanksgiving gatherings, Stewart is his family's designated chef, responsible for feeding "anywhere from 25-40 people," he says.

"I roast my turkey the day before, give it time to cool, then break it down. I use the carcass, neck, and vegetables to make a turkey stock, and save the fat for my own roué," which, he admits, his vegetarian wife and sister don't eat.

They do love his Olive-Thyme Dressing, made with Spanish olives and French bread, and his garlic "smashed" potatoes - Yukon Golds, diced and boiled, drained, then mashed with heavy cream, butter, roasted garlic, salt and pepper.

Living with a vegetarian has changed how Stewart cooks and how he eats.

"I always say that my favorite thing to make at home is reservations," he quips. "When we go out, my wife can get what she wants and I can have a steak. We have two young girls, and I try to keep them headed down the right path ... bacon, sausage, and we do eat a lot of chicken, too."

Executive Chef Will Rogers, Clueless In The Kitchen Studios, Algonquin

His cooking school is called "Clueless In The Kitchen," but Chef Will Rogers is certainly not. Trained at Le Cordon Bleu, the Algonquin-based chef and entrepreneur has worked at top hotels and restaurants, cooked on-set for TV shows like "West Wing" and "E.R.," and taught cooking techniques to audiences across the nation.

Now, Rogers says, he's fulfilling his dream of teaching good cooking to the "everyday person," sharing what he has learned over 20 years in the profession. While most chefs want their customers to dine out, Rogers encourages his clients to cook at home and surprise their families with what they've learned.

His own Thanksgiving is a potluck affair with his wife, Dawn, their two children, a few in-laws and friends.

"I won't delegate what to bring," Rogers says. "I like when everybody brings something to the table. I ask my guests to bring a recipe, too."

"My wife is Polish, so we have the pierogies along with the turkey. I also do a roasted acorn squash with pistachio stuffing." A favorite dessert is his pumpkin cannoli with chocolate chips, cinnamon, and mascarpone cheese, instead of the usual pie.

"I love vegetarian if it's done right," Rogers says. "With more organic foods available now, at stores like Whole Foods and Trader Joe's, I think it's a lot easier."

Executive Chef Jeremy Lycan, Niche Restaurant, Geneva

Jeremy Lycan was 10 years old when he started cooking Thanksgiving dinner for his family. By age 15, he was working in restaurants, at 19 he was in culinary school, and the rest, as they say, is history.

"It's been a lifelong passion for me," says the owner of Niche Restaurant in Geneva, which he founded in 2006 when the acclaimed 302 West went out of business.

"I was their executive chef, and I knew I could make it work," Lycan says, and his customers seem to agree. In three years, Niche has won several awards and a strong local following for its contemporary American cuisine and fresh, locally grown produce.

"I have several friends who are vegetarians," he says. "Thanksgiving is easy, because 90 percent of the traditional foods - green beans, cranberries, squash - are vegetarian."

A favorite dish is his Creamy Mashed Potatoes, "a simple recipe, it's just method and technique."

His secret?

"Just a tiny touch of nutmeg. It's a European thing I learned working with an Austrian and a German chef. I can't explain what it does, but just adds an extra edge, makes it a little more rich."

<div class="infoBox"> <h1>More Coverage</h1> <div class="infoBoxContent"> <div class="infoArea"> <h2>Recipes</h2> <ul class="links"> <li><a href="/story/?id=338978">Roasted Veggie Turkey </a></li> <li><a href="/story/?id=338615">Balsamic Green Beans</a></li> <li><a href="/story/?id=338982">Saffron Cream Corn</a></li> <li><a href="/story/?id=338980">Creamy Mashed Potatoes </a></li> <li><a href="/story/?id=338979">Olive-Thyme Stuffing/Dressing </a></li> <li><a href="/story/?id=338976">Pumpkin Cannoli</a></li> </ul> </div> </div> </div>