Whether you’re a vegan, vegetarian or a devoted meat-lover, it’s pretty hard to deny the research that we should all be eating less meat and try to have more of a plant-based diet—not only is it better for the environment but it can also improve your health and waistline. Books like Food Matters by Mark Bittman and In Defense Of Food by Michael Pollan all feature very compelling arguments, but in the first installment of our newest series, In The Vegan Kitchen, we’re giving you even more: specially, our supremely delicious vegan Thanksgiving recipes.

We’ve teamed up with fashion designer Jenni Kayne of Rip Plus Tan, to bring you a new series called In The Vegan Kitchen, which will focus on deliciously meat-free recipes that your family and friends will all love. And with the holidays right around the corner, we thought we’d start with some traditional Thanksgiving recipes that are surprisingly all meat-free.

First up, we asked Annie Campbell, the amazing personal chef, to take the lead. She’s not only one of the most charming ladies we know, but she has an amazing blog, Apres Fete, dedicated to the fine art of throwing the perfect party. She supplied everyone with very easy to follow recipes for everything she would be making, thoughtfully printed out on recipe style cards as well as a timeline of when you should begin preparing and a step-by-step break down of timing for the big meal—which you can download here.

We also asked a few of our favorite friends to stop by to and learn the recipes with us. Shiva Rose (our November guest editor) as well as Kristen Lee and Brady Cunningham from Ten Over Six, Jessica De Ruiter (the amazing stylist and one of our favorite contributors) and the beautiful singer Nicole Simone all joined in for the cooking class.

During class, we snacked on spinach hazelnut and carrot tahini dips (included in the recipe packet!) and fresh veggies from the farmers’ market and Jenni’s amazing edible garden. We also sipped on delicious, seasonal Pressed Juicery flavors like the tasty Almond Milk (baby Ripley’s favorite) and Roots 3 while Annie cooked up kabocha and fennel soup (and homemade veggie broth), Brussels sprouts with walnuts, leek and mushroom cornbread stuffing, ginger and orange cranberry sauce and pumpkin and praline pie.

Jenni handled the decor and did a beautiful job, and we wanted to share some of her top tips and sources for everything Thanksgiving. Rolling Greens is a wonderful resource for plants, flowers and everything in between and for the holidays, we highly recommend you check out their amazing succulent-filled pumpkins. They’re festive and whimsical and feel more special than your run-of-the-mill floral centerpieces. Of course, if you can’t make it to Rolling Greens – or your local florist or nursery can’t whip one of these up – they are fairly easy to make at home. Just follow our easy DIY guide and with a few simple supplies you can definitely make your own! To finish off the table, use Pillar Vases with succulents to continue the theme (and unlike regular flowers, these succulents will last quite a long time). Use linen place mats in a neutral tone and your favorite dishes (for details on the exact ones used on our table, check out Rip + Tan for purchasing information). We also love the festive touch of tying the napkins with a piece of jute and adding a turkey feather, which is the perfect accent for this holiday spread!

Here are Annie’s delicious Vegan Thanksgiving recipes plus a very useful timeline for prepping the perfect Thanksgiving feast…every day this week we’ll be publishing one of her tasty recipes so you, too, can whip them up for family and friends. Just follow Annie’s effortless lead and we promise you’ll have the best Thanksgiving ever, vegan or otherwise!

Here’s what’s on the menu, all week long:
Monday: Gluten-Free Cornbread and Cornbread Stuffing
Tuesday: Spinach Hazelnut Dip and Carrot Tahini Dip and Crudite
Wednesday: Kabocha Squash and Fennel Soup and Homemade Vegetable Stock
Thursday: Brussels Sprouts and Ginger Orange Cranberry Sauce
Friday:  Pumpkin Praline Pie and Easy Vegan Pie Crust