Thanksgiving Dinner Makeover

Who says your Thanksgiving meal can’t be a healthy one?!

 

So many people stress this time of year about sticking to a healthy eating plan  because they’re not only faced with the temptations of rich, decadent foods, but also because of the pressure from friends and family to eat them. 

 

I’d be willing to bet that you have people in your life who encourage you to “cheat” around the holidays by saying “oh, just one piece pie won’t hurt you.”  Or, “come on, it’s Thanksgiving, have another serving!”

Have you ever thought about planning ahead and creating some clean dishes to share with your loved ones?  With this plan, you can make foods that not only you will enjoy and feel good about eating, but you will spark inspiration in your loved ones to try some new, delicious and healthy meals!  Who knows, with your healthy holiday recipes you may actually create new traditions!

 

Here’s a sample clean-eating Thanksgiving Day meal plan.  All of these recipes contain wholesome ingredients.  You’ll see that I’ve even added a couple of traditional Thanksgiving pie recipes for dessert, but these don’t have any white sugar in them!  So no need to pass up on pie this year; you can indulge a little without the guilt! 

 

For each of these recipes, I recommend using organic ingredients whenever possible.

 

Enjoy! And Happy Thanksgiving!

 

FIRST COURSE

Autumn Salad with Cranberry Vinaigrette

Serves 8

Dressing Ingredients:

½ cup unfiltered apple cider or red wine vinegar

¼ cup cranberries

¼ cold-pressed olive oil

2 tsp raw honey

⅛ tsp Celtic sea salt

1 pinch lemon pepper

 

Salad Ingredients:

1 lb mixed greens (spinach, romaine, chard, collards etc.)

2 medium heads endive, chopped

2 pears, sliced

½ raw walnuts or almonds

½ crumpled blue cheese or gorgonzola cheese

 

Directions:

1. Combine vinegar and cranberries in a saucepan.  Cook over medium heat until cranberries soften.
2. Remove from heat and add olive oil, honey, salt and pepper.
3. In a large bowl, combine the mixed greens, endive, pears and walnuts.  Add dressing and toss.
4. Top with cheese if desired.

 

* Note: the Recipes below are from Sally Fallon’s wonderful book, Nourishing Traditions.

 

 

SIDE DISHES

 

Butternut Squash Purée with Pecans

Serves 6

 

Ingredients:

3 butternut squash

3 eggs, lightly beaten

¼ tsp nutmeg

sea salt and pepper to taste

2 tbsp butter

2 tbsp raw honey

¾ cup raw or crispy pecans, chopped (see Crispy Pecans recipe below)

 

Directions:

1. Cut squash in half, remove seeds and set cut side down in a buttered baking glass with about ½ inch water.  Bake at 350 degrees, about an hour.
2. Scoop out and into a food processor and blend until smooth.
3. Add eggs and nutmeg and season to taste.
4. Transfer purée to ovenproof serving dish.
5. Melt butter and pour mixture over purée.
6. Sprinkle on pecans.
7. Bake at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes.

 

Crispy Pecans

Makes 4 cups

 

Ingredients:

4 cups pecan halves

2 tsp sea salt

filtered water

 

Directions:

1. Mix pecans with salt and filtered water and leave in a warm place for at least 7 hours or overnight.
2. Drain in a colander.
3. Spread pecans on a stainless steel baking sheet and place in a warm oven (no more than 150 degrees) and bake for 12-24 hours, turning occasionally, until completely dry and crisp.
4. Store in an airtight container.

 

Green Beans with Onions

Serves 6

Ingredients:

1 ½ lbs string beans

4 tbsp butter

½ cup dehydrated onions

 

Directions:

1. Cut each end of the bean with a knife.
2. Place the beans in a vegetable steamer and steam about 8 minutes until they have turned bright green and are tender.
3. Meanwhile, melt butter in a cast iron frying pan, add onions and sauté, stirring until lightly browned.  Be careful not to let the onions burn.
4. Toss with beans and keep warm in the oven until ready to serve.

 

Carrots Vichy

Serves 4

 

Ingredients:

1 lbs carrots

filtered water

4 tbsp butter

2 tbsp honey

sea salt

 

Directions:

1. Slice carrots into rounds.  Cover with filtered water and bring to a boil.
2. Add butter and honey.  Boil uncovered, skimming frequently, until liquid is reduced to almost nothing and carrots are well coated.
3. Add more butter if desired and season to taste.

 

Sweet Potato Purée

Serves 6

 

Ingredients:

4 large sweet potatoes

grated rind of two lemons

juice of two lemons

½ cup butter, softened

2 egg yolks

½ tsp sea salt

 

Directions:

1. Boil potatoes in water until tender.
2. Hold potatoes with a potholder and peel potatoes while they are still hot.
3. Place them in a bowl, mash, and mix with butter, lemon rind, lemon juice, egg yolks and sea salt.
4. Transfer mixture to a buttered ovenproof casserole dish.
5. Bake at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes.

 

 

MAIN ENTRÉE

 

Turkey with Chestnut Stuffing

Serves 12-18

 

Ingredients:

1 16-20 pound turkey

8 cups whole grain or gluten-free bread crumbs

2 tsp rubbed sage

2 tsp dried thyme

1 tsp sea salt

1 tsp pepper

4 medium onions, peeled and chopped

1 bunch celery, chopped

½ cup butter

2 cups chestnuts, coarsely chopped

1 large needle and thick thread

2 onions, peeled and sliced

1 cup brown rice or millet flour

4-6 cups turkey stock

cooked giblets, finely chopped (optional)

 

Directions:

1. Remove neck and giblets from turkey.
2. Sauté onions and celery in butter in a large skillet until softened.  Mix with bread crumbs, seasonings and chopped chestnuts.  (The stuffing can me made ahead of time, but you should wait until you are ready to cook to stuff the turkey.)
3. Stuff the neck cavity loosely and sew skin flaps to the body of the turkey with a large needle and thick thread.  Stuff the main cavity loosely and fasten with skewers or bring the legs through a slit cut just behind the tail.
4. Strew sliced onions in a large roasting pan.
5. Set a rack over the onions and set turkey on the rack.
6. Rub skin with salt and pepper.
7. Bake at 350 degrees for about 5 hours, basting frequently.
8. Remove the turkey to a carving board.
9. Sprinkle flour in the drippings and cook over medium flame about five minutes, stirring constantly.
10. Add stock and blend with a whisk.  Bring to a boil and cook several minutes, stirring occasionally.
11. Strain gravy into a saucepan and allow to simmer for 30 minutes or so until it reduced and thickens.  Stir in optional giblets.
12. If gravy gets too thick, thin with a little water.

 

DESSERTS

 

Apple Pie

Serves 8

 

Ingredients:

2 pie crusts or one flaky pie crust (see recipe below)

8-10 tart apples, peeled, cored and cut into chunks

2 tbsp arrowroot powder

2 tbsp Rapadura (dehydrated cane sugar juice)

grated rind of one lemon

1 tsp cinnamon

 

Directions.

1. Line a 9-inch pan with one pie crust.
2. Mix arrowroot, Rapadura, cinnamon and lemon peel.
3. Fill pie crust with apples, sprinkling arrowroot mixture on each layer.
4. Cover pie with remaining pastry and pinch edges together.  Poke a few holes in the pastry.
5. Bake for about 45 minutes at 375 degrees.

 

Flaky Pie Crust

Makes a 9-inch pie shell with enough for lattice design.

 

Ingredients:

1 1/4 cups sifted bulgur flour (sprouted wheat flour) or gluten free baking flour

pinch of sea salt

pinch of stevia

½ cup butter, frozen

2 egg yolks

3 rounded tbsp cold water

 

Directions:

1. Sift flour, sea salt, and stevia powder into food processor.  (I’d use my dry mix Vitamix blender instead.)
2. Place butter on a board and cut into about 16 pieces using a sharp knife.
3. Distribute butter over flour.
4. Pulse processor several times until butter is broken into pea-sized pieces and is well distributed.
5. Beat egg yolks briefly with a fork, dribble over flour mixture and pulse once or twice.  Have water ready.
6. Turn on processor and immediately pour water in.  Stop food processor at once.  (Butter should be still visible as pea-sized and seed-sized pieces.)
7. Turn crust onto waxed paper, wrap up and squeeze together, forming a ball.
8. Refrigerate several hours.
9. Roll on pastry cloth using flour to keep from sticking.

 

Pumpkin Pie

Serves 8

 

Ingredients:

1 pre-made pie crust or homemade flaky pie crust (see recipe above)

1 15-ounce can pumpkin puree

3 eggs

¾ cup Rapadura (dehydrated cane sugar juice)

1 tbsp freshly grated ginger

1 tsp cinnamon

¼ tsp sea salt

¼ tsp powdered cloves

¼ tsp nutmeg

grated rind of 1 lemon

1 cup crème fraiche (European-style sour cream)

 

Directions:

1. Line a 9-inch pie pan with the pie crust an pinch the edge to make a border.
2. Cream eggs with Rapadura.  Gradually blend in other ingredients.
3. Pour into pie shell and bake at 350 degrees for 35-35 minutes.
4. Serve with whipped cream.

 

Whipped Cream

Makes 2 cups

 

Ingredients:

2 cups quality heavy cream, preferably raw, not ultra pasteurized

1 tsp vanilla extract

pinch of stevia

 

Directions:

1. Beat cream in a glass bowl with a whisk or an electric beater.

2. When cream makes soft folds, beat in vanilla and stevia powder.

 

Share these healthy, yummy and easy Thanksgiving Day recipes with your friends and family by clicking the “like” button.

 

To making over your Thanksgiving menu,

Melissa Koerner