I will be completely honest I usually don’t pre-plan for Thanksgiving, I tend to fly by the seat of my yoga pants and see what looks good. Maybe a new variation based on what we have around the house. This year though I felt like I needed to do it a little differently. Probably because this year has been a little different. I have already spent so much time at home cooking I wanted to make this family meal extra special! I polled the kids and did a quick search of my favorite food bloggers and here is what we came up with after a trial run!
1. Individual Veggie Shepard Sweet Potato Pies from Minimalist Baker
I did a trial of this the other night and it is delicious! I substituted sweet potatoes for the white, made with coconut oil instead butter. I also replaced the frozen mixed veggies with shredded kale, rainbow carrots + peas. For Thanksgiving I will pour the lentil mixture into individual ramekins for a personalized feel
2. Grilled Lemon +Garlic Salmon From GBHWELLNESS
We love salmon in our house, especially well cooked salmon and this recipe makes that pretty much fool proof. This is a big hit whenever I make it and the clean up is oh so easy, major bonus!
3. Roasted Squash+ Beet Salad From The Toasted Pine Nut
This is so simple! We are a big fans of roasted anything in this house. It is a great way to add a ton of flavor. I like to balance the heaviness of the root vegetables by adding them to a salad. I skipped the wheat berries and added easily digestible sprouted seed mix from GO RAW. I also just roasted the beets and squash together and tossed in some raw apples. Apples contain digestives ezymes that help with the break down of food. During a heavy meal like Thanksgiving I like to incorporate as many food rich in those as I can. Heating can denature the enzyme making it not as effective at it’s job. Also, did you know that you can eat the skin of most squash! Save a step and skip the peeling.
4. Riced Cauliflower Stuffing From THYME & JOY
Thyme & Joy’s Valarie Skinner is a local Charleston, SC food blogger who I have been following for a while. She also happens to be a military spouse, hey!! Make this one day of because it will get soggy if left over night. You can make it the night before and then reheat it in a pan to remove the moisture if you are dead set no not cooking the day of. This recipe is sooooo simple and loaded with tons of flavor. It is a simple way to add another side to your meal. I skipped the cranberries and opted for roasted sweet potato for a touch of sweetness and to make it a little hardier.
5. Roasted Purple Cabbage
This is my recipe. I will be completely honest I can not remember where I got the idea from but it is a staple in my house and is by far the easiest. I would make this the day off as well. You can prep it in the morning and then throw it in the oven about 30m minutes before you eat.
1 small – medium head of purple cabbage, sliced (depending on the number of guests that you have)
1-2 tbs of raw unfiltered coconut oil melted
1 tbs of caraway seeds
Salt + pepper to taste
Preheat the oven to 420. Cut the purple cabbage in 1/2. Slice out the white stem remnants at the bottom, I cut a V-shape to remove it. Thickly slice the halves into 1-2″ slices. Lay the slices out on a baking sheet, it may take 2 sheets. Drizzle the coconut oil over the cabbage, sprinkle with caraway seeds, salt and pepper. Roast for 25-30 minutes until the cabbage it soft. It is soooo beautiful when cooked!!
You can prep almost all of this the the day leading up to Thanksgiving if you want to but totally not necessary it is all so easy to make! The only thing I would truly save for day of is then salmon and cauliflower rice.
Let me know if you made any of the recipes or what you decided to serve this year. I am looking forward to sharing your ideas too.
A HAPPY + HEALTHY THANKSGIVING TO YOU AND YOURS!