All about Jess + Dinner + Easy Healthy Recipes + Gluten Free + Lunch + Lunch/Dinner + Side Dishes/Salads

Festive Thanksgiving Dishes

24 November 2014
  • FacebookTwitter

As my friends in the US plan this Thursday’s Thanksgiving menu, I couldn’t help but feel excited – and a little envious! I love the opportunity to create a big, healthy meal with my loved ones. I know that it can be daunting when you’re starting your own health journey – or even if you’re well on your way – to convince people that healthy food also tastes amazing. So I wanted to provide some of my favourite crowd-pleasers that fit perfectly within a (Meatless!) Monday Menu. I can’t wait to see what your Thanksgiving dinner table looks like!

Salads:

greenbean beet salad

Green Bean and Roast Beet Salad

Serves 6

Ingredients:

  • 200g green beans, topped and tailed
  • 4 whole beets, peeled and diced into small cubes
  • 2 large handfuls mixed lettuce leaves
  • 1 orange pepper, halved and deseeded
  • 1 red pepper, halved and deseeded
  • 1 yellow pepper, halved and deseeded
  • handful fresh mint leaves, roughly chopped
  • 1/2 cup toasted walnuts, roughly chopped
  • 100g goat cheese or feta, crumbled

Dressing:

  • 2 Tbsp. cold pressed extra virgin olive oil
  • 2 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar
  • Himalayan salt and ground pepper, to season

Method:

  1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
  2. Toss the beets in olive oil and season well with salt and pepper. Roast in the over for 45 minutes or until tender.
  3. Roast peppers on a flat baking tray in oven, until skins shrink. When they are ready, let cool and then wash under water to remove any of the skin.
  4. Over a steamer pot, place green beans and steam 4-5 minutes or until tender
  5. To serve: plate up the mixed salad greens on a large platter. Pile beans onto greens, lay beets and roasted peppers on top, then sprinkle goats cheese/feta.
  6. Drizzle olive oil and balsamic vinegar over all the veggies and then sprinkle walnuts over salad. Lastly, place mint over salad and serve.

 

cauliflower salad

Cauliflower and Pomegranate Salad

Serves 6

Ingredients:

  • 1 cauliflower, cut into small florets
  • 1 Tbsp. each of cumin seeds, coriander seeds and fennel seeds, pounded in a mortar and pestle
  • 1 garlic bulb
  • 2 Tbsp. olive oil
  • 1 Tbsp. pomegranate molasses
  • 1/2 mixed cup of coriander and parsley, roughly chopped
  • 1/2 cup fresh pomegranate seeds
  • 1/2 cup roasted hazelnuts, roughly chopped
  • Chili flakes to taste
  • Himalayan sea salt and ground pepper to taste
  • 1/2 cup crumbled goat cheese, optional

Method:

  1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F, on roasting element.
  2. In a roasting dish, place the cut up cauliflower with pounded seeds, 1 Tbsp. olive oil, chili flakes to taste, and a dash of salt and pepper. Rub all the ingredients together and place in the oven.
  3. Let cook approximately 20 minutes or until the cauliflower starts to brown.
  4. Allow the cauliflower to cool and then place into a salad bowl.
  5. Add chopped fresh herbs, pomegranate seeds and roasted hazelnuts.
  6. Mix all ingredients together, then add pomegranate seeds, molasses and remaining olive oil.
    To serve, top with optional crumbled goat cheese.

Soup:

Sweet Potato and Lentil Soup

Serves 6

Ingredients:

  • 1 Spanish onion, chopped
  • 2 sweet potatoes
  • 1/2 cup red lentils
  • 5 cups vegetable stock
  • 3 Tbsp. tomato paste
  • 1 Tbsp. virgin organic coconut oil
  • 1 tsp. ground cumin
  • Himalayan salt and ground pepper, to season

Method:

  1. In a large soup pot, fry the onions until soft but not brown. Add the remaining ingredients and bring to a boil.
  2. Simmer for about 1 hour. Let it cool before using a hand blender to puree until smooth.

Vegetarian Dishes:

Zucchini Fritters

Serves 2

Ingredients:

  • 2 eggs
  • 1 Tbsp. virgin organic coconut oil
  • 2 medium-sized zucchini
  • good handful spinach leaves, chopped
  • handful fresh mint, chopped
  • 1/2 cup LSA mix, ground flaxseed meal or almond meal
  • 1 tsp. turmeric
  • Himalayan salt and ground pepper
  • 1 Tbsp. psyllium husk (optional)

Method:

  1. Grate zucchinis and put them in a colander with a pinch of salt. Leave to sit for 10 minutes while the moisture starts to come out. To get all the moisture out, firmly squeeze small amounts of zucchini in your hands.
    In a mixing bowl, add the zucchini and all the remaining ingredients besides coconut oil and combine well.
  2. Melt the coconut oil over medium heat and then add a spoonful of the zucchini mixture. Using the back of an egg flipper, press the mixture down so it’s flat and forms a nice shape.
  3. After 3 minutes, flip and cook on the other side for 2 more minutes. Repeat until you’ve used all the batter.

Sweet Potato Mash

Serves 6

Ingredients:

  • 2 large orange sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into small cubes
  • 4 Tbsp. milk of your choice
  • 1 Tbsp. organic butter or cold pressed extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 tsp. cinnamon
  • Himalayan salt and ground pepper, to season

Method:

  1. Place the potatoes in a large saucepan. Add enough water to cover and bring to a boil.
  2. Reduce the heat to medium, cover and simmer for 10-12 minutes or until the sweet potatoes are tender. Alternatively, you can steam them.
  3. When the sweet potatoes are soft and tender, drain them and put back into a saucepan.
    Add milk, olive oil, cinnamon and seasonings to the saucepan and mash the ingredients together using either a potato masher or stick blender.

Roasted Cinnamon and Almond Carrots

Serves 6

Ingredients:

  • 1 large bunch orange and purple carrots, cut in half lengthwise
  • 1 cup raw almonds, roughly chopped in food processor
  • 3 Tbsp. cold pressed extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 Tbsp. Moroccan spice mix
  • 1 Tbsp. ground cinnamon
  • 1 tsp. lemon zest
  • 1 Tbsp. fresh thyme
  • 1 Tbsp. fresh rosemary, roughly chopped
  • Himalayan salt and ground pepper, to season

Method:

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F on roasting element.
  2. Lay carrot halves on a lined baking tray. Pour 2 Tbsp. olive oil over the carrots and then sprinkle with Moroccan spice mix and cinnamon.
  3. In a bowl, mix together the chopped almonds, lemon zest and fresh thyme. Bind with 1 Tbsp. olive oil.
  4. Evenly spoon almonds, zest and thyme mixture on top of carrots.
  5. Bake for 40 minutes or until topping is golden and carrots are cooked.
  6. Lay carrots on a round platter and sprinkle with chopped rosemary.

Dessert:

Apple Crumble

Serves 5

Ingredients:

  • 5 large apples, cored and chopped into small pieces
  • 1/2 cup gluten-free rolled oats or quinoa flakes
  • 1 cup LSA mix or 1 cup flaxseed and almond meal
  • 1/4 cup coconut flakes (plus extra to serve)
  • 1/4 cup mixed seeds
  • 1/2 cup flaked almonds (plus extra to serve)
  • 1/2 cup walnuts, chopped
  • 1/4 cup fresh dates, pitted and chopped
  • 1 tsp. vanilla powder or extract
  • 2 Tbsp. stevia, coconut sugar or maple syrup
  • 1/4 cup melted virgin organic coconut oil
  • 1/2 tsp. nutmeg
  • 2 tsp. cinnamon
  • juice 1 lemon

Method:

  1. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees C.
  2. Place apples in a pie dish. Add lemon juice, vanilla and 1 tsp. cinnamon and mix well.
    For the crumble, combine the rest of the ingredients in a bowl. Stir in coconut oil and mix well until the mixture has a sand-like texture.
  3. Spread crumble mixture over the apples and place in oven.
  4. Bake for 40 minutes or until apples are tender and topping is golden.
    Once cool, sprinkle with extra coconut and almonds.

Serving suggestion: A scoop of organic coconut ice cream or Greek yoghurt with a sprinkle of cinnamon

You might also like