A healthy Thanksgiving

The holidays are my absolute favorite time of year. We get to see family and friends we don't get to see very often, there's usually a party or two to go to, you get to bust out your UGGS, the Elf on the Shelf arrives magically to encourage a little less drama and better manners for a month, Santa comes, Starbucks has gingerbread lattes, and pumpkin-everything is in full-swing. That's my short list. On the downside, we tend to overdo ourselves in every way - and end up exhausted, broke, a little thicker in the middle and about ready to freak out if we hear Brittney Spears' version of Santa Baby one more time.

I'm actually OK with the holidays being a time of some indulgence. It would be weird, almost indecent, to not partake in some naughtiness. However, every year at Thanksgiving, I dream of healthy, superfood recipes that would taste divine, be a little lower in calories and higher in nutrients, and shake things up a bit. So this is my year. And I'm going to share with you my dream menu that takes you from  the AM into the PM. You'll notice a bit of naughty mixed in with all that nice - like my grandmother's famous cornbread stuffing recipe because let's be real here, there are certain things you just don't mess with.

Oh, one more thing. You will notice I skipped dessert recipes here, which is so unlike me, I know. This is intentional, though - while I love a healthy dessert recipe, I'm  a sucker for the traditional favorites. I just use moderation (who am I kidding? I just work out a lot more during the holidays). But if you would like a lighter dessert recipe, may I suggest an apple/pear crisp using oats and whole wheat flour in the topping (avoid pecan pie like the plague if you are trying to keep calories down - its one of the worst). Skipping the pie crust is a huge calorie-saver, too.

Enjoy these recipes and have the best, healthiest Thanksgiving yet.
xo,
Katie

So, here's the lineup (scroll down for the recipes):

• Breakfast: Baked Pumpkin Oatmeal with Apples and Pecans (nice)
• Lite lunch: Arugula salad with prosciutto wrapped figs with balsamic glaze and goat cheese (nice)
• Dinner: 
• Roasted Carrot and Butternut squash soup (nice)
• Mashed sweet potatoes (nice)
• Healthy "creamed" spinach (or baby kale) (nice)
• Grandma Mary's Deep South Cornbread stuffing with sausage (naughty)
• Roasted Fennel and Artichoke Salad (nice)

BAKED PUMPKIN OATMEAL WITH APPLES AND PECANS

serves 6

I used pear and a handful of blueberries here

This recipe has become my favorite fall breakfast. It feeds a small crowd and leftovers make for a great healthy snack, when leftover pie is beckoning your name. You can improvise with this recipe, too - try cranberries or blueberries with the apple. 

Dry Ingredients:

2 cups old fashioned oats

1 1/2 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp pumpkin pie spice

1/2 tsp salt

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

Wet ingredients:

3/4 Cup pumpkin puree

1 egg

2 tsp melted coconut oil

1/4 cup maple syrup

1 large mashed banana

1 tsp vanilla

3/4 cup almond milk

1 apple (or pear), diced

Toppings:

1/2 cup pecans

Method:

Preheat oven to 350. Combine the dry ingredients. In a separate bowl, combine wet ingredients. Add wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir to combine. Add the apple and mix again. Pour into a greased 9x9 (or similar size) baking dish. Top with pecans and bake for about 30 minutes.

Serve with a splash of milk while still warm. This will keep in the fridge for days- love it!!

ARUGULA SALAD WITH PROSCIUTTO & GOAT CHEESE WRAPPED FIGS AND BALSAMIC GLAZE 

serves 4

I love this lunch because it's light and super flavorful. Its pretty quick to pull together, too, but looks super fancy. It can be served cold or quickly baked for a warm salad if you have an available oven. You can absolutely use fresh figs if available to you. 

Ingredients:

8 cups arugula

16 dried Figs
1/3 cup of goat cheese
8 pieces thinly sliced prosciutto
4 sprigs rosemary, finely chopped
Pepper
1/3 cup balsamic vinegar glaze (Trader Joe's carries a good one)

Method:

Slice each piece of prosciutto lengthwise. Slice each fig lengthwise and stuff with a tsp of goat cheese. Wrap each fig with one piece of prosciutto. Top with a sprinkle of finely chopped rosemary and cracked pepper.

Alternatively, the wrapped figs can be baked at 425 for about 10 minutes for a warm salad.

Top 2 cups of arugula with 4 figs. Drizzle salad with balsamic glaze. 

ROASTED CARROT AND BUTTERNUT SQUASH SOUP

Serves 6-8

This is the perfect starter course. The spices make for a unique addition to the traditional recipes, but the flavor is 100% fall in a bowl. Plus this soup is so simple to make, and can easily be made the day before. In fact, it might even benefit from a day of rest. Wouldn't we all?

1 bag pre-cubed butternut squash from Trader Joes’s

½ bag organic baby carrots from TJs 


2 tablespoons olive oil


1 ½ cups sliced leeks (frozen from TJs works great!)


1 1/2 tsp sweet paprika

1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin


1 teaspoon turmeric


½ tsp cinnamon

1 1/2 teaspoons ground coriander



3 cups chicken stock


2 cups water


1 pear, Bartlett, diced

Salt and freshly ground pepper


1/2 cup plain yogurt


3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

pumpkin seeds, optional

Preheat an oven to 400°F.

Place squash and carrots on baking sheet. Toss with a little olive oil and salt and pepper. Bake until they can easily be pierced with a knife, about 30-40 minutes, turning twice while baking.

Warm the 2 Tbsp olive oil in a soup pot over medium heat. Add the leeks and cook until soft, 7 minutes. Add the paprika, cumin, turmeric, cinnamon and coriander and continue to cook, stirring for 2 minutes. Add the squash, carrots, pear, chicken stock, water, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to low, and simmer, uncovered, for 10-15 minutes so flavors can meld. Let cool for 15 minutes. Puree the soup, in several batches, in a blender until it is very smooth, 3 minutes per batch. Reheat if needed. If the soup is too thick, add some broth or water. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Garnish with the cilantro and a drizzle of yogurt, and pumpkin seeds, if desired.

MASHED SWEET POTATOES

serves 8 (1/2 cup per serving)

Why not try a more colorful, vitamin-rich alternative to mashed potatoes this year? Skip the marshmallow, sugar-loaded sweet potato casseroles and opt for this version instead. Seriously, dessert is coming soon enough, no need to serve it with dinner, too. 

Ingredients:

3 medium uncooked sweet potatoes (~2 lbs), peeled, cubed

2 cloves garlic

1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt (2%)

1 Tbsp maple syrup

1/8 tsp salt

1/8 tsp black pepper

2 Tbsp butter, unsalted

Method:

Place potatoes and garlic in large saucepan and add enough water to cover. Bring to a boil. Boil for about 8 minutes or until fork-tender. 

Drain potatoes and garlic. Transfer to a large bowl. Add butter immediately to potatoes so it begins to melt. Mash potatoes and garlic with yogurt and maple syrup and salt and pepper until smooth. Season again if needed.

HEALTHY "CREAMED" SPINACH (vegan)    

I used kale, but spinach would be an easy swap

serves 6

I'm totally obsessed with this recipe. So much lower in saturated fat than traditional creamed spinach and no dairy! Please give it a try before you turn your nose up. It does not taste vegan - it's amazing, just without the stomach ache :) 

Ingredients:

1 generous cup raw cashews

1/2 cup unsweetened, plain almond milk

1 clove garlic, minced

1 shallot, minced

squeeze of lemon juice

pinch of nutmeg

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp white pepper

6 cups baby spinach (or baby kale)

2 tsp olive oil

1 shallot, diced

salt and pepper to taste

parmesan cheese, optional

Method:

Start by making the "cream sauce". Place cashews in a bowl and cover completely with water. Soak for at least 2 hours or overnight to soften the nuts. Drain cashews and place in food processor. Add almond milk and enough water so cashews are covered by about 1/2 inch. Puree until very smooth (2 minutes or so). Then add the rest of ingredients and puree again for a couple of minutes until very well combined. Taste sauce and re-season if needed.

In a big flat-bottomed skillet, heat olive oil. Add shallot and cook for about a 1-2 minutes, until soft. Add baby spinach or baby kale. Toss to coat with oil. Cook until tender. Add about 1 cup of cream sauce and stir. Season with S&P. Add a splash of almond milk if its too thick for your taste. 

For a non-vegan finish to the dish, sprinkle with parmesan flakes if desired and cover pan with lid for a minute so the cheese melts slightly. 

GRANDMA MARY'S DEEP SOUTH CORNBREAD STUFFING WITH SAUSAGE

serves 8

My grandmother made several things VERY well. This stuffing was one of those things. She never made hers with sausage but I've been adding it behind her back for a few years and I think its even better. Don't be fooled by the title - it's got cornbread for sure, but it also has loads of buttermilk biscuits and white bread. Didn't want you to think this was going to be a healthy recipe! Its worth every butt dimple, I promise. A great little tip about stuffing - get all your breads nice and stale by making them a day or two in advance and leaving them out to air dry ( I stash them all above the refrigerator to detour little fingers). 

Ingredients:

9 large, day-old buttermilk biscuits (Whole Foods has good ones, or Pillsbury works, too)

1 corn bread (recipe below)

4 slices day-old white bread

1 large yellow onion, chopped

1 celery stalk, chopped

3 Tbsp fresh sage, chopped

3 Tbsp fresh thyme, chopped

1 1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp pepper 

1/2 tsp cayenne

1/2 lb seasoned bulk pork sausage

1 stick butter, melted

3-4 cups chicken stock 

Method:

Corn bread recipe: Break 1 egg into bowl and beat in 1 tsp salt, 2 tsp sugar, 1 tsp baking soda, 2 tsp baking powder, 1 Tbsp oil (or bacon drippings) and 2 cups buttermilk. Add two cups white corn meal and 3 Tbsp flour. Pour batter into well-greased pan (my grandma used bacon drippings to grease a cast iron skillet). Bake at 425 for about 20 minutes. Crumble into chunks when cool. Set aside. *Note that this corn bread does not taste yummy on its own - its definitely meant to be made into stuffing so don't be discouraged if yours taste "rustic" :)

Bake or buy pre-made buttermilk biscuits and break into large pieces, let them stale. Or dry them in a warm oven for a little bit. Tear stale white bread into pieces. 

Cook crumbled sausage until no longer pink. Set aside but do not drain grease from the pan. In same pan, cook onion and celery for about 5-7 minutes until soft. 

In a very large roasting pan or bowl, combine all ingredients, ending with the butter and chicken stock. Add more stock if stuffing is too dry. It shouldn't be a wet dough, but it should be nice and moist. 

We always stuff our bird with stuffing, but you can always put it in a casserole dish to bake separately, but if you do it this way, I suggest you add a touch more stock so it doesn't get too dry. 

ROASTED FENNEL AND ARTICHOKE SALAD

serves 6

My friend made this for us the other night and I can't stop thinking about it. I've never considered myself a fennel fan AT ALL, but this dish was so incredible. It's rustic and simple, and would make a nice addition to your Thanksgiving table. I used leftovers (+ cherry tomatoes) to make a frittata the next day that was otherworldly. Oh, please make this. Nobody will expect these roasted veggies, but they'll love you for it. 

2 fennel bulbs (24 oz), cut into 3/4-inch wedges

2 12-oz packages frozen artichoke hearts (Trader Joe's), run under water to defrost, then patted dry

3 Tbsp olive oil

2 Tbsp capers

juice of one lemon (about 3 tsp)

2 Tbsp roughly chopped flat-leaf parsely

1/3 cup shaved parmesan

sea salt and pepper to taste

Method:

Preheat oven to 425. Place fennel and artichokes on rimmed baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil and salt and pepper. Roast for about 40 minutes until browned well on both sides. Make sure to toss after about 20 minutes. 

Drizzle with lemon juice and parsley, and toss to combine. Plate on serving platter and garnish with parmesan and capers.