Want a gourmet Thanksgiving meal? Tired of the traditional green bean casserole, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, corn starch drenched gravy and stuffing?! All those carbs will surely send you over the top and into a food comma not to mention the added indigestion.
Here are some gourmet alternatives that will be sure to delight your guests, especially if they are foodies.
Recipe #1: An Unusual Yet Delightful Soup to Start Your Thanksgiving Meal
This first recipe comes to you from Archana’s Kitchen and makes a perfect unique first course for your Thanksgiving dinner. I love that it included a traditional ingredient, sweet potatoes, yet coupled with the unusual radish and very interesting spices.
Brought to you by Archana’s Kitchen
Sweet Potato and Cream of Radish Soup
Ingredients
- 5-6 small red radish, chopped (or 2 white radishes)
- 2 medium-sized sweet potatoes, peeled and chopped
- 1 onion, chopped
- 1 teaspoon fennel seeds
- 1/4 teaspoon carom seeds (ajwain)
- 2 teaspoon crushed black pepper
- 1-2 bay leaves or tejpatta or allspice leaves
- 2 to 2-1/2 cups vegetable stock
- 2 teaspoon oil
- salt to taste
- 2 tablespoons coconut milk (full fat)
- chopped coriander leaves and thin strips of radish for garnish
Directions
- To begin making the Creamy Radish soup recipe with Sweet Potato, first, heat oil in a saucepan.
- Add the onion and sauté till it becomes soft. Add the carom seeds, fennel seeds and bay leaf.
- Stir and add the sweet potato and radish. Mix.
- Add 1/2 cup stock, salt and cook covered till the root vegetables soften.
- Cool slightly, take out the bay leaf and puree in a blender.
- Pour it back into the saucepan. Add bay leaf.
- Adjust the consistency with the stock (this is usually a thick soup).
- Add pepper and salt (if required). Bring to a boil.
- Ladle into serving bowls, stir a tablespoon of curd/yogurt and garnish with coriander leaves and strips of radish.
- Serve Creamy Radish soup recipe with Sweet Potato immediately.
Recipe #2: An All-time Favorite Vegetable Dish with a Holiday Twist
This next recipe is brought to you by Delish, who adds a nice twist to the traditional and ever popular roasted winter vegetables. My only substitution would be to replace the olive oil with either coconut oil or ghee to make it a healthier option. I don’t like to cook olive oil in high heat, as it form various harmful compounds including lipid peroxides and aldehydes, which can contribute to cancer (click here to read more and here).
The Ever Popular Roasted Veggies with a Holiday Twist
Ingredients
- 3/4 lb. Brussels sprouts, trimmed and halved
- 2 large carrots, peeled and sliced into 1/2” pieces
- Avocado oil
- 1 tbsp. balsamic vinegar
- 1 tsp. chopped rosemary leaves
- 1 tsp. chopped thyme leaves
- 1/2 c. toasted pecans
- 1/2 c. dried cranberries
Directions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
- Scatter vegetables on a large sheet pan. Toss with enough avocado oil to coat each piece, then toss with balsamic vinegar. Season with salt and pepper. Scatter herbs around the pan. Bake for 20-25 minutes, until the vegetable are tender, shaking the pan halfway through.
- Before serving, toss roasted vegetables with pecan and cranberries.
Recipe #3: Kale Salad with a Holiday Flare
I love this recipe, because it contains kale which is loaded with nutrients. The kale should be “cooked” however to increase the antioxidants and make the nutrients more bioavailable. Also, since kale is a goitrogenic vegetable, if eaten raw in small quantities, this vegetable can inhibit the uptake of iodine by the thyroid gland.
Raw kale is also high in oxalic acid, which binds with minerals such as calcium and magnesium in the body causing them to crystalize. These crystals can damage tissues, cause inflammation in the body and kidney stones. I suggest you lightly steam the kale first.
If you prefer a lower carbohydrate dish, then omit the wild rice. Wild rice, however, does have a higher glycemic index and adds a nice holiday flare to the dish. But then so do the pomegranates! So I leave it up to you.
Salad Ingredients
- 1 bunch Tuscan (lacinato) kale (washed, dried, ribs removed)
- 1 1/4 cups wild rice or long-grain brown rice (cooked)
- 1 apple (peeled, cored, finely diced)
- 1/4 cup pine nuts, hazelnuts, or walnuts (toasted)
- 1/2 cup pomegranate seeds (optional)
Dressing Ingredients
- 1 – inch piece fresh ginger (peeled)
- 1 small clove garlic (peeled)
- 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
- 1 1/2 teaspoons maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon Kosher salt
- freshly cracked black pepper (to taste)
- 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil or grapeseed oil
Instructions
For the Salad:
- Stack a few kale leaves and roll them like a cigar, then thinly slice them crosswise into ribbons. Remove to a large bowl.
For the Dressing:
- Peel the ginger and grate it on a microplane into a medium bowl.
- Gather the grated ginger in your fingers and squeeze to release the ginger juice, then discard the pulp.
- Grate the garlic into the bowl with the ginger juice.
- Whisk in the vinegar, maple syrup, salt, and pepper to taste.
- Slowly whisk in the olive oil to emulsify.
Toss It All Together:
- Pour the dressing over the kale and toss to combine.
- Add the wild rice and apple and toss to combine.
- Let the salad sit for 10 minutes, then sprinkle with the nuts and pomegranate seeds (if using) and serve.
Tip: To toast the pine nuts, place them in a dry skillet over medium-low heat until golden brown, about 2-3 minutes. Remove and allow to cool.
