Thanksgiving for the Health Conscious

 

It used to be that if you were hosting a dinner party, the biggest consideration was making sure to accommodate your vegetarian guests. Now with everyone going Paleo, Gluten Free, or following another diet trend these days we have to get even more creative with our menu options. Besides gluten and dairy being in the obvious foods like breads, desserts, etc, it can also sneak into gravies, soups, and sauces. If cooking from scratch is a hassle, make sure to inspect labels before deciding to serve.

If you are avoiding gluten- turkey, meat, or fish is not a problem. Just once you start loading it with all the good stuff, that’s when you need to be careful…To make flavorful, thick gravy, try using some gluten free options like arrowroot or even potato flour. You can also use cornbread as a stuffing substitute and it’s really delicious!

The following tips can make your side dishes approved even for vegetarian guests:

Use coconut milk in place of cream to enrich soups, purees, sweet potatoes or pumpkin pie
Replace butter with sunflower oil in vegetable sides; its light, nutty flavor generally blends better with traditional holiday flavors than olive oil
Puree silken tofu in a food processor and use it in place of dairy products like sour cream in dip recipes
Sweet potatoes (without the marshmallows)
Butternut squash, quinoa, corn on the cob, sautéed fresh greens and root vegetables roasted in garlic and olive oil
A big colorful salad with unsweetened cranberries always pleases the crowd (add raw nuts or seeds to add more vegan protein)

Desserts are probably the easiest part of the meal to take care of. Switch up some of your old recipes by substituting amaranth and fava bean flour for regular flour. If you don’t have the time to bake them on your own, gluten free bakeries or specialty markets like Fairway, Whole foods, and Trader Joes, have a great selection of cakes, cookies, and other baked goods that don’t usually contain refined sugar or artificial ingredients. They are not exactly low calorie, but if you want to cheat for the day it’s a healthier choice then eating a dessert from a commercial bakery or supermarket.

Roasted Acorn Squash Recipe

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Slice each acorn squash in half. Scoop out the seeds with a spoon. Place the squash in a broiler or roasting pan.

Pour about an inch of water into the pan. Drizzle with olive oil and sea salt. For a sweeter flavor you can add a pinch of maple syrup.

Place the pan into the preheated oven and roast for 30-45 minutes.

Let cool for five minutes.

 

Meatless Bean and Lentil Loaf (Not Paleo approved but suitable for Vegans)

2 tsp olive oil
1 medium onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, crushed
2 celery sticks, finely chopped
1 can (400 g) red kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1 can (400 g) green lentils, rinsed and drained
2 flax eggs
1 medium carrot, coarsely grated
1/2 cup walnuts, coarsely chopped
1/2 cup almonds, finely ground
Tb tomato purée

Heat the oil in a pan. Add the onion, garlic and celery and cook on medium for a few minutes until soft, but not mushy. Transfer to a plate and let cool while preparing the rest. Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Put the beans, lentils and onion in   a food processor/blender and blend to obtain a coarse consistency. Transfer the bean-lentil mixture to a large bowl. Add the remaining ingredients and mix well. Also add aromatics to this :

 1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
1/2 tsp hot chili powder
1 tsp smoked paprika
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 tsp dry parsley
1 tsp dry thyme
salt to taste

Spoon the mixture into the prepared tin and level the surface with the back of the spoon. Bake in the preheated oven for about an hour. It should be well done on the top and sides and quite thick in the middle use a toothpick to check. After it’s done wait for 15 minutes to cool down a little and invert the loaf onto a plate. Leave to cool down and serve.