Classic Thanksgiving sides but healthier!
Well, Thanksgiving is only a few days away! While we love our Thanksgiving meals, we all know those delicious sides can do a number on our waistline! So we put together a collection of healthier recipes from around the web to help you make some of those classic Thanksgiving sides but a little bit healthier!
Ingredients
For the Sweet Potatoes:
- 4 1/2 pounds sweet potatoes — scrubbed (about 4–5 very large sweet potatoes)
- 1 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk
- 2 vanilla beans — or 2 tablespoons vanilla bean paste
- 2 tablespoons virgin coconut oil — melted
- 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon white pepper
For the Pecan Oat Topping:
- 1 1/3 cups old-fashioned rolled oats — gluten free if necessary
- 1 cup roughly chopped pecans — untoasted
- 1/2 cup almond meal
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 5 tablespoons melted coconut oil
- 1 tablespoon pure maple syrup
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Lightly grease a 9×13-inch casserole dish or other 3-quart casserole dish and set aside.
- Prick the sweet potatoes all over with a fork, then place them on a baking sheet lined with foil or a silpat mat. Bake until the potatoes are fork tender, about 1 hour or so, depending upon the size of your potatoes. Remove from the oven and let sit until cool enough to handle, about 5 minutes. Peel and discard the skins (they should come off easily with your fingers), break the potatoes in large chunks with a fork, then place the chunks into the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or a large mixing bowl.
- While the potatoes bake, pour the almond milk in a small saucepan. Split the vanilla beans, scrape the seeds into the pan, then add the empty pods to the pan too. Bring to a very gentle simmer over medium heat for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Do not let the almond milk boil. Remove from heat and let the vanilla steep while the potatoes continue baking.
- Remove the vanilla bean pods from the saucepan, then pour the almond milk and vanilla bean specs into the bowl with the sweet potato chunks. Add the melted coconut oil, cinnamon, salt, nutmeg, and white pepper.
Find the full recipe here.
Ingredients
- 1 pound cauliflower florets
- Cooking spray
- 1 pound chopped peeled Russet potatoes
- 1/2 cup whole milk, warmed
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh chives
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°.
- Coat cauliflower florets with cooking spray; roast for 20-25 minutes or until browned.
- Meanwhile, place potatoes in a medium stock pot. Fill with water to cover. Bring to a boil; simmer for 15 minutes or until fork-tender. Drain; return to pot and gently mash with the back of a spoon. Set aside.
- Place roasted cauliflower in a food processor; process until smooth. Fold cauliflower into cooked potatoes. Add milk, butter, salt, and pepper; stir well. Sprinkle with chives and serve warm.
Original recipe here.
Ingredients
- 1 turkey gizzard
- 1 turkey neck, halved
- 2 cups water
- 1 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth
- 1 large head garlic
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons brandy or reduced-sodium chicken broth
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- Ground pepper
Instructions
- For giblet broth, rinse gizzard and neck. Combine the water, gizzard and neck in a medium saucepan. Bring to boiling; reduce heat. Cover and simmer about 1 hour or until tender. Discard neck. Strain broth mixture through a fine mesh sieve to remove any gizzard solids. Measure ½ cup of the broth mixture; stir in 1 cup chicken broth. Save any remaining giblet broth for another use. If desired, coarsely chop gizzard and set aside.
- Meanwhile, preheat oven to 425°F. Peel away the dry outer layers of skin from the garlic head, leaving inner skin and the cloves intact. Cut off the pointed top portion (about ¼ inch), leaving the bulb intact but exposing the individual cloves. Place the garlic head, cut side up, in a custard cup. Drizzle with olive oil. Cover with foil and bake about 20 minutes or until the cloves feel soft when pressed. Set aside garlic head just until cool enough to handle. Squeeze out the garlic paste from individual cloves and place in a small bowl; mash lightly with a fork. Set aside.
Original recipe here
Ingredients
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees with oven rack in middle position. Place bread on a rimmed baking sheet and bake, tossing occasionally, until crisp, about 10 minutes. Transfer to a large bowl along with walnuts and dried cranberries; set aside.
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In a large nonstick skillet, heat oil over medium. Add onion, celery, and shiitakes and cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables have softened, about 5 minutes. Add apple and continue to cook until almost tender, about 5 minutes. Add parsley, sage, and thyme and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Remove from heat; season with salt and pepper.
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Add onion mixture to bowl with bread mixture; stir to combine. Add enough of the broth to thoroughly moisten the bread mixture without soaking it (there shouldn’t be any excess broth in the bottom of the bowl). Spoon stuffing into a 2-quart casserole dish, cover with foil, and bake 20 minutes. Uncover, mist the top of the stuffing with olive-oil spray, if desired, and bake until golden brown, about 15 minutes more
Original recipe here
Ingredients
For the Green Beans:
- 2 lbs fresh green beans, trimmed
For the Crispy Onion Topping:
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 large yellow onion, thinly sliced
- 1/2 cup almond meal
- 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
- 1/4 tsp sea salt
For the Mushroom Sauce:
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 8-10 medium cremini mushrooms, thinly sliced
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 3 tbsp chickpea flour
- 1/2 cup low sodium chicken broth
- 1 cup unsweetened almond milk
- 1/3 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
- 1/4 tsp ground black pepper
Instructions
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Preheat oven to 375 degrees F, bring a large stockpot of water to a boil, and grease a large casserole dish with olive oil and then set aside.
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Add the green beans to the boiling water and boil for 4-5 minutes, or until almost tender, but still slightly crisp. Drain the cooked green beans, then transfer to a bowl filled with ice water to stop them from cooking more.
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To make the crispy onion topping, start by heating olive oil in a large fry pan over medium-high heat until hot.
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Add the thinly sliced onions and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5-8 minutes or until they are tender and starting to brown. Remove the onions and place into a medium mixing bowl and set aside.
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In the same pan you used to cook the onions, add the almond meal. Cook, stirring very frequently, for 3-5 minutes, or until the almond meal is starts to turn lightly golden. Careful not to burn.
Find the full recipe here.
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 1/2 cup minced sweet onion
- 4 cups fresh corn kernels
- 1/2 cup water
- 3 tablespoons heavy cream
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
- Chopped fresh parsley
Instructions
- Melt unsalted butter in a large skillet over medium-high; add minced sweet onion, and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in fresh corn kernels and water. Cover and cook 10 minutes.
- Transfer half of corn mixture to a blender. Remove center of blender lid; secure lid, and place a clean towel over opening. Process until smooth. Add puree to skillet; stir in heavy cream, kosher salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Cook over medium until thickened and heated through. Garnish with chopped fresh parsley.
Original recipe here.
Ingredients
- 1 bag of fresh cranberries
- honey or maple syrup
- water
- the zest from one orange, or orange juice
Instructions
- First, rinse the cranberries well and drain off excess water. Pick through the cranberries and discard any squishy ones.
- In a medium saucepan, combine the cranberries, honey and water. Bring the mixture to a boil over medium-high heat, then reduce heat to medium-low and cook, stirring occasionally, until the cranberries have popped and the mixture has thickened to your liking, about 5 to 10 minutes.
- Remove the pot from heat and stir in the orange zest. If you’d like to add cinnamon or orange juice, add it now. Taste and, if the mixture is too tart (keeping in mind that cranberry sauce is supposed to be a little tart!), add more orange juice, honey or maple syrup to taste.
- The sauce will continue to thicken as it cools. It will keep in the refrigerator, covered, for up to 2 weeks.
Original recipe here.
Note: These recipes are a collection from around the web, we are simply sharing them.