With Thanksgiving around the corner, I thought this would be a good time to share some good eats with you guys.  Holidays are important to me, they always have been.  My family holidays were saturated in tradition and great memories.  As I've gotten older lots of things have changed, but my love for food and cooking make any holiday an excuse to do what I love and share it with those I love. It's a beautiful time to gather with friends and family and enjoy each other over an amazing meal.  This Thanksgiving is extra special since it's the first Thanksgiving I've spent with my family in years. When it comes to holidays I'm pretty flexible with myself about what I eat and drink.  I want to enjoy myself and partake in holiday traditions.  That being said, I do enjoy creating a healthy spin on holiday classics so that I can enjoy the day without feeling too weighed down by what I'm consuming.  Here are some of my holiday favorites:

My absolute favorite dish on Thanksgiving has always been green bean casserole, so when I started changing my eating habits it was one of the first recipes I tackled and created a healthy option for. Here's what I came up with:

Green Bean Casserole

Yields 8-10 1/2 cup servings

Ingredients:

1 pound green beans, chopped into 1-inch pieces and cooked in boiling water until tender

Mushroom filling:

1 tbsp butter (I use a dairy-free option, but that's up to you)

1/2 pound crimini or wild mushrooms, sliced

1/2 medium onion, sliced

2 cloves garlic, minced

Sauce:

2 tbsp butter (again feel free to use a dairy-free option)

2 tbsp brown rice flour

3/4 c. veggie or chicken stock

2 tbsp nutrition yeast

1 tbsp tamari

1/2 tsp dried thyme

Onion topping:

1 tbsp butter

1/2 - 1 whole medium onion, sliced

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
  2. Mushroom filling: In a large sauté pan melt 1 tbsp of butter over medium heat.  Add mushrooms and onions, sautéing until the onions are clear.  Add garlic and sauté for another minute or two.
  3. In a medium baking dish combine cooked green beans with the mushroom, onion, and garlic mixture and set aside.
  4. Sauce: Melt 2 tbsp butter in a medium sauté pan over medium heat.  Once melted, slowly whisk in the flour until slightly browned.  Whisk in the stock, nutritional yeast, tamari, and thyme, stirring continuously until the sauce is thick and bubbly.  You may need to add more flour or nutritional yeast if it's not thickening.
  5. Combine the sauce with the green bean mixture and set aside.
  6. Onion topping: Melt 1 tbsp butter in a medium sauté pan over medium heat.  Once melted, add the onions and sauté until caramelized (10-20 minutes).  You may need to lower the heat to prevent burning.
  7. While the onions are caramelizing, bake your casserole until heated through (10-15 minutes).
  8. Top the casserole with the caramelized onions and serve.

In the last couple years I have developed an obsession with brussels sprouts.  I've discovered a way to cook them that leaves them nice and soft on the inside and crispy on the outside.  Here's that recipe:

Roasted Brussels Sprouts

Serves 4-6

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Ingredients:

1 pound brussels sprouts, halved

1/4 cup olive oil

1-2 tbsp nutritional yeast (I love nutritional yeast, so I use 2)

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1/4 tsp salt

  1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees
  2. Toss ingredients together on a baking sheet
  3. Bake for 15-20 minutes, stirring often to avoid burning.  Watch them carefully as they're baking at a high heat and there's a very fine line between well roasted and burnt.
  4. You may need to finish with a pinch of salt, depending on your taste preference. Serve and enjoy!
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My other holiday favorites I've already blogged, but here they are again:

Fall Inspired Kale Salad and Pumpkin Risotto

Vegan GF Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bars

I hope you all have an amazing Thanksgiving.  Take some time to remember what this holiday means to you and focus on what's important: the people in your lives, the love you share, and what you're grateful for.

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