I'm focusing on the side dishes this holiday. My family is not nutritarian, so there will still be turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes and gravy, but those traditional foods will have to compete with these colorful, tempting dishes:
Maple Cornmeal Biscuits
Jewelled yams
Festive Salad & Raspberry vinaigrette
Lemon-y Waldorf
“Candy” Corn
Green Beans with “sausage” and onion
Pies with Banana “Whipped Cream”
1 c. cornmeal
1 c. whole wheat pastry flour
4 tsp. baking powder
½ tsp. salt
1 banana
½ c. non-dairy milk
4 Tb. Pure maple syrup
Preheat oven to 425˚.Grease cookie sheet. Combine flour, cornmeal, baking powder and salt in a food processor for about 10 seconds. Add banana and process until flour is pebble-like. Transfer to mixing bowl and add milk and syrup, stirring until well-combined. Drop 12 biscuits 2” apart onto cookie sheet. Bake 7-8 minutes until barely crisp and slightly brown.
Jewelled yams
4 lbs. yams, baked ¾ tsp. cinnamon
2 apples, sliced ½ tsp. nutmeg
1/8 c. lemon juice ¼ tsp. ginger
½ banana, mashed ½ c. orange juice
¼ c. pure maple syrup 2 c. cranberries, fresh or frozen
¼ c. sucanat, turbinado, rapadura or date sugar
Peel & slice cooked yams. Toss apples with lemon juice. Combine banana, syrup, sugar, spices and orange juice to make a thin sauce. In a sprayed 9X13 pan, Layer ½ the yams, ½ the apples, ½ the cranberries. Repeat. Pour sauce over all. At this point you may refrigerate until just before mealtime. Bake at 350˚ for 30-45 minutes, adding apple cider to baste if liquid is all absorbed. Cool slightly before serving to allow sauces to thicken.
1/2 c. sliced almonds
2 Tb. Agave or maple syrup
1/2 head red leaf lettuce
1 head boston, Bibb, or butter lettuce
1 can mandarin oranges, drained
½ c. craisins, currants, or pomegranate seeds
Dry roast almonds in a skillet over low heat, stirring frequently, until golden. Toss with agave. In a large bowl, toss remaining ingredients. Sprinkle with nuts. Serve with Raspberry vinaigrette.
Raspberry vinaigrette
2-3 Tb. honey or agave
¼ c. rice vinegar
¼ c. water
1 tsp. chia seeds
¼ c. raspberries (fresh or frozen)
1 Tb. Poppy seeds
Blend all but poppy seeds in blender. Add poppy seeds and pulse.
Lemon-y waldorf
6 apples, chopped
5 celery stalks, chopped
1/2 c. cashews
1/2 c. currants or pomegranate seeds
10-12 oz. silken tofu
juice & zest of 1/2 lemon
1/4 c. pure maple syrup
leafy greens
Toss together apples, celery, nuts and fruit. In a blender, combine tofu, lemon juice, lemon zest and maple syrup. Pour dressing over salad, stirring just until coated. Serve over greens.
“Candy” Corn
1/2 c. white onion, diced
1 c. orange bell pepper, diced
1-2 Tb. Orange or pineapple juice concentrate
2 c. corn, fresh, frozen or canned
¼ c. agave, or pure maple syrup or 2 Tb. Molasses
Saute onion and bell pepper in juice until tender. Add corn and heat through. Drizzle with sweetener and season to taste.
Green beans with “sausage” and carmelized onion
1 c. cooked pinto beans 1 egg or egg replacer
¼ c. breadcrumbs ¼ c. 1 tsp. black pepper
1/2 tsp. sage 1 tsp. thyme
1/2 tsp. marjoram 1/4 tsp. allspice
1/2 tsp. cayenne (optional) 1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes
pinch salt 3 cans green beans, drained
In a food processor, combine beans, eggs, breadcrumbs and spices. Blend until smooth. Form patties and fry like a hamburger. When cohesive and browned, break into crumbles and continue frying until crisp. Toss with heated beans. Garnish with onion slices that have been carmelized in apple cider by cooking over low heat until liquid is thick and dark.
1 c. almonds
1 c. pitted dates
2 Tb. Chia seeds soaked in ¼ c. water for 15 minutes
1/3 c. dry oatmeal, processed to a flour in blender
Process chia seeds and water until they form a paste; set aside. Process almonds until very fine. Mix in oat flour. Add dates and process until finely chopped and mixed well. Add chia seed pasteand pulse to mix. Press mixture into a pie plate. No baking needed.
1 1/2 c. dairy-free dark chocolate chips (Sunspire Organic)
1/2 c. maple syrup (use 1/4 c. for less sweet)
1 pkg. silken tofu (12 oz)
1 Tb. vanilla extract
1/8 tsp. sea salt
Dash of nutmeg
Dash of cinnamon
Use a double boiler to melt the chocolate chips, stirring until creamy and lump-free. In a blender, mix tofu, syrup, vanilla and salt until smooth. Add melted chocolate to blender. Blend 5-10 seconds. Pour into crust and refrigerate.
1 c. almonds
1 tsp. finely ground chia seeds
1 c. pitted dates
2 tsp. water
Combine almonds and chia seed powder in food processor. Pulse until finely ground. Add dates and water and process until mixture gathers into a ball. Press into a lightly-oiled pic tin. Prebake for 5 min. at 250˚ Fill and bake according to filling directions.
Pumpking filling
1/2 c. maple syrup, agave or honey
4 dates
1 c. cooked pumpkin puree
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. ground ginger
1/8 tsp. ground cloves
3 Tb. ground flaxseeds
3/4 c. vanilla soy or almond milk or lite coconut milk
Blend sweetener, dates and pumpkin until smooth. Add spices, seeds and milk and blend until well-mixed. Pour into pie crust and bake 40-45 minutes at 350 degrees.
6 frozen bananas
1 c. non-dairy milk
Blend until smooth and creamy
Have a happy and healthy Thanksgiving!
Hailey
