Thanksgiving is about so much more than the turkey: from stuffing to sweet potato casserole, there are so many traditional Thanksgiving sides to think about, and unfortunately, that tends to be where a lot of the empty calories are hiding.

Turkey on its own is actually quite healthy, and there’s no reason you can’t carry that through to the rest of your meal, all the while hanging on to the delicious traditional flavors. With that in mind, here are ten of our favorite healthy Thanksgiving sides to enjoy the holiday without packing on extra pounds.

1. Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Grapes and Walnuts

Brussels sprouts are one of our favorite Thanksgiving vegetables, and on their own, they’re super healthy. A member of the cruciferous vegetable family, Brussels sprouts are rich in vitamin C, soluble fiber, and a variety of phytochemicals and other nutrients. The problem comes when they’re cooked in too much butter or with fatty bacon. In this dish, they’re paired with sweet grapes and walnuts and drizzled with sweet and tangy balsamic vinegar, for a healthy dish rich in the flavors of fall.

2. Creamy Fall Soup in Acorn Squash Bowls

This dish is beautiful, tasty, healthy, and easy — what else could you ask for on Thanksgiving? The roasted acorn squash bowls hold a creamy, vegan fall soup made with sweet potato, carrots, butternut squash — all great sources of vitamin A –, and fiber-rich red lentils, which lend this soup some body.

3. Roasted Butternut Squash Salad

This salad includes some of our favorite Thanksgiving ingredients: squash, cranberries, and pepitas. It also features nutty farro, peppery arugula, and a bright citrus dressing with a hint of maple syrup.

4. Green Beans with Almonds

Many of us grew up with heavy green bean casserole, made with cream of mushroom soup and canned fried onions. This easy, lighter green bean recipe pairs the fresh green vegetables with slivered almonds, lemon, and just a touch of butter. Not only will it be one of the quickest recipes to get on your Thanksgiving table, but it’s delicious as well.

5. Wild Rice and Sweet Potato Salad

This hearty salad is not only a fantastic addition to your selection of healthy Thanksgiving sides, it also serves as the perfect main for vegetarian or vegan guests. Made with wild rice, protein-rich Puy lentils, and roasted sweet potatoes, the salad sings of the autumn harvest.

6. Vegan Pumpkin Macaroni and Cheese

Macaroni and cheese might not seem like it belongs in the healthy Thanksgiving sides category, but this vegan version absolutely does. With a creamy sauce made with pumpkin purée, almond milk, and nutritional yeast, this pasta bake tastes decadent, but it’s a truly wholesome choice.

7. Healthier Cornbread

It’s tough to make cornbread completely healthy, but this version, made with low-fat and protein-rich Greek yogurt instead of too much butter or oil, is much better for you than the traditional version, and it’s just as moist and tasty, making it one of our favorite healthy Thanskgiving sides.

8. Carrot Soufflé

This carrot- and parsnip-based soufflé is a gourmet addition to any Thanksgiving table. A combination of the sweet spice of cinnamon and a bit of sharp cheddar cheese lends an enormous amount of flavor to this dish, which still manages to be relatively healthy thanks to the use of whole milk in place of cream.

9. Roasted Carrots with Farro, Chickpeas, and Herbed Crème Fraiche

This vegetable dish has a bit of a Mediterranean flair, with a base of farro and chickpeas and a sauce made with crème fraiche and fresh parsley. Choose a rainbow of yellow, orange, white, and purple carrots to make this dish even more pleasing to the eye and richer in different vitamins.

10. Beet and Turnip Gratin

Gratins and casseroles are commonly found on Thanksgiving tables, but this healthier version forgoes cream and cheese in favor of a purely vegetable-based dish. This beet and turnip gratin is seasoned simply with red onion, thyme, and fresh orange juice. It’s bright in flavor and rich in vitamins — the perfect healthy Thanksgiving side.

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The post 10 Delicious Thanksgiving Sides so Healthy You’ll Keep Your Pants Buttoned the Whole Meal appeared first on EcoSalon.

Thanksgiving can be either a gluttonous extravagance, or one of the greenest holiday feasts.

Here’s why: One of the biggest contributors to greenhouse gasses is livestock production. Turkey is faster growing than cows, so it’s more efficient from a resource input point of view. Plus, turkeys don’t emit methane.

Another big contributor to greenhouse gasses is food waste. After Thanksgiving, we tend to eat our leftovers, using every spare scrap of food.

Other than the turkey and the cranberries, most Thanksgiving dishes are seasonal, plant-based foods that can typically grow anywhere. Potatoes, sweet potatoes, green beans, pumpkins, apples. See what I mean?

From an energy use perspective, we tend to use our ovens to capacity at Thanksgiving, which is much better than cooking small amounts of food.

You can enjoy your Thanksgiving guilt-free as long as you don’t waste any food. And this recipe will help you with that task!

Two-in-One Mashed Potatoes

Serves 6-8

2 pounds russet potatoes
2 pounds garnet sweet potatoes
3 whole garlic cloves, peeled and cut in half
1 teaspoon mustard seeds, lightly crushed with a mortar and pestle
2 cardamom pods, lightly crushed
1/2 cup half & half
1/2 cup creme fraiche (divided equally into two portions)
4 tablespoons butter, softened (divided equally into two portions)
Salt and pepper to taste

Peel the potatoes and sweet potatoes and cut them into 2-inch chunks. Bring two pots of salted water to a boil. Add the potatoes and the garlic to one pot and the sweet potatoes to the other. Boil both until tender.

Meanwhile, place the mustard seeds, cardamom pods and half & half in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil and simmer for one minute. Turn off the heat and set aside.

When the potatoes and sweet potatoes are tender, drain them well and place them in separate bowls. Strain half of the half & half into each bowl and then add half of the creme fraiche and butter to each. Add some salt and pepper to each bowl and mash the potatoes and sweet potatoes well, keeping them separate. If you like smoother potatoes, you may run them through a ricer or food mill. Taste each mixture and adjust salt and pepper.

To serve, place them side by side in the serving bowl and swirl them together in a pretty pattern.

Use organic, locally grown ingredients whenever possible.

Recipe Copyright Vanessa Barrington 2009

Each week here at EcoSalon, the editors choose a post from the archives that we think you’ll love. This original post can be found here.

Image: Dr. Hemmert



The post Greening Thanksgiving with a Doubly Good Recipe for Potatoes, and More! appeared first on EcoSalon.

Thanksgiving can be either a gluttonous extravagance, or one of the greenest holiday feasts.

Here’s why: One of the biggest contributors to greenhouse gasses is livestock production. Turkey is faster growing than cows, so it’s more efficient from a resource input point of view. Plus, turkeys don’t emit methane.

Another big contributor to greenhouse gasses is food waste. After Thanksgiving, we tend to eat our leftovers, using every spare scrap of food.

Other than the turkey and the cranberries, most Thanksgiving dishes are seasonal, plant-based foods that can typically grow anywhere. Potatoes, sweet potatoes, green beans, pumpkins, apples. See what I mean?

From an energy use perspective, we tend to use our ovens to capacity at Thanksgiving, which is much better than cooking small amounts of food.

You can enjoy your Thanksgiving guilt-free as long as you don’t waste any food. And this recipe will help you with that task!

Two-in-One Mashed Potatoes

Serves 6-8

2 pounds russet potatoes
2 pounds garnet sweet potatoes
3 whole garlic cloves, peeled and cut in half
1 teaspoon mustard seeds, lightly crushed with a mortar and pestle
2 cardamom pods, lightly crushed
1/2 cup half & half
1/2 cup crème fraîche (divided equally into two portions)
4 tablespoons butter, softened (divided equally into two portions)
Salt and pepper to taste

Peel the potatoes and sweet potatoes and cut them into 2 inch chunks. Bring two pots of salted water to a boil. Add the potatoes and the garlic to one pot and the sweet potatoes to the other. Boil both until tender.

Meanwhile, place the mustard seeds, cardamom pods and Half & Half in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil and simmer for one minute. Turn off the heat and set aside.

When the potatoes and sweet potatoes are tender, drain them well and place them in separate bowls. Strain half of the Half &Half into each bowl and then add half of the crème fraîche and butter to each. Add some salt and pepper to each bowl and mash the potatoes and sweet potatoes well, keeping them separate. If you like smoother potatoes, you may run them through a ricer or food mill. Taste each mixture and adjust salt and pepper.

To serve, place them side by side in the serving bowl and swirl them together in a pretty pattern.

Use organic, locally grown ingredients whenever possible.

Recipe Copyright Vanessa Barrington 2009

Image: Dr. Hemmert

The post Ecosalon Recipes: Greening Thanksgiving with a Doubly Good Recipe for Taters, and More! appeared first on EcoSalon.