Thanksgiving With a Healthy Twist

Try these delicious Thanksgiving side dishes that won’t leave you feeling stuffed and sleepy after your feast. 

 

Lemony Green Beans With Almond Bread Crumbs

4 1/2 cups trimmed green beans

1/2 cup breadcrumbs

Several cloves of minced garlic

1/3 cup olive oil

1/2 cup slivered almonds

Lemon juice from one lemon

Salt and pepper to taste

Chopped parsley (optional) to taste

Toast almonds in a pan, then grind after cooling in food processor. Heat a few tablespoons olive oil with almond mixture, breadcrumbs and garlic. Remove from heat and add in parsley if desired. Set aside. Combine olive oil and lemon juice in a bowl. Whisk and add salt and pepper. Boil green beans about 5 minutes in water. Drain and return to pot and add lemon juice oil mixture. Place on a platter and drizzle with remaining vinaigrette in pot. Sprinkle with almond mixture.

 

Cranberry Sauce

12 oz. of fresh cranberries

1/4 cup honey or maple syrup

1/2 cup water

1/4 cup orange juice

1/4 cup walnuts

1 apple peeled and chopped

1/4 cup raisins

1 tablespoon cinnamon (optional)

Combine water, honey or syrup, and orange juice in a pot and bring to a boil. Add in cranberries, bring back to a boil and then reduce heat and keep on a low boil for about 30 minutes until the cranberries open and sauce starts to thicken. Transfer to a bowl and allow it to cool. Add in chopped apples, walnuts and raisins and cinnamon if desired. Then transfer to refrigerator, cover and leave until cold and solidifies more. Recipe adapted from Emily Han.

 

Sweet Potatoes
Try this sweet potato dish sweetened with apples and natural sweeteners instead of marshmallows. 

4 large sweet potatoes peeled

Olive oil (approx 1/3 cup)

Lemon juice (1/2 lemon)

1/3 cup honey or maple syrup

1 tablespoon cinnamon

6 granny smith or honeycrisp apples

Sea salt and fresh ground pepper to taste

Pecan or walnuts as desired

Peel sweet potatoes and cut into chunks. Pour olive oil, honey or syrup, cinnamon and salt and pepper over potatoes. Peel and core apples, dice and mix with olive oil and lemon juice. Cook potatoes at 375 degrees until soft, about 30 minutes. Cook apples during final 15 minutes until soft. Mash potatoes, add in apple mixture and drizzle with a little additional olive oil, top with nuts if desired and cook an additional 5 minutes. Season to taste and serve.

 

Mom’s Stuffing, Lightened Up

1 (12 oz) loaf whole wheat French bread, cut into small cubes

3 slices center cut bacon, minced

1 tablespoon butter

1 large onion, minced

3 medium stalks celery, minced

10 fresh sage leaves, minced

2/3 cup chopped parsley

Salt and fresh pepper

1 large egg, beaten

2 cups fat free chicken broth

1/2 cup water

Cooking spray

If your bread is fresh, preheat the oven and bake the bread cubes on 2 baking sheets at 250°F for about 30 minutes, stirring half way until the bread is completely firm. Increase the oven to 350°F. In a large saute pan over medium heat cook bacon for about 2 minutes. Add butter; when melted, add onions, celery, parsley, sage, salt and pepper and saute on medium low until soft, about 5-10 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool a few minutes. In a medium bowl, combine chicken broth and egg. In a large bowl add bread and combine with sauteed vegetables. Add chicken broth and egg mixture and combine well. If stuffing is too dry, add a little water until you have the right consistency. Spray a casserole with baking spray, add stuffing and bake uncovered 40 to 45 minutes, or until golden.

Recipe courtesy of SkinnyTaste.com