Nourishing, and Delicious, Holiday Food part 2

Have you ordered your turkey yet?! If not, visit your local farmers market or find a local farmer to get a fresh Free Range Turkey. You may pay a little bit more then if you purchase the turkey from the store but here is why I think it is worth it:

- Supporting a local farmer and the local economy

- Fresh, taste the difference

- Humanely raised

- Generally not preserved

- Not transported across the country, reduce your carbon foot print

- Organic and Free Range (ask)

I am not going to pretend to be an expert turkey roaster. I have cooked one turkey! And with the advice of my mom and mother-in-law, it was a great success. However I did find a very helpful resource this year: Thanksgiving Your Way. In this ebook there is step by step information on thawing a turkey, brining and roasting a turkey, and carving a turkey. There are also lots of other recipes, decorating ideas and ways to make your Thanksgiving special.

Traditional Sides... More Nurishing

Garlic Mashed No-tatoes

Broccoli Salad

Wild Rice and Cranberry Stuffing

Hearth Bread and Cornbread Stuffing

Green Beans with Goat Cheese, Cranberries and Bacon

Waldorf Salad

Garlic Mashed No-tatoes (serves 4)

White Potatoes are really high in carbohydrates and low in nutrients (especially without their shins). This alternative is DELICIOUS and full of nutrients, I bet your family will not know the difference.

1 head cauliflower
2 tablespoons butter

1 clove garlic
sea salt and pepper
chives

milk

Steam cauliflower until tender. Put cauliflower in food processor or blender with butter, salt and pepper and peeled garlic clove. Process until smooth. You may need to add some milk if it is to thick to blend. Top with chives.
Serve warm!

Broccoli Salad

1 Head of fresh broccoli, chopped
½ cup red onion, chopped
½ cup sunflower seeds or sliced almonds
½ cup raisins or dried cranberries
1/2-1 cup Vegenaise (grape seed oil) Mayonaise alternative
1-2 tablespoons Honey or Agave nectar
½ lemon juiced
½ cup turkey bacon, cooked and crumbled (optional)
*Optional: chopped red apple

Place cup broccoli, sunflower seeds, onions and raisins in a bowl. Mix together Vegenaise, honey and lemon juice and the pour over the vegetables. Add bacon. Mix well. Chill until served. (tastes best if it sits for an hour)

Wild Rice and Cranberry Stuffing

This stuffing uses rice instead of bread. Its a great gluten free alternative and the combination of wild rice and brown basmati rice pack it with nutrients, a filled with flavor.

2 TBSP Olive Oil

2 yellow onion, finely chopped

1 clove garlic, finely chopped

7 cups vegetable/chicken broth

2 tsp sea salt

2 cups uncooked wild rice

2 cups uncooked brown basmati rice

2 cups dried cranberries or golden raisins

1/2 cup chopped parsley

2 TBSP chopped thyme

1 1/2 cups walnuts or pecans, chopped

Pepper to taste

Heat oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft and translucent, 5 to 7 minutes. Add garlic and cook 1 minute more. Add broth and salt and bring to a boil. Stir in wild rice, cover, reduce heat to medium low and simmer for 45 minutes. Stir in basmati rice, cover and simmer until rice is tender and most of the liquid is absorbed, 15 to 20 minutes longer. Stir in cranberries, parsley, thyme, and walnuts, cover and cook for 5 minutes more. Season with pepper and additional salt to taste. Preheat oven to 375°F. Grease a 9- x 13-inch baking dish. Transfer rice mixture to dish and bake until light golden brown, 20 to 25 minutes.

Hearth Bread and Cornbread Stuffing

I love the combination of apples, celery, sage and corn bread! In this recipe I use 1 firm fresh apple instead of dried apples, but either will be delicious.

Green Beans with Goat Cheese, Cranberries and Bacon

Adapted from wholefoods.com

1/4 pound natural turkey bacon, roughly chopped

1 1/2 pounds green beans, washed and trimmed

2 TBSP extra virgin olive oil

1 TBSP sherry vinegar

2/3 cup dried cranberries

1 (4-ounce) log goat cheese, crumbled

1/4 cup chopped parsley

Salt and pepper to taste

Cook bacon in a large skillet over medium heat until crisp, 7 to 8 minutes. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate to let drain. Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add green beans and cook until just tender, 3 to 4 minutes. Drain well and transfer to a large bowl. Toss with oil, vinegar, salt and pepper and transfer to a large platter. Scatter bacon, cranberries, goat cheese and parsley over the top and serve.

Kale Waldorf Salad

4 cups packed finely chopped raw kale, (dinosaur kale is best)

1 large red apple, such as Fuji or Honeycrisp

1 cup thinly sliced celery

1/2 cup walnuts, chopped

1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons raisins

2 tablespoons Dijon mustard

2 tablespoons water, more if needed 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar

1/8 teaspoon sea salt

Place kale in a large bowl. Chop half the apple and add to kale along with celery, 1/4 cup walnuts and 1/4 cup raisins. Chop remaining half of apple and put in a blender or food processor along with remaining 1/4 cup walnuts, remaining 2 tablespoons raisins, mustard, water, vinegar and salt. Purée until well combined and slightly thick, adding water if needed to thin. Pour dressing over kale salad and toss to combine.