Clean Thanksgiving Side Dishes

Your one-stop shop to FIVE amazing, clean, delicious takes on traditional Thanksgiving side dishes!!!

• Quinoa Cranberry Stuffing with ‘Sausage’ and Spinach
• Shiitake Mushroom Pan Gravy with Leeks
• Fennel and Roasted Beet Salad
• Roasted Garlic Mashed Cauliflower
• Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Crisped Turkey Bacon

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Quinoa Cranberry Stuffing with ‘Sausage’ and Spinach

Ingredients:

• 3/4 cups red quinoa (if you can’t find red, use any color you can find)
• 1 1/2 cups low sodium vegetable broth
• 1/2 cup dried cranberries
• 2 tablespoons Earth Balance buttery spread
• 2 links chicken or vegan sausage (try Field Roast)
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• 6 cups spinach leaves
• Freshly ground black pepper 
• 2 T pine nuts, toasted

Directions:

1. Simmer the quinoa in the vegetable broth over low heat, until quinoa absorbs all of the liquid, about 15 minutes. Remove from heat and stir the dried cranberries in with the quinoa. Cover and set aside. 
2. Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Cut up sausage and cook until browned. Remove from skillet and set aside. 
3. Place garlic in skillet and sauté briefly until lightly translucent. Add spinach leaves and cook until spinach is wilted. Remove from heat. 
4. In a serving bowl, add sausage and spinach to the quinoa mixture and top with toasted pine nuts and black pepper to taste.

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Shiitake Mushroom Pan Gravy with Leeks

Ingredients:

• 2 T Earth Balance vegan buttery stick or Raw Coconut Oil
• 4 leeks, white and pale-green parts only, quartered, finely chopped, and rinsed well (5 cups)
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 8 ounces shiitake mushrooms, stems and caps sliced
• 1 ½ cups low-sodium vegetable stock, warmed
• 2 tsp dried sage
• 1 tablespoon fresh thyme
• ¼ c corn starch or arrowroot powder
• Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper

Directions:

1. Heat 2 tablespoons vegan butter in a large straight-sided skillet over medium heat. Add leeks and garlic. Cook until onions are translucent and tender, about 20 minutes.
2. Add mushrooms, and cook until soft, about 5 minutes. Transfer mixture to a plate, and let stand until cool, about 5 minutes. 
3. If you are making a turkey, you can also take pan drippings and add to sauté pan for flavor.
4. Whisk together 1/2 cup of warm broth and the flour in a small bowl and whisk together until smooth. Add dried sage and fresh thyme, remaining stock and pan drippings to pan, if cooking a turkey. Bring to a simmer. Whisk in flour mixture, and return to a simmer. Add mushrooms leek mixture and cook until mixture thickens, 4 to 5 minutes. Add more stock if gravy is too thick. Serve warm.

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Fennel And Roasted Beet Salad

Roasting beets just intensifies their natural sweetness and adds a hint of caramel, so they’re wonderful with crunchy fennel and the slightly sweet honey dressing. Use both red and golden beets if you can find them.

Ingredients:

• 4 medium beets
• 2 medium bulbs fennel, thinly sliced
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon stevia
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar 
• Himalayan Pink Salt and pepper

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 375F and put a baking sheet on the middle rack to warm.
2. Trim all but an inch or so of the beets’ stems. Put the beets on the baking sheet and roast until a knife easily pierces them all the way through, 30-45 minutes (depending on their size). Remove them to a plate to cool. When they’re cool enough to handle, use a paper towel to scrape off the skins. Cut the peeled beets into thin slices.
3. Slice the fennel and combine the beets and fennel in a large bowl. In a small bowl, whisk together the lemon juice, stevia, balsamic vinegar, olive oil and a sprinkling of salt and pepper.
4. Drizzle the vinaigrette over the vegetables a little at a time until the salad is coated but not drenched.
5. Add more salt and pepper to taste.

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Roasted Garlic Mashed Cauliflower 

Ingredients:

• 1 head of cauliflower, chopped into florets
• 1/2 red onion, diced
• 5 garlic cloves, chopped
• 2 Tbsp fresh parsley
• fresh chives, minced
• Himalayan Pink Salt and pepper

Directions:

1. Steam you cauliflower for about 6 minutes, until fork tender. Drain, and add them to your food processor.
2. Meanwhile, saute your onions in 1 tsp EVOO with salt and pepper.
3. Let it soften for about 6-7 minutes, and then add your garlic.
4. Allow your garlic to cook for a minute or so, and then add your onions and garlic to the food processor, along with the parsley, and more salt and pepper.
5. Puree until smooth.
6. Top with Shiitake Mushroom Pan Gravy with Leeks and fresh chopped chives.

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Maple Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Crisped Turkey Bacon
 

Ingredients:

• 2-4 big handfuls of Brussels sprouts.
• 2 tablespoons of olive oil
• 1 package of nitrite-free turkey bacon
• Himalayan Pink Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees
2. Slice each sprout in half.
3. Spread all the sprouts out on a baking pan
4. Toss with olive oil
5. Shower with coarse salt and fresh cracked pepper
6. Bake for 30 + minutes until fully roasted and soft in the middle. 
7. While the sprouts are roasting, crisp your turkey bacon in the microwave between two paper towels, high heat for about 4 minutes.
8. When the sprouts are done, toss with the bacon and serve.

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