Written by
Karen Roth, MSNC
Karen is a Certified Nutrition Consultant with a Master’s Degree in Holistic Nutrition. She enjoys sharing her knowledge to empower her clients to take control of their health with food and lifestyle choices.
Fall is here and there’s nothing I look forward to more than Thanksgiving turkey and all of the delicious sides dishes. Even though I never eliminate the traditional mashed potatoes and gravy, I do like to add a side or two that are healthy and bright colored to make the table look magnificent! The following are a few of my tried-and-true, healthy Thanksgiving side dishes that don’t get pushed aside.
Popular Thanksgiving Sides
Cranberry Relish
INGREDIENTS:
- 12 oz. of fresh or frozen cranberries
- 1 med. organic apple, chopped
- 1 organic pear, chopped
- ½ cup of raw honey
- 1 Tbsp. of pure horseradish (without high fructose corn syrup)
DIRECTIONS:
- Chop cranberries very fine or use a mini food processor for easier chopping.
- Chop the apple and pear into ½-inch cubes.
- Combine all ingredients and mix well.
- Chill until ready to serve.
Sweet Potato Casserole
INGREDIENTS:
- 3 lbs. of sweet potatoes, peeled and quartered
- 1 Tbsp. of melted butter
- ⅔ cup of fat free half-and-half
- ⅓ cup of Swerve or Trader Joe’s Allulose (sugar-free, calorie-free natural sweeteners)
- 1 tsp. of vanilla
- 1 tsp. of ground cinnamon
- ½ tsp. of allspice
- ¼ cup of dried coconut flakes
- ¼ cup of chopped walnuts
DIRECTIONS:
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
- Place the sweet potatoes in a large pot with water, and cover.
- Bring to a boil, and boil for 15 minutes or until tender.
- Drain the potatoes.
- While the potatoes are cooking, combine the butter, half-and-half, Swerve / Allulose, vanilla, cinnamon, and allspice in a small bowl.
- Spoon the potatoes into an 8” X 8” baking dish coated with olive oil.
- Pour the half-and-half mixture evenly over the potatoes and mash slightly leaving the potatoes somewhat lumpy. Bake for 20 minutes.
- Remove from oven, and top with the coconut and walnuts.
- Return to the oven for 5 minutes until coconut browns.
Asparagus-Mushroom Stir Fry
INGREDIENTS:
- 2 bunches of fresh asparagus
- 8 oz. package of Crimini mushrooms
- 1 Tbsp. of avocado oil
- ½ tsp. of Chinese five spice
- ½ tsp. of Gateway to the North Maple Garlic Seasoning*
DIRECTIONS:
- Snap off the tough ends of the asparagus spears, rinse and then cut at an angle into 1-inch pieces.
- Cut off a small part of the stems of the mushrooms if they appear to be dry, but don’t remove the stems. With a paring knife, peel off the top layer of the mushroom caps and slice into quarters.
- Heat avocado oil in a skillet over medium to high heat.
- Add the asparagus and mushrooms, sprinkle with seasonings, and stir fry until mushrooms become soft but asparagus is still firm.
*Find this Maple Garlic seasoning at The Spice House.
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