Pumpkins and Promises: Thanksgiving Day Menu

Goodness,
I am truly the most tech unsavvy person on the face of the planet (well, at least the parts of the planet that have access to technology, that is.)

So, if you poor blessed souls decide you want to wade through these recipes, here are some of my absolutely favorite Thanksgiving sides.

I created some pretty cool files and recipes cards that I was hoping I could put in here for you to be able to print off, but I'm comforting myself with the fact that most of us just use our phones these days, anyways.

So, if you'd like a printer friendly version, comment with your email address below and I'll send them your way. Otherwise, here they all are:

THANKSGIVING DAY MENU:

Homemade Cranberry Sauce

Wild Mushroom Gravy

Coconut Ginger Carrot

Broccoli and Cauliflower Au Gratin

Garlic Roasted Potatoes

Slow Cooker Apples

Butter Pecan Green Beans

Butternut Squash and Cranberry Quinoa Salad

Kale Salad with Pears, Feta, Pecans, and Craisins

Cheddar Biscuits

Homemade Cranberry Sauce

(borrowed from Beachbody Fixate)

2 inch slice orange peel

2 whole cloves

3 cups fresh or frozen cranberries

1/2 cup raw honey

3/4 cup water

1/2 inch slice fresh ginger peeled

Stud orange peel with cloves. Heat orange peel, honey, water, cranberries, and ginger in saucepan and bring to a gentle boil. Reduce heat to a medium-low and cook, stirring occasionally for 8-10 minutes, or until cranberries are soft and sauce has slightly thickened.

Remove from heat and discard the orange peel and ginger. Cool (if desired) and serve. Serves 10

Wild Mushroom Gravy

I love this recipe I grabbed from ohmyveggies.com. Click here to see the recipe.

Coconut Ginger Carrots

3 lbs carrots julienned

2 tablespoons coconut oil

2 tablespoons honey

1 teaspoon ground ginger

Melt coconut oil in a large wok/saucepan and add ginger and honey and mix well. Then add carrots and saute over medium heat until desired tenderness. Stir only occasionally and they will caramelize a bit. Garnish with a sprig of rosemary if desired. Serves 12.

Broccoli and Cauliflower Au Gratin

2 heads of broccoli (florets harvested)

2 heads of cauliflower (florets harvested)

1/2 cup shredded cheese of choice (Gruyere or smoked Gouda is especially festive)

Olive oil

Salt and pepper to taste

4 garlic cloves crushed

Toss florets in a mixture of 1 tablespoon olive oil, salt, pepper and garlic cloves and roast at 375F for 30 minutes. Then sprinkle with shredded cheese and serve warm.

Garlic Roasted Potatoes

3lbs red skinned potatoes (or potato of choice) chopped into bite size pieces with skin on

1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

5 cloves fresh garlic crushed

(1/2 teaspoon each of thyme and rosemary - optional)

Toss potatoes with oil and seasonings and place in a roasting pan. Roast at 375F for about 30 minutes or until potatoes are done. Loosen from bottom of pan half way through roasting time. Serve warm and enjoy. Serves 12

Slow Cooker Apples

Fill up your crockpot with apples of your choice, peeled and thickly sliced. (Wee like granny smith and pink lady.) Sprinkle with 2 teaspoons cinnamon and 1/4 teaspoon each of ginger, nutmeg, cloves and cook on low for 5 hours or until desired tenderness or on high for 3 hours. SO SO YUMMY!

If your desire them sweeter, or buttery, you can add 2 tablespoons honey and 2 tablespoons butter before beginning to cook. 

Serves 12

Butter Pecan Green Beans

3 lbs fresh or frozen green beans (just with ends snapped off)

3 tablespoons butter

1/4 cup coarsely chopped pecans

salt and pepper to taste

Steam green beans. Melt butter in saucepan and add pecans. Saute 5-6 minutes over medium heat. Then add green beans and cook to desired doneness. Season with salt and pepper as desired. Serves 12.

Butternut Squash and Cranberry Quinoa Salad 

I found this recipe last year and it was a big hit at our Thanksgiving feast. 

Kale Salad with Pears, Feta, Pecans and Craisins

5-6 cups kale, washed, de-stemmed, and broken into bite-size pieces

1/3 cup craisins

3 pears washed, and chopped into bite size pieces

1/4 cup coarsely chopped pecans/pine nuts

1/4 cup of feta cheese

1/4 cup of shredded carrot

Equal amounts of balsamic vinegar, honey, and olive oil

Place kale in salad bowl and sprinkle pears, craisins, nuts and carrots on top. Shake up vinegar, honey and olive oil and serve with the salad. Serves 12

Cheddar Biscuits

These have become a staple in our family. Hope you enjoy them as much as we do. We usually leave out the garlic. 

Happy Thanksgiving friends. I pray some of these sides can help you and your family enjoy a healthier holiday.