This thanksgiving, transform your meal into a clean, nutritious dinner to help fuel your progress and keep you on top of your diet. Let’s not use Thanksgiving as an excuse to drop the healthy eating!
Here are 5 healthy alternatives to your traditional Thanksgiving:
- Roasted Potato and Green Bean Salad with Pesto
Ingredients:
1 clove garlic
1/4 cup blanched whole almonds
1/2 cup snipped chives
1 cup coarsely chopped basil leaves
Juice of 1/2 a lemon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 to 1/2 cup olive oil
2 cups leftover roasted potatoes*
4 cups leftover green beans, cut into 1-inch pieces
Directions:
1. Pulse garlic and almonds in a food processor. Add chives, basil, lemon juice, and salt and pulse until roughly chopped. Stream in oil 1/4 cup at a time until pesto is smooth and has the consistency of mayo. Tastes for seasoning and add more salt if necessary.
2. Toss potatoes and beans with 3/4 cup pesto, reserving remaining pesto for another use. Taste and season, if necessary, and serve at room temperature.
- Curried Sweet Potato Soup
Ingredients:
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium onion, diced
1/2 teaspoon curry powder*
2 cups leftover mashed or roasted sweet potatoes
1 quart vegetable broth
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup whole milk
Greek yoghurt, for garnish
Cilantro leaves, for garnish
Directions:
1. In a medium Dutch oven, heat olive oil over a medium flame. Add onions and sauté until translucent, about 5 minutes. Stir in curry powder and sauté for another 2 minutes, until fragrant. Add sweet potatoes, broth, and salt and turn heat to high. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and cook 20 to 25 minutes, until mixture has reduced and the flavours have melded.
2. Use an immersion blender, food processor, or blender to puree mixture. Add milk and taste for seasoning. Garnish with a dollop of yoghurt and some cilantro leaves.
- Ancho Chilli Turkey Tacos with Spicy Black Beans
Ingredients:
1 onion, diced
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 (15-ounce) can diced tomatoes
1 teaspoon ancho chilli powder
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups leftover turkey breast, shredded
4 soft flour tortillas
Chopped vegetables of your choice, optional
1 cup spicy black beans, optional
Guacamole, optional
Salsa, optional
Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In a medium Dutch oven, cook onion in oil over medium heat until soft, about 5 minutes. Add tomatoes, chilli powder, cumin, and salt and simmer for 10 minutes, until the flavours have melded and tomatoes have reduced slightly. Stir in turkey and simmer until heated through about 3 more minutes.
2. Wrap tortillas in foil and warm in the oven for 10 minutes. Serve turkey in tortillas with your favourite toppings, such as veggies, black beans, guac, and salsa.
- Root Vegetable and Black Bean Chilli
Ingredients:
1 ounce dried chilli negro
1 packed cup cilantro, leaves and stems separated
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large onion, diced
2 large carrots, peeled and diced
1 tablespoon ancho chilli powder
1 tablespoon cumin
1/2 tablespoon oregano
Sea salt
1 (28-ounce) can fire-roasted tomatoes
4 cups leftover root vegetables, diced
2 cans black beans, rinsed and drained
Cayenne pepper
Sour cream, optional
Jack cheese, optional
Directions:
1. Place chillies in a bowl and submerge in boiling hot water. Soak for at least 20 minutes and up to an hour. Remove chillies from water, reserving liquids. Rinse off seeds and skin and discard with stems. Place cleaned chilli’s in a small food processor with roughly chopped cilantro stems, garlic, and 1/2 cup soaking liquids. Puree to a fine paste, adding more liquid as necessary.
2. Meanwhile heat oil in a large, lidded Dutch oven over a medium-high flame. Sauté onion and carrots until soft, about 5 minutes. Add chilli powder, cumin, oregano, and 1 teaspoon salt. Cook until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Carefully pour in tomatoes and bring to a simmer. Add root vegetables, black beans, black chilli paste, and remaining soaking liquid. Stir to combine and bring to a simmer, adding one or two cups of water if necessary. (You want a soupy consistency, as chilli will thicken as it simmers.)
3. Simmer partly covered for 20 minutes, until root vegetables are tender. Season with salt and cayenne pepper to taste and simmer for 5 more minutes.
4. Serve garnished with cilantro leaves, sour cream, and jack cheese, as desired.
- Turkey Wraps with Hummus and Avocado
Ingredients:
3 (15-ounce) cans chickpeas, rinsed and drained
4 large garlic cloves, chopped
6 tablespoons tahini
Juice of 1 1/2 lemons
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1 3/4 teaspoons salt
2 chipotle peppers in adobo, minced
2 tablespoons adobo liquids from can
1/2 cup water
1 avocado, mashed
6 medium tortillas
3 medium carrots, peeled, cut into 4-inch matchsticks
1 1/2 cups diced leftover turkey breast
2 cups sliced radishes
1/4 pound baby arugula
Directions:
1. In a small food processor, combine chickpeas, garlic, tahini, juice of 1 lemon, cumin, paprika, and 1 1/2 teaspoons salt. Puree, adding water to reach your desired consistency. Spoon hummus into a bowl and mix in chipotles and 1 tablespoon adobo liquids. Taste for seasoning and add more adobo liquids as desired.
2. In a small mixing bowl, combine avocado with remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt and juice of 1/2 a lemon.
3. Spread a large spoonful of hummus on half of each tortilla and cover the other half with a spoonful of avocado mixture. Reserve extra hummus (you should have about 1 cup left) for another use. Divide carrots, turkey, radishes, and arugula between tortillas, placing them in the centre of each. Fold in the top and bottom sides of each tortilla, then fold in one of the sides length-wise and roll, making sure the top and bottom stay tucked.
