Seven tips for a healthy and happy Thanksgiving Its that time of year again - one of my fave times of year, actually: Thanksgiving! The day to fill with food, family, and friends. Are you excited? I know I am! In the spirit of making life beautiful, lets chat a bit about how we can makeover the traditional Thanksgiving to make it the best day ever. Here are seven strategies to help you ditch the stress, health it up, keep it delicious, and find gratitude and thanks in the smallest of things. 1. Stuff it You want that delicious low carb stuffing. I know you do - who wouldnt? But, traditional stuffing chockful of refined grains and gluten is so 1973. Switch it up for a healthy whole grain version that wont cause you to bloat, crash, and generally feel all icky. Instead of bread, use brown rice or kasha (roasted buckwheat). This recipe for brown rice and mushroom stuffing by Fat Free Vegan is one of my favorites. Recipe:Tofu Stuffed with Brown Rice and Mushroom Dressing The Tofu 1 pound extra firm tofu (hard Asian tofu is best) 1 cup vegetable broth (I used No-Chicken broth by Imagine Foods) 1/4 tsp. sesame oil 1 1/2 tbsp. soy sauce 1 tsp. minced garlic 1/4 tsp. poultry seasoning (or blend of ground thyme and sage) Cut the tofu in half through the middle (hard tofu will already be cut). Then cut each of the halves in triangles by cutting down through the top on the diagonal. (Yes, my favorite knife is purple.) Turn the triangles cut-side down, and cut in half to form eight equal triangles. Using a slender knife, carefully cut around the edges of the long side of each triangle, about 1/4 inch away from the edge. Be sure to hold the knife at the same angle as the edge of the tofu to avoid cutting through the outside of the tofu. Make your cuts as deep as you can without risking cutting through the outside wall. Making additional cuts in a grid pattern helps in getting the tofu out. Use a spoon (a grapefruit spoon works great here) to remove the tofu from the middle of each triangle. Go as deep as you can, being careful to keep the pouch intact. Set aside the tofu that you take out of the middle–you can use it in the gravy. Put the tofu pouches in a shallow pan that will hold all of them on their sides. Mix the broth with the remaining ingredients and pour it over the tofu, making sure that some goes into the pouches. Marinate for at least 30 minutes; then carefully turn the tofu over and marinate the other side for 30 minutes or more. When the rice is done, proceed with stuffing. Brown Rice and Mushroom Dressing 1 large onion, chopped 1 rib celery, chopped 2 tsp. garlic, minced 6 ounces mushrooms, chopped 1 1/2 tsp. thyme 1/2 tsp. rubbed sage 1/2 tsp. rosemary 1/8 tsp. black pepper 1 cup long-grain brown rice 2 1/2 cups water 1 tsp. salt (optional) 1/3 cup chopped fresh parsley Spray a large, non-stick pot with canola oil and set it on medium-high heat. Add the onions and celery, and cook until the onions start to become translucent, about 3 minutes. Add the garlic, mushrooms, herbs, and rice and sauté for another minute. Add the water and salt and cover tightly. Turn the heat very low and cook for about 45 minutes, or until rice is tender and water is mostly absorbed. Resist opening the lid until 45 minutes have passed! Stuffing the Tofu Preheat the oven to 400 F. Drain the marinade from the tofu and reserve it. Add the parsley and 1/4 cup of the marinade to the rice and stir. Spray two medium-sized baking dishes with non-stick spray. Using a small spoon, gently stuff each piece of tofu with as much rice as you can fit in. Stand the stuffed tofu in one of the two baking dishes. Put the remaining rice dressing in the other dish. Put both dishes into the oven and bake until the tofu is becoming light brown, about 35 minutes. Watch closely to make sure it doesn’t burn on the bottom. Serve atop additional rice dressing with gravy (recipe below), if desired. Serves 4. Tofu Stuffed with Brown Rice and Mushroom Dressing Tofu-Mushroom Gravy This can be made without the tofu or mushrooms, if you choose. 1 small onion, minced extra tofu from making Stuffed Tofu 1 clove garlic, minced 5 mushrooms, sliced 1/4 cup unbleached white flour (or gluten-free flour of choice) tofu marinade about 1 1/4 cups vegetable broth 1/2 cup plain soymilk 1 tsp. poultry seasoning 1 tsp. thyme 1 tbsp. nutritional yeast 1/8 tsp. Liquid Smoke seasoning salt and pepper, to taste Add enough vegetable broth to the reserved marinade to make 2 cups of liquid. Spray a non-stick sauce pan with canola oil. Add the onion and sauté for about 3 minutes. Add the tofu and garlic, and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add the mushrooms and cook until they exude their juices. Stir in the flour and cook for about 3 minutes, stirring constantly. Slowly stir in the vegetable broth mixture. Add the remaining ingredients and cook, stirring, until mixture thickens, about 5 to 10 minutes. 2. Give those mash potatoes a twist Mashed potatoes full of cream cheese, butter, and salt are a traditional Thanksgiving fan favourite. But theyre also full of saturated fat, calories, and sodium, while being low in nutritional value. This year, enjoy a creamy, fluffy mash while stealthily sneaking those you love tons of vitamins, minerals, and other such goodies. Instead of white potatoes, use cauliflower. Not ready for a totaly switch over? Substitute some of the potatoes for cauliflower. Also try using sweet potatoes for a healthier and more colourful version on the white potato. Skip the cream cheese and butter for cashews, avocado, or even coconut cream. Cheesy cauliflower mash: Portabello steaks 4 portabello mushrooms, stems removed Balsamic vinegar (is this raw? I dont think so...feel free to omit this if not) 1/3 red onion Olive oil Cayenne Salt Slice mushrooms into four or five. Slice onion thinly, separate rings. Mix all ingredients together in a bowl, until mushrooms are well coated. Spread on teflex/paraflex sheet on dehydrator tray. Dehydrate at 118F for 2 hours. If you have more time, I would marinate and/or dehydrate the mushroom/onion mix for longer...Like marinate for an hour and dehydrate for 3 hours to really soften. Cauliflower mashed potatoes 2/3 cauliflower head 1c cashews, soaked 1-2T nutritional yeast water, as needed garlic (optional), to taste rosemary, to taste Wash the cauliflower well and chop. I didnt really chop mine, and it wouldve been way easier if I had. Put in food processor with other ingredients, except water. Process, adding a little bit of water at a time until desired consistency is reached. Serve with a nice green salad and enjoy! (Serves 2) 3. Healthy desserts are a sweet deal Where would any feast be without the desserts? For Thanksgiving, with its undertones of fall harvest and bounty, the dessert is typically focused on apples and pumpkins and cinnamon sprinkled on everything. Heres the crazy thing though...all those ingredients are unbelievably healthy and good for us! Instead of covering up their natural goodness with sugar and flour and other things that drag their health superpowers down, enhance them with delicious desserts that are as great for your tastebuds as they are for your health! Baked spiced apples: Spiced stuffed baked apples empire apples, cored all the way through (I used a corer and it was so so easy. and then i scraped a bit at the sides with the corer to make the hole bigger.I saved those non-core apple bits for the mix) pecans cranberries, fresh or frozen cinnamon chopped apple from when you hollowed the apples out maple syrup (optional) Preheat oven at 425F Place hollowed out apples in a baking dish mix pecans, cranberries, chopped apple, cinnamon and a bit of maple syrup (I used very little) stuff apples with the mix to the top Bake in oven until soft Serve with almond cream or just enjoy on their own. Raw apple pie on a pecan crust: Spiced apple pie pecan pie crust (made with an additional 1/2tsp nutmeg) 3 apples (gala, or whichever tickles your fancy), thinly sliced thinned date paste 1 tsp cinnamon 1 tsp nutmeg 1 tsbp lemon juice (to add a pleasant tartness and to keep the apples from browning) 1 tbsp coconut oil toss apple slices with remaining ingredients until evenly coated press base into springform pan top with coated apple slices let chill in fridge serve with almond cream, coconut cream or vanilla ice cream. Pumpkin mousse pie: To make pumpkin mousse 2c pumpkin, pureed 1 1/2c cashews, soaked 6 tbsp coconut oil 1/4c water 1/4c agave nectar pecan pie crust (made with an additional 1/2tsp nutmeg) Enjoy! 4. Breathe in , breathe out, enjoy In theory, holidays are relaxing: long weekends filled with love - what could be more chill than that? In practice, however, they can actually be quite stressful with family drama, preparing a million dishes, and fitting in a ton of shopping into your already super packed schedule. This Thanksgiving, take the time to de-stress so that you can fully enjoy all the great things in the day. Take timeouts to breathe deeply and remind yourself of what the day is about: good friends, family, and love. 5. Make sides the main focus Go side crazy to boost the flavor, color, variety, and healthfulness of your Thanksgiving feast. Also, if any of your guests have allergies or eating preferences, you can really customize a meal through sides and make sure theres something for everyone. Oven roasted veggies are always a seasonally spectacular hit. Also try a quinoa salad, a cauliflower tabbouleh, and a lentil carrot salad. Quinoa Salad: 2/3 cup brown quinoa, cooked 1 can chick peas, drained and rinsed well 1 avocado chopped 1/2 cucumber, chopped 2 tomatoes, chopped 1/2 can black olives, sliced pinch salt pinch cayenne Mix all ingredients together and dress with an olive oil/balsamic vinagrette or miso dressing. miso dressing 1 tbsp mellow yellow miso 2 tbsp olive oil 3 tbsp water (mix well) Cauliflower couscous Using cauliflower as a grain replacement is super easy and amazingly delicious. Simply chop the cauliflower up and then throw it in a food processor and pulse it until its in super small pieces. Raw tabbouleh Cauliflower couscous made from one cauliflower 2 tomatoes, chopped 1 avocado, chopped 1/2 cucumber, chopped 1 medium carrot, julienned 1/2 red onion, diced Coriander, chopped 3 cloves, garlic, minced the juice from 3 limes Chilli pepper flakes, to taste Mix all the ingredients together in a large bowl. Add a generous sprinkle of pumpkin seeds and enjoy right away or let it sit for a couple of hours to overnight for the best flavor (the flavors and the dressing will mix nicely and marinate the cauliflower). Lentil Carrot Salad: To make 2 cups green lentils, cooked, rinsed and drained 1 cup carrots, grated (using the grating disc of a food processor) 1/2 c parsley or corriander, chopped 1/2 cup chives, chopped 1/4 cup lemon juice olive oil, dash hot sauce or cayenne pepper, to taste sea salt, to taste Mix everything together and enjoy a satisfying, hearty and unbelievably tasty dish. For an extra treat, add some sundried olives and chopped sundried tomatoes and serve on a bed of greens. 6. Skip the salt The last thing Thanksgiving needs is more of that post-meal bloat. Instead of salt, use spices and herbs to add flavor. 7. Give thanks...like, actually Gratitude builds and strengthens relationships and promotes well-being and happiness. This Thanksgiving take a moment to feel grateful for the people in your life just for them being there, and for the little things in life that make it awesome. Think it, write it down, or say it - whichever you choose, really mean it. Have a beautiful and healthy Thanksgiving Holiday!!!
Posted on: Mon, 18 Nov 2013 17:48:57 +0000