5 Recipes for a Healthy Thanksgiving

Two words often come to mind in November:

Thankful AND Healthy.

And this month’s Feeding MaxWell Challenge will show you how to combine both!

November Feeding MaxWell Challenge:

Exercise mindful eating with gratitude towards each food eaten on Thanksgiving day. Pause for a moment to fully enjoy each food used in your dishes and be thankful for the ways in which it can nourish, heal, and protect your body and mind.

S T A R T E R

Cranberry Olive Spread and Crackers

Be thankful for vitamin C and antioxidants from CRANBERRIES

Spread Ingredients:
1 1/2 cup dried cranberries
1 10 oz jar kalamata olives
1 10 oz jar green olives
1 3.5 oz jar capers
3 cloves garlic, peeled
Pinch of black pepper
Lemon juice from 1/2 lemon

Directions:
Combine all ingredients in food processor and process until finely chopped. Scoop into serving bowl reserving 1/2 cup of olive cranberry mixture for crackers.

Crackers Ingredients:
1/2 cup olive cranberry spread
1 cup oat flour
1/2 tsp ground rosemary
2 Tbs olive oil
Pinch of sea salt

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Combine all ingredients plus 2 Tbs water in large bowl. Stir until combined and dough ball forms. Place dough ball on parchment paper. Top it with another piece of parchment paper. Roll the dough into a thin layer using a rolling pin, about 1/8 inch thick. Remove the top piece of parchment paper and use a knife or pizza cutter to score the crackers into 1x 2 inch rectangles. Move the parchment paper and dough onto a baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes.

Remove baking sheet from oven, separate and spread out crackers on pan, return to oven and bake for 15 minutes more or until all crackers are crisp. Crackers on the edge may need to be removed from oven before crackers in the middle.

Cooking times will vary depending on thickness of crackers.

S I D E

Parsnip Mash

Be thankful for soluble and insoluble fiber from PARSNIPS

Ingredients:
4 medium parsnips
1 head cauliflower
3 sprigs fresh rosemary
4 sprigs fresh thyme
1 can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
1 tsp garlic powder
1 Tbs olive oil
Sea salt and pepper to taste
Lemon juice from 1/2 lemon

Directions:
Peel and slice the parsnips into 1/4 inch thick rounds. Place parsnips in steamer basket and steam 15 minutes. While parsnips steam, prepare the cauliflower into florets. Once the parsnips have cooked for 15 minutes, add the cauliflower florets to the parsnips and steam both for 15 more minutes until soft.

While the parsnips and cauliflower steam, finely chop the fresh rosemary and thyme leaves.

Once the parsnips and cauliflower are soft, remove from steamer basket and place in food processor and pulse a few times. Add beans, garlic powder, olive oil, chopped rosemary & thyme, and sea salt & pepper. Squeeze in lemon juice and process and blend until smooth.

S I D E

Green Beans with Onion Sprinkles

Be thankful for vitamin A from GREEN BEANS

Ingredients:
1Tbs + 1 tsp olive oil
16 oz bag green beans
1 tsp garlic powder
1/4 cup chopped dried onion
1 Tbs fig balsamic vinegar

Directions:
Warm 1 Tbs oil in skillet over medium heat. Add green beans and sauté for 5-7 minutes. Remove pan from eye and pour in 1/2 cup water. Return to eye, cover with lid, and cook for about 8 minutes until green beans are just tender.

Remove lid, reduce heat to low-medium and let any remaining water cook out of skillet. Drizzle in 1 tsp olive oil and sprinkle in garlic powder and dried onion. Toss to coat.

Remove from heat and drizzle fig balsamic vinegar over green beans and serve.

M A I N

Herbed Turkey Breast Roast

Be thankful for protein from TURKEY

Ingredients:

4-6 lb boneless turkey breast roast
2 sprigs fresh sage
2 sprigs fresh rosemary
4 sprigs fresh thyme
2 Tbs olive oil
Juice from 1 lemon
Sea salt and pepper to taste
1-3 cups vegetable broth

Directions:
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Remove leaves of sage, rosemary, and thyme from stems. Finely chop leaves and discard stems. Place turkey breast in roasting pan. Brush roast with olive oil and lemon juice. Rub chopped herbs, salt, and pepper on skin of roast. Pour vegetable broth in bottom of pan. Place lemon wedges in pan with turkey breast.

Roast the turkey breast for 1 hour and 45 minutes to 2 hours and 30 minutes until thermometer reads 165 degrees.

Remove from oven, cover pan with foil, and let stand for 10 minutes. Slice and serve.

D E S S E R T

Pecan Crusted Roasted Apples

Be thankful for healthy monounsaturated fats from PECANS

3 apples
1/2 cup chopped pecans
1/2 cup rolled oats
2 Tbs pecan butter
2 Tbs maple syrup
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp vanilla extract
Sea salt to taste

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Core apples and slice in half. Place apple halves on parchment-lined baking sheet.

In a small bowl, stir together pecans, oats, pecan butter, maple syrup, cinnamon, vanilla extract, and sea salt. Top each apple half with pecan oat mixture. Roast in oven for 25-30 minutes.

Watch me prepare this dish below!

Recipes © 2020 Aubrey H. Moore, DCN, RDN

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