Thanksgiving does NOT have to be complicated! Don't stress over dishes with a million ingredients you don't have. These 5 dishes have 5 ingredients (or less) and are super simple to make. Plus, they are super-impressive to serve to guests or take to a potluck (and no one will know how easy it was). DOUBLE PLUS - all of these recipes are vegan, low-fat, and paleo-diet friendly.
Apples, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, vanilla
This is a really great dish to make ahead of time. It’s also a great way to use up all those apples you got apple picking! Chop apples. You can use as many or as few as you want – this recipe is scalable. Leave the skins on (that’s good fiber!). Dump apples into a large stock pot with high sides. Dust the apples with cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves. Once it’s done cooking to your desired consistency (the longer you cook, the mushier the apples will be) add a dash of vanilla or two.
This is a really great dish to make ahead of time. It’s also a great way to use up all those apples you got apple picking! Chop apples. You can use as many or as few as you want – this recipe is scalable. Leave the skins on (that’s good fiber!). Dump apples into a large stock pot with high sides. Dust the apples with cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves. Once it’s done cooking to your desired consistency (the longer you cook, the mushier the apples will be) add a dash of vanilla or two.
Sweet potatoes, cinnamon, orange, pecans, honey
Roast 4 sweet potatoes in the oven at 400 degrees for 50 minutes or until easily pierced with a fork. Remove from oven and let cool enough for you to peel the skins off (they will practically fall off!). Mash sweet potatoes and add the zest and juice of an orange. Add 1 T cinnamon, 1 cup chopped pecans, and honey to taste. The sweet potatoes actually have a lot of natural sugar that is released when you roast them, so make sure to taste the mixture before you add the honey – you might like it without!
Roast 4 sweet potatoes in the oven at 400 degrees for 50 minutes or until easily pierced with a fork. Remove from oven and let cool enough for you to peel the skins off (they will practically fall off!). Mash sweet potatoes and add the zest and juice of an orange. Add 1 T cinnamon, 1 cup chopped pecans, and honey to taste. The sweet potatoes actually have a lot of natural sugar that is released when you roast them, so make sure to taste the mixture before you add the honey – you might like it without!
Green beans, sliced almonds, sliced mushrooms, onion
Steam green beans until tender, set aside. Sautee mushrooms and onions with a bit of olive oil until onions are translucent and mushrooms have deepened in color. Add green beans to mushrooms/onions and season with salt and pepper. Garnish with sliced almonds.
Steam green beans until tender, set aside. Sautee mushrooms and onions with a bit of olive oil until onions are translucent and mushrooms have deepened in color. Add green beans to mushrooms/onions and season with salt and pepper. Garnish with sliced almonds.
Butternut Squash, spinach, dried cranberries, red onion
Dice 1 butternut squash and 1 red onion and drizzle with a thin coating of olive oil and salt. Lay squash and onion in a thin layer on a cookie sheet and roast in a 400 degree oven for about 25 minutes. When it’s done, pull out of the oven and add dried cranberries and a cup of wilted spinach.
Dice 1 butternut squash and 1 red onion and drizzle with a thin coating of olive oil and salt. Lay squash and onion in a thin layer on a cookie sheet and roast in a 400 degree oven for about 25 minutes. When it’s done, pull out of the oven and add dried cranberries and a cup of wilted spinach.
Cranberries, honey, apples, pears, nutmeg
This dish is really good hot or cold and is also very easy to make a day before. Combine 1 bag of cranberries, 1 chopped apple, 1 chopped pear into a sauce pan. Add ½ t nutmeg and a little bit of water (maybe ½ c). Cover and turn heat on low. As the fruit cooks it will give off its own steam. Add honey to desired sweetness. Cranberries are really tart on their own and I’ve always found a lot of cranberry sauces to be incredibly sweet. By adding the natural sweetness from the pear and apple, the sauce still tastes really delicious but doesn’t require a ton of white sugar to make that happen!
This dish is really good hot or cold and is also very easy to make a day before. Combine 1 bag of cranberries, 1 chopped apple, 1 chopped pear into a sauce pan. Add ½ t nutmeg and a little bit of water (maybe ½ c). Cover and turn heat on low. As the fruit cooks it will give off its own steam. Add honey to desired sweetness. Cranberries are really tart on their own and I’ve always found a lot of cranberry sauces to be incredibly sweet. By adding the natural sweetness from the pear and apple, the sauce still tastes really delicious but doesn’t require a ton of white sugar to make that happen!