Monday, November 23, 2009

Clean Eating Thanksgiving

Harvest Stuffing

Ingredients:
  • 1 pound whole-wheat Italian bread or Ezekial bread, cut into 1-inch pieces
  • 3/4 cup organic walnuts, coarsely chopped
  • 2/3 cup dried cranberries
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1/3 cup onion flakes
  • 1 medium celery stalk with leaves, chopped fine (about 1/2 cup)
  • 8 ounces shiitake mushrooms, cleaned, stems removed and caps chopped, optional
  • 1 medium Granny Smith apple, cored and diced
  • 1/4 cup fresh parsley
  • 1/2 to 1 tablespoon sage
  • 2 tablespoon fresh thyme
  • 1 teaspoon sea salt
  • 1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
  • 3 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth


Place bread on a rimmed baking sheet and bake at 400°, tossing occasionally, until crisp, about 10 minutes. Transfer to a large bowl along with walnuts and dried cranberries.

In a large nonstick skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Add celery and mushrooms. Cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables have softened (about 5 minutes). Add apple and continue to cook until almost tender (about 5 minutes). Remove from heat and season with salt, pepper, parsley, onion flakes, sage and thyme.

Add celery and mushroom mixture to bowl with bread mixture; stir to combine. Add enough of the broth to thoroughly moisten the bread mixture without soaking it (there shouldn't be any excess broth in the bottom of the bowl). Spoon stuffing into a 2-quart casserole dish, cover with foil, and bake 20 minutes. Uncover, mist the top of the stuffing with olive-oil spray, if desired, and bake until golden brown, about 15 minutes more.

To cook in turkey: Moisten the bread mixture with only 1 1/2 cups of the chicken broth and spoon half of the mixture into the turkey; cook turkey as preferred. For the rest of the bread mixture, add more of the broth to moisten, being careful not to soak (see above).

Transfer the remaining stuffing to a 1-quart baking dish or 8-by-8-inch baking pan. Cover with foil and proceed as above.

Makes 16 servings. Serving size 1/2 cup.

Nutrition per Serving: Calories 164, Fat 6 grams, Protein 5 grams, Sodium 419 mg, Carbohydrates 23 grams, Fiber 2 grams



Roasted Carrots with Cardamom


Roasting these carrots with only a bit of Earth Balance and some cardamom gives them a rich, nutty flavor that belies how healthy they are. A single serving gives you over 600 percent of the daily recommendation for vitamin A!

Ingredients:
  • 4 teaspoons Earth Balance, melted
  • 2 teaspoons canola or coconut oil
  • 1 teaspoon ground cardamom
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 2 pounds carrots, peeled and cut diagonally into 1/4-inch-thick slices

Position rack in lower third of oven; preheat to 450°F.


Combine Earth Balance, oil, cardamom and salt in a medium bowl. Add carrots and toss well to coat. Spread evenly on a rimmed baking sheet. Roast the carrots, stirring twice, until tender and golden, about 30 minutes. Serve immediately.


Nutrition Per serving : 138 Calories; 7 g Fat; 3 g Sat; 2 g Mono; 10 mg Cholesterol; 20 g Carbohydrates; 2 g Protein; 6 g Fiber; 430 mg Sodium; 652 mg Potassium

Raw Foodies, here's one for you:

Fruitcake Balls



Ingredients:
  • 1/2 cup coconut oil, melted at a low temperature
  • 1/2 cup agave or honey
  • 1 cup dried apricots
  • 1 cup dried figs, chopped
  • 1/2 cup raisins, chopped
  • 1/2 cup dried cherries, chopped
  • 1 cup organic walnuts, chopped
  • 1 teaspoon grated orange peel
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 1/2 teaspoon Himalayan sea salt
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • dash ground cloves
  • 2 cups ground almonds or nut of choice
  • 1/4 cup dried coconut

In a large mixing bowl, whisk coconut oil and agave together. Add fruits and walnuts, orange peel, vanilla, salt, and spices. Mix to blend thoroughly. Let stand for several hours to let flavors blend. Add ground almonds and mix in until well blended. Shape into small balls. Roll in coconut shreds. Store in tightly covered container in refrigerator, separating layers with waxed paper.

Nutrition per Serving: Calories 109, Fat 5 grams, Protein 1 gram, Sodium 48 mg, Carbohydrates 16 grams, Fiber 2 grams


I hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving with your family and friends!

Nicole

11 comments:

Abbys Vegan Eats said...

I am loving your roasted carrot recipe. Thanks for sharing!! :)

Averie @ Averie Cooks said...

FRUITCAKE balls. I used to actually hate fruitcake but I recently started liking it. If it's done right. Those balls are lovely hodgepodge of dried fruit and I have to say, they look amazing!!!!!!!

Question and you may not even know...but what does this mean:
cream coconut oil and agave until fluffy.

What?

They say to melt it, then to cream it. Huh?

Oil is oil, it's not gonna "cream" like dairy/stick of butter would. OR am I totally missig some raw cooking secret?

BTW been thinking bout you alot the past 24 hrs. God Nicole. Hugs.

oxox

TheFitnessFreak said...

When I out the agave in with the coconut oil it kind of hardened up a little. I didn't beat it until it was fluffy so I may just take that out. I actually think I'll just mix it by hand next time : )

Thanks Averie, it's been a long road.

Nicole

Mini Baker said...

mmm the roasted carrots look awesome! SO healthy!-Mini Baker

Girl on Raw said...

Great recipes. I cannot wait to try them (when I finally get my kitchen back and stop living out of hotel rooms!).

Love your blog :)

Mom on the Run said...

I wanted to try a new carrot recipe. Thanks for sharing! I love cardamon!

Lele said...

Ooh, I'm intrigued with the cardamom recipe! I kind of have a crush on cardamom right now, hahaha.

Lizzie M. said...

They all sound soooo good, especially the carrots!

TheFitnessFreak said...

I've had a crush on cardamom ever since I made the most delicious cardamom bread. I even one first place at the fair for it : ) I'm glad you all like the recipe, it's a keeper!

Anonymous said...

Great blog - found it through Averie's. I adore stuffing! Happy T-Day to you in the States (I live in Canada). I started my own blog and am always looking for great readers! Add me to your 'Roll' if you have one (...and if you read my site...or like it haha :)

ReneƩ DeLano said...

Your recipes look amazing! love the stuffing & carrots too! amazing! I am going to try the roasted carrots!

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