With thanksgiving around the corner, I thought it would be a good time to share some of my favourite sides for a balanced Thanksgiving dinner. A hearty winter salad with bites of sweet cranberries paired with creamy cauliflower mash and some garlicky roasted veggies make for the perfect pairing to your turkey and fixings.

I have only cooked Turkey twice in my life and don’t have plans to do it again. Once, when my in-laws visited us in Brooklyn and we had a new born baby, my husband convinced me to try and brine the turkey first . . . the combo of the brine and my exhaustion equaled a total fail. The second time was when I made Christmas dinner for 50 people at my restaurant in Beijing - that one was a total success, but I made enough Turkey in that one day to never needing to make it again! Luckily, Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners are more my mom’s time to shine than mine, so it’s always fun when she makes the bird and I make the sides.

Most years mom does the entire meal, and I’m grateful to just show up and chow down.

I don’t know about you, but I’m a sucker for traditions. & Thanksgiving dinner is one of them. I love turkey, gravy, stuffing and all the trimmings! But I also love to FEEL GOOD the next day. I find that if the core elements are there, but you make the sides vegan and healthy, it all comes together in balanced perfection.

And for all my vegan friends out there, you could just eat these 3 sides and have an absolutely delicious meal!

I not only like making the sides, because they are the dishes I love to prepare, but because that’s what I find easiest. I am trying really hard to go easy where I can these days.

Thanksgiving Kale Salad

This salad is pretty much the same recipe for our Kale me Crazy salad. It’s the salad I have been making for 10 years that just never goes out of style! I carve it out in the winter months and love how the sweetness of cranberries and sweet potatoes compliment the zip of garlic and dijon. It’s the salad I eat the most cause it’s delicious and filling, and I always feel sexy afterwards!

INGREDIENTS

For the Salad

• 1 head of curly kale
• 1 carrot, spiralized or julienned
• 1 sweet potato, cubed and roasted
• 1 cup cooked quinoa (optional)
• 1/2 cup dried cranberries
• 1/2 cup chopped nuts or seeds

For the dressing

• 1/2 cup avocado oil or olive oil
• 1 Tbsp Dijon mustard
• 1 tsp maple syrup (more to taste)
• 1 clove garlic, crushed
• Juice of 1 lemon, divided into halves
• Salt and pepper

DIRECTIONS

• This salad actually tastes better the next day, once all the flavours have a chance to marinate together.
• Preheat the oven to 400°F. Cube the sweet potato, toss with oil, salt, and pepper, then roast for 30 minutes, flipping halfway through. While cooking, prepare 1/2 cup uncooked quinoa (yields 1 cup). Once both are done, move to a salad bowl and let cool in the fridge.
• De-stem the kale and rip into pieces. Wash, place in a bowl, add half the lemon juice and a good sprinkle of salt. Massage the kale until it reduces to about half the volume.
• Combine with the cooled quinoa, sweet potato, and carrots.
• Mix up the salad dressing and toss with the salad.
• Top with chopped nuts and dried cranberries.

This salad stores in the fridge for up to 5 days.

Consider making a double batch so in the days after thanksgiving you can pair it with a little left over turkey for the perfect lunch!!

Creamy Cauliflower Mash

This has become my husband’s favourite side dish for many meals. He really doesn’t like regular or sweet potatoes, and prefers not to eat pasta or rice. So this recipe serves as the base to many pasta sauces and the side dish to many meals. Cauliflower is having her 15 minutes of fame right now . . . and for good reason! That girl is sexy!

This recipe is enough for 4 small servings.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 head of cauliflower, cut into florets
• 1 small clove of garlic
• 1/4 cup nutritional yeast
• 3 Tbsp vegan butter, divided
• Splash of nut milk
• Sprinkle of onion powder
• Salt
• Pepper

DIRECTIONS

• Steam the chopped cauliflower until fork tender.
• Add the steamed cauliflower and half of the butter into a high-speed blender and blend just until smooth.
• Leave in the blender with the lid on until ready to serve to keep warm.
• Top with the remaining butter and serve.

Roasted Brussel Sprouts and Green Beans

I was missing out on brussel sprouts my entire life! I only just discovered their delightfulness a few years ago. Perhaps had I been exposed to them in my youth I would not have such a deep love for them now, but either way, they are definitely in my top 10 sexy veggies. My hubby and I love to enjoy this for a lazy Sunday lunch, topped with a poached egg, or a cozy Friday night at home served over a bed of ceasar salad and topped with crunchy croutons.

INGREDIENTS

Makes a side dish for 4-5 people

• 1/2 pound brussels sprouts, ends trimmed and quartered
• 1/2 pound green beans, trimmed
• 4 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1 Tbsp avocado oil or olive oil
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 1 Tbsp sesame seeds (or pine nuts, or slivered almonds)
• Salt
• Pepper

DIRECTIONS

• Heat oven to 400°C.
• Place your baking sheet in the oven to preheat (my trick for perfectly roasted veggies!).
• Toss all your ingredients in a bowl to coat evenly.
• Once the oven is hot, carefully remove the pan and add your veggies. Enjoy the sizzle!
• Bake for about 15 minutes, tossing halfway through. Taste and cook longer if you prefer them crispier.

This dish lasts in the fridge for a few days. I like to reheat it in the oven to keep some crisp and they taste great with some left over turkey or a poached egg for the perfect lunch - along with a handfull of leafy greens to really up the health junkie anti.

Enjoy and happy Thanksgiving!

XO, Andrea