My Favorite Thanksgiving Recipes

My brother and I cooking up the Turkey on Thanksgiving.
My brother and I cooking up the Turkey on Thanksgiving.

Before we dive into my favorite Thanksgiving dishes, I have a quick announcement: Its getting CLOSE! I only need to sell 250 copies of my Caroline Jordan Fitness coaching book in order to receive publishing. So far Im at 170 copies sold – 80 copies away from making this dream a reality. With your support, I know this book baby can come to life! I aspire to be a wellness coach that helps you keep your mind, body, and spirit in great shape so that you can LOVE your life. I believe this book will be a great resource in empowering personal and community wellness. Plus, this book makes a great holiday gift, the gift of wellness! Please visit: https://www.inkshares.com/projec…/balanced-body-breakthrough to pre-order your copy. I know this book will help readers live a healthier happier life. I hope to share “Balanced Body Breakthrough” with you in 2016 and am so grateful for your support. 

Cousin Jacque, Sister and Law Amber, and I on Thanksgiving
Cousin Jacque, Sister and Law Amber, and I on Thanksgiving

This weekend Im excited to host a very special “Friendsgiving” with some of my favorite people. Its an opportunity to come together, to celebrate friendship, and to share our personal favorite Thanksgiving recipes. Food tells a story. From childhood memories to holiday celebrations, from the happy moments to the challenging, the food that fills your life with both savory and sweet is part of the recipe that makes you unique. And when you share those recipes with someone, you are in someway sharing a part of yourself.

These recipes are a part of me. They were present at every family Thanksgiving and made with love. My mother’s glazed carrots were my all time favorite and everyone went for seconds on her sweet potato dish. And even though we might only know each other through this blog, I wanted to share them with you dear reader. Because YOU are part of my family. You are what motivates me to keep writing, to keep creating, and to keep doing work with purpose. I want you to know how much you mean to me and how grateful I am for you. Thank you for being a part of my family. Wishing you and your loved ones a very happy Thanksgiving.

Caroline’s Favorite Thanksgiving Recipes (memories made with love)

Making Sweet Potato Pecan Casserole for the Holidays
Making Sweet Potato Pecan Casserole for the Holidays

Sweet Potato Pecan Casserole
Serves 8. Gluten + Dairy Free. Delicious.

Ingredients

Cooking spray
3 1/2 pounds sweet potatoes (about 5 medium), peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks
1/3 cup honey
1 large egg
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon ground ginger
Kosher salt
1 tablespoon packed dark brown sugar
1/3 cup finely chopped pecans

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Mist an 8-inch square baking dish with cooking spray.

Bring a few inches of water to a boil in a pot with a large steamer basket in place. Put the sweet potatoes in the basket, cover and steam until tender, 20 to 25 minutes. Transfer the potatoes to a bowl and let cool slightly. Add the honey, egg, 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, the nutmeg, ginger and 1/2 teaspoon salt; whip with an electric mixer until smooth. Spread the sweet potato mixture in the prepared baking dish.

Mix the brown sugar, pecans and the remaining 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon in a bowl; sprinkle over the potatoes. Bake until hot and beginning to brown around the edges, 40 to 45 minutes.

Nutritional Info Per serving: Calories 160; Fat 4 g (Saturated 1 g); Cholesterol 25 mg; Sodium 180 mg; Carbohydrate 31 g; Fiber 3 g; Protein 3 g

Photo Credit California Walnuts
Photo Credit California Walnuts

Pomegranate Glazed Carrots

My mom’s famous carrot dish. Sometimes we even serve it at special occasions throughout the year because waiting just for Thanksgiving is too hard. Serves 6. Gluten free, dairy free, vegetarian, low sodium

INGREDIENTS

  • 1 cup pomegranate juice
  • 2 tablespoons honey
  • 1 pound carrots, peeled, cut into 1-inch diagonal slices
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon pepper, freshly ground
  • 1/2 cup California walnuts, coarsely chopped
  • 1/4 cup cranberries, dried
  • 1 tablespoon thyme, fresh, chopped

DIRECTIONS

  1. Place juice in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Cook for 15 minutes or until juice is reduced to 1/4 cup; stir in honey. (Mixture may be prepared several days ahead and stored tightly covered in the refrigerator.)
  2. While glaze is cooking, preheat oven to 400°F. Place carrots, oil, salt, and pepper on a small baking sheet; stir well to coat. Bake for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Drizzle glaze over carrots and stir to coat. Bake for 10 minutes more, stirring once or twice.
  3. Stir in walnuts and cranberries and cook for 5 minutes or until carrots are nicely glazed and reach desired tenderness. Transfer to a serving dish and sprinkle with thyme. Recipe may be doubled.

Nutritional Info:

Per Serving: Calories: 259, Fat: 9g, Saturated Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 0mg, Sodium: 133mg, Carbohydrates: 48g, Dietary Fiber: 3g, Protein: 2g

Photo credit Betty Crocker
Photo credit Betty Crocker

Pear, Pecan, and Cranberry Salad with Maple Vinaigrette. This is my all time favorite festive fall salad. My family makes it every year and I look forward to it more than dessert! (And thats saying a lot 😉 ) 

Serves 6. Gluten free, Dairy Free, HAPPY.

Ingredients:

Vinaigrette

  • ¼ cup real maple syrup or maple-flavored syrup
  • 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
  • ½ teaspoon Dijon mustard
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • ¼ teaspoon pepper
  • ¼ cup canola or vegetable oil

Salad

  • ⅓ cup pecan halves
  • 8 cups torn mixed salad greens
  • 3 medium pears, peeled, cut into wedges
  • ⅓ cup sweetened dried cranberries

Directions

  1. In small bowl, mix all vinaigrette ingredients except oil with wire whisk. Beat in oil until blended.
  2. Place pecans in 1-cup glass measuring cup. Microwave on High 2 minutes to 2 minutes 30 seconds, stirring every 30 seconds, until browned.
  3. Divide salad greens among 6 serving plates. Arrange pear wedges on greens; sprinkle with pecans and cranberries. Drizzle vinaigrette over salads.

Nutrition Information Per Serving: Calories: 240 Calories from Fat: 120 Total Fat: 14g  Saturated Fat: 1g Trans Fat: 0g Cholesterol: 0mg Sodium: 130mg Total Carbohydrate: 26g  Dietary Fiber: 5g Sugars: 18g  Protein: 2g

There you go! My all time favorite Thanksgiving recipes and an inside look at the food that tells my story. What recipes will you be bringing to Thanksgiving this year? Leave your favorite dish as a comment below, Id love to learn what ingredients make you YOU. 

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Sending lots of gratitude and all my love for a happy, healthy, Thanksgiving,

Caroline

Other Healthy Thanksgiving Posts to Check Out This Week:

 

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