Thanksgiving Day side dish extravaganza!
Whether you choose to make one or all five, you can't lose with any of these side dishes amped up with new flavor without losing tradition. Don't forget my
Apricot & Salt Chocolate Tart for dessert!
Biscuits with Persimmon Cranberry Butter
Biscuits
makes
8 biscuits
2 cups
all-purpose flour
1 tbl
organic cane sugar
2 tsp baking
powder
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp
baking soda
¼ cup
vegetable shortening, chilled, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
¼ cup vegan
butter, chilled, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
¾ cup almond
milk
Preheat oven
to 375 degrees.
In a large
bowl add the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and baking soda. Cut in
shortening and butter until they are pea sized. Add in almond milk and mix with
your hands until dough is formed but do not over mix or biscuits will be tough.
Roll out to 1” thick on a floured surface and cut into 2” circles.
Place the
biscuits in a greased 9” pie pan, packed tightly. This will help the biscuits
rise up instead of out.
Lightly
spray the tops with oil and bake for 15-20 minutes until golden brown on the
bottom and cooked on the inside.
Persimmon Cranberry Butter
2 small
persimmons, peeled, roughly chopped
12 oz fresh
(or frozen and thawed) cranberries
1/2 cup
maple syrup
1/3 cup
water, plus more
Pinch of sea
salt
Combine all
of the ingredients and bring to a simmer. Cook for 15 minutes until the fruit
has broken down and the water has been absorbed.
Transfer to
a blender or food processor along with 3 tbl of water and blend until smooth.
Bring back
to the stove and simmer over low heat for 10 more minutes, stirring often so it
doesn’t burn.
Creamed Corn
serves 4
1 tbl extra
virgin olive oil
½ small
yellow onion, small dice
1 tsp fresh
thyme leaves
10 oz fresh
or frozen corn kernels
Salt and
pepper
1 ¼ cup
coconut milk
¾ cup
vegetable broth
Sweat the
onion in olive oil until soft and translucent, 5 minutes. Add the thyme, corn
and season with salt and pepper. Add the coconut milk and broth and simmer for 20-25
minutes until the mixture is thick, stirring often. Taste and adjust
seasonings.
Roasted
Brussel Sprouts with Pecans & Cranberries
serves
4
2 cups
brussel sprouts, halved
2 tbl extra
virgin olive oil
1 tsp garlic
powder
½ tsp red
pepper flakes
Salt and
pepper
¼ cup
toasted pecans, roughly chopped
¼ cup dried
cranberries
Preheat the
oven to 375.
Toss the
brussel sprouts with the remaining ingredients and roast on a baking sheet for
20 minutes until the outer leaves are crispy and browned.
Toss with
toasted pecans and cranberries.
Sweet Potato
& Plantain Mash with Brown Sugar Crumble
serves 4- 6
2 large
sweet potatoes, peeled, medium dice
2
yellow/black plantains, medium dice
3 tbl
coconut oil
Salt and
pepper
2 cups
all-purpose flour
2 cups
organic light brown sugar, packed
1 cup
toasted pecans, roughly chopped
1 tsp
cinnamon
½ tsp ground ginger
½ tsp salt
1 cup vegan
butter, cold and cubed
Preheat the
oven to 350.
Combine the
sweet potato and plantains in a pot of cold, lightly salted water and bring to
a boil. Cook until the potatoes are tender. Drain.
Mash with
coconut oil and season with salt and pepper. Spread the mash into an 8x8
casserole dish.
Combine the
flour, sugar, pecans, cinnamon, ginger and salt in a medium bowl. Cut in the
butter and mix with your hands or forks until the butter is pea sized and the
mixture is clumpy and moist. Top the potato mixture with the crumble and bake for 20
minutes until golden brown.
"Deviled Eggs"
12 small yukon golds, peeled and halved
1 heaping tbl black salt**
1/2 cup vegan mayonnaise
2 tbl olive oil
1 tbl turmeric
1 tsp dijon mustard
2 scallions, minced, green parts only
1/4 tsp dried dill
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/8 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper
paprika for dusting
Combine
the potatoes, black salt and cold water in a small pot and bring to a
boil. Cook until tender but not falling apart. Drain and rinse with cold
water to stop the cooking.
Combine the remaining ingredients except the paprika in a food processor and puree until smooth.
Scoop out a small hole in each potato and add that potato to the food processor. Puree until smooth.
Pipe each potato with filling and dust with paprika.
**Black
salt can be found at specialty food stores like Whole Foods. It has a
very sulfuric quality and actually sort of smells like rotten eggs. I
have had a container of it in my cabinet for months now and never knew
what the heck to use it with. Once I decided to try to make deviled
eggs, it only made sense to try to impart some of that flavor into the
potatoes. I really believe that these would definitely not taste as
true to the taste without this secret ingredient.
