Heavy holiday foods are so…yesterday. Trade the overstuffed feeling for satisfied and comfortable, and the holidays won’t derail your wellness efforts. Here’s a lighter recipe my family made last year for Thanksgiving, and it was a big hit—not to mention it offers up a great dose of vegetables and antioxidants! I’m grateful for many people, privileges and things this year and always, including you and this meaningful work that I love. In the tradition of Thanksgiving, I’d love to share some of the beautiful wisdom from Thich Nhat Hanh. He closes his book How to Eat with five contemplations that capture the spirit of the season:
1. This food is a gift of the Earth, the sky, numerous living beings, and much hard and loving work.
2. May we eat with mindfulness and gratitude so as to be worthy to receive this food.
3. May we recognize and transform unwholesome mental formations, especially our greed, and learn to eat with moderation.
4. May we keep our compassion alive by eating in a way that reduces the suffering of living beings, stops contributing to climate change, and heals and preserves our precious planet.
5. We accept this food so that we may nurture our brotherhood and sisterhood, build our community, and nourish our ideal of serving all living beings.
My wish is that we all feel nourished in every way possible. I hope you have a happy and healthy Thanksgiving!
Paleo Thanksgiving Stuffing (serves 4-6)
Ingredients:
4 cups parsnips, chopped
1 cup carrots, chopped
1 cup yellow onion, chopped
10 oz. mushrooms, chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 pat butter, or coconut oil
1 tsp. fresh thyme leaves (from 4-6 sprigs, optional)
2 sprigs fresh sage (10-12 leaves), chopped
Salt and pepper to taste
Directions:
- Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Arrange the 4 cups of chopped parsnips into a single layer on one of the lined baking sheets, and arrange the chopped carrots and onion into a single layer on the other one.
- Roast both sheets of vegetables for about 30 minutes, or until tender.
- Using a spatula, stir the vegetables halfway through the roasting time to make sure they don’t burn. If you find the onions cooking faster than the carrots and parsnips, remove them earlier.
- While the vegetables are roasting, melt the pat of butter or coconut oil in a skillet over medium heat. Saute the garlic for 5 minutes, then add the mushrooms and cook for 8-10 minutes, until tender.
- When the trays of roasted vegetables are ready, transfer the roasted parsnips, carrots, onions and mushrooms to a large food processor. Add in the fresh thyme, chopped sage and salt and pepper to taste (using about a teaspoon is a good starting point).
- Pulse the vegetable mixture using the food processor; leave at a chunky but combined consistency.
- Adjust the seasonings to taste and serve!
Parsnips can have a strong flavor that is not appealing to everyone. You could easily use another vegetable like cauliflower in its place. Feel free to make other adjustments to this recipe; it can be a good base for many delicious combinations and variations.
Recipe courtesy of Detoxinista