This guest post comes courtesy of Catie Schwalb from the lovely blog Pitchfork Diaries. I just can’t wait to eat her Cranberry, Ginger and Pear sauce on Thanksgiving. Stay tuned for another one of her amazing recipes in the days to come!  – Cathy

For years, as a child at the 1970’s American Thanksgiving table, I too believed that cranberry sauce was always cylindrically shaped, with neatly organized parallel rings encompassing it. That is not to say that my family were not great cooks, slaving for days before over dozens of homemade recipes. However, somehow that little wobbly dish seemed like a required fixture on the holiday table, that someone very well might miss if absent. Though it felt far from “food” and as a result, usually went untouched.

It also seemed somewhat sacrilegious to think of smearing that puckeringly sweet jelly on that luscious turkey meat that I had waited an entire year for.  How could this red goo possibly improve on roasted perfection?

So I took a crack at it myself this year. Drawing on ideas of recipes like Duck with a Sour Cherry Sauce, or a deeply flavored Indian Chutney stirred into a chicken salad, ending up with a condiment that I would actually want to add to my turkey to add to it’s flavor. I eliminated a lot of the sugar found it most recipes (up to a cup of white sugar was common).  It’s on the tart end of the spectrum, but balanced, with lovely spice notes that will be beautiful with the richness of the meat.  I think it would also be outstanding dolloped on top of a bowl of plain Greek yogurt for breakfast the next morning, and though not yet road-tested, I imagine pretty great pureed and used as a base for a holiday prosecco cocktail.

Spiced Cranberry, Ginger and Pear Sauce
By Catie Schwalb, pitchforkdiaries.com

12 ounces (3 cups) fresh cranberries

2 Bosc pears, very ripe, peeled and finely diced

1 ½ tablespoon fresh ginger, grated

¾ cup water

3 tablespoons light brown sugar

1 3-inch cinnamon stick

¼ tsp ground cardamom

¼ cup honey

Combine cranberries, pear, ginger, water, brown sugar, cinnamon stick, and cardamom in a heavy bottomed saucepan.  Bring to a boil and then reduce to a simmer, stirring occasionally.  After about 5 minutes, add the honey.  Cook for about 5 minutes more, until the berries have collapsed and the pear had started to breakdown and dissolve.

Serve at room temperature or slightly warmed. Will keep for up to a week in the refrigerator, and will also freeze well.

Yields approximately 2 ½ cups

When it comes to Thanksgiving, I’m all about the gravy. Mashed potatoes just wouldn’t be the same without it. I can make a lowfat turkey gravy, but the others at the table want the real (fat) thing, so I’ve started making a separate vegetarian gravy instead. This healthy vegan gravy is as flavorful as the turkey version – maybe even more so – thanks to pureed roasted shallots and garlic and marsala wine (madeira would be a nice substitute.)

I find that a lot of vegan gravy recipes are overwhelmed by too much nutritional yeast, so I’ve just used a tablespoon here to add a subtle poultry-like flavor. I also tried using dried porcini mushrooms in this recipe, but preferred the milder flavor of fresh mushrooms.  I’ve also kept this fairly low in fat per serving. So feel free to pour it onto your mashed potatoes and stuffing with abandon. It’s Thanksgiving, after all!

Vegan Gravy

6 medium shallots, unpeeled
4-6 cloves garlic, unpeeled
3 tablespoons + 1 teaspoon olive oil
4 ounces cremini (a.k.a. baby bella) mushrooms, thinly sliced
1 teaspoon fresh thyme
3 tablespoons all purpose flour
½ cup madeira wine (or dry port or marsala)
2 tablespoons low-sodium tamari
3 cups vegetable stock
1/4 teaspoon ground sage
1 tablespoon nutritional yeast
½ teaspoon Dijon mustard
¼ teaspoon black pepper
¼ teaspoon salt, or to taste

Preheat oven to 375. Toss the shallots and garlic with a teaspoon of oil and place in a baking dish. Cover with foil and roast for 40 minutes. Remove garlic, but if shallots are not completely soft, roast for another 15 minutes. Remove from pan and allow to cool, then squeeze the soft insides out of the skin into a food processor. Deglaze the roasting pan with a tablespoon of water or additional marsala and add to the food processor. Puree until smooth. In a large skillet, heat the remaining olive oil over medium heat. Saute mushrooms and thyme until mushrooms are very soft, about 5 minutes. Stir in the flour and cook, stirring, for 3 minutes. Add the marsala and mix well, then whisk in the vegetable broth. Add remaining ingredients, including the pureed shallots and garlic. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Adjust seasoning to taste.

Note: if reheating later, you will need to add additional wine or vegetable broth to thin the gravy out.

Serves 6-8

The typical holiday mashed potato recipe contains nearly a stick of butter. They’re delicious, but way over my saturated fat limit. And that’s fine, because you can make great mashed potatoes without any butter at all. I use lowfat buttermilk or soy milk for creaminess, along with heart-healthy olive oil. The quality of the olive oil makes a big difference here, so use the best you can get your hands on.

I’ve added celery root, which makes these potatoes quite a bit lower in carbs, and adds a subtle celery undertone. Garlic and chives kick up the flavor even more. But these are very flexible. If you don’t have celery root, just add a few more potatoes. If you don’t want to use garlic or chives, no problem. And if you want to try a unique tangy variation, try nonfat greek yogurt in place of the milk. The result reminds me of a hot potato salad. Delicious.

When I eat these potatoes as part of the Thanksgiving meal, I feel perfectly satisfied, but not overstuffed. So start a new holiday tradition: guilt-free potatoes!

Mashed Potatoes and Celery Root

2 1/2pounds russet potatoes, peeled and cut into large chunks
1 large celery root (about 1¼ pounds), peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes
3 cloves garlic, peeled
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
Approx. 1/2 cup milk of choice: lowfat buttermilk, fat-free milk, evaporated skim milk, soy milk or unsweetened plain almond milk
2 tablespoons minced fresh chives
½ teaspoon salt, or more to taste
Freshly ground black pepper to taste

Place the celery root and potatoes in a large pot and cover well with water. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer until vegetables are all tender, about 20 minutes. Drain, return to pan and shake over high heat for 30 seconds to evaporate the moisture. Put through a ricer (or mash with a potato masher). Continue to mash as you add the oil, then the milk, adding the liquid gradually until you get the texture you prefer. Stir in chives, salt and pepper.

Thanksgiving starters don’t need to be heart-stopping!

The typical Thanksgiving meal contains over 2,000 calories and up to 120 grams of fat.

It’s a holiday that can spell disaster for people like me, who are sticking to a heart-healthy diet. But hey, Thanksgiving dinner is my favorite meal of the year, and I’m not about to give up mashed potatoes, pumpkin pie or anything else. So in this Healthy Thanksgiving series, I’ll showcase a delicious holiday feast that won’t clog up your arteries. I’m focusing on vegetarian and/or vegan side dishes, but I’ll also tip you off to turkey recipes that don’t call for smothering the bird with an entire stick of butter.

To kick things off, I’ll start with starters. Some people serve fatty artichoke parmesan dip or baked brie as Thanksgiving appetizers, and I wonder how they can handle that when there’s turkey and stuffing on the way. Here are three delicious, guilt-free appetizers that won’t leave you groaning even before dinner is served:

Marinated Olives with Lemon, Thyme and Rosemary from Eating Well
Muhammara with Crudites from Cooking Light
Bruschetta with Swiss Chard, Pine Nuts and Currants from Epicurious

Once everyone sits down at the dinner table, it’s nice to start out with a refreshing salad rather than a heavy cream-based soup. My fennel, radicchio and apple salad is a crisp, sweet-tart kickoff to the Thanksgiving feast.

Fennel, Radicchio and Apple Salad

1 medium head radicchio, cored and thinly sliced

1 large or two small fennel bulbs, sliced paper thin with a mandoline, fronds reserved

1 large crisp, sweet apple (such as Cortland or Gala), unpeeled, thinly sliced with a mandoline

2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard (use a gluten-free variety if you are gluten sensitive)

1 small shallot, finely minced

Pinch of salt

Freshly ground black pepper to taste

¼ cup extra virgin olive oil  (optional variation: substitute hazelnut or walnut oil for 1 tablespoon of the olive oil)

1/3 cup chopped pecans, toasted

Combine the radicchio, fennel and apple in a large bowl. In another bowl, whisk together the vinegar, mustard, shallot, salt and pepper. Gradually whisk in the olive oil. Pour half of dressing over vegetables and stir to combine. Taste, and gradually add more dressing until it’s to your liking.  Garnish with fennel fronds and pecans.

Serves 4-6

Coming next in my Healthy Thanksgiving series:  Mashed potatoes