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

I’m having a field day with fall food lately, as if you couldn’t tell. It’s absolutely my favorite food season. All the deep oranges and greens – the food looks almost too gorgeous to eat!

This stuffed squash is substantial yet not heavy, thanks to the light and crunchy quinoa. This tiny grain provides complete protein – serve some sautéed kale or Swiss chard on the side, and you’ve got the perfect meal for a cool autumn evening.

If you have fig balsamic vinegar, try drizzling a very small amount on top – it’s delicious. Or consider adding pomegranate seeds at the end of the cooking time, in place of the currants. I haven’t tried that, but if you do, please report back!

Stuffed Kabocha Squash with Quinoa and Chickpeas

4 kabocha squash, halved horizontally*, seeded
2 tablespoons + 1 teaspoon olive oil
2 cups thinly sliced leeks, white and light green parts
2 cups red quinoa, rinsed thoroughly if not using the no-rinse variety
½ cup dry sherry
3 1/2 cups vegetable stock (use a gluten-free stock if you are gluten-sensitive)
½ teaspoon salt (reduce amount if your stock is very salty)
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons fresh chopped sage
3 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley, plus additional for garnish
1 ½ cups chickpeas (canned are fine here)
2 tablespoons currants

Heat the oven to 375 degrees.

Rub the cut edges of the squash with a teaspoon of olive oil and place on a baking sheet (or two, as necessary), cut side down. Cover tightly with foil and roast until very tender, about 45 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat the olive oil over medium heat in a large saucepan. Add the leeks and sauté until golden, about 10 minutes. Add the quinoa and cook, stirring, for two or three minutes. Add the sherry and cook for another minute. Add all remaining ingredients and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for about 15 minutes, until water is absorbed and quinoa is just tender. Adjust seasoning to taste.

Turn the squash halves over and fill the cavities generously with the quinoa mixture. Return to the oven, cover lightly with foil and bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes. Garnish with additional chopped parsley and serve.

* Helpful hint: slice a bit off the rounded bottom of each squash half to create a small flat surface (about 1 inch in diameter) and it will sit in the pan without wobbling.

Serves 8.

Sometimes the best recipes come out of a cooking disaster. Case in point: I made the Pumpkin Cake with Hazelnut Ganache from the Millenium cookbook, and it was literally a flop. For some crazy reason I decided to add fresh figs to the cake, and it didn’t rise. Sadly, it was more like a flat pancake. But the hazelnut ganache filling was about the most delicious thing I’d ever tasted. And because the recipe called for twice as much ganache as was needed, I had a lot left.

I had guests coming for dinner, so I needed a quick solution to my dessert crisis. So I jumped online and found a foolproof vegan chocolate cake recipe courtesy of Moosewood.  I spread the ganache in between two layers of the chocolate cake, and voila – I had the most decadent vegan cake in the universe. My guests loved it, and my friends at the office were blown away when I served them the leftovers the next day – no one could believe it was vegan.

One word of warning – the Moosewood cake is a bit difficult to cut into two layers.  I ended up using a flexible plastic cutting board to cut through the middle and lift the layers onto the plate.  An easier option would be to bake two of the chocolate cakes and use those as your layers. The recipe below if for one cake, so double it if you want to go that route. If you do, there’s no need to double the amount of ganache – this recipe makes a nice thick layer.

I have to admit, this cake certainly doesn’t qualify as health food. While it contains no butter, it’s incredibly rich and fairly high in fat due to the chocolate and hazelnuts. So this is a “special occasion” cake, to be sure. But it’s so worth the splurge.

Vegan Chocolate Cake with  Chocolate-Hazelnut Ganache
(adapted from The Millenium Cookbook and Moosewood)

For the ganache:

1/2 cup hazelnuts, toasted and skinned
1 cup soy milk or almond milk
8 oz. semisweet chocolate, melted (be sure to use a high quality semisweet chocolate here, such as Dagoba or Scharffen Berger)

For the cake:

1 1/2 cups unbleached white flour (I used half whole wheat pastry flour)
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup organic canola oil
1 cup cold  water or coffee
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

Heat the oven to 375 degrees.

To make the ganache, grind the hazelnuts in a food processor. Add the soy/almond milk and process to thoroughly combine with the nuts. Slowly pour in the melted chocolate and process until fully blended. Place in a bowl and refrigerate for 4 hours or more. Before using the filling, let sit at room temperature for one hour.

In a large bowl, sift the dry ingredients for the cake. In a smaller bowl, mix the oil, water or coffee and vanilla. Pour the liquid ingredients into the dry and stir with a whisk until smooth. Quickly stir in the vinegar.

Oil and flour a 9-inch spring form pan, and line the bottom with parchment paper (use the removable bottom of the pan as a template to cut your circle.) Pour the batter into the pan and bake for 25-30 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean.

Let cool completely. Remove the sides of the pan and cut the cake into two layers (see note above.) Transfer the bottom layer to a cake plate or stand, and spread the ganache on top. If the ganache is too stiff to spread, put the bowl in a hot water bath briefly. Top with the second layer of cake. Sprinkle with confectioner’s sugar and garnish with raspberries.

Serves 10-12

We had about eight red cabbages growing in our garden, and I’ve made the same thing with every one so far: braised red cabbage with apples.  I just can’t get enough of it.  Sometimes I use red wine as the braising liquid but this time I used beer and it was even better. In Germany they’d serve this with sausages, but the closest I’ve come is some vegetarian smoked apple sausage (Field Roast – the only brand I like, and the least processed.)

Some optional additions you might like include 1 teaspoon of caraway seeds (add when you add the cabbage), 1 or 2 tablespoons brown sugar (add with the apples), or 1 tablespoon whole grain mustard (add at the end.)

By the way, I have two more cabbages still in the ground. Let me know if you have any recipe suggestions that don’t involve apples and alcohol!

Braised Red Cabbage with Apples and Beer

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 medium red cabbage, very thinly sliced (about 6-7 cups)

2 medium apples, peeled, cored and sliced

1 medium-large yellow onion, thinly sliced into half moons

1 12-ounce bottle beer (I used an Oktoberfest–style, but any amber will do. Use gluten-free beer if you prefer)

¼ cup balsamic vinegar

Pinch freshly ground nutmeg

Pinch allspice

1 bay leaf

Salt and pepper to taste

Heat the oil in a large pot and sauté the onion until very soft, about 8 minutes. Add the apples and cook another 2-3 minutes. Add cabbage and cook another 2-3 minutes. Add remaining ingredients, cover and simmer until cabbage is very tender, about 50 minutes to one hour. Remove bay leaf, adjust seasoning to taste, and serve warm.

Serves 4