Tag: Thanksgiving

Butternut Pasta Casserole

Melissa King 8 Comments

The other day, my husband made an amazing butternut cream sauce.  He had plans to use it in this butternut pasta casserole.  This dish is perfect comfort food that just so happens to be vegan and gluten free!  It was a super cinch to make too.  This butternut pasta casserole would make a great main dish for a plant based Thanksgiving.  I also think the veggies can we swapped out for whatever you have on hand.  We just happened to have peas and carrots, so that is what we used.  If you are looking for more plant based Thanksgiving ideas, you can check out this post.

butternut squash casserole - my whole food life

We actually made the sauce the day before the casserole, so you can do that if you want to save time.  This should last 5 days in the fridge.  I haven’t tried freezing it, but I imagine it might freeze well too.

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Paleo Apple Cobbler (Vegan and Gluten Free)

Melissa King 11 Comments

Paleo Apple Cobbler.  Apple desserts are my most favorite desserts.  This paleo and vegan apple Cobbler is my new favorite!

I already had one healthy apple cobbler recipe on my blog, but I wanted to create a grain free version, so that is where the inspiration came for this.

 

Paleo Apple Cobbler - My Whole Food Life

 

I used pecans in the bottom crust layer, and they really go fantastic with the apples and cinnamon.  Slow cooking the apples first allows much more natural sugar to develop, so there is not too much need for a lot of added sugar.

This is absolutely delicious topped with some coconut whip cream.

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Quinoa Stuffed Acorn Squash

Melissa King Leave a comment

Last year I made a stuffed acorn squash with wild rice and apples.  It was a hit, so I made a Quinoa Stuffed Acorn Squash this year.  I love the presentation of the stuffed acorn squash.  So pretty.  This quinoa stuffed acorn squash is very easy to make!  You can make the filling a day in advance if you like.  Then all you need to do it roast the squash the day of.  If you need more vegan Thanksgiving ideas, you may like this post.

quinoa stuffed acorn squash

The sweetness of the acorn squash goes so well with the quinoa.  I added the cranberries for a little tart flavor too.  I used fruit sweetened cranberries instead of cranberries sweetened with sugar.  So they are a little on the tart side, but work well here.  This would be a great main meal option for your vegan or vegetarian guests.  It’s quite filling!

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Acorn Squash Stuffed with Wild Rice and Apples

Melissa King 51 Comments

Let me just say that this recipe is so good!  I wanted to do a stuffed squash for Thanksgiving and we gave this a test run yesterday.  What usually happens is that I come up with the savory recipe ideas, and my husband Marcus puts them together.  He is an amazing cook and this is one of his creations.  I am more of a baker than a cook.  He has also came up with the Pumpkin Enchiladas and the Homemade Re-fried Beans.

Stuffed-Acorn-Squash-My-Whole-Food-Life

Usually, I am not a fan of fruit in savory dishes, but the apple works so well in this!  We will definitely be bringing these to our Thanksgiving celebration.  Yes, I know mine looks slightly charred in the photo, but this is real life and in real life, food doesn’t always look pretty.  It tastes amazing though! 🙂

Stuffed Acorn Squash with Wild Rice and Apples

Acorn Squash Stuffed with Wild Rice and Apples

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Prep Time 20 min Cook Time 40 min

Ingredients

  • 1 acorn squash
  • 2-3 cups cooked wild rice
  • 3 celery stalks chopped
  • 2 large carrots chopped
  • 1 small onion chopped
  • 1 honey crisp apple diced (Another apple would work too. I just think the honey crisps have such good flavor)
  • 1 garlic clove minced
  • 1 tablespoon walnut oil (Another oil would be fine too)
  • 1/2 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/4 tsp ginger
  • salt to taste

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 400 and roast the squash for 40 minutes or until it’s done.
  2. Cook enough wild rice to make 2-3 cups of cooked rice.
  3. As the squash is roasting, chop the carrots, onion, and celery as well as mince the garlic.
  4. Add all of it to a pan under medium high heat and saute for 7-10 minutes.
  5. After the onions begin to become translucent, lower the heat to medium and add the rice and spices, including the salt.
  6. Stir well for a couple of minutes and remove from the heat. Let this mixture cool down significantly.
  7. Once the rice mixture has cooled off and is more of a lukewarm temperature, add the diced apples. You want these apples to retain their crispiness, so it is important to not add them too early or they will soften.
  8. Stir the apples in the mixture so they get coated in some of the oil from the pan. This will keep them from browning.
  9. When the squash is fully roasted, remove it from the oven.
  10. Once it has begun to cool, you can add the rice to the inside of the dish as shown and serve. Enjoy!

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Recipe Notes

Friendly tip, you can tell when the squash is done when you are able to stick a fork through the skin easily.

Pumpkin Coconut Mousse (Vegan and Paleo)

Melissa King 41 Comments

Pumpkin Coconut Mousse.  Pumpkin and coconut.  The two flavors are very different, but they go so well together.  I whipped up this light and healthy pumpkin mousse in practically no time at all.

It would be great for Thanksgiving.  A new twist on your typical pumpkin desserts and mousse recipe.  I used a mousse recipe very similar to my Grain Free Pumpkin Tart filling.

 

pumpkin coconut mousse

If you don’t care for the taste of coconut, you can certainly try this recipe using heavy whipping cream as well.

I also already have an Almond Butter Mousse recipe on my blog that is equally delish!  It’s like pumpkin pie without the crust.

Pumpkin Coconut Mousse

Pumpkin Coconut Mousse

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Prep Time 20 min Serves 4 - 6 servings     adjust servings

Ingredients

Instructions

  1. The night before you go to make this, place an unopened can of coconut milk in the fridge.
  2. The next morning, pull out the can and open it.
  3. Scoop out the solid white part and place it in the mixture. You can save the leftover liquid for smoothies.
  4. Using the whipping attachment, whip the coconut into a cream. I did this with my KitchenAid mixer .
  5. While that is whipping, make the pumpkin mixture. In another bowl, combine the pumpkin, spices and maple syrup and mix well.
  6. Once the “cream” is done, gently fold it into the pumpkin mixture.
  7. Chill in the fridge until it is ready to be eaten. Enjoy!

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Healthy Cranberry Sauce (No Refined Sugar)

Melissa King 23 Comments

Healthy Cranberry Sauce.  Usually when I think of cranberry sauce, I think of the high sugar, gelatinous brand that comes in the can.

This homemade cranberry sauce is as far from that as it can get.  This  healthy cranberry sauce recipe contains no refined sugars.  I love the tarty and tangy taste and I hope you will too.

 

Healthy Cranberry Sauce

This cranberry sauce recipe contains no processed sugars.  It’s also vegan and gluten free.  Another great thing about this recipe is that it can be frozen.

So you could make a large batch in the winter when cranberries are in season.  Then if you get a craving for some cranberry sauce in the summer, you can have it!   I hope you enjoy.

I used this homemade cranberry sauce as a filling in this muffin recipe too.  So delicious!  You can also use the leftovers to use in thumbprint cookies.

 

Healthy Cranberry Sauce

Healthy Cranberry Sauce

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Prep Time 10 min Cook Time 10 min

Ingredients

  • 1 package cranberries
  • 1 cup diced pineapple
  • 1 T pineapple juice
  • 1 cup orange juice
  • 1 – 2 tsp orange zest
  • 1 T maple syrup

Instructions

  1. In a magic bullet , blend the pineapple and 1 T pineapple juice until it becomes pureed. 
  2. In a medium saucepan, heat the orange juice, pureed pineapple mixture, orange zest and maple syrup. 
  3. Add the cranberries after a few minutes.
  4. Cook until the cranberries pop and breakdown. (about 10 minutes)
  5. Remove from heat and transfer to a bowl.  The mixture will thicken while it stands.  Serve immediately or refrigerate.  Enjoy!

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Recipe Notes

Refer to the images above to see the process of making them.