With Thanksgiving less than a week away, preparations can begin in earnest to craft the most elaborate and tastiest feast known to man. Sure, you could go to some of your tried and true favourites, but why not spice it up a bit and add a new twist to your turkey, beverages, and dessert?
For those who want to be the hero this Thanksgiving, consider these 3 recipes that are sure to impress your family and guests.
Cocoa Kickstart
Let’s be serious, for many of us its getting a tad cool outside, which means hot beverages are coming back into season. This recipe combines a basic love for chocolate, zip, and spice to create a delicious elixir anyone can enjoy.
Equipment Required
- A good quality blender
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons of Cacao
- 1 teaspoon of Maca
- 1/2 teaspoon of Cinnamon
- 6 large pitted dates (or your choice of natural sweetener)
- 4 oz of Sprouted Almond Milk
- 12 oz of hot water
- 1/8 teaspoon of cayenne pepper
Directions
- Combine all ingredients in blender and blend until smooth. Add coconut whipped cream topping if desired.
Oven Roasted Chicken
Most Thanksgiving dinners centre around some type of cooked bird. Whether it is chicken, turkey, or some other wild fowl, this recipe will work awesome for any of them.
Ingredients
- 1 organic, free range chicken (approx. 7 lbs)
- 1 carrot, halved
- 2 celery stalks and leaves
- 1 medium onion, quartered
- 3 garlic cloves
- Handful of fresh parsley
- 1/4 cup ghee or raw butter
- Salt and garlic powder
- 1 cup organic chicken broth
Directions
- Stuff the cavity of the turkey with the veggies any way you can get them in, both in the front and the back.
- Separate the skins from the breasts with your hand and rub butter in between covering all the breast meat. Stick fresh parsley leaves inside.
- Sprinkle entire bird with sea salt and garlic powder.
- Put in oven at 325F, for 4 to 5 hours, depending on size of chicken.
- During cooking, every hour or so pour some chicken broth on bird, especially breast meat to keep it moist. You can also use a baster to suck up the juices and squeeze over the bird.
- It will be done when the internal temperature is 180F in the leg and 165F in the breast.
- Let sit 20 mins after cooking. Carve, and enjoy!
Raw Cheesecake
Thanksgiving is not complete without an exceptional dessert. This is a twist on the traditional cheesecake, which is a bit lighter and much easier on the digestion! No guilt in this dessert!
Equipment Required
- Medium sauce pan
- Blender
- Large bowl
- Spring form pan
Ingredients
‘Cheese’
- 2 cups raw cashews, soak for at least 4 hours (they will make your ‘cheese’)
- probiotic capsules (enough to have 50,000+ live cultures)
- ½ cup full fat coconut milk
- pinch of salt
Filling
- One batch of cashew ‘cheese’
- ½ cup raw honey
- 2 tsp grass fed gelatin (irish moss or agar agar are good vegan substitutes)
- ¼ cup hot water
- ⅓ cup coconut oil
- 1 tbsp vanilla extract
Crust
- 2 cups shredded coconut
- 2 tbsp coconut oil, melted
- 3 tbsp raw honey
- 3 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder or raw cacao
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
Topping
- 2 cups chopped strawberries or raspberries
- 2 tbsp raw honey
Directions
- The night before making this dessert, puree the soaked cashews, coconut milk, and salt until completely smooth and creamy. This will take about 10 minutes. Scrape the sides once or twice.
- Once smooth, add probiotic capsules and combine gently.
- Place mixture into a clean bowl, cover, and place in a warm place to ferment for 12 hours (75-80F).
- To make crust, line spring form pan with parchment paper. Pulse all crust ingredients until well combined and sticking together. Press mixture into a spring form pan with your hands. Set aside.
- To make berry topping, simmer strawberries or raspberries on low-medium until they start to sweat. Add honey and continue to simmer for 7 minutes to cook down the berries.
- Puree with blender. Allow to cool slightly.
- To make filling, grab a large bowl and pour hot water over 2 tsp of grass fed (or irish moss) gelatin. Let sit for 2 minutes.
- Blend with hand blender to fully combine and to dissolve gelatin.
- Add rest of filling ingredients (cashew cheese, honey, coconut oil, and vanilla extract) and continue to blend until completely smooth and creamy. Pour evenly over coconut crust.
- Put in fridge and allow to set for 2 hours (this is the hard part). Gently run knife around spring form pan and then open it up. It’s now ready to serve!
If these are not enough to impress your family and guests, there is no doubt in my mind that if you make these homemade Twix bars, you’ll be the champion now and forever. Hands down.
by Derek Henry