Vegetarian Ayurvedic Thanksgiving Menu

Here is a vegetarian or vegan, gluten free, Ayurvedic Thanksgiving menu. You could create a vegetarian Thanksgiving or use these recipes to add variety to the traditional turkey dinner.

Kasha with Sweet Potato

Serves 4-6

Modified from this recipe

Ingredients

1 1/3 cups buckwheat groats
2 1/2 cups water
2 lbs orange-fleshed sweet potatoes aka 'yams'
2 tablespoon ghee
¼ cup vegetable broth
½ cup gluten free tamari
¼ cup olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp dry ginger powder
2 Tbsp sliced almonds
Salt and pepper to taste

Method

Kasha: Thoroughly rinse the groats and discard water. In a medium saucepan, bring required water to a boil. Add rinsed groats. Cover. Reduce heat to low and cook groats for 20 minutes until the water is absorbed and the groats are fluffy.
Sweet-Potato Puree: Prick sweet potatoes with a fork and bake in oven at 400 degrees for 50 minutes to an hour. Remove and discard skins. In a large mixing bowl, mash sweet potatoes. Add vegetable broth, dry ginger powder and half the ghee. Add a little salt but not too much, as the garlic sauce is quite salty already. Add pepper to taste.
Garlic Sauce: In a small bowl, blend tamari with olive oil and garlic. Combine the three parts of the recipe: spoon kasha into a serving dish; drizzle with garlic sauce. Top with sweet potato mixture.
Garnish: Fry the almonds in ghee until golden. Distribute the almonds over the top and pour on the hot ghee. Serve hot.

Kale with Pecans

from Muth Family Farm
Serves 3 as a side dish

1 bunch kale or swiss chard (if using kale, remove center stems), cut into bite-size strips
1/2 cup chopped pecans
Extra virgin olive oil
1 garlic clove, minced
Salt to taste
One lemon, cut into wedges

Method

Lightly toast the nuts in a pan on the stovetop, stirring with tongs. After 2-3 minutes, add olive oil to the pan and allow it to heat up. Add chopped greens to pan, and sprinkle with salt. Cover. Cook greens until tender, stirring occasionally. Add 1-2 Tbsp. of water if needed. Use tongs to clear a space in center of the pan and add minced garlic in a single layer. Cook garlic about 30 seconds, then mix it up with the kale & nuts. Salt to taste. Serve with lemon wedges so guests can add lemon as desired.

Moroccan Roast potatoes with Tahini Sauce

Serves 6-8 as a side dish

Ingredients

2 lb red potatoes, unpeeled, washed
2 tbs olive oil
½ tsp ground ginger
½ tsp black pepper
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp turmeric
2 pinches allspice
¼ tsp cinnamon
1 tbs sesame seeds, toasted
3/4 cup small mint leaves

Method

Preheat oven to 200°C. Lightly grease a large roasting pan. Cut the potatoes in half lengthways and arrange in the pan.
Drizzle the oil over the potatoes then sprinkle the spices over them. Turn to coat the potatoes. Roast, turning occasionally, for 45-50 minutes or until golden and tender.
Remove from oven. Place the potatoes on a serving platter, Sprinkle with sesame seeds and mint.

Moroccan Tahini Sauce

Ingredients

Juice of 1 lemon
4 T yoghurt
2 T tahini
Water enough to get desired consistency
Salt to taste

Method: Blend ingredients, serve with the potatoes.

Pumpkin Halvah

Serves 6

Ingredients

2lb. pumpkin
2 tbsp slivered almonds
12 pistachio
2 tbs. unsweetened coconut flakes
3-4 tbs. ghee or coconut oil
1/2 cup coconut milk
½ cup muscovado or turbinado sugar (unrefined cane sugar)
1 tsp. cardamom powder
¼ cup raisins

Method

Place pumpkin on a chopping board and cut into slices.Remove seeds and fibre and discard. Peel the thick skin off, removing all of the hard and thick skin.
Cut flesh into small, 2 cm. cubes.
Heat ghee or oil in a heavy based pan. Add pumpkin and stir fry for a minute.
Add the coconut milk and simmer until flesh is soft. 10-15 minutes.
Fry the coconut in a clean pan, on low heat, until there is a nice aroma of coconut.
Returning to cooked, soft pumpkin, turn the heat off. Mash it well, using a potato masher or back of a spoon.
Add sugar and cardamom seeds to the pumpkin mash and stir fry on medium heat until liquid dries up, ghee or oil separates and pumpkin looks shiny and has a mashed potato consistency.
Add most of the almonds, saving a little for garnish, all the coconut and raisins.
Transfer to serving dish and decorate with almond.
Serve hot.

Cranberry Apple Chutney

Ingredients

2 punnets organic cranberries ( 4 cups)
4 cups chopped apples
1 orange
1/4 tsp raisins
2 tbsp chopped pecans
2" piece fresh ginger, peeled and chopped finely
1 jalapeno pepper, chopped finely
1 1/2 cups dark brown sugar
2 sticks cinnamon
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 Tbsp ghee or sunflower oil
6 cloves, ground
1 star anise, ground (optional but good)
2 pinches mace
1/4 tsp ground cardamom
Water as needed

Method

Put washed cranberries and washed chopped apples in heavy bottomed pan. Grate 1tsp of the orange peel and add. Now squeeze the orange and add the juice. Bring to boil and simmer, stirring frequently to prevent sticking and adding water as needed. Once it is simmering, add sugar and raisins.
In a small frying pan, melt the ghee, add cumin seeds and chilies and fry until they darken a shade. Now add chopped ginger and cinnamon and fry until the ginger is browned.
Add the fried spices to the chutney, then the spice powders (clove, star anise, mace, cardamom.)
When the chutney is almost cooked, add the chopped nuts.
Enjoy your healthy and delicious meal!

Alakananda Ma M.B., B.S. (Lond.) is an Ayurvedic Doctor (NAMA) and graduate of a top London medical school. She is co-founder of Alandi Ayurveda Clinic and Alandi Ayurveda Gurukula in Boulder Colorado, as well as a spiritual mother, teacher, flower essence maker and storyteller. Alakananda is a well known and highly respected practitioner in the Ayurveda community both nationally and internationally.

Enliven your holistic health! Visit Alakananda Ma in Alandi Ashram’s ayurvedic clinic to support the overall rejuvenation of your body, mind, and spirit. In-person and virtual appointments available. Book now!