Tasty Thanksgiving Alternatives

Written By Jennifer Meadows

Wild Rice Dressing with Cranberries

8 servings

Ingredients:

  • 8 ounces wild rice

  • 1 Tbsp. finely ground sea salt

  • 2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil

  • 1 yellow onion, chopped fine

  • 4 ribs celery, chopped fine

  • 2 tsp. fresh thyme leaves

  • 1 green apple, peeled, cored and chopped into ¼-inch cubes

  • ½ cup dried, unsweetened cranberries

  • ½ cup chopped walnuts

  • ¼ cup chicken or turkey broth

Instructions:

Place wild rice and salt into the insert of your electric pressure cooker, cover with water by two inches, and pressure cook for 15 minutes, immediately releasing the pressure and draining the rice. If you do not have a pressure cooker, simmer the rice in salted water for 45 minutes, until tender.  Drain.

Heat oven to 375 F.

Warm the olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Stir in the onion, celery and fresh thyme, sauteing until soft and fragrant, about 3 minutes. Turn down the heat to medium, stir in the apple, and continue cooking a further 2 minutes. Turn off the heat.

Toss the rice, the contents of the skillet, cranberries and walnuts into a mixing bowl and stir together with broth.

Transfer to a casserole dish and bake for 30 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.

 

Cranberry-Apple Crisp

From Grain-Free Gourmet ~ makes one 9x13-inch casserole

Ingredients:

  • 10 large sweet apples, such as Royal Gala, Golden Delicious, Fuji or Ida Red

  • ½ cup water

  • 2 tsp. ground cinnamon

  • 1 tsp. ground nutmeg

  • Pinch salt

  • ½ cup unsweetened, frozen cranberries

  • 1 cup almond flour

  • 1½ cup almonds, chopped

  • 2 Tbsp. buLer, melted

  • 1 Tbsp. honey

  • ½ tsp. ground cinnamon

  • Pinch salt

Instructions:

Heat oven to 310 degrees.

Peel the apples and chop into chunks

Place in a large pot and add the water, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt.

Cook covered for 5-10 minutes, unRl the apples soSen. Don’t let them get mushy.

Remove the apples from the heat and drain, reserving ¼ cup of the apple liquid for the topping.

Add the frozen cranberries to the cooked apples and toss unRl evenly distributed. Pour the mixture into a 9x13-inch casserole dish.

Prepare the topping by combining the remaining ingredients, using your hands to create a crumbly mixture, not a paste.

Crumble the topping evenly over the crisp.

Bake for 40 minutes, unRl the top is lightly browned.

Serve warm. The crisp can also be baked ahead and reheated in a 200 degree oven for 30 minutes.

Jennifer Meadows
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Holiday Treats