Delicious Thanksgiving Recipes

Thanksgiving meals do not have to be unhealthy and overly rich. Delicious alternatives are easy to find!

When you have a chronic infection like Epstein Barr Virus, you want to invest in foods that have healthy fiber to boost your immune system in the colon, and antioxidants  to turn down the viral activity. It is also easy to up level to EBV-friendly ingredients and recipes.

Here are some simple Thanksgiving hacks for EBV:

• use extra virgin olive oil as your oil
• use maple syrup as your sweetener
• use a lot of dry culinary herbs, e.g. thyme – many are anti-microbial
• add spices to desserts; for example,  nutmeg is anti-viral
• make hot anti-viral teas like hibiscus or rose hip  (they also have some Vitamin C, which is anti-EBV)
• make a healthier pie crust, avoiding eggs, butter, and gluten by simply blending dates and walnuts in a food processor

If you are looking for something new, tasty yet healthy to make this Thanksgiving, I have picked a few Thanksgiving recipes: Maple Glazed Carrots, Mashed Parsnips with Crispy Parsnip Ribbons, Buttery Garlicky Broccoli, Cumin Roasted Beets, and Rustic Jerusalem Artichoke Mash. All are inspired by Vegetarian Times.

I even put together a PDF for you with some of my personal favorites – scroll down to the bottom of this page for the link!

Happy and Healthy Thanksgiving!

Maple glazed carrots

• 2 Tbs olive oil
• 2 lb carrots, sliced
• ¼ cup pure maple syrup
• 2 tsp Dijon Mustard
• 1 Tbs chopped fresh Tarragon
• Celtic Sea Salt and pepper to taste

Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add carrots and saute 5 to 7 minutes, or until beginning to brown. Add maple syrup, mustard, and 1 cup of water, season with salt and pepper. Cover, reduce heat to medium and simmer for 10 minutes, or until carrots are tender. Uncover, increase heat to medium high and simmer for 5 minutes, or until liquid is syrupy and carrots glazed. Stir in tarragon just before serving.

Mashed parsnips with crispy parsnip ribbons

• 1 ¼ lb parsnips, peeled, divided
• 2 Tbs plus 1 tsp olive oil, divided
• ¼ tsp paprika
• ½ cup of unsweetened non-dairy milk
• ½ cup of finely chopped fresh chives
• Celtic Sea Salt to taste

Preheat oven to 350. Peel 2 to 3 parsnips into 2 cups thin ribbons, and slice remaining parsnips into chunks. Transfer parsnip ribbons tow bowl, and toss with 1 tsp olive oil and paprika. Season with salt and pepper. Spread on baking sheet and bake 20-25 minutes or until golden brown, stirring every 5-7 minutes then cool. Boil parsnip chunks in large pot of salted water 30 minutes, or until very soft. Drain, and reserve cooking liquid. Press boiled parsnips through potato ricer or mash with potato masher until smooth. Stir in ½ cup reserved cooking water, milk, chives and remaining 2 Tbs liv eoil. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer to serving bowl and coarsely break up parsnip strips on top.

Buttery Garlicky Broccoli

Broccoli is a DNA whisperer. Its constituents indole-3-carbinol and sulforaphane are involved in DNA and cancer protection as well as detoxification pathways in your liver. This is one of the most beneficial vegetables you can eat.

• 2 large heads of broccoli, cut into florets
• ¼ cup olive oil
• 4 cloves of garlic, minced 4 tsp
• ¼ cup chopped fresh parsley
• ½ cup toasted slivered almonds, optional
• Celtic Sea Salt to taste

Steam broccoli 5 minutes in steamer or until crisp and tender. Meanwhile melt ghee in large saucepan over medium low heat. Add garlic and pinch of salt and cook 1 minute or until garlic is fragrant. Stir in parsley and 2 Tbs of water. Add steamed broccoli, and toss to coat. Transfer to serving dish, sprinkle with almonds just before serving.

Cumin Roasted Beets

Beets have enormous benefits: for example, the deep purple pigment betacyanin has anticancer properties; beets build blood if you are anemic, and they support your liver, when you feel toxic.

• 3 lb small beets, peeled and cut into eighths
• 3 Tbs garlic flavored olive oil
• 1 Tbs ground cumin
• 4 green onions, thinly sliced (1/2 cup)
• 2 Tbs lemon juice
• Celtic Sea Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Toss beats with oil and cumin in bowl, season with salt and pepper. Spread beets on 2 baking sheets, and roast 30-40 minutes, rotating baking sheets halfway through and stirring beets occasionally. While beets are still hot, transfer to large bowl and stir in green onions and lemon juice.

Rustic Jerusalem Artichoke Mash

Jerusalem artichoke is also called sunchoke and looks like overgrown ginger while it cooks and “behaves” more like a potato. It does have a distinct flavor, which may first feel unfamiliar. Jerusalem artichokes provide many nutrients and of note is also inulin, a prebiotic fiber that nourishes your gut microbiota – inulin can help control blood glucose and even boost your complement, which is part of your immune system. Inulin is responsible for much of the starch, and too much of it can cause flatulence, so first time, mix it with potatoes!

• 1 lb small unpeeled Jerusalem Artichokes, halved (you can use half and half with potatoes)
• ¼ cup low sodium vegetable broth
• 2 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
• 1 T olive oil
• ¼ tsp grated nutmeg
• 1 Tbs chopped fresh chives for garnish
• Celtic Sea Salt and pepper to taste

Place Jerusalem artichokes in medium pot with broth and garlic. Bring broth to a boil, reduce heat to low, and simmer, partially covered 15 minutes or until very tender. Mash them with garlic to chunky smooth consistency with potato masher. Stir in olive oil, nutmeg, and salt and pepper to taste. Garnish with chives.

Here are my tips, hacks, and some of my personal favorites as well – we put them together into a PDF for you for convenience, so you can print them out. The PDF includes:

• Tips for Mashing Potatoes
• Gluten Free Breadcrumbs
• Delicious Cashew Gravy
• Plant-Based Meatloaf
• Gluten-Free Vegan Apple Crisp
• Pomegranate Apple Salad

Dr. Kasia Kines, Doctor of Clinical Nutrition, CEO and Founder of EBV Global Institute – more at www.ebvhelp.com

[updated 11/7/22]