Thanksgiving, always brings back the best memories. As a little kid I would go watch the Thanksgiving day parade every year with my family. The night before we would watch them blow up all the characters then the next morning we would go to my fathers office building that over looked the parade. Thanksgiving always brought back the most amazing memories and as I got older I created new traditions.
2011 was the first year I began running and Thanksgiving marks the anniversary of my first race – the 5 mile Turkey Trot at Prospect Park. Thankfully my injuries have aligned in a way that I am always healthy on the holidays…ah. So for the past 5 years I never missed this Turkey Trot. It kind of took the place of my parade tradition. Now I race the Turkey Trot and get back home to “help” my mom in the kitchen. And when I say help I mean offer my help, which she firmly declines.
Coming from a family of cooks I definitely believe in the saying “too many cooks in the kitchen.” So whatever I choose to make I need to make sure it’s prepped and pretty much ready the night prior to Thanksgiving. This also allows me to enjoy the Turkey Trot stress-free. I have so many Running On Veggies holiday recipes so I decided to share some of my all time favorite Thanksgiving Day recipes here. I have made almost all of these for past Thanksgiving dinners and many of them I make throughout the year.
Many people joke about putting on their stretchy pants and getting ready to feast during the holiday and – don’t get me wrong – I enjoy feasting as well. But I am mindful of what’s on my plate and fill up on tons of vegetables and salads. Thankfully in my house we have plenty of veggies to choose from. So here it is – a round up of some of my favorite Thanksgiving recipesT:
Roasted Butternut Squash Soup with Crispy Apple Chips – prepare the soup the night before and heat up in the morning – one less thing to worry about! Crisp the apples that morning and while everyone is sitting around waiting for dinner, serve up this soup! It’s hearty and filling but will still leave you with room for the main course!
Cranberry Date Caramelized Brussel Sprouts– Need I say more? This dish screams “holiday” and is one of my favorite veggie side dishes.
Whole Roasted Cauliflower with Fresh Pomegranate and Tahini Sauce– Impress your guests with this dish! It looks like a piece of art but it’s so deliciously edible! The bright colors make this appealing to eat and the fresh pomegranate seeds give it a nice bite.
Stuffed Kabocha Squash with Re-fried Quinoa– What would the holidays be without winter squash? This seasonal vegetable happens to be one of my favorites. A play on “stuffing” but here we are using quinoa and stuffing a vegetable. A true Running On Veggies twist.
Apricot Glazed Pistachio Crusted Salmon– For someone who doesn’t eat turkey this is my go-to dish for the holidays. It gives you that festive feel without the turkey!
Three Layer Strawberry Cream Pie with Chocolate Mouse– Everyone loves pie – Ice cream pie! Easy to prep days prior this pie doesn’t require an eye on the oven or even oven space. And it’s always a hit!
Pumpkin Cranberry Muffins/Loaf- Whether you’re serving this for breakfast or dessert it screams Thanksgiving! Fresh cranberries and warm spices…Another dish easy to prep beforehand so you can run off on your favorite turkey trot.