Comments on: Make it Natural: Classic Side Dishes

By: Art Ist

Art Ist — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 02:37:37 +0000

We love Panettoni for the holidays but we are now vegan and Panettoni is full of eggs and butter. How about a vegan recipe makeover for this traditional holiday bread?

Thanks!

Art

By: Cara

Cara — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 05:15:57 +0000

A fresh, cool and clean salad that counters heavier Thanksgiving sides in a lovely way. Also very easy and frees up oven overload; try to make early in the day so that the raisins plump in the pineapple juice. I tend to use dark raisins because of an allergy to golden ones, but the latter works well.

Healthy, Crisp Carrot Slaw w/Pineapple:

A recipe actually inspired by Whole Foods sale on pineapple several weeks ago.

1 bunch purple carrots (preferably purple, but orange are fine)
1 fresh pineapple, peeled and cut in bite-sized chunks (eliminating the core, of course)
3/4 cup raisins (either golden, Thompson or even currants)
1-2 TBS honey to taste
The juice of a 1/2 lemon
(other options include a generous shake of cinnamon or even curry powder)

Peel and then shred carrots in a food processor. Transfer to a bowl. Mix with raisins, chopped chopped pineapple, honey and lemon (raisins will plump through the day as the juices of the salad blend). Blend gently until all ingredients are mixed. Chill in a covered container in the fridge until ready to serve.

By: Donna Harmon

Donna Harmon — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 02:09:30 +0000

For mashed sweet potatoes, substitute agave nectar and chunks of pineapple for the brown sugar and marshmellows.

By: Amy

Amy — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 01:45:34 +0000

I do a spin on green bean casserole, but roast the green beans and an onion in the oven with a drizzle of olive oil and a couple of tablespoons of nutritional yeast. The result is creamy and very satisfying!

By: screwdestiny

screwdestiny — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 20:05:30 +0000

I’m actually making a “natural” green bean casserole this year. It sounds a little different than your recipe, but I’m confident that it’ll be really good. My mom really likes green bean casserole, and my grandma used to bring it every year, but she won’t be able to be there this time. So I offered to make it, but I told her if I did it would not be with nasty canned grean beans (blech!), cream of mushroom soup, and those “french fried onions.” Instead I’ll be using fresh grean beens as well, cutting up fresh mushrooms and making the gravy, roux, whatever you want to call it for them,, and frying shallots in bread crumbs. This recipe may just make me actually like it!

By: Food Makes Fun Fuel

Food Makes Fun Fuel — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 15:36:18 +0000

I’d love to see these cookies lightened

Italian Christmas Cookies
2 cups flour
1 cup white sugar
1/4 cup milk
1 egg
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/3 cup canola oil
2 teaspoons anise extract seperated
1/2 cup confectioners sugar
1 tablespoon hot milk

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a large bowl, mix flour, baking powder, and sugar. Make a well in the center and add in oil, milk, 1 1/2 teaspoons anise extract, and the egg. Mix everything until it becomes a sticky ball of dough. Pick off pieces and roll into 3/4 inch balls in palms of hand and press gently on a cookie sheet. Cook for 8 minutes and let cool. In a small bowl, mix 1/2 teaspoon anise extract, confectioners sugar, and hot water. One at a time, hold cookies from the sides of the base and dip the crowns into the icing.