Junior’s gone vegan, Aunt Suzie’s gluten-free, Grandma’s off dairy, and Grandpa’s watching his carbs. What’s a Thanksgiving hostess to do?

As people become more aware of what they’re eating these days, it seems like everyone’s customizing their food preferences. Some are interested in how certain ingredients affect their health and well-being. Others are looking at labels—organic, preservative-free, non-GMO, etc.—for a “clean” lifestyle.

Kosher.com, the go-to online community for quality kosher cooking and conversation, recommends keeping an assortment of dishes in your Thanksgiving arsenal. You want a feast that has enough variety to satisfy each guest. Some might pass on certain dishes, but everyone should enjoy a balanced meal.

When planning your menu, think in terms of a core menu that most guests will enjoy, and include at least one alternative appetizer, entrée, side, and dessert to accommodate those with restricted culinary preferences.

Of course, there are many one-size-fits-all dishes that will make your omnivores just as happy as the more selective eaters. Here are some to consider.

For starters, try a caramelized pumpkin salad, a picture-perfect fall salad that is meatless and gluten free. The hearty roasted sweet potato and apple soup is a low-carb, low-fat, vegan harvest in a bowl.

Roasted Sweet Potato And Apple Soup

By Danielle Renov

Low-carb, Sugar-free

Ingredients:

6 sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces

3 apples, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided

1½ teaspoons salt, divided

¾ teaspoon pepper, divided

2 leeks, halved, thinly sliced

8 cups no-chicken stock in a box (or water, or a mix of the two)

2 cups almond milk

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
  2. Lay parchment paper on two baking sheets and spread sweet potato and apple cubes on pans. Drizzle two tablespoons of extra-virgin olive oil and sprinkle one teaspoon salt and half a teaspoon pepper over each tray.
  3. Place in the oven and roast at 350°F for 45 minutes.
  4. Meanwhile, place a large pot over medium heat. Add remaining tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, leeks, remaining half-teaspoon salt and quarter-teaspoon pepper. Cover pot with lid and allow leeks to sweat for 15 minutes, stirring every five.
  5. Remove cover, reduce heat to low, and cook for another half-hour, stirring every so often so the leeks don’t brown.
  6. Add roasted sweet potatoes and apples to cooked leeks. Pour in stock.
  7. Bring soup up to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes.
  8. Add almond milk and blend soup until smooth and silky. Taste to adjust seasoning and serve hot!

 

For the main course: paleo-friendly chestnut chicken is a snap to prepare (6 ingredients, 2 steps!). If turkey is a must for Turkey Day, why not change things up with robust, gluten-free turkey goulash? And for a vegan entrée, start a low-fat, gluten-free curried chickpea stew in the morning and then let your slow-cooker do the rest.

Chestnut Chicken

By Chaia Frishman

This easy and delicious chicken chestnut recipe hails from my good friend, Zahava F. It will be a great addition to your winter Friday-night meals, and if there are any leftovers (which I doubt) you will have an easy time reheating this. I included roasting directions if you want to be really authentic, but to get the chestnuts, I would take the easy way out and buy the prepared bags. Just be sure to get the shelled ones as the ones that come with the shell will give you an extra step if you are in a rush. This recipe also employs another favorite tool of mine, the ubiquitous oven bag.

Ingredients:

2 large Spanish onions, sliced

6–8 chicken quarters, skin on

1 teaspoon sea salt

1 teaspoon paprika

2 cloves garlic, minced or 2 cubes frozen garlic

1–2 (5.2-ounce) bags roasted and peeled chestnuts (or prepare them yourself—see note below)

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 400°F.
  2. Place an oven bag in a roasting pan. Place inside sliced onions, chicken, and spices. Sprinkle in whole chestnuts and close the bag.
  3. Cut three slits in the bag and place pan in oven. Bake at 400°F until the thermometer inserted reads 180°, about an hour to an hour and a half.

Note: Alternatively, you can prepare the chestnuts yourself and bake them. Buy 2–3 cups of raw chestnuts. On the flat side of the chestnut, use a paring knife and score an “x” in it. This allows the steam from the chestnut to escape; otherwise the chestnut will explode! Place chestnuts on a baking tray, separated so they don’t layer on top of each other. Bake for 15–25 minutes, until skin separates and they are easy to peel. Careful; they are very hot! Discard skins and you should have about two cups of chestnuts.

Credit: Kosher.com

Sides are the key to a memorable Thanksgiving spread, and easy gluten-free cornbread is something everyone will be thankful for. Serve it straight up or use it in a good-for-you stuffing. (Hint: make it dairy-free—just swap out the milk for unsweetened almond milk.) Irresistible hasselback candied sweet potatoes get high marks for originality and pretty much everything else: they’re vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free, low-carb, and low-fat! Same with simple paleo-friendly, 4-ingredient fruit-filled squash.

Hasselback Candied Sweet Potatoes

By Sara Chana Gruskin

Ingredients:

2 pounds sweet potatoes, peeled

2 ounces margarine (use soy-free, if needed)

⅓ cup brown sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

honey-glazed pecans, chopped, for garnish

Directions:

  1. Shave off the bottom of the sweet potatoes, so they sit stably to work with, as well as serve. Slice straight down into the potatoes, stopping short of half an inch to the bottom, to create a hasselback cut. Holding the potatoes down with one hand, make nice, even, consecutive cuts between ⅛-inch and ¼-inch apart. As the potatoes bake, the slices will fan out and resemble an accordion.
  2. Preheat the oven to 425°F and place the rack on the lower middle position.
  3. In a small sauce pot, melt margarine, brown sugar, vanilla, and cinnamon to create a sweet syrup for basting.
  4. Brush the outside of each potato with syrup using a pastry brush.
  5. Place sweet potatoes in the oven, uncovered, for 15 minutes. By now, the potatoes should start to fan out.
  6. Brush the potatoes once again, this time reaching between the cracks to make sure you got your potato covered.
  7. Bake for an additional 30 minutes and pull out every 10 minutes to re-brush each potato with the sauce to prevent them from drying out.
  8. When the potatoes are looking nice and crispy, remove from the oven and pour remaining sauce over them. Be sure to get between the cracks.
  9. Sprinkle the chopped pecans on top of each potato and return to the oven for 10 more minutes to allow the sugar to caramelize and set.

 

“No dessert, please,” said no one ever. Kosher.com to the rescue for the non-dairy crowd! Chocolate chestnut trifle is actually three desserts in one, as the rich chocolate cake and chestnut cream components can stand on their own. But it’s a cinch to assemble, so go ahead and wow them with a decadent masterpiece. For the “it’s not Thanksgiving without pumpkin pie” set, this flourless pumpkin pie (complete with whipped topping) is a gluten-free, dairy-free no-brainer.

 

Flourless Pumpkin Pie

By Rachel Goodman

Ingredients:

Crust

10 Medjool dates, pitted

1 cup rolled oats (use gluten free, if needed)

¾ cup pecans, raw and unsalted

1 tablespoon oil

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

pinch of salt

Pumpkin Filling

15 ounces pumpkin puree

11 Medjool dates

2 eggs

1½ teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 teaspoon baking powder

Topping (Optional)

15-ounce can coconut milk

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

2 tablespoons maple syrup (optional)

chopped pecans

Directions:

Crust

  1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
  2. Place dates, oats, pecans, oil, vanilla, and salt in a food processor. Blend until it can stick together (one to two minutes).
  3. Press mixture into a lined eight- by eight-inch baking pan until it is spread evenly.
  4. Bake for five minutes (no longer than this as it can easily burn), remove from oven, and set aside.

Filling

  1. Wipe the food processor clean.
  2. Place pumpkin and dates in food processor and blend until smooth.
  3. Add eggs, cinnamon, vanilla, and baking powder. Blend until smooth, about two to three minutes.
  4. Pour mixture over the crust and spread it out evenly.
  5. Bake for 25 minutes.
  6. Remove from oven and allow it to cool completely.
  7. Cut into 16 bars. Place a dollop of coconut whipped cream or unsweetened heavy cream onto each bar. Sprinkle with chopped pecans.

Topping

  1. Place can of coconut milk in the fridge for at least two hours.
  2. Take can out and remove the creamy white part from the top (leave the liquid in the can.)
  3. Beat with vanilla extract until it starts to turn into a whip (about five minutes). If you want it sweet then add maple syrup.

Drinks: Every great meal deserves a toast. Let Kosher.com’s video channel introduce you to five fabulous autumn cocktails and show you how to be a master mixologist. Or take a tip from wine expert and blogger Gabriel Geller, who knows all about wines you should serve with turkey.

The next day: Overnight guests are the perfect excuse to whip up a batch of pumpkin spice cinnamon buns for breakfast. And finally … did somebody say leftovers? Check out Danielle Renov’s brilliant Leftover Hack video—you’ll never look at eggrolls the same way again.

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