My Thanksgiving Menu

I'm not sure why I felt so compelled to start this, but I thought it would be so fun to share what is on my Thanksgiving menu this year. It's been a while since we've actually had a Thanksgiving meal on the day of. Usually we're traveling somewhere and piece-mealing grilled cheeses together (also a beautiful family tradition of ours)! But if you know me at all, you know how much I love to host and more important love to feed folks, so here is what's happening in the Shah household in a few days, and my overall game plan! 

Remember that we are vegetarian, and I always want to make sure there is still a star of the show outside of the sides. This year, I wanted to make sure there was a good balance of the traditional sides along with a variety of green veggies to even out the heavier starches. 

Living an Ayurvedic lifestyle--I like to always live by what I call the 80/20 rule. Enjoy your food. Enjoy the holidays. Eat guilt free. But, understand your body. Know the tools you need to come back into balance. 

Anyways, here's what I'm thinking through, and I can't wait to get started! 

The Sides & Main Event: 

• Mac & Cheese: no specific recipe used. I typically start with a roux and then use a mixture of 3 cheeses. Preference: gouda, gruyere, cheddar. Reality: whatever I could find in the grocery store. Today's wins were some medium cheddar, a tiny block of gruyere, and shredded cheddar. 
• Mashed Potatoes: Yes, traditional mashed potatoes. I do enjoy mixing in some fresh dill and garlic into my mashed potatoes. 
• Green Bean Casserole: I usually follow some random recipe I find on the internet. But this year, I'm going to figure it out on my own. I'm planning on starting with making a pseudo-cream of mushroom from scratch and then the green beans. I may go something different with the spices. But of course there will be the crispy onions on top. 
  
• Cornbread Muffins: Again, very traditional! At first I was debating between cornbread dressing and having rolls, but again, I was thinking the balance... so opted to cut the rolls and have just the cornbread muffins. I'll probably add in some jalapeños and maybe some cheddar. 
• Roasted Feta & Lentil: I'm considering this our main dish this year, and I'm using THIS recipe! I'm excited to see how this turns out, and will obviously report back. 
  
• Roasted Brussel Sprouts & an Extra Green: Coming with friends. Again, adding in greens to balance out the heaviness of the other items. 
  

The Desserts: 

• Apple Crumble: requested by the family! Great way to be able to bring in a no-sugar dessert for any of your family members who may request that. 
• Pumpkin Toffee Pie: Okay this one comes from an inspiration from Justine Doiron. There wasn't a recipe necessarily, but I think I'll be able to riff off of it pretty well. 
  
• Mini Pecan Pies: This one came from an inspiration from skinnytaste.com. Again, I'll riff off of it and see what happens! 
  

And that's it folks! The full menu. We've got 15 people to feed, and I'll be starting prep work on Wednesday. Desserts and chopping will happen first, and the rest will take place on Thursday morning. We're going to be doing a dinner this year, so it gives me some breathing space to get things wrapped up and set on Thursday. 

I truly can't wait! The tablescape in my head looks perfect (still waiting for things to come in), and the food perfectly set. 

I hope that you are getting rest and having fun this week. Happy Thanksgiving Week! 

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