Delicious and healthy Thanksgiving recipes

Few meals in our lives steal the limelight quite so thoroughly as Thanksgiving. A tableside gathering of your beloved? It’s the perfect opportunity to showcase a few exciting new dishes. From kabocha squash to radicchio, from chestnuts to collards, you can use the high-profile menu to inspire, intrigue, and—most importantly—nourish your guests. Here are a few of our favorite tips and ideas for a healthy, delicious holiday: 

Change your palette: The brighter, the better. Colorful vegetables pack vitamins, fiber, and big taste. Center your meal around a rainbow. Think slow-cooker vegetarian collard greens à la Southern Living, refined-sugar-free cranberry-onion jam via Cooking Light, and Ina Garten’s caramelized butternut squash. 

Protein, please: Make everything more nourishing (and filling) by sneaking protein into unexpected places. Try thisroasted acorn squash and portobello mushroom salad with radicchio, apples, and pumpkin seeds from the Food Network. Or Martha Stewart’s grilled kale and radicchio with almonds and balsamic-orange glaze. Or this creamy non-dairy puréed chestnut soup from Forks Over Knives. 

Lighten up the classics: Experiment with healthier versions of your favorites. Rely on big, low-calorie flavors like citrus and herbs in order to use less fat. Try swaps for standbys, like this lighter pumpkin pie recipe from EatingWell viaDiabetic Living magazine, this low-fat gravy from the Mayo Clinic, and this fancy, creamless potato gratin from Food and Wine. 

Make your carbs complex: Whole grains like wild rice, quinoa, and polenta pack a nutritional punch that beats stuffing any day. The Grains Council recommends an interesting millet-cauliflower mash that rivals mashed potatoes. Mommypotamous ventures into the dangerous world of gluten-free stuffing with a wonderful Paleo “stuffing” made from apples, dates, eggs, herbs, and almond flour. And the New York Times’ Martha Rose Shulman espouses an herb-forward stuffing alternative in this wild rice and toasted quinoa pilaf. 

No matter the recipe, no matter your guests, CONLON/Christie’s International offers homes where your family and friends can gather in comfort and style this holiday. Like our listing at 3S345 Hart Road in Batavia, Lionshead Farm, a pastoral estate with a palatial kitchen that is perfect for pumpkin pie prep and leaf peeping. Our Beverly listing at 10144 South Hoyne boasts a cozy kitchen, a spacious dining room, and a private gym for burning off that turkey. From suburban to centrally located, our agents can help you find a home that will truly find you giving thanks.