As the holidays approach I wanted to offer a few tips and recipes to help you make them healthier, kinder and more delicious than ever! 

In this week's episode of In My Plant-Based Kitchen (Episode 11) I talk about

• how to veganize and "healthify" some traditional family favourites
• how to plan a plant-based holiday meal (including ideas for mains)
• what's on my menu for the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday dinner (see my holiday recipe ebook here)
• I walk you through my Naturally Sweetened Holiday Cranberry Sauce recipe (so good)! Here's that recipe:

Naturally Sweetened Holiday Spice Cranberry Sauce

Ingredients:

• 1 c water
• ½ c freshly squeezed orange juice
• 2 c fresh/frozen cranberries
• 2 c dried cranberries
• ½ c raisins
• ¾ c tart dried cherries
• 3 tbsp agave syrup or maple syrup
• 1 tbsp orange zest
• 1 tsp ginger, peeled and minced
• 1 ½ tsp ground cinnamon
• ¼ tsp ground cloves (optional – or use another spice like nutmeg/anise, etc)

Directions:

1. Place water, juice, cranberries, raisins and cherries in a medium-sized pot and bring to a boil. Depending on how much water your cranberries release, you may need to add a bit more water or orange juice. If you're feeling the sauce is dry, add up to another 1/2 - 3/4 cup (you can do this later in the process too - the main thing is to give the fruit enough liquid to steep and become soft in).

2. Turn the heat down to med-low and simmer for about 10 minutes, until some of the cranberries start to burst open, stirring occasionally. Some will burst and others won’t, which gives the sauce nice texture.

3. Now add the agave/maple syrup, ginger, orange zest, cinnamon and cloves and simmer for a few more minutes, stirring regularly, until everything is starting to come together and the sauce has thickened to your preferred consistency (keep in mind the sauce will thicken up more as it cools).

4. Remove from heat and allow to cool completely. Once everything has cooled, you can blend the sauce partially if you like a smoother sauce.

5. Chill in the fridge or serve at room temperature.

*Note, the flavours in this sauce really come together on day 2, so this is a great thing to make the day before your big meal. If you have leftovers, store in an airtight container in the fridge and it will keep for a couple of weeks (if it lasts that long)!

Want more recipes? Check out my HOLIDAY RECIPE EBOOK HERE.

Enjoy! Wishing everyone a Happy, Healthy, Kind Thanksgiving.

Leafy green vegetables are, arguably, one of the most powerful foods you can eat, and there are SO many benefits to adding them to your daily menu. Just to list a few:

• They are one of the most nutrient dense foods out there (i.e. more nutrition per calorie)
• They are associated with the strongest protection against major chronic diseases, including a reduced risk for heart attacks and stroke
• A study done at Rush University and published in the journal Neurology showed that eating green leafy vegetables every day was associated with slower cognitive decline – the study results suggested that older adults who ate at least one serving of leafy green vegetables showed an equivalent of being 11 years younger cognitively
• and more

In this week's episode of In My Plant-Based Kitchen I talk about why greens are so powerful (and what exactly we mean by "greens"), we delve into the benefits of greens for health, talk tips for getting the most out of your greens nutritionally and ideas for how to get more of them into your meals. ANDI do a demo of Side Sauteed Greens

So if you're interested in this info, be sure to check the episode out.

Now, on to the recipes.

Side Sauteed Greens

Serves 2-3

• 1 tbsp garlic, minced (you can add minced ginger, chives or other aromatics here if you wish)
• About 4 cups roughly chopped greens (kale/beet greens/chard/bok choy/Chinese cabbage, etc)
• 1 tbsp Braggs Soy Alternative + 1 tbsp water
• sprinkle of lemon/lime juice

Directions:

1) Prepare all your ingredients i.e. chop the garlic, and wash and cut the greens. Measure out the Braggs and water and halve a lemon/lime. Have everything at hand because you will need to work quickly in this next stage.

2) When everything is just about ready to go, heat your pan over med-high heat, and when water sizzles, add about 1 tbsp water then the garlic. Sauté for 30 seconds - 1 minute or so, until the garlic becomes fragrant and starts to look a bit translucent. Don’t allow it to brown – this will make them bitter.

3) Add your greens, and toss with the garlic. Add the braggs/water mixture and toss again, stirring constantly until the greens have just wilted.

4) Now sprinkle the lemon/lime juice and toss once more. DON’T overcook – this whole process should only take a couple of minutes!

5) Remove from pan and eat immediately! (This should be the last thing you do for your meal as these greens are best served HOT).

Serve as a side with a veggie burger, as part of a bowl, with mashed potatoes and tempeh, or however else you can dream up!

*Want to see a demo of this recipe? Check it out here.

Creamy Kale Salad

Serves 2

This is another easy recipe that is super tasty and full of powerful nutrition. I love it because unlike most salads it keeps well in the fridge for a couple of days.

Ingredients: 

• 1 bunch kale, stemmed and finely chopped
• 1 cup grated carrots
• 1/2 avocado, peeled and pitted
• 1/4 cup thinly sliced red onion
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• A sprinkling of sea salt (1/8-1/4 tsp, to taste)
• 2 tablespoons sesame seeds, toasted

Directions:

1. Chop kale and place in a bowl. Massage it until it starts to soften.
2. Toss the rest of the ingredients except the sesame seeds into the bowl and use your hands or the back of a large spoon to thoroughly mash avocado into kale and mix everything together.
3. Serve into bowls, garnish with sesame seeds and eat immediately, or store in the fridge for up to 2 days.

Note: for variation you can make this salad with other greens (don't massage unless it's a hardy one though...), lime juice or apple cider vinegar instead of lemon juice, switch up the carrots for beets and the sesame seeds for another seed/chopped nut of your choice.

 Have a nutrition question or topic you'd like to see covered on In My Plant-Based Kitchen? Send it to Emma here.