November 12th, 2007

Organic Thanksgiving Feasts: Thank Goodness!

Posted by Monica Schenk

One way to give thanks for all the bounty Mother Earth provides is to celebrate with an organic feast – the tradition started without pesticides, antibiotics or preservatives, after all.  (Whole Foods wasn’t around in the 1600s, contrary to urban myth.) 

Most traditional Thanksgiving dishes can be made with organic ingredients. Although, keeping your recipes simple makes going organic much easier and more affordable. To encourage your organic gastronomy, we put together an entire menu of Thanksgiving recipes that all have a short list of ingredients.  

You can make your Turkey Day even greener by finding organic ingredients that are grown or raised locally. The organic.org store finder is a great place to start your search.

If you live in a place where organic foods are less available, all of the ingredients in the following recipes can be ordered online. Diamond Organic delivers fresh organic produce, poultry, dairy, pumpkin puree and bakery items nationwide. Wellness Grocer is a great online resource for organic dry goods such as, flour, sugar, spices, cornbread mix, pie crusts and organic broth or stock. And last, but not least, The Organic Wine Company sells low sulfite wine made from certified organic grapes.

We can’t think of a better occasion to splurge on organic fare than Thanksgiving. For recipe instructions, simply click on the source of each recipe next to each dish title in our list.  Have a delicious, healthy, organic Thanksgiving feast!

SIMPLE ROASTED
TURKEY – From The Food Network’s How to Boil Water

1 (8 to 10 pound) turkey
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 medium onion, quartered  
1 head garlic, halved
Several sprigs fresh herbs, such as; thyme, parsley, rosemary, and sage
2 bay leaves
8 tablespoons unsalted butter (1 stick), melted  

EASY
TURKEY GRAVY – From Wholefoods Market
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/3 cup all purpose flour
4 cups homemade turkey stock, or low salt chicken stock, heated to a simmer
pan drippings from one turkey, with the fat poured off (in the roasting pan)
1/2 cup red or white wine
Salt and ground black pepper, to taste  

CARMELIZED ONION AND CORNBREAD STUFFING  – From Food Network’s Tyler
Florence
2 tablespoons butter
2 onions, chopped
6 large cornmeal muffins, cubed
Handful of fresh sage leaves, chopped
1 egg
1/4 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup chicken stock
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

SWEET POTATO HASH – From Bon Appétit
3 pounds red-skinned sweet potatoes (yams), peeled, cut into 1/2-inch cubes (about 8 cups)
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, divided
1/4 cup canola oil
3 cups coarsely chopped onions (about 2 large)
1/2 cup (packed) golden brown sugar
2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice 

ORANGE CRANBERRY RELISH – From Cranberry Hill Farm
2 cups of cranberries
1 Orange with peel, cut into pieces
½ cup honey

GREEN BEANS WITH SMOKED BACON – From Chow.com
2 pounds green beans, stems removed
1/2 pound sliced smoked bacon, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 medium yellow onion, peeled and thinly sliced
1/3 cup red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1/4 cup coarsely chopped Italian parsley 

BUTTERMILK MASHED POTATOES - From Chow.com
8 pounds russet potatoes
¾ cup heavy cream
6 tablespoons unsalted better (3/4 stick) cut into small pieces
1 cup buttermilk, at room temperature 

PUMPKIN PIE – From Cooks.com
1 refrigerated pie crust
3/4 cup sugar
1 1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 15 oz. can pumpkin
1 1/2 cups evaporated milk
2 eggs, beaten