Have you started planning your Thanksgiving menu yet?

If so, have you thought about how colorful your holiday table will be this year?

During a recent cooking demo, I showed one of our all-time favorite holiday recipes:  the Christmas Quinoa Salad, loaded with vibrant colors, flavors, and textures.  I shared about how, when I was growing up, our Thanksgiving table did not include a lot of color.  There was lots of brown and beige – turkey, mashed potatoes (and gravy, of course), stuffing, noodles, and rolls, just to name a few.  Everyone around the room was grinning – does this sound familiar to you too?

We all know there are certain dishes that just have to appear each year – the comfort, the tradition.  It just wouldn’t feel like Thanksgiving without them.  Several years ago, I asked my mom why we always had that canned cranberry thing (you know…the jiggly one with the ridges from the can and often served up on a fancy dish).  She said, “That’s a really good question; I think because your dad likes it and we’ve always had it!”

But our table has changed.  We started introducing fresh, beautiful side dishes and the response was amazing.  “Wow, this is really good.  How did you make it?”  My brother has even been known to say, “If there are any leftovers of that, I’d be happy to take some home.”  We will count that as a WIN!

Savoring the Season!

The most memorable dishes we’ve made in recent years all share two things:  fresh, in-season produce (we often get ours from local farmers’ markets) and simple preparations full of flavor.  These dishes taste fantastic and are much healthier!

This time of year is perfect for enjoying seasonal ingredients like winter squash, apples, beets, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, kale, parsnips, pears, pomegranates, sweet potatoes and many others.  Using these ingredients, you can easily create some simple, flavor-popping dishes that will wow your guests!

Check out our video to see how easy it is to make the Wild Rice Acorn Squash.  Whether you’re hosting Thanksgiving or just craving something warm and nourishing – this recipe brings together fall flavors deliciously!

Here are more side dishes that have been a hit at our Thanksgiving dinners:

Spectacular Salads

Kale Waldorf Salad – a great creamy dressing (no mayo required!)

Pear and Butternut Squash Salad – fall flavors meet a delicious maple-balsamic vinaigrette!

Acorn Squash and Apple Salad – roasted acorn squash + sweet-spicy vinaigrette = magic!

Pomegranate Pear Salad – pomegranates, pears, walnuts and blue cheese…this one gets rave reviews!

Kale Chopped Salad with Maple Almond Vinaigrette – Brussels sprouts, kale, crispy shallots, and a maple almond vinaigrette!

Cabbage Apple and Pear Salad – your family will love this, and it is super-easy to prepare!

Mashed Veggies and a Delicious Sausage Dressing

Creamy Mashed Cauliflower – we made this again recently and were blown away how good it is!

Mashed Potatoes and Turnips with Sautéed Leeks – fantastic flavor and the sauteed leeks send it over the top!

Cauliflower and Sweet Potato Mash – the flavors work excellent together and it’s so easy!

Cranberry Apple Sausage Dressing – apples, cranberries, and walnuts…loaded with flavor and nutrition!

Green Bean Goodness

Roasted Balsamic Green Beans & Mushrooms – a simple and flavorful way to enjoy fresh green beans and mushrooms!

Slow Cooker Green Bean Goodness – a healthy spin on the classic casserole!

Green Beans with Pecans and Cranberries – green beans + pecans + cranberries = autumn on a plate!

Simple Roasted Carrots and Green Beans – simple and easy – a perfect example of why we fell in love with roasting vegetables!

Flavor-Bursting Brussels Sprouts

Seasoned Roasted Potatoes and Brussels Sprouts – the “GO-TO” seasoning is perfect!

Balsamic Glazed Brussels Sprouts – not your ordinary Brussels sprouts – with a maple and balsamic glaze!

Kung Pao Brussels Sprouts – for those who think they don’t like Brussels sprouts…yet!

Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Pears and Pistachios – roast the Brussels sprouts and pears – WOW!

Even More Deliciousness

Montana Inspired Beet Salad – this will be the talk of the table – absolutely delicious!

Honey Dijon Roasted Carrots and Parsnips – when parsnips are cut into strips and roasted, they may be mistaken for french fries!

Roasted Acorn Squash with Garlic and Pine Nuts – not only does it taste great, but it makes your kitchen smell amazing!

Orange Ginger Cranberry Sauce – a perfect accompaniment to your feast, and so much you can do with the leftovers!

Wild Rice Acorn Squash – the flavors and textures are SO GOOD!  You could even serve it as an entree.

Don’t Forget the Sweet Treats

Harvest Pumpkin Bars – AMAZING! INCREDIBLE! CRAZY GOOD!  This is how people describe them, plus they’re gluten-free!

Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups – who doesn’t love chocolate and peanut butter?

Snickers Inspired Stuffed Dates – yes, it tastes like a Snickers bar, and there are only four REAL ingredients!

Rustic Roasted Pears – another example of how a few simple ingredients can produce something fantastic!

Pecan Streusel Pumpkin Pie – with its REAL ingredients and pecan crumble crust, pumpkin pie can be healthy and delicious too!  You can also cook this in an 8×8 baking dish.

So, as you are planning your Thanksgiving feast, we encourage you to mix in something new alongside your traditional sides.  You just might find a new favorite holiday staple!

If you want even more inspiration, watch this entertaining video by Zonya on how we can shift our paradigms!