What Should I Bring for Thanksgiving?
Thanksgiving is always a blast at my house when all 10 of us kids make the pilgrimage to Grandma and Grandpa’s house to thank God for all He has given and done for us this past year! We try and outdo each other with side dishes and this year, I intend to win with this amazing salad! Here are the ingredients:
- Crispy Sweet Potatoes-Made crispy in the air fryer without oil! See my air-fryer potatoes recipe here
- Fluffy Quinoa-You could get precooked quinoa or make it yourself in just 3 minutes in the Instant Pot!
- A bed of mixed salad greens-You could use spinach or romaine or whatever you’d like!
- Dried Cranberries-I prefer to use unsweetened like this brand
- Pepitas (Better known as pumpkin seeds)-Roasted pepitas add a delicious nutty flavor to the salad!
- Walnuts-I like them for their healthy omega 3’s I like to use them for my Better Than Burgers recipe!
- Topped with my sweet, smoky, and spicy tahini sauce-Chipotle pepper powder, honey, and smoked paprika made this tahini sauce POP! Omit the chipotle if you don’t want spicy but I HIGHLY recommend it
Why A Salad at Thanksgiving?
Turkey, mashed potatoes and gravy, stuffing, meatballs, cranberry sauce, apple pie…all of that, while delicious, leaves most of us feeling like a bowling ball afterward. This salad offers the holiday’s classic flavors without the gut ache afterward! Sweet potatoes, cranberries, and pumpkin seeds are all staples of the holiday and contain many health benefits including fiber, antiinflammatory properties, and vitamin c!
4 Steps To Make this Salad
You CAN skip a few steps if need be although it is cheaper to buy the whole food ingredient. For example: instead of cutting up the sweet potatoes, you can buy a bag of them frozen. Rather than cooking the quinoa yourself, you could purchase the precooked kind. Shortcuts aside, let’s get into the steps. (1) First, prepare the sweet potatoes. (2) Second, cook the quinoa (3) Third, make the tahini sauce (4) Last, but not least, put it all together!
Steps 1 and 2
(1) If you’re not using the precut sweet potatoes, choose a large sweet potato. Cut it into cubes. Place in boiling water and cook for 4 minutes. Strain. Season with salt. Place in the air fryer basket and cook at 400 degrees for 10 minutes. Take out the basket and give it a little shake or flip the potatoes with a spatula. Cook an additional 10 minutes for best results. Set aside.
(2) If you’re not using the precooked quinoa, rinse your quinoa in cold water until the water runs clear. This will cut down on the bitterness. Place water and quinoa in the instant pot and select the Pressure Cook setting. Set the timer for 3 minutes. Allow to naturally release for 10 minutes and then release the rest of the pressure. Set aside.
Steps 3 and 4
(3)The tahini sauce is super simple! Add the tahini, apple cider vinegar, water, honey, and spices to a canning jar and shake well until combined. You could also use maple syrup, agave nectar or even coconut sugar. (4) Put it all together starting with a bed of greens, followed by the quinoa, sweet potatoes, cranberries, pepitas, and walnuts. Stir well and then add the dressing. Try not to eat it all.
Conclusion
First and foremost, this salad is beautiful! In particular, the brightness of the cranberries against the crisp greens make me think of mistletoe! In addition to this, we have the crispy air fryer potatoes in contrast to the fluffy quionoa! Not only that, but also the crunchy walnuts and pepitas give the tahini dressing more body! I am so in love with this salad and I know you will be too so leave me a comment! Happy Thanksgiving and I’ll see you in the kitchen!
The BEST Thanksgiving Salad Vegan and Gluten-Free
Equipment
- 1 Instant Pot
- 1 Pot
- 1 Serving Bowl
- 1 Salad Tongs
- 1 Knife
- 1 Cutting Board
Ingredients
Quinoa
- 1.5 cups dry quinoa yields 5 cups cooked. I only used 3 cups for the recipe
- 2 cups water or veggie broth
Air Fryer Potatoes
- 1 large sweet potato Yields 4 cups of cubed potato
- 1 tsp salt and to taste
- 3 quarts water
Tahini Sauce
- 1/2 cup tahini
- 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 8 tbsp water or more to thin per preference
- 1 tbsp honey
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
- 1/2 tsp chipotle pepper powder
Add Ins
- 3-4 cups mixed salad greens
- 2/3 cup dried cranberries
- 1/3 cup pepitas
- 1/2 cup chopped walnuts
- 1 bunch fresh parsley chopped
Instructions
Quinoa in the Instant Pot
- Rinse the quinoa in cold water until the water runs clear.
- Add rinsed quinoa and water to the instant pot
- Select the Pressure Cook setting. Set the timer for 3 minutes
- Allow to naturally release for 10 minutes. Release any remaining pressure. Set aside. Yields 5 cups but I only used 3 cups for the recipe. Feel free to add it all!
Roasted Sweet Potatoes in the Air Fryer
- Bring water to a boil on the stovetop
- Wash the sweet potato and cut it into cubes or bite-sized pieces
- Add cubes to the boiling water and cook uncovered for 4 minutes. Strain
- Add the cubes to a bowl and sprinkle on salt. Stir to coat.
- Place the potatoes in the air fryer basket and make sure they are not touching to obtain best crispy texture. Air fry at 400 degrees for 20 minutes. Remove basket and shake at 10 minutes for best results. Remove from air fryer and let cool.
Tahini Sauce
- Combine in a canning jar the tahini, apple cider vinegar, water, honey, and spices. Shake well. Add more water to thin the dressing to your liking. Set aside.
Put it all together!
- Start with your bed of salad greens. Add 3 cups of the quinoa, potatoes, pepitas, cranberries, walnuts, and fresh parsley as desired. Stir well. Add in the dressing. Serve right away. Enjoy!