Thanksgiving is a holiday steeped in ritual. But here’s a refreshing thought: maybe stress doesn’t have to be part of the tradition. Instead of racing to create a feast that ticks everyone’s boxes, what if we used Thanksgiving as a moment to slow down, breathe, and treat each step in the kitchen as its own act of gratitude? We could cook with calm using those moments of slicing, dicing, and brining as a chance to reflect on the past year. And why not get creative, swapping a few ingredients for ones that energize us, instead of sending us into the usual food coma? After all, with the recent eye-opening research on ultra-processed foods, there’s no better excuse to embrace easy, whole-food options, like simply roasted sweet potatoes. Sometimes, tossing out the rule book is the best way to remind ourselves of what really matters.

Here are five non-traditional, incredibly flavorful dishes, some from Thrive's new cookbook out later this month, designed to help make this year’s meal less of a marathon.

• Main: Herb Roasted Ginger Garlic Chicken
• Side: Garlic Mushrooms or Braised Collards
• Sweet: Maple-Oat Muffins or Chocolate Cranberry Bon Bons

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Herb Roasted Ginger Garlic Chicken

A flavorful recipe, perfect for a dinner party.

Courtesy of Candice Kumai‍

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Makes 6 servings

What you'll need:

Garlic butter

3⁄4 garlic head, peeled

2 teaspoons fresh-grated ginger

1⁄4 cup extra virgin olive oil

3 fresh thyme sprigs, stems discarded

1 tablespoon butter, softened

3⁄4 teaspoon sea salt

Chicken

1 (5- to 6-pound) roasting chicken

1 teaspoon sea salt

1⁄2 lemon, thinly sliced into wheels

3 fresh thyme sprigs

2 fresh rosemary sprigs

1 garlic head, unpeeled, halved and broken into cloves

Directions:

To make the garlic butter:

In a food processor, combine all ingredients. Blend until a perfectly smooth paste forms.

To make the chicken:

1. Preheat the oven to 400°F. With clean hands, wash the chicken, remove the giblets, and pat the chicken completely dry with paper towels.

2. Lightly grease the bottom of a sturdy roasting pan. Salt the inside of the chicken with 1 teaspoon sea salt and stuff with the lemon wheels, thyme, rosemary, garlic, and ginger.

3. Using butcher’s twine, truss the chicken (breast side up), making sure to tuck in the wings and legs tightly. Place the chicken in the roasting pan and generously baste it with the garlic butter.

4. Cover the chicken loosely with aluminum foil and roast for approximately 2 hours. (Cook whole roasting chickens, fully thawed, 20 to 25 minutes per pound.) Remove the foil for the last 30 minutes of roasting time. Make sure the internal temperature reaches 165°F, the juices run clear, and the flesh is firm to the touch.

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Garlic Mushrooms

Servings: 2-3

What you’ll need:

• 16 ounces (1 pound) mushrooms, washed and patted dry
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 4 cloves garlic, minced (or 1/2 teaspoon of garlic powder)
• Optional: 1 tablespoon butter
• Optional: 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
• Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Slice your mushrooms into ½-inch thick slices.
2. Heat the oil in a large pan or skillet over medium heat.
3. Add the mushrooms and toss with the olive oil. Let them sit for 4-5 minutes before stirring.  
4. Stir the mushrooms and flip to brown both sides, then cook for another 2-3 minutes.
5. Reduce the heat to medium low and add the garlic and optional butter (for a richer flavor) and stir.
6. Continue to cook for another 3-4 minutes, stirring occasionally until cooked.
7. Season with salt, pepper, and optional parsley.
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Braised Collard Greens (Gomen / Hamli)

Contributed by Beejhy Barhany

Servings: 6

What you’ll need:

• 2-3 tablespoons oil

• 1 red onion, diced

• 2 teaspoons minced garlic

• 1 teaspoon minced fresh ginger

• 2 pounds collard greens, washed well, thick bottom stems cut off, leaves rolled into cylinders, and finely chopped

• 1 ½ teaspoons fine sea salt, plus more to taste

• ½ teaspoon black pepper, plus more to taste

• ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg

• 1 jalapeño, cut lengthwise into four long pieces

Directions:

1. In a medium pot, warm the oil over medium heat.

1. Add the onion and sauté, stirring occasionally until softened, about 5 minutes.

1. Add the garlic and ginger and sauté until lightly browned, about 10 minutes.

1. Add the collard greens, salt, and pepper. Cook uncovered, stirring occasionally, until the greens are dark green and tender, about 30 minutes. If greens start to scorch, add water, a few tablespoons at a time.

1. Taste and add additional salt and pepper, if necessary. Stir in the nutmeg and the jalapeño slices.
   
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Maple-Oat Muffins

Contributed by Daniel Humm

Servings: 12 muffins

What you’ll need:

• 3 cups whole wheat flour

• ¾ cups rolled oats

• ⅓ cup brown sugar, packed

• 1 tablespoon baking powder

• 1 ½ teaspoon baking soda

• 1 tablespoon salt

• 1 ½ tablespoons dried chamomile (from a chamomile tea bag)

• 1 ¼ cups milk of your choice

• 1 cup maple syrup

• ¼ cup oil of your choice

• 1 ripe banana, mashed

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 325ºF.

1. Combine all of the dry ingredients (flour, oats, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and chamomile) and mix well.

1. Separately, combine the milk, maple syrup, and oil.

1. Add the wet mixture to the dry mixture and whisk well to combine. Make sure that all of the brown sugar is broken down and not clumped together.

1. Add the mashed banana and stir to combine.

1. Lightly grease the muffin tray with oil, then divide the batter evenly into the tray.

1. Bake for 20-24 minutes, moving around the tray after 12 minutes. Remove when the muffins are golden brown and allow them to cool to room temperature.

1. You can also add banana slices or extra oats to the tops of the muffins.
   
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Chocolate Cranberry Bon Bons

You'll love these little treats filled with creamy almond butter, nuts, chocolate chips, cranberries, and honey.

What you'll need:

• ½ cup almond butter
• ½ cup of butter or ghee, melted
• 3 Tablespoons honey
• 2 tbsp coconut flour
• ½ cup dried cranberries
• ⅓ cup chocolate chips
• ½ cup walnuts, chopped
• ½ cup almonds, slivered

Directions:

1. Combine ghee or butter with the almond butter in a large mixing bowl. Stir until well blended and smooth.
2. Add the coconut flour and honey and stir well.
3. Add the cranberries, chocolate chips, walnut pieces, and slivered almonds to the bowl and gently stir.
4. Scoop a large spoonful (about 1 tablespoon) and gently roll into a ball. Place onto a plate or into a small candy confection cup, like these.
5. If the batter feels too wet, refrigerate your mixture for 5-10 minutes and resume rolling.
6. Repeat until all of the mixture is used.
7. Store in an airtight container in the fridge until ready to serve.

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