5 Side Dish Recipes for Thanksgiving

Vancouver chefs share veg-focused recipes for your holiday weekend

Potato Haystacks

By Dan Cheung, Nourish Café & Cooking School

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp coconut oil, melted
• 1/3 cup (35 g) shallot, thinly sliced
• 650 g (depending on size approximately 3 or 4) russet or Yukon Gold potatoes
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• 1 tbsp cornstarch
• Green onions, finely chopped for garnish

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 375F.
2. Melt the coconut oil and thinly slice the shallot.
3. Grate the potato in a food processor using the grater blade or regular grater.
4. Mix all ingredients together.
5. To form each haystack, lightly pack a 1/4 measuring cup with the potato mixture, squeezing out extra water.
6. Flip the haystacks out, upside down onto a parchment-lined baking sheet.
7. Bake at 375F for 20 minutes.
8. Increase temperature to 425F and bake for an additional 8 to 10 minutes, or until outside is browned and crispy.

Serves 3-4

Note: Can be made ahead of time and reheated right before serving. To reheat, bake at 400F for three minutes.

*Adapted from Minimalist Baker

Sweet Potato Salad by Executive Chef Jenny Hui, The Lazy Gourmet

Ingredients

• 8 cups sweet potato, 1/2" diced
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• 1/2 cup pumpkin seeds
• 1/4 cup sugar

Dressing

• 1/4 cup orange juice
• 1 tsp orange zest
• 1 tsp ginger, grated
• 1 pinch cayenne pepper
• 1 tsp Dijon mustard
• 3/4 cup vegetable oil

Instructions

1. Toss sweet potato with olive oil, salt and pepper.
2.  Roast in 350F oven for 25 to 30 minutes or until tender. Remove and let cool.
3. Toss pumpkin seeds with sugar and one tablespoon water. Bake in oven for 10 to 12 minutes. Remove and let cool.
4. To make the dressing, add orange juice, orange zest, ginger, cayenne pepper and Dijon mustard in a blender. Blend until just combined. Slowly add oil until emulsified.
5. Toss sweet potatoes and pumpkin seeds in dressing. Enjoy!

Serves 4

Miso-marinated Tofu and Organic Baby Green Salad by Chef Kazuya Matsuoka, Minami

Baby Greens

• 1 lb any organic mixed baby greens, such as kale, wild arugula, mizuna leaf, pea shoots
• 1 beefsteak tomato, diced
• 1 baby cucumber, sliced

Sesame-Soy dressing

• 2 oz sesame oil
• 2 oz rice vinegar
• 1 oz soy sauce
• 1.5 oz sugar
• 1 oz toasted white sesame seed

marinated Crispy Tempeh

• 200 g tempeh
• 2 oz lime juice
• 2 oz soy sauce
• 2 oz honey
• 2 oz water
• 1 tbsp coriander powder
• 1 pinch chili powder

Miso-Marinated Tofu

• 1 block firm tofu 250 g, crumbled
• 0.5 oz soy sauce
• 1 oz mayonnaise
• 0.5 oz sugar

Instructions

1. Mix all baby greens ingredients together in a bowl.
2. Marinade tempeh for five hours, then slice and bake at 250F oven for 15 minutes or until crispy.
3. Wrap tofu in paper towel and put in the fridge for 24 hours before use.
4. Mix the soy sauce, mayonnaise and sugar in a bowl. Then put the crumbled tofu together and mix well.

To Plate

1. Put the baby greens, cucumber, tomato in a bowl and pour the vinagrette dressing over and mix gently.
2. Plate salad and put crumbled miso tofu and crispy tempeh on top.

Serves 4

Roasted Autumn Vegetable Succotash by Reuben Major, The Belgard Kitchen

Ingredients

• 1 butternut squash (peeled, cored, 1 cm diced)
• 1 large celery root (peeled, 1 cm diced)
• 3 parsnips (peeled, 1 cm diced)
• 1 large onion (peeled, 1 cm diced)
• 1 pint grape tomatoes (halved)
• 2 cobs corn
• 1 serrano chili (1/16" coins)
• 3-4 cloves garlic (minced)
• 1 small bunch Italian parsley (leaves plucked)
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• Olive oil
• Sea salt

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 375F.
2. Toss the diced butternut squash in a minimal amount of olive oil and 1/3 of the minced garlic. Season lightly with sea salt and 1 tsp cinnamon.
3. Place on a parchment-lined baking pan and roast until the butternut squash is cooked through and begins to dry and brown.
4. Meanwhile, toss the diced celery root and parsnips and 1/3 of the minced garlic in a minimal amount of olive oil and season lightly with sea salt.
5. Place on a parchment-lined baking pan and roast until the vegetables are cooked through and begin to dry and brown.
6. In a pan over medium heat, add enough olive oil to thinly coat the surface of the pan. Once the oil begins to ripple, add the diced onions, 1/3 of the minced garlic and season lightly with sea salt.
7. Cook, stirring regularly until the onions begin to caramelize to a light golden brown.
8. Blanch the cobs of corn in boiling, salted water for four minutes. Remove and cut the kernels off of the cob.
9. In a large bowl, add all of the roasted vegetables, blanched corn, grape tomatoes, caramelized onions, picked parsley and serrano coins. Toss gently with a wooden spoon. The residual heat of the cooked vegetables will warm the tomatoes.
10.  Transfer to a large serving platter

11.  Drizzle with Maple Mustard Vinaigrette (recipe below).

Maple and Mustard Vinaigrette (1 cup)

• 1 shallot (peeled)
• 1 tbsp maple syrup
• 2 tbsp grainy mustard
• 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
• 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 1/4 cup grape seed oil
• pinch sea salt

1. Place the shallot, maple syrup, grainy mustard, lemon juice and apple cider vinegar into a blender and puree until smooth.
2. On medium speed, slowly stream in the olive oil and grape seed oil until emulsified. 
3. Season with sea salt.

Chicories Salad with Roasted Sunchokes and Cider-mustard Vinaigrette by Chef Sarah Stewart, Juniper

Ingredients

• 1 bunch black kale
• 2 heads frisée
• 2 heads endive
• 1 head raddicio
• handful sunflower sprouts
• 1 lb sunchokes
• extra sunflower oil for roasting
• ¼ cup sliced radish

Cider Mustard Vinaigrette

• 1/8 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1/8 cup sunflower oil
• 1/4 tbsp grainy Dijon mustard
• 1 tbsp maple syrup
• 1/8 cup organic apple cider vinegar
• 1 squeeze Meyer lemon
• sea salt and pepper to taste
• ½ cup roasted sunflower seeds
• ¼ cup snipped chives

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350F.
2. Wash, dry and trim sunchokes into 1-inch lengths and drizzle with sunflower oil in a roasting pan.
3. Roast until caramelized and golden brown (approximately 25 minutes).
4. Wash all greens and dry. Trim excess green from frisée and remove core. Remove hard stem from kale
5. In a small bowl, toss sunflower seeds in small amount of sunflower oil and salt. Lay flat on a baking sheet and toast until golden brown (approximately 3 to 4 minutes, keep a close watch as they will burn).
6. Whisk together all dressing ingredients.
7. Shred greens by hand and combine in large bowl with sunchokes and vinaigrette to taste.
8. Garnish with sliced radishes, sunflower seeds and chives.
9. Serve immediately.