Nothing says Happy Thanksgiving like the smell of Garlic in the kitchen

To celebrate the season and the turkeys rooting around the fields at the garlic farm, we thought we’d look into favorite garlic-infused holiday recipes. Turkey of course is the most popular dish, but we also looked at some vegetarian options (November 1st was World Vegan Day and more that 7.5 Million Americans are vegetarian).

Contrary to popular belief, turkey, when it is not basted in butter is a good source of lean protein, B vitamins, magnesium, and potassium. When it is basted in butter (one recipe we found uses garlic butter with sage and rosemary) it can be heaven, but let’s look at healthier, but equally delicious versions:

In this recipe, roasted garlic replaces most of the fat in the gravy and I love the onions under the turkey in this dish: Herb Rubbed Turkey with Roasted Garlic Gravy – from Epicurious.

Here is another terrific low-fat turkey recipe: Lemon-Garlic Roast Turkey & White-Wine Gravy – from Mysimplylife.com.

There is plenty to celebrate about marriage of rosemary and garlic. Here is a rosemary-garlic turkey recipe followed by an herbed garlic butter recipe:
This Rosemary-Garlic roast turkey recipe combines garlic, rosemary and olive oil into a thick, green paste. The paste is very versatile and can also be used to adorn roasted veggies, bread or even tofu.

Rosemary-Garlic roast turkey

Rosemary-Garlic Butter:
1/2 cup butter, softened (use margarine for a vegan version)
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons fresh rosemary, minced
1 tablespoon lemon juice, fresh
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon fresh ground pepper

This herb butter can be used to spice up veggies or baste meat.
And finally these Roasted Root Vegetables can stand on their own as a main entrée or can be served as a savory side: Roasted Root Vegetables: from Dr, Weils’ Blog.

For more garlic-infused vegetarian options try:
Giving Thanks for Vegetables, Not Turkey
A Vegan Chef Dishes Up Thanksgiving