Thanksgiving Spices Healthy Rainbow Variety and Za’atar Recipe

Thanksgiving spices are afterthoughts to the big day 🦃… after deciding where you’ll be, how you’ll get there, and even scoring the turkey food table star.

The weeks before Thanksgiving builds up anticipation. And even the day before, it’s still not too late to craft up an Ayurveda beneficial and spice-filled menu for a Happy Thanksgiving, created with an inspired rainbow color and variety tasty feast in mind. 🌈

That can linger on year-round after the holiday week has come and gone.

I’ll never forget the memories when I had family come over and there were very few recipe sites. Today, it’s completely different!

I still reference Martha Stewart. She used to have a television show… I don’t know if you remember or know about it, but I was a fan. 🎉

I’m still a fan, but the show has long moved onto YouTube and Instagram videos! But back in the day, my raving fan energy was elevated when I got to actually visit the live television set.

The crew even sent us home with one of the show guest’s cookbook… Clinton Street Baking Co. Cookbook (that has become a big deal in the Big Apple).

How did they know that was the perfect gift for moi? They must’ve known I was coming 😅

And that weekend, they opened up Eataly (the first in the U.S.) in the Flat Iron NYC district. Those were the days when I was working in marketing and event planning for a popular Spanish restaurant chain in my area (La Tasca owned by a large U.K. restaurant company). Some good foodie memories there 🍽 and so fitting for my attendance as I had spent years in hotel catering and restaurant food party planning.

This year, is completely different. Your Thanksgiving plans may have changed but that doesn’t mean you can’t have a meal that knocks it out of the park!  You can have punchy flavors using Thanksgiving spices you may not have considered.

And even in the Martha Stewart days, it was still traditional thyme and rosemary spices.

Since Thanksgiving is usually a home food event, so it’s a good excuse to crank it up a notch if you want, and maybe even try  different, healthy Thanksgiving spices that pleases your tastes and creative desires. And wows your family and guests. 🤩

I know you’re probably like this…  you have your favorite Thanksgiving foods and can be a ‘lil scared to try something new.

But I’m hear to encourage you to rainbow spice it up and I have some original blend ideas below!

So let’s go!

First, here’s a way to get your food senses heightened the week before turkey day (this Happy Thanksgiving). For starters, you can test and sniff your spices in your spice rack or cabinet. This will give you a week or two to get the ingredients you need as Thanksgiving spices become less potent or pungent.

And you can sit on which ones could work with you. Probably any of them, since they are in your cabinet. 😁

Remember, most Thanksgiving spices (and year-round spices) have anti-inflammatory and antioxidant benefits (preventing free radicals that can spike disease/cancer growth), so whatever you use, you and your guests will be healthier.

Thanksgiving spices (ground or whole from seeds) and herbs (plants) can be the secret ingredients you add to a new dish. And how you can create your own spectacular eye-pleasing food art at the end as some have some pretty cool colors like purple and red. I love how spices and herbs have unique colors that you can find in a 96-Crayola crayon set.

Here are 11 Thanksgiving spices (listed in rainbow color order). I also have dish enhancement ideas from my party planning experiences below.

 

1.Red: Saffron (bitter, sweet pungent):

The thin strands are good-looking and tasting on ooey-gooey honey desserts. Did you know saffron is a mood lifter? …so if you have an imbalanced Kapha to feed (…maybe yourself?), this is an amazing addition.

Year-round: Add saffron to your seafood bisques and Manhattan Clam Chowder. It’s not just for paella

Thanksgiving spices (cont’d)…

2.Dark Orange: Cayenne pepper (pungent):

Add the subtle spice you use for a little heat kick in your salty dishes like mac-n-cheese.  Did you know cayenne is used in many Cajun dishes.

Anyone who wants a super hot experience can add harissa, hot pepper sauce, or fresh horseradish. If you want to stick with a mild dish, you could use the safer paprika (found also in Creole dishes like gumbo).

Year-round: Sprinkle some cayenne pepper for your heat.  The health benefits are phenom (amazing!).  If you want to try something different, you could add cayenne to avocado on top of sprouted bread (this is a personal favorite!).

3.Bright/Light Orange: Turmeric (smokey/astringent):

Give any salty dish a smoky twist, such as your potato dish.

Tumeric is a super-anti-inflammatory curcumin spice. And personally I have seen it do wonders for calming dry, irritated skin. If you are experiencing a Pitta imbalance, turmeric (also cumin) are good spices for you.

Year-round: Potatoes and fish and eggs. I’ve added turmeric to popcorn with a ‘lil EVOO since turmeric is astringent (drying in the mouth) and popcorn is naturally dry. This is much better than adding salt or butter. Salt is sodium where too much is known to be a cause for high blood pressure (hypertension).

A tip is to use a stainless steel bowl as I find it easier to clean as turmeric can leave a stain (like an fiery-orange autumn leaf can).

4.Light Yellow:  Ginger (pungent):

Add to your hot tea to aid digestion from your big meal and also add to your water. Turmeric chai tea is well-known in parts of our world now.

It’s exceptionally beneficial in the morning when you’re revving up your stomach engine for the day. it’s a staple ingredient for gingerbread bakes.

Year-round: Add to chicken, and keep adding to your hot tea.

5.Yellow/Brown: Cumin:

Add to turkey and savory dishes. You could even add a cumin side dish like a hummus where you mix chickpeas (garbanzo beans), cumin, garlic, and cayenne if you like.

Cumin takes your dip from mildly boring to amazing… or a salad, like pairing with feta cheese, red onions, and chickpeas.

Year-round: Add to savory rice, soups, and dips.

6.Yellow/Brown: Curry (sweet):

Add to your turkey rub  Thanksgiving spices.  This makes for a very interesting flavor. One thing you can do is, smell the spice first and see how it lands with you at that time. If it’s not favorable, don’t give up on it. In Ayurveda, your body tells you what you need at the moment. I like to sniff curry and cumin and see which one (or neither) call out to me.

Year-round: Try with chicken and rice (a well known Indian dish combination). You could also try a mustard-based potato curry salad.

7.Light Green: Tarragon (sweet/astringent):

Add to roasted potatoes. Total flavor winner.

Year-round: Add to cooked eggs and you’ll have a nice French-American bistro dish experience.

8.Light Green:  Oregano (astringent):

Add to turkey for the more traditional tastes where you can’t go wrong. Oregano is a staple anti-inflammatory spice.

Year-round: Add to pastas and Italian tomato-based dishes

9.Blue:  Blueberry extract (sweet):

Add to your fruit pie compotes.  Along with whole blueberries for decoration around your turkey and dessert pies.  Some vineyard wineries make blueberry wine that can be thickened up to make a great drizzle to desserts. Chokeberry is another one you can try on the purplish side.

Year-round: Add to your muffins, smoothies, and coffee or tea.  Wild blueberries are superfruit

10.Purplish: Sumac (bitter):

Add to your potatoes for a slightly bitter tangy taste, and casseroles.  The small specks of dark purplish red color, stand out

Year-round:  Add to your dressings.  This is a mystery ingredient that makes you a super chef-ette.

It’s a key ingredient in za’atar, that has sesame seeds, sumac, and thyme. You can add other ingredients but these are the key ones. You can make crackers out of these.

11.White: Horseradish (pungent):

Fresh horseradish with the small chunks (that look like mini crab meat), is so pungent that it’ll work its way through any nasal congestion. Like those wasabi pea snacks…whew! they’re spicy.  You can dip your carrots or salty snacks like pretzels into horseradish.

This will wake up any Kapha balance/imbalance awareness, clearing up sinus congestion and waking up the tired like smelling salt

Pairing Healthy and Creative Thanksgiving Spices  Tips (Common Questions Asked):

For your turkey, if butter is your traditional way, try using olive oil that’s healthier and easier as a liquid. EVOO is going to be less acidic than just any olive oil. I also find it less messy as a bonus!

Adding 3-dimensional flavors not only tastes great, it also has direct health benefits. Many spices have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties.

It usually only just takes a minute of deeper thought to come up with a “new and improved” dish, as I’m trying to show you here.

And when you eat healthily you think you did something good that boosts your self-esteem.  ..how great!

For your turkey, instead of traditional gravy that has a dull, brown color (and sometimes boring blob-like texture), instead add a lighter zestier color chicken broth spiced with cumin or orange sugar that can be side glazes. You’ll know who your Vatas are in the room (and based on symptoms from a body balance quiz).

For potatoes, when you add a dash of turmeric, it resembles the fall leaves and pumpkin color. Seasonings can add to the seasons and that’s the way our bodies are naturally wired to live in.

For your sweet potatoes, lean into the sweet by adding honey and cinnamon.

Maybe add an option of baklava, a dessert that dates back to the Roman Empire days. The main ingredient, pistachios, are calming for Vata and Pitta. The flakey textures can be what you need.  Hearing the light, crisp crunch when you bite into the dessert is satisfying.

Many European or Middle Eastern restaurants purchase their baklava as it’s not easy or fast to make, so you could choose to do the same.

What Beverages Are Good For All Ages?

For digestion, after the meal have mint and ginger tea. For dinner, have water and lemon slices. Instead of cranberries where there could be leftovers, you could serve up cranberry juice with a few festive shiny cranberries sprinkled and floating up top in the drink.

One of these days I’m going to make an anise mocktail. It’s not a taste for the faint of heart but if you like black licorice, you’ll love and is great as an after dinner drink.

What’s a Good Thanksgiving Starter Plate?

Before the meal, you can give dinner party ambiance with just your food. That’s what I did at many parties that had 20-50 guests. I’m sure this year especially, yours (and mine for sure) won’t be that large.

Decorate the table with unique foods that are fun and edible, such as a fruit plate with red and green grapes, apple slices, and oranges.  Finish off with ruby red pomegranates in season now. And kiwi tropical if you like (easier to find in November and winter months).

Fruit is a great meal opener and starter for your stomach to receive the larger meal coming. I grew up after every meal having half an apple. While it was the dessert with most my daily dinners, for digestion, it would have been better to have the apple before the meal.

You could go-to-town with an amazing fruit and cheese platter like this, but this can be for inspiration (and not for intimidation)…

You could also add a decorative plate of rose or Turkish Delight candy common with Turkish meals.  …that’s a new one, huh?

That’ll add a dash of exotic color to the table without candy wrappers (and btw, Thanksgiving is the only time I would keep my strawberry Twizzlers hanging out in the pantry closet 😊

Ideas On: How Do I Decorate a Showstopper Turkey Platter?

For the main showstopper turkey platter, you can create a decorative piping effect by alternating shiny cranberries and no-sheen blueberries around half-cut lemons or oranges, to create a dramatic plate.  You could add orange slices on top of the turkey as a garnish to tie in the look.

To soften your food art platter, you could add fresh dill sprigs. You’re the artist! For salty or savory party plates, when in doubt, parsley works.

This Happy Thanksgiving (and beyond) is your chance to cater up to your tastes!

You don’t have to overly use traditional dry rosemary that will appeal to a Kapha but can repulse a Vata.  And in the same way, for desserts adding cinnamon to apple pie is satisfying to balance a Vata body-mind but not so much for the Kapha friends (who may prefer a peach pie or choose to skip the sweets altogether).

You could even be adventurous with a cardamom spice dessert (or save that one for the next holiday…Christmas!).

I hope you enjoyed the healthy, festive, and colorful food talk. Bon appetit and Happy Thanksgiving! There’s a lot to be grateful for, and available spices is one reason. The seasonings celebrates the season.