Here are some of my faves for Thanksgiving~

~I like to cook down whole cranberries until they are nice and saucy, add lemon juice, cinnamon, stevia and a little nutmeg to taste. Sorry, no exact measurements, I don't cook that way!

~For gravy I saute some onions, celery, garlic and mushrooms in butter, add some herbs and sea salt, and pour in some bone broth...I let it all simmer down until it's deliciously reduced, and pour some of the pan drippings in, and let it simmer down a bit more...blend it all up for a rich gravy.

~I puree baked squash(not pumpkin, it's so bland compared to all other squash) with coconut milk, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, cardomom and stevia, pour that into a crust of almond meal, sea salt, and butter, and bake until done. Sometimes I whip coconut cream with a little vanilla and stevia as an extra special topping for the pie...

~I love to roast halved brussel sprouts tossed with butter and sea salt until they are crisp and carmelized...yummm...if I wasn't eating with Jews, I would add some bacon, but I usually have Thanksgiving with the tribe.

~Oh, and I always have some special kind of saurkraut on hand, and a big green salad.

I made the following last year and people loved it and it's not at all oh this is more paleo shit kinda food (I made it with Japanese Sweet Potatoes, not garnets or jewels but it'd work with any of them):

Mashed Sweet Potato

Wash and pierce large sweet potatoes. Place on oven racks with lined baking sheet on rack beneath to catch syrup drippings. Bake for about an hour or until you can easily squeeze them. Allow to cool for 30 minutes.

Scoop out the potato and place in large serving bowl. Add as much butter as you please, along with ground ginger, salt, pepper, white miso, and a little chive. To please your sweet-toothed guests, you can always put a small pitcher of warmed maple syrup on the table.

PS: the white miso really makes it interesting. No one will know anything but they'll all say this stuff is ridiculously good

This is an old Suzanne Somers recipe that I've been using for years. I actually stuff the turkey with it (let it cool first before stuffing if you decide to do this)

Mushroom Sausage Stuffing

4 onions, thinly sliced 2 to 4 tablespoons olive oil 4 cups coarsely chopped shitake and oyster mushrooms (Yes spring for the fancy mushrooms if you can because it makes a big difference.) Salt and freshly ground black pepper 1/2 cup dry white wine 2 tablespoons butter 2 pounds spicy or herb pork or turkey sausage, removed from casings if using links 1 bunch fresh tarragon, leaves only

1) Saute the onions in olive oil over medium-low heat until caramelized, about 30 minutes. Turn the heat up to medium-high and add the mushrooms. Saute the mushrooms until crisp on the edges, about 10 to 15 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Turn the heat to high and add the wine. Let the wine cook off for a couple of minutes, the lower the heat and simmer with the mushrooms for another 10 minutes. Stir in the butter 1 tablespoon at a time until combined. Remove from the heat and set aside.

2) In large skillet, brown the sausage. When cooked through, about 5 to 7 minutes, add to the mushroom mixture along with the tarragon and combine thoroughly

Well you got your meat covered. I like to keep it simple and not overdo it on the sides. I typically do a fruit compote to go with the meat, salad with colorful veggies and a homemade vinaigrette, steamed green beans with butter and almonds, a mashed root veggie like potatoes or sweet potatoes, and some rolls for the people who would complain if there was no bread (then I make them take the leftover rolls home!). If you need a low sugar dessert I'd probably go for homemade dark chocolate truffles and flavor them with autumn-y stuff like cinnamon.

Also if the logistics work out depending on how many people you're serving, a winter squash bisque kind of soup works very nicely. I've done one with butternut squash and apples for a smaller gathering and it went over really well.

When searching last year, I liked this menu a lot and tried a couple of the sides, which turned out great: http://www.primal-palate.com/2010/11/give-thanks.html

Here's Part I to the 3 part Whole 9 series on Thanksgiving from last year. I haven't made the dressing yet, but think it looks great as a main course any day: http://whole9life.com/2010/11/st-thanksgiving-part-i/

Whole9 had some Thanksgiving recipes in November 2010. Some turkey breasts and ground beef stuffing. I think Rob Wolfe did also last year.

One of my favorite dishes is diced rutabaga turnips and carrots cooked and then mashed with butter, salt, pepper and a touch of nutmeg. We just had them tonight for an early Canadian Thanksgiving dinner with turkey cooked on a rotisserie over charcoal.

We also had mashed potatoes, baked yams (just yams with butter, no sugar added!), and oven baked brussel sprouts. I made stuffing for those who wanted it and actually had some myself because I like the bread the bird ate!

At this very moment I'm testing this recipe from Paula Deen (of all people):

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/paula-deen/butternut-squash-casserole-recipe/index.html

Of course you want to use normal coconut flakes instead of sweetened. I'm trying it with pumpkin, but it will work squash or sweet potatoes.

I would also recommend simple roasted beets. You can saute the greens, roast the beets and server them sliced over the greens.

don't let any dessert in the house

I used the everyday paleo's thanksgiving menu last year and even my non-paleo die hard low-fat S.A.D. mother-in-law complimented the meal.

http://everydaypaleo.com/2010/11/15/thanksgiving-recipes-and-everyday-paleo-pumpkin-pie-cooking-demo/