Could we replace baked yams topped with melty marshmallows with something natural and organic? Could we convert Mom’s canned green bean casserole into a healthier, Earth-friendly dish – complete with crunchy onion bits on top?

What if we asked some of the best-selling organic cookbook writers in the country to overhaul our Thanksgiving table?

We asked, and they answered. Our lineup of top green cooks have whipped up a great alternative menu for Thanksgiving. (OK, we did turn to one expert vegetarian cookbook, How to Cook Everything Vegetarian by Mark Bittman, for a stuffing recipe.)

Myra Goodman is a founder of Earthbound Farm

And no, we didn’t talk turkey. We’ll leave that up to you non-veggie types. Here’s what’s cooking, and who is cooking it:

THE CRANBERRY SAUCE:

Myra Goodman and her husband, Drew, started Earthbound Farm in 1984. What began as a small farm producing organic items became the first company to launch pre-washed salads for retail sale. Today, 150 farmers grow Earthbound Farm’s more than 100 varieties of organic salads, fruits and vegetables.

Myra has been creating her own recipes and cooking with their organic food since she baked and sold raspberry muffins at their first roadside stand. The Goodmans have been featured in People, The New York Times, Bon Appetit, Redbook and more. Her first book is Food to Live By. Next spring, look for her newest book, The Earthbound Cook.

Myra’s recipe for Cranberry Sauce

THE GRAVY:

Jackie Newgent is a registered dietitian, an eco-cuisine expert, chef/instructor at the Institute of Culinary Education, and author of Big Green Cookbook (Wiley, 2009) and The All-Natural Diabetes Cookbook. Her Web sites are JackieNewgent.com and BigGreenCookbook.com. Follow her on Twitter @jackienewgent.

Her dish for our T-day table is a yummy alternative to heavy flour and turkey-dripping based gravy.

Jackie’s recipe for Earth-Style Sweet Potato-Butter Bean Gravy with Rosemary

THE VEGGIE DRESSING:

Thanksgiving seems to demand a dollop of bread stuffing seasoned with sage. The question is: Can we tinker with this tradition, lower the carb wallop, but still fulfill our need for comfort food? Looking for something a little lighter, but still filling, found us perusing Mark Bittman recipes from How to Cook Everything Vegetarian, a award-winning cookbook that rescues vegetarian cooking from the tofu/faux meat/Asian stir-fry rut. Bittman, an omnivore who recognizes the value of a mostly veg diet has been a professional food writer for 30 years, serving up recipes at Cook’s and The New York Times. He’s best known as the author of How to Cook Everything and for his “minimalist” column at The Times.

We chose Pearl Couscous Gratin with Pesto and Goat Cheese, because it’s easy, packs some punch and prepares well ahead of time.

THE ‘GREENER’ GREEN BEAN CASSEROLE:

The green team at Organic Gardening Magazine is always thinking seasonal, natural and healthy. Abigail Poulette, one of the pros there, has a fresh take on a Thanksgiving day dish that is usually anything but natural. Here is her suggestion to turn fall’s fresh, seasonal items into a healthier version of Mom’s green bean casserole.

Jesse Ziff Cool is the author of 7 books, the latest is 'Simply Organic'

Organic Gardening’s recipe for Shredded Brussels Sprouts with Crispy Shallots

THE YAM CASSEROLE, REBORN:

Jesse Ziff Cool has been dedicated to sustainable agriculture and cuisine since 1975. She is a writer, restaurateur, spokesperson and consultant for eco-conscious food service, waste management and social and corporate responsibility in the food industry. She is the author of seven cookbooks, the newest being Simply Organic. She operates three restaurants and a catering company.   She works with Stanford University education students to build a curriculum around simple, healthy food. She helps guide Stanford Hospital toward organic, healthy food for patients.

Jesse’s recipe for Ginger Yams with Mascarpone

THE REINVENTED PUMPKIN PIE:

Myra Goodman again lends a hand in our virtual green kitchen with her natural recipe for a perfect Thanksgiving Day pie – Pumpkin and Winter Squash Pie.

Myra’s recipe for the Pumpkin and Squash Pie Filling.

Choose from 2 crusts: Sweet Pie Crust or Flaky Whole-Grain Pie Crust

THE ‘GREEN’ APPLE PIE:

Anna Lappé is a bestselling author and speaker on food politics, sustainable agriculture, globalization, and social change. She was named one of Time’s “Eco” Who’s Who. Lappé has been featured in The New York Times, Gourmet, O-The Oprah Magazine and more.

The co-founder of the Small Planet Fund and Small Planet Institute, she lectures and is co-host of public TV’s The Endless Feast. Her first book, Hope’s Edge, written with her mother Frances Moore Lappé, chronicles courageous social movements around the world. (You may recall her mother’s bestselling book , Diet for a Small Planet.) Anna’s second book, Grub: Ideas for an Urban Organic Kitchen (Tarcher/Penguin 2006) written with chef Bryant Terry, has ideas, tools and menus for healthier lives. Her next book, slated for 2010 publication, is Diet for a Hot Planet: The Climate Crisis at the End of Your Fork and What You Can Do About It (Bloomsbury).

Anna’s recipe for “Green” Apple Pie

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Copyright © 2009 Green Right Now | Distributed by Noofangle Media

Shredded Brussels sprouts are the secret ingredient in this casserole makeover.

Late autumn is the best season to enjoy Brussels sprouts since they tend get sweeter after a winter frost. Buy them freshly picked, on the stem if possible. Avoid the sulfurous fumes that Brussels sprouts naysayers complain about by getting the freshest sprouts available (and avoid overcooking). — Organic Gardening Magazine’s Abigail Poulette

Use organic ingredients whenever possible.

Ingredients:

1 pound Brussels sprouts, washed and trimmed (stems and rough outer leaves)
1 Tablespoon olive oil
1 Tablespoon butter
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2-3 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice
½  cup flour
1 to 2 large shallots
Vegetable oil for frying
Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:

Slice the Brussels into 1/8″ ribbons, by hand, using a mandoline or a food processor. Heat the olive oil and butter in a large skillet over medium high heat, and add the sprouts, stirring occasionally.

Abigail Poulette of 'Organic Gardening' Magazine reinvents the green bean casserole

While the sprouts cook, thinly slice the shallots and lightly toss in a mixture of flour and salt and pepper. Add 1 ½-2″ of vegetable oil to a medium saucepan and bring to a medium high heat. Test the oil by adding one slice of shallot. When it bubbles and cooks quickly, add the shallots in small batches, watching closely and removing when golden brown. Drain on paper towels.

Once the sprouts begin to soften and get some golden crispy bits, add the lemon juice to the skillet and season with salt and pepper. Remove from the heat, stir in the Parmesan cheese and sprinkle with the crispy shallots.

Serves 4.  Here is the recipe on Organic Gardening ’s Web site.

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Copyright © 2009 Green Right Now | Distributed by Noofangle Media

More Holiday Recipes:

• Top green cooks transform Thanksgiving dishes into natural wonders
• Jackie Newgent’s Earth-Style Sweet Potato-Butter Bean Gravy with Rosemary
• Mark Bittman’s Pearl Coucous Gratin with Pesto and Goat Cheese
• Jesse Ziff Cool’s Ginger Yams with Mascarpone
• Myra Goodman’s Easy Cranberry Sauce
• Anna Lappé’s ‘Green’ Apple Pie
• Myra Goodman’s Flaky Whole-Grain Pie Crust
• Myra Goodman’s Pumpkin and Winter Squash Pie
• Myra Goodman’s Sweet Pie Crust

Ornamental gourds (Photo: Cooksgarden.com)

If you’ve cruised the produce section at the grocery lately, you probably stopped to eye the small, colorful, oddball gourds near the pumpkins and winter squash.

You might have seen the Shenot crown of thorns, looking like a squash-like starfish (below right); the winged gourd, the mini red Turban (reminding one of a very small pumpkin with a bigger pumpkin hat), and the golf ball-sized prickles, which might make you think twice before touching them.

Shenot Crown of Thorns (Photo: Reimerseeds.com)

Autumn’s wee ornamental gourds have been staples of the harvest for many years, but time and hybridizing has produced smaller, wackier (or more beautiful, depending on your perspective) ones.

We’re talking about the colorful, warty gourds in the Curcubit family (which includes squash, pumpkins and cucumbers), not their bigger, more utilitarian cousins, hardshell gourds.

Those larger hardshells have been used for thousands of years as practical tools – spoons, dippers, bowls – as well as birdhouses, masks, pipes and even musical instruments. Throughout the centuries, artists have turned Lagenaria gourds into fascinating works of art. (Check out a sampling of some.)

But for now, we’re talking about mini-gourds such as the multi-colored eggs, the Ten Commandments, apple gourds and the huggable wooly bear.

Mini Red Turban gourds (Photo: Johnneyseeds.com)

“Think of them as cucumbers with an attitude,” Judi Fleming said. She is the point person for the American Gourd Society when it comes to talking about tiny gourds.

“I have noticed the trend of the last 10 years: The traditional bi-color pears, egg gourds, spoon gourds and crown of thorns have given way to the more popular angel wings and warty gourds,” she said.

If you buy some shiny (that’s because of a coat of white varnish or shellac) mini gourds at the grocery store, don’t think about eating them. Unlike other popular edible winter squash, such as butternut and acorn, you have missed the window of opportunity for eating small gourds.

“All gourds are edible in their young stages,” Fleming said. “In fact, most European and Asian cultures think we Americans are strange in that we let our gourds get old and hard. The ornamentals can have a slightly bitter taste.”

(OK, you can bake the tiny orange or white pumpkins if you want.)

The big question: Are they organic?

Maybe, maybe not.

Organic gourds are more likely to come from your local farmer’s market rather than the big grocery store.

Whole Foods’ produce expert James Parker spoke to a company representative, saying that they buy locally grown squash and gourds when possible, “to get them to market quicker. But they can come from anywhere.”

Prickles gourds (Photo: Johnnyseeds.com)

Right now, Whole Foods’ gourds are mostly from Indiana, North Carolina and California. “There are dozens (if not hundreds) of gourd varieties produced throughout the U.S. Some of the more common have simple names that match up with there general shape and color: apple, orange, pear, spoon, warty and egg.

“Unfortunately, the organic availability tends to be spotty, and very much local,” he told the representative.

“Yes, they can be grown organically. Any agricultural product can be produced organically if it is in compliance with the National Organic Standards,” said Miles McEvoy, director of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Organic Program. Large producers of small gourds would “have to get certification from an accredited certification agency if they sold more than $5,000 of organic products.”

Growing large numbers of these gourds can be tricky, which could be one reason lots of commercial producers don’t go organic. The gourds can fall victim to a variety of bugs and disease.

Their mortal enemies come under many names: striped or spotted cucumber beetles, squash bugs, aphids and the dreaded squash vine borer. Then there are the diseases: bacterial wilt, mosaic virus, mildew and others. Fruit rot is also a problem.

Plus, since most colorful little gourds are used as decorative items, there is probably a lower demand that they be organic.

Ten Commandments gourds (Photo: Reimerseeds.com)

But you can grow them organically.

The experts at Organic Gardening magazine say all gourds can be grown organically.

“Gourds, squash and pumpkins grow very well organically. There are many certified organic seed providers, and although insect pests sometimes pose a problem, it is easy to take care of them organically.”

The gourds fare best in warm climates, but they can grow in cooler climates as well. They must be planted immediately after the final frost. The magazine’s editors advised using row covers over the plants in the first month or so, until they’re sturdy, then remove the row covers and use soapy water or a hard water spray to zap the pests.

“Gourds, squash and pumpkins are some of the plants most susceptible to absorbing and retaining pesticides, so it is especially important that they are grown organically,” said a representative from the magazine.

Wooly Bear gourd (Photo: Johnnyseeds.com)

“Plants that are shipped across the country can leave a huge carbon footprint, even if they are grown organically, so ask your grocer if their gourds are organic,” they add. If not, find a local organic farmer, they suggest.

A few tips for growing gourds:

First, they take a while to grow, and they can’t survive the first frost of fall, so very cold climates won’t suit them. They are slow growers, and they’re big and sprawling, so you need to give them plenty of room. They prefer bees for pollination.

If you need advice on growing them organically, the USDA has many resources on their website. The American Gourd Society has a cornucopia of information and links for gourd growers.

Interestingly, a Whole Foods representative said that this year, the small ornamentals haven’t been selling as well as in previous years. Plus, the grocery chain has seen an uptick in sales of the larger, hardshell gourds, such as the gooseneck and the snake.

Psyched up to get some gourds? Hurry, because after Thanksgiving they’ll vanish.

Autumn Wings blend of gourds (Photo: Johnnyseeds.com)

Resources:

Cooks Garden

Reimer Seeds

JohnnySeeds

Copyright © 2009 Green Right Now | Distributed by Noofangle Media