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LONGEVITY THANKSGIVING MENU

A Longevity Thanksgiving menu that the Valter Longo Foundation in collaboration with Create Cures Foundation created especially for you.

Thanksgiving day is a special day to thank and be grateful for all that is positive in our life. On this special day, particularly important for US citizens, Fondazione Valter Longo wishes to thank you for your support by offering a complete Thanksgiving Day Longevity Menu, created especially for you.
On American tables, we can find, on this particular day, stuffed turkey, a particular dressing called gravy, mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce, and pumpkin pie. Although taking inspiration from traditional recipes, we have adapted them to support your path towards a healthy longevity. Portions can be easily adapted to the number of guests.
Happy Thanksgiving! We are very grateful for your constant help that allows us to offer everyone the opportunity to live a long and healthy life. Please, share with us your comments and photos about your Longevity-Thanksviging menu in our social media o via email at 
info@createcures.org. Thanks!

 

VEGAN AND SUGAR-FREE VEGAN CORNBREAD

Vegan and sugar-free vegan cornbread

Preparation time: 40 min  |  
Difficulty: easy  |  
Ingredients: 4 people

Ingredients:

• 600 g (1.3 lbs) of corn flour
• 200 ml (6.8 fl oz or ¾ cup) of water
• EVO – Extra Virgin Olive oil to taste
• A sachet of yeast
• Salt to taste

Preparation:
1. Combine all the ingredients in a bowl, or on a work surface and mix them to form a homogeneous and non-sticky dough.
2. Roll out the dough with your hands or with the help of a rolling pin until it reaches a thickness of about 1.5 cm (½ inch).
3. Place it on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, make holes with the tines of a fork, and drizzle it with some EVO oil and water.
4. Bake in a preheated oven at 220°C (428 °F) for 15 minutes, until it turns a golden-like color.
5. Cut the bread into the typical shape of American cornbread (squares) and enjoy.

STUFFED CALAMARI

Stuffed calamari

Preparation time: 60 min  |  
Difficulty: easy  |  
Ingredients: 6 people

Ingredients:

• 1 kg (2.2 lbs) of squid
• 100 g (3.5 oz) of shredded capers
• 100 g (3.5 oz) of whole wheat breadcrumbs
• 70 ml (4.5 tablespoons or 2.5 fl oz) of EVO – Extra Virgin Olive oil
• 200 ml (¾ cup or 6.5 fl oz) of dry white wine
• Chopped parsley to taste
• 2 cloves of garlic
• Pepper to taste
• Salt to taste
• 300 g (ca. 10.6 oz) shredded taggiasche* olives or similar
• Untreated lemon peel

Preparation:
Squid
1. Rinse the squid thoroughly under running water, gently remove the tentacles (set them aside), cut off the eyes, and remove the transparent cartilage bone from inside the body.
2. Empty any remaining viscera and wash thoroughly. Make a small cut and remove the skin.
3. Fill about ¾ of each squid with the filling (see below) and seal with a toothpick.
4. Heat a drizzle of oil in a pan, add a clove of garlic, and brown the squid.
5. Add white wine and cook slowly with the lid on for 15–20 minutes.
6. Dress with raw EVO oil.

Filling
1. Slice the squids’ tentacles into chunks.
2. Heat a drizzle of oil in a pan, add a clove of garlic, and sauté the tentacles with salt and pepper until soft. Move to a bowl.
3. In the same pan, toast the breadcrumbs for 2–3 minutes, stirring often so they don’t stick or burn. Move to the bowl.
4. Add parsley, capers, olives, and a little lemon zest, plus a drizzle of EVO oil. Mix well (the mixture will be sandy and compact).
5. Use this filling to stuff the squid as described above.
* Taggiasche olives are small and fairly firm to the bite. They can be substituted with Kalamata or any other flavorful black olives.

CITRUS JAM, ACCOMPANIMENT FOR CALAMARI

Citrus jam

Preparation time: 40 min  |  
Difficulty: easy

Ingredients:

• 3 organic oranges
• 1 organic apple

Preparation:
1. It is important that the fruit is organic since we will be using the peel. If you do not have organic fruit available, do not use the orange zest and peel the apple.
2. Peel the oranges removing their zest, the white membrane, and the skins, then divide the wedges and cut each in pieces.
3. Slice the zest into strips and set them aside.
4. Cut the apple into chunks and blend them with an immersion blender, until you get a smooth purée.
5. Put the oranges, their zests, and the apple purée on stove and bring it to boil.
6. Cook over low heat for about an hour until the jam is thick.
7. This jam can also be paired with the stuffed squid recipe you will find among the second courses listed in this booklet.

CAULIFLOWER PURÉE

Cauliflower purée

Preparation time: 40 min  |  
Difficulty: easy  |  
Ingredients: 4 people

Ingredients:

• 2 large cauliflowers
• 50 ml (1.7 fl oz or 1.5 tablespoons) of EVO – Extra Virgin Olive oil
• 100 ml (3.5 fl oz or ½ cup) of soy milk with no added sugar
• 40 g (1.5 oz) of Parmesan cheese
• Salt to taste
• Grated nutmeg to taste

Preparation:
1. After dividing the cauliflower into florets, steam them until they are “al dente” — firm and not overcooked.
2. Combine all the ingredients in a mixer and blend until the mixture is creamy and lump-free.
3. Put the mix in a non-stick pan and cook over low heat, stirring often to prevent it from sticking to the bottom.

VEGAN PUMPKIN PIE WITH COCOA

Vegan pumpkin pie with cocoa

Preparation time: 2 h  |  
Difficulty: average  |  
Ingredients for: 1 cake

Ingredients:

• 120 g (4 oz) of whole-wheat flour
• 130 g (4.5 oz) of spelt flour (or other cereals of your choice)
• 190 g (6.5 oz) of raw cane sugar (130 g / 4.5 oz for the pastry and 60 g / 2 oz for the filling)
• 60 g (2 oz) of EVO – Extra Virgin Olive oil
• 70 ml (2.5 fl oz or ⅓ cup) of water
• Half a sachet of baking powder
• 15 g (½ oz) of bitter cocoa
• 350 g (12.5 oz) of pumpkin
• 150 g (5.5 oz) of coconut milk (or another plant-based milk alternative with no added sugar)
• 55 g (2 oz) of corn starch
• Spices: cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves to taste
• A pinch of salt

Preparation:
For the Vegan Cocoa Pastry
1. Put 130 g (4.5 oz) of raw sugar, water, oil, the flours, cocoa, and a pinch of salt in a bowl.
2. Mix all the ingredients until you get a homogeneous dough.
3. Wrap the mixture in cling film and let it rest in the refrigerator for about 1 hour.

For the Pumpkin Filling
1. Remove the vegan pastry from the refrigerator and, on a floured surface, roll it out with a rolling pin to a thickness of about half a centimeter (¼ inch). If the dough is difficult to work or too crumbly, slightly wet it.
2. Oil the mold and spread the oil with absorbent paper. Cover and “flour” it with cocoa powder, removing the excess. Arrange the pastry in the mold and let it rest in the fridge for about 10 minutes.
3. Prick the base with a fork, cover with parchment paper, and place a weight on top (e.g., beans). Bake in a preheated oven at 200°C (392°F) for 10 minutes.
4. Remove the weight and parchment paper, stuff the pastry with the pumpkin-based mixture filling, and bake in a preheated oven at 180°C (356°F) for about 50 minutes.
5. Prepare the cake in advance, so that it has time to set before it is served.

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