We didn’t host Thanksgiving this year, so were in charge of making some side dishes. I’ll be honest, I kinda freak out when there aren’t any veggies on a dinner table (thank you being a Nutritionist!), so this was a great opportunity to get creative!

This dish was not only delicious, but also very beneficial to our gut microbiome (if you’ve read some of our previous posts about the microbiome, or have attended any of my talks, you’ll notice how much I emphasize the beneficial prebiotic effect leeks have on our gut microbes. Here is a sample case study.

This recipe is super simple and a great side dish not only for Thanksgiving, but really for any occasion:

Ingredients:

• 6 large leeks, green parts removed

• Salt

• Fresno or Holland chile, cut in half lengthwise (and de-seeded if you don’t like your dishes too spicy)

• 1/4 c. honey (could also use less if you want less sweet)

• 3/4 c. sherry or red wine vinegar

• 1/4 c pine nuts

• 1/2 c. chopped parsley

• 1/3 c. good quality extra-virgin olive oil

• 2 T. chopped drained capers

• Freshly ground pepper

Directions:

1. Wash and trim leeks, cutting only a small portion off the butt end (try to leave as intact as possible).

2. Cook in large pot of boiling salted water for 15-20 min. Let cool on paper towels.

3. Bring honey, vinegar, salt, and chile to a boil in small saucepan over medium-high heat. Reduce by half, about 5 min.

4. Halve leeks lengthwise and set on serving dish (preferably one with higher sides so the juices don’t spill out). Cover in the vinegar mixture and let sit.

5. Toast pine nuts in dry skillet over medium-low heat until lightly browned.

6. Toss pine nuts, olive oil, 2 more T. vinegar, salt & pepper, and chopped capers in a small bowl.

7. When serving, toss leeks in vinegar mixture once more, then top with pine nut/caper mixture.

8. ENJOY!

And some science and nutritional benefits of leeks (plainly cooked, not including everything that’s in the recipe):

For 1 cup cooked: (Via USDA Food Database)

• 142 kcal

• 2.63g. protein

• 4.55g. fat

• 24.6g carbohydrate

• 3.08g fiber

• Lutein + zeaxanthin 2970µg

• Carotene, beta 1580µg

• Choline, total 17.3mg

• Folate, total 78.7µg

• Selenium, Se 1.71µg

• Iron, Fe 3.47mg

• Magnesium, Mg 46.2mg

• Calcium, Ca 99.2mg

Maybe most importantly, Leeks are a very good prebiotic for our gut microbes. If you’d like to know more about the benefits of Prebiotics, please head to this post to learn more.

We hope you enjoy this recipe, and please let us know how it goes!

To your health,

Julita