I love Thanksgiving. There are few things that make me happier than cooking with friends and family all day. (And drinking some delicious wine as we cook!) And while traditional Thanksgiving skews towards the rather homey and unhealthy, it’s not too tough to make a few adjustments and make things a lot lighter and more nourishing without forgoing the deliciousness of Thanksgiving dinner.

I am sharing this festive side dish from my book Real Food Heals. It is guaranteed to woo your guests and provide an essential pop of color, flavor and most importantly, health to your seasonal celebrations.

I love the way middle-eastern flavors, especially warming spices like berbere, pair with squash. Adding in the freshness of yogurt sauce and little pops of pomegranate make this a wonderful addition to any Thanksgiving table. And if you want to mix things up a bit, try it with roasted spaghetti squash instead of kabocha.

INGREDIENTS

For the squash

• 1 medium kabocha squash, scrubbed, halved, seeded and cut into 8 wedges

• Kosher salt

• Extra-virgin olive oil

• 2 tablespoons Berbere spice, plus more to taste

• 2 tablespoons honey

• 2 tablespoons white balsamic vinegar

• Fresh mint to garnish

• ½ cup walnuts, toasted (optional)

For the yogurt sauce

• 2 cups full fat Greek yogurt

• ¼ cup EVOO

• 1 clove garlic, grated on a micro plane

• Zest of 1 lemon

• ½ cup pomegranate seeds

• Salt and pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients in a medium sized mixing bowl and fold together.

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat the oven to 400°F.

2. Put the squash on a rimmed baking sheet. Generously season with salt and drizzle with olive oil. Divide the berbere spice between the squash wedges and rub all over to evenly coat. Drizzle the honey all over the squash.

3. Cover the dish with aluminum foil and roast until the flesh and skin of the squash are tender, about 35 minutes. A pairing knife should slide through easily.

4. Aggressively season the squash with salt and drizzle with olive oil. Toss and drizzle with the vinegar. Add more berbere spice if you’d like and toss again. Serve hot, drizzled with the pomegranate yogurt sauce and sprinkled with walnuts and mint.