Thanksgiving Recipes Made With Cannabis

Thanksgiving is all about time with friends and family, and of course, food! It really doesn’t get better… except when parts of the meal are infused with cannabis!

For many, a day spent with extended family — especially after last year’s pandemic-shadowed holiday season — is a day of joyful celebration, filled with laughter, story telling, long walks outside, or even touch football. For many others, it can be a bit more complicated (survey data from last year found that more than half of all people were stressed out about Thanksgiving). At Temescal Wellness, we believe that cannabis can help us all navigate life's lows and celebrate life's highs: So, if you ask us, this holiday is arguably the most perfect one to pair with some cannabis dankness. 

It won’t surprise you to learn that we have a lot of foodies on our team, and we rounded up some unique ideas for Thanksgiving foods made with cannabis that could be the perfect addition to your Thanksgiving feast. 

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This year has been all about cannabis infused drinks, or “drinkables” (see our “trend report” article for more on why they’ve been so popular this year). And so, we’d like to propose a toast for your Thanksgiving festivities — here’s to all the things that make us happy, healthy, and whole.

Recipe: Cannabis Seltzer Thanksgiving Mocktail 

Ingredients

• 1 bag of fresh cranberries (Did you know the official berry of the state of Massachusetts is the cranberry? It is also one of only a few fruits native to North America — fun fact: the blueberry and the concord grape are the others.) 
• 1 can of your favorite Cannabis Seltzer (We chose Levia’s Cranberry Lime, a limited edition seasonal flavor, but Levia's new seasonal Pomegranate Punch or any infused seltzer will do.) 
• Your favorite cranberry juice (We support local businesses. Lucky for us, we live in Massachusetts, home of the very best cranberry juice — Ocean Spray. Their new Pure Unsweetened Cranberry Juice is AMAZING.) 
  

We like to get a little fancy by making ice cubes with fresh cranberries. Feel free to make extra for others to enjoy a juicy, tart burst as their ice cubes melt into their drinks. 

From there, it’s pretty simple! Get a festive glass. Put an ice cube in. Pour a splash of cranberry juice in the cup, then top with a can of cannabis-infused seltzer.. And the great thing about the seltzers is that with 5 mg per serving, they allow you to “start low and go slow,” our advice for everyone consuming edibles and cannabis infused beverages. 

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The thing that really makes the holiday (ask anyone) is, of course, THE SIDES. Everyone has their favorites, many families have traditions going back generations. For our contribution to the Danksgiving feast, we wanted something creative, seasonal, fresh and pretty. We think we nailed it. Important to note, when it comes to cooking with cannabis, there can be some guess work with dosing. We’ve kept things on the lighter side with this cannabis recipe, but exact THC counts are tricky in this context. Remember you could always replicate these next recipes using one of our prepared tinctures for measured, controlled dosing.

Recipe: Cannabis-Infused Roasted Delicata Squash with Pomegranate and Pepitas 

Ingredients 

• Several delicata squashes (enough to feed your crowd) 
• 2 tablespoons cannabis infused olive oil per squash 
• 1 pomegranate 
• Toasted pepita seeds (you can find these at Target, Walmart or Whole Foods)
  

There are a ton of great recipes for how to make your own cannabis infused olive oil online. We followed this recipe from Leafly. 

Cut your squash in half lengthwise, remove the seeds/fibers in the core, and slice into half moon shapes about ½ inch thick. Arrange on a baking sheet covered with parchment (no oil left behind!), and drizzle with your canna-oil, salt and pepper, and toss to coat. Lay squash slices flat, and roast at 375 for 15 minutes, 1 flip, and roast for another 10 minutes. When finished, plate and top with pomegranate and pepitas. 

Thanksgiving wouldn’t be complete without dessert, and for many, that means just one thing — pie. And while you could, you really shouldn’t have pie without fresh whipped cream. Did you know that you can infuse cream with cannabis before whipping it to make the world’s best dessert topping? Here’s how.

Recipe: Cannabis-Infused Whipped Cream 

• 2 grams decarbed cannabis flower
• 1 pint heavy cream 
• ¼ cup white sugar  
  

To start, you’ll want to decarb your cannabis. We turn to our pals at Leafly for easy ways to decarb cannabis at home. Here’s a tip, specific for this recipe - don’t grind your flower before you decarb it. We’re going to decarb and then steep barely-broken-up buds for this one. 

Next comes the infusion. This is a little tricky, because unlike oil or butter, cream does reduce as it simmers, and will actually curdle if you heat it too fast, or if it reaches temperatures above 170 degrees. That’s why it is critical to keep the pot covered as much as possible, and to keep the heat looooooow as you infuse your cream. When it comes to temperature (165 degrees) continue to simmer on low for just 30 minutes vs. the hours long process you use for oil. 

Strain (with cheesecloth) and chill the cream in the fridge overnight. Then, put in your sugar, and beat on high until stiff peaks form. The perfect happy ending to your meal, this one will be the hit of the Thanksgiving dessert table. 

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As the year comes to a close, we are thankful for:

•  all of the patients and guests that have visited our stores this year
• our amazing partners who innovate new and exciting cannabis products that we all love
• our staff who work so hard every day taking great care of our customers. 
  

We wish you all a happy and healthy holiday season!