Happy Weekend! Â Things have been busy around here. Â I just started a new cooking class menu this week and it has gotten me into the Thanksgiving spirit! Â I am officially excited for the holiday. Â One thing I have been suggesting to my students is to try out new recipes this week before Thanksgiving. Â That way you feel confident and you can make changes if necessary.
In other news, I was in New York last week to tape a segment on The Rachael Ray Show (OMG!!) and the show will air on Monday, November 6th. Woo-hoo! Â Here’s your dinner planner for the week:Continue reading
Just kidding. Â Not about being obsessed with the salad, just about leaving you hanging. Â I taught this last year in my Thanksgiving classes and I couldn’t wait for class to be over so I could eat this which I did for three weeks straight. Â The combo of the sweet beets and squash and the creamy goat cheese (sub avocado if you don’t do cheese) and the crunchy QUINOA BRITTLE. Â Oh my stars, the quinoa brittle is everything. Â I actually made it for many a cheeseboard after I taught this recipe. Â Picture a crunchy, nubby, salty-sweet cracker and that’s what this quinoa brittle is. Â And it’s packed with protein. Â Spread a little goat cheese on a piece and you have the perfect snack.
I was talking to a friend of mine today who is from the South and she said, “it would never occur to me to make a salad for Thanksgiving.”
Me: “It’s not like a salad is the meal. Â It just provides a nice balance to everything else that’s cooked, rich, and beige.”
Friend: “But that’s what Thanksgiving is all about. Â Excess, richness and beige food.”
Sorry, I think that is so boring. Salads save the day! Â They don’t rely on your hard-working oven. Â Salads are colorful. Â They are light and fresh. Â And they provide acidity to balance the richness. Â Most of the time, salad components can be prepped in advance. Â Plus, they are flexible. Â Don’t like butternut squash? Â Sub roasted carrots. Â Dairy-free? Â Swap the cheese for avocado.
Thanksgiving is less than 3 weeks away, so it’s time to get that menu tightened up! Question — do you make non-starchy vegetables and/or salad on Thanksgiving?
To make the dressing, place all dressing ingredients in a screw-top jar and shake until combined. Set aside.
Heat oven to 400 degrees and arrange the squash on a rimmed baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Toss to coat with oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast until tender and caramelized, about 20-30 minutes.
Arrange the romaine on a large platter or bowl and toss with enough dressing to lightly coat. Arrange the beets, figs, cheese or avocado on top of the greens and drizzle with more dressing. Top with quinoa brittle or serve on the side.
For the Quinoa brittle: Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Line a small baking sheet with unbleached parchment paper. In a medium bowl, combine all ingredients except syrup and oil.
In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the brown rice syrup and coconut oil until well combined. Pour over the quinoa mixture and stir to combine.
Pour mixture onto baking sheet and spread into one even ¼-inch layer using a dampened spatula if necessary. Bake for 20 minutes or until golden. Allow to cool, break into pieces.
Notes
*I melt the coconut oil and the brown rice syrup together in a butter warmer. You can prep all the components of this salad a day in advance and refrigerate them separately. Bring them to room temp the next day and assemble before serving. The quinoa brittle can be made 5 days in advance and stored in an airtight container at room temp.
This post has been edited from the one originally published on Thursday, November 3, 2011.
If you followed the advice in my post last Thursday, perhaps you now have a general idea of how many guests you will be hosting on Thanksgiving. If not, it’s time to get on the phone and do some inviting! Do you have a good, balanced menu and have you taken guests up on their offers to bring something? This week we have a few more tasks that we can check off the list.
I had a great 2 days in New York! I was able to squeeze in a visit with my parents see one of my sisters and her family, and a couple of my cousins, plus some blogger friends and the highlight of my trip was doing a segment on The Rachael Ray Show. Â It was one of the best media experiences I have ever had. Â She is running a great operation over there and it was a total thrill to do a segment with her. Â I’ll let you know when the episode will air! Â In the meantime, I need to plan some dinners for next week:Continue reading
I know I just posted a Thanksgiving prep post yesterday, but I needed to share this recipe with you ASAP! Â So many people have asked me for it because I taught it almost every day in October in my classes and it is the PERFECT dinner to make on Tuesday for Halloween because it’s dead simple to prep and takes 18 minutes to cook. Â And it is sooooo good! Â Uh huh.
You know how strongly I feel about filling up the bellies with good, satisfying food before trick-or-treating. Â Going out on an empty stomach and being given a sack full of candy is a terrible combination and a recipe for disaster with most children. Â Make this simple sheet pan chicken dinner as written or with whatever vegetables suit your fancy.
This recipe uses boneless, skinless chicken (breasts or thighs) and quick-cooking vegetables. Â If you want to use some other veggies, just make sure they will cook in 18-20 minutes, e.g. snap peas, thinly sliced bell peppers, thinly sliced onions, or defrosted frozen vegetables. Â If you want to roast things like potatoes, winter squash or carrots, you’ll need to roast them for a half hour and then add your chicken.
Ideally, everything should be arranged in one layer to promote browning, but I have crowded the pans much more than this when I didn’t have enough sheet pans in class.  The dish still turns out great, even if the zucchini doesn’t caramelize.  I like to serve this with simple brown rice, cauliflower mashed potatoes or millet-cauliflower mash.  You could also do this over cauli-rice.  Ther serving size here allows for 4 ounces of chicken per person, which is what we are used to eating in my house, but do what works for you!  I have a feeling this recipe will become a new weeknight staple for you. 🙂
Sheet Pan Chicken with Artichokes, Zucchini and Cherry Tomatoes Recipe
Serves: 6
Ingredients
1 teaspoon sea salt, plus extra for sprinkling vegetables
freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon garlic powder or granulated garlic
pinch of crushed red pepper
1 ½ pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts and/or thighs, sliced into 1- inch strips
3 Tablespoons unrefined, extra-virgin olive oil or avocado oil, divided
1 pint cherry tomatoes
5 ounces frozen artichoke hearts, defrosted and patted dry (I buy these at Trader Joe's)
2 medium zucchini, cut into ½-inch rounds
Instructions
In a small bowl, whisk together the salt and spices. Place the chicken in a large container and drizzle with 1 Tablespoon olive oil and spices. Mix together until well coated. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour or up to 24 hours. The further in advance you can do this, the more flavorful the chicken will be.
Preheat oven to 425 degrees and line a rimmed full-size sheet pan with parchment paper, unless you are using a stainless steel pan (you should grease the stainless pan). Or use two smaller half-sheet pans.
Arrange the vegetables on the prepared sheet pan(s) and toss with olive oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
Arrange the chicken amongst the vegetables in one layer, if possible.
Bake for about 18-20 minutes until chicken is cooked through (do less time if you plan to cover and it and serve it later.) Cut a piece open if you're not sure. There should be no pink color inside.
If you put more than one sheet pan in the oven, consider cooking on convection at 400 degrees for the same amount of time, but do check it a few minutes early to be safe.
Notes
Instead of chicken, you can use a 15-ounce can of cooked chickpeas, drained, rinsed and patted dry. Toss the veggies and chickpeas with oil and the spices.
This post has been edited from the original, which was published on October 27, 2011.
Can you believe what today is? It is the beginning of the countdown!! Thanksgiving is 4 weeks from today! No need to panic, friends. We’re going to have some fun over the next month! Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. I love the traditions, the food, the Macy’s parade on television while I am making my pies, the football games. I love moving the family room furniture after the last football game is over to extend the dining room table. I love hearing everyone share why he or she is grateful. I have cooked every Thanksgiving for the last 22 years, as well as almost 100 Thanksgiving-themed cooking classes. I have made lots of mistakes and in the process learned a thing or two about how to execute and enjoy a very happy Thanksgiving. The key is being organized. Every Thursday from today until the big day, I will share my best tips, strategies and a few good recipes to set you up for a successful holiday. I am going to try to do a Facebook Live about planning Thanksgiving on Friday at 2:30 pm PST/5:30 pm PST!
I wasn’t sure whether to post this delectable recipe for Halloween or Thanksgiving, because truth be told, I have made these bars for both holidays! Â I am really into desserts that can be made small like bars or cookies, as opposed to a pie which is kind of hard to cut into a small 3-bite piece. Â I try not to eat too much dessert, especially during the holiday season (which starts on Halloween, in my opinion.) Â Desserts are definitely treat foods to be eaten in moderation because they can really spike your blood sugar (even if you’re using a higher quality sweetener), pack on the pounds, and promote inflammation in the body. Â Moderation.Continue reading
This was a great week, but I’m a wee bit exhausted. Â No rest for the weary, however. Â I’m off to NYC on Tuesday for a couple of days. Â Stay tuned for details! Here’s your dinner planner for this week:
