Recipes Archives - Page 47 of 115

Cornbread Stuffing with Kale and Mushrooms Recipe

Someone asked me in my class today what is my favorite food to eat on Thanksgiving. Honestly, I teach so many Thanksgiving classes in the month before the holiday that I am a little over all the food! I usually crave salad and roasted Brussels sprouts and a bite of pumpkin pie with a scoop of homemade ice cream. But I know that everyone else is so excited about the one-hit wonders of Thanksgiving like sweet potato casserole, turkey with cranberry sauce and cornbread stuffing. I truly only make stuffing only once a year and all my guests love it – so much so that I usually make two different types.

Planning a Happy Thanksgiving 2017 – 2 Weeks and Counting!

This post was originally published on November 10, 2011.

Life is unpredictable, but Thanksgiving is not and it is 2 weeks away! Is the exclamation point there to emphasize panic or joy? I’m excited! I’ve been teaching quite a few Thanksgiving-themed classes as of late and I’m feeling spirited. Don’t let these Thursday posts stress you out. The whole point is to show you what you can do in advance, not what you must do in advance. All these tips and strategies are most relevant to the hosts and hostesses who are preparing most or all of the meal themselves and who have a busy schedule leading up to the holiday. If I didn’t get a lot of these tasks completed early, I don’t see how I could pull off this meal without tons of stress.

Puree of Broccoli Recipe

I taught this broccoli puree in a Thanksgiving cooking class in November 2008 and then again last year. It is my middle daughter’s favorite side dish and I served it at many a Thanksgiving dinner. In the last few years I moved it over to our Christmas Day menu because I needed to stir things up a bit for Thanksgiving and my daughter wouldn’t let it go completely. Broccoli puree is like broccoli mashed potatoes — so creamy and satisfying, and it goes with everything.

Fall Salad with Fig-Balsamic Vinaigrette and Quinoa Brittle Recipe

Obsessed with this salad!!! The end.

Just kidding. Not about being obsessed with the salad, just about leaving you hanging. 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. 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. Oh my stars, the quinoa brittle is everything. I actually made it for many a cheeseboard after I taught this recipe. Picture a crunchy, nubby, salty-sweet cracker and that’s what this quinoa brittle is. And it’s packed with protein. 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. It just provides a nice balance to everything else that’s cooked, rich, and beige.”

Friend: “But that’s what Thanksgiving is all about. Excess, richness and beige food.”

Sorry, I think that is so boring. Salads save the day! They don’t rely on your hard-working oven. Salads are colorful. They are light and fresh. And they provide acidity to balance the richness. Most of the time, salad components can be prepped in advance. Plus, they are flexible. Don’t like butternut squash? Sub roasted carrots. Dairy-free? 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?

Fall Salad with Fig-Balsamic Vinaigrette and Quinoa Brittle Recipe

Pamela

5 from 2 votes

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Servings

Ingredients

For the dressing:
1/3 cup unrefined cold-pressed extra-virgin olive oil
2 Tablespoons balsamic vinegar not aged
½ teaspoon sea salt use more if you omit cheese
freshly ground black pepper to taste
2 Tablespoons fig preserves preferably a no sugar-added variety
2 cups peeled butternut squash cut into 1-inch cubes
2 Tablespoons unrefined olive oil or coconut oil
sea salt and pepper to taste
3 heads mini Romaine lettuce or 1 large head, small leaves left whole and large leaves chopped (or use arugula)
2 medium or 1 large beet roasted, peeled and cubed
12 dried figs any variety, diced
4 ounces crumbled honey goat cheese or 1 large avocado sliced
Quinoa brittle:
½ cup uncooked quinoa preferably sprouted
2 Tablespoons raw pumpkin seeds
2 Tablespoons raw sunflower seeds
2 Tablespoons raw sesame seeds
2 Tablespoons raw chopped pecans
1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
½ teaspoon sea salt
¼ cup brown rice syrup
1 Tablespoon unrefined virgin coconut oil melted*

Instructions

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.

Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

Planning a Happy Thanksgiving 2017– 3 Weeks and Counting!

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.

Zucchini Tots Recipe

This is my last non-Thanksgiving recipe that I am posting until after Thanksgiving. I am only posting the recipe for these zucchini tots because so many people keep asking me for the recipe since I taught it in September. I keep saying, “zucchini aren’t in season after October.” “I don’t care! I must have this recipe!” I have to admit, they are really fun to make and eat. Anything that looks like a tater tot is a shoe-in with kids. I know some kids won’t eat anything green, but I also know you have to keep trying. For the rest of their lives. End of story.Continue reading

Sheet Pan Chicken with Artichokes, Zucchini and Cherry Tomatoes Recipe

Sheet Pan Chicken with Artichokes, Zucchini and Tomatoes | Pamela Salzman

I know I just posted a Thanksgiving prep post yesterday, but I needed to share this recipe with you ASAP! 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. And it is sooooo good! Uh huh.

You know how strongly I feel about filling up the bellies with good, satisfying food before trick-or-treating. 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. 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. 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. 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. 🙂