Recipes Archives - Page 71 of 113

Brussels sprout sliders recipe

During the holidays, I find myself saying quite often, “Oh, what the heck. It’s the holidays,” as I add a handful of cheese or have an extra cookie. But the “holidays” aren’t just one day. They start around Halloween and stretch until New Years Day, at which point most people I know declare the beginning of their cleanse to redeem themselves for overindulging during the “holidays.” I have to be honest and say that I am a little more lax during the holidays with my eating and I’ve never too happy in January when my jeans aren’t too comfortable. This year I’m going to be a little more mindful and not use the holidays as an excuse to act like every night is my last supper!

My new favorite hors d’oeuvre is actually what motivated me to really try to find delicious recipes for the holidays that are also healthful. Not only am I crazy about these little Brussels sprout sliders, but they were such a hit at my house with my friends this year, as well as with my cooking classes this month. In fact, my friend Cheryl enjoyed them at my house for dinner one night and then asked my to bring the sliders to her house for a little get-together a few weeks later. Winner!

“Sliders” have been very popular the last few years at parties. They are basically mini-burgers. I’ve seen them as simple as a basic mini beef or turkey patty and bun all the way to topped with caramelized onions, gorgonzola and arugula. In this vegetarian and bread-less version, the sprouts are halved and roasted and become the “bun.” And then you can put whatever you want in between. Do you get it? Crazy good, and GOOD FOR YOU, TOO!

Before you think, “Oh, it’s the holidays. These aren’t indulgent enough,” I haven’t seen anyone stop at just one. They are super tasty and very satisfying. I usually stick to the following fillings (which happen to go into my favorite grilled cheese): thinly sliced gruyere, sauteed onions, coarse-grain mustard, and roasted apple. Sometimes I add them all, sometimes two or three. Of course, you can add richer fillings, such as cooked bacon or a piece of honey-baked ham as well.

Not a lot of time on your hands? Here’s what I would do:

slice the cheese up to a week ahead
saute the onions the day before and refrigerate
roast the sprouts several hours in advance and allow to sit at room temp
assemble the sliders a few hours in advance and warm through at 300 (or 350) for a few minutes

Since Brussels sprouts aren’t all the exact same size like store-bought hamburger buns, the key step here is to keep the sprout halves next to each other so that you don’t have to search around for the perfect match when you assemble. Trust me, this is a good idea!

I think this would be amazing to make as an hors d’oeuvre on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day. And they would be perfect for any cocktail party when you need something hearty and green to balance out all the cheese dips. But, if you are planning on these for a cocktail party, consider that they are individual bites, and take a little more time to assemble than a dip. So you don’t want to prepare a menu of too many items like this (=time-consuming.)

I hope you have the happiest of holidays, filled with joy, love, peace, light and nourishing, delicious food!

Brussels Sprout Sliders

Pamela

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Ingredients

6 Tablespoons unrefined cold-pressed extra-virgin olive oil, DIVIDED, plus extra for greasing baking sheet
1 large onion sliced thin
Sea salt to taste
20 medium Brussels sprouts trimmed of any dry edges (but don’t slice off the whole core)
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
2 Tablespoons whole grain mustard
Small block of gruyere cheese thinly sliced and cut the same size as a sprout
Other add-in possibilities: Roasted apple or pear chunks manchego cheese

Instructions

Warm 2 Tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onions and a sprinkle of salt. Saute, stirring frequently, until they become more golden in color, about 15-20 minutes. Lower the heat a little and continue to cook until they are tender.
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Line a baking sheet with unbleached parchment paper and brush with olive oil.
Cut the Brussels sprouts in half from top to bottom, keeping the two halves close together. If you don’t, you will have to search for a pair that fits well together after they have roasted.
Drizzle with remaining olive oil. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Roast for 20 minutes, then turn the sprouts and bake 15-20 more minutes or until tender.
Take one half of a Brussels sprout, smear with mustard, add a piece of gruyere and a pinch of onions. Take the other half of the Brussels sprout and position it so the two sprouts are like the buns on a burger, with the cut sides facing each other, and secure with a toothpick. Serve at room temperature or warm on a baking sheet in a 325 degree oven for 10 to 15 minutes.

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Five Friday Favorites: Homemade Edible Gifts for the Holidays and a Recipe for Dark Chocolate Hazelnut Bark with Dates and Sea Salt

Holiday gift list. Those three words can make me more stressed out than hearing “OMG! You borrowed my shirt again without asking!” I honestly do not love trudging around shopping malls, looking for parking and standing on looooong lines at this time of year. I would rather sit in my pajamas with a cup of tea and order gifts online like a civilized person. And even better is being in my kitchen cooking up something delicious for the special people in my life. That, to me, is a pleasure.

Today’s Five Friday Favorites are the edible gifts I love to give during the holidays. Everyone will love receiving these treats and you don’t have to worry about things being out of stock or not arriving in the nick of time. You can also make everything organic and with the natural ingredients you would want to share with people you care about. Go put on your slippers and some relaxing holiday music and get busy!

Biscotti

Biscotti are perfect cookies to give out as gifts because they are hearty by nature- they are actually meant to be slightly dry and can last for over a week in the pantry! This ensures that your recipient will have plenty of time to indulge in these tasty treats. Biscotti are perfect for a dunking in a morning cup of espresso or a late sweet liqueur nightcap- both of which take place frequently during the holidays. Their unique shape lends itself to fun gift packaging, so you can really make these cute with a little cellophane and ribbon. Or arrange a bunch in a lovely mug and wrap it all up. My favorite biscotti of all time are these gingerbread biscotti, which couldn’t be more perfect for the holidays!

Other biscotti recipes that look great:

Deep Dark Chocolate Biscotti with whole wheat flour, flaxseeds and almonds at Cooking Light

Whole Grain Cinnamon Nut Baby Biscotti from King Arthur Flour

Nut and Seed Biscotti from 101 Cookbooks

Gluten-free Lemon and Pecan Biscotti from Gluten-free Girl

Chocolate Bark

If you are short on time, chocolate bark is just about the simplest and quickest treat you can make plus everyone LOVES it! I think chocolate bark of any kind looks so pretty and is fun to break off and eat piece by piece. There are two ways I make bark — either by stirring some of the ingredients into the melted chocolate and sprinkling some on top or just sprinkling everything on top. I like a little mixed into the chocolate, personally.

I like to stick with dark or semisweet chocolate since those contain less sugar than milk chocolate. I also prefer using organic chocolate which should be guaranteed non-GMO (sugar is often genetically-modified unless it is label organic or non-GMO.) Good brands are Enjoy Life and Dagoba, but if you are in a pinch, Trader Joe’s has well-priced, good-tasting 1-pound chocolate blocks.

My favorite version of chocolate bark right now is this one with dates, hazelnuts, and sea salt (don’t forget my favorite flavor combo is salty-sweet!,) but the possibilities are endless. You can customize each batch of bark to whomever you are gifting it! Crushed peppermint candies, dried cherries and pistachios, salted almonds, etc. Of course the best part about making homemade treats is that you can control the ingredients. So you can use all organic everything if you want! And since it’s meant to come in broken pieces, it travels easily and no need to worry about being delicate with it. My recipe for Dark Chocolate Bark with Hazelnuts, Dates and Sea Salt is below. So good!

Dark Chocolate Bark with Hazelnuts, Dates and Sea Salt

Pamela

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Servings i-inch pieces

Ingredients

1 cup whole raw hazelnuts
1 pound dark chocolate 70% cacao or higher, chopped
½ cup diced dates about 6
1 ½ teaspoons flaky sea salt such as fleur de sel

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a pie plate or baking sheet, toast the hazelnuts until the skins blister, about 15 minutes. Transfer the nuts to a clean kitchen towel and let cool, then rub to remove the skins. If you don’t mind hazelnut skins, you can skip this step. Coarsely shop the nuts and set aside.
Melt the chocolate in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water until smooth.
Meanwhile, line a sheet pan with parchment paper. Using a ruler and a pencil, draw a 9-by-10-inch rectangle on the paper. Turn the paper face-down on the baking sheet.
Once the chocolate is melted, place half the dates and half the chopped hazelnuts into the bowl with the chocolate and stir to combine.
Pour the chocolate mixture onto the parchment, into the middle of rectangle you drew, and spread out to the edges of the rectangle using a spatula.
Sprinkle the remaining hazelnuts and dates evenly over the chocolate, followed by the sea salt.
Let sit at room temperature for at least 2 hours, or in the fridge for 1 hour to harden, then chop into desired shapes.
Serve at room temperature and store in tightly sealed container for up to a week.

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Here are some other bark combinations around the web that look irresistible:

Swirled Bark with Salted Peanuts from Martha Stewart (someone make this for me — looks fantastic!)

Nutty Chocolate Bark with Cardamom and Coffee from Saveur sounds so interesting!

Trail Mix Chocolate Bark from Eating Well

Superfood Chocolate Bark from ThePlantStrongVegan

Granola

A nice change from the traditional Christmas cookies, homemade granola is a perfect gift for the holidays. It is not quite as sugary as all of the usual holiday treats, but still has such a satisfying salty-sweet crunch. It also has so many uses- it can be eaten plain as a snack, finished with almond milk for breakfast, or served over yogurt with a little drizzle of maple syrup for a healthier dessert. Plus, you can buy cute little jars in all different shapes and sizes that can be repurposed by the recipient and look so darling with a little ribbon or twine. I give a little jar of homemade granola to all my kids’ teachers and coaches, etc. and I am always so delighted with their responses. So many of them are health-conscious and they appreciate an edible gift that isn’t dessert. I have also given large jars of granola with a small metal scoop inside as a hostess gift during the year! Click here for my gluten-free, vegan granola recipe.

Custom Almond Butter (or any nut butter)

As I mentioned in my last Friday Favorites post, high quality nut butters are hard to find in any local market right now. And considering the fact that I have been obsessing over Solstice Canyon’s flavored almond butters, I thought this is a perfect time of year to give away homemade almond butter as gifts! First order some wide mouth mason jars like these. Then go here with my homemade almond butter tutorial, and then feel free to mix it up with other nuts, flavors, spices, and add-ins. Try adding vanilla, cinnamon, and maple syrup. Or you could add raw cacao and hazelnuts. Coconut butter or oil would make it really smooth. Or dried figs, honey, and chia seeds. Orrrrrrr, you can cheat and buy plain almond butter and doctor it up with some of the add-in I just mentioned. Think DIY almond butter nutella! Regardless of what you put in, homemade almond butter is so delicious and good for you – and everyone will be shocked that you made it yourself!

Infused Olive Oils and Vinegars

Infused olive oils and vinegars are quick and easy gifts with a personal touch. There are so many different flavor combinations and these can really be fun with all of the different types of bottles that you can find at stores like Cost Plus World Market, The Container Store, Pier One or, of course, amazon. Infused oils and vinegars are great for special salad dressings, drizzling over pasta or seafood, or even just as an appetizer with some crusty bread for dipping. Although I hear that you should never use garlic in infused oil since it can cause botulism! Yikes! I often buy Napa Valley Naturals organic, unrefined cold-pressed olive oil, but you can use whatever is your favorite. Whatever recipe you use, warm the olive oil on low heat instead of high to protect the antioxidants in the oil. Once it’s bottled, cork it well and let it sit for about a week to fully infuse the flavor. If you don’t have that kind of time, the oil will still be flavored after a couple days, but mention to the recipient that he or she should allow the flavors to meld for about 2 weeks for best results. A good idea might be to put a “use by date” just so they remember when it was given. I would store infused oils in the fridge after a month. Check out these how-to’s and different flavor combinations.

Rosemary-Infused Oil from Giada de Laurentiis

Basil-infused Olive oil from Martha Stewart

Lemon-infused Olive oil Video

Cranberry-infused Vinegar from Michael Chiarello (by the way, he has a great book on infusing oils and vinegars)

Gingerbread Trifle with Poached Pears Recipe

One of my favorite smells is gingerbread baking in the oven. That warm, spicy fragrance which reminds me of decorating cookies for Christmas as a child and cozying up in front of the fire with some tea and a moist chunk of gingerbread. My kids love it, too. Over the last few years, I’ve taught four gingerbread-ish recipes in my classes from Molasses Ginger Cookies and Gingerbread Biscotti to Vegan Gingerbread and Gingerbread Cut-out Cookies. Last year, I pulled out all the stops with this Gingerbread Trifle. I have to say, this is my favorite one. This trifle is a bit of a show-off dessert, but it’s just about the prettiest presentation and the flavors are WOW!

A trifle is a dessert made of layers of cake, custard, fruit and sometimes liqueur. It is usually assembled in a glass trifle dish which has high sides so you see all the beautiful layers. Very dramatic! But you can make infinite combinations of the ingredients. The cake can be yellow cake, sponge cake, angel food cake, pumpkin bread and so forth. The cream can be whipped cream, curd, pudding or custard. The fruit can be peaches, berries, pears, cranberry sauce and so on. It’s best to keep the fruit seasonal, though. I bought my trifle dish a few years ago at Crate and Barrel, but I don’t think they sell it anymore. A similar one can be found at Williams-Sonoma or amazon. Amazon also has this other one, which is slightly different, but very pretty too. Truth be told, any glass bowl would be fine, as would individual glass cups, mason jars or stemless wine glasses like I did at Jenni Kayne’s house last year for her Christmas class with vogue.com. How darling are these??

Don’t look at the recipe just yet because it’s like 3 pages long. BUT — that’s if you want to make every single component from scratch. I did teach my students how to do it all homemade, of course. But seriously you could buy it all and not even need a recipe to make the most gorgeous, delicious trifle. You can obviously buy gingerbread cake or make it from a mix. Click here for my vegan gingerbread recipe with step-by-step photos. You can buy vanilla pudding or make a fast whipped cream. And you can buy canned pears. I know, I know. Canned pears?!! I personally wouldn’t buy canned fruit (lots of lost nutrition there and not into cans lined with BPA,) but I also know how stressful the holidays are and if that’s what you have to do, then by all means do it. But if I can encourage you to try one or more of these components from scratch, I will tell you they can all be made 1-2 days in advance and then you’re just assembling the dessert without a care in the world. And this recipe for poached pears is BEYOND delicious! You will not get anything as good canned. Just saying.

I think this is the perfect dessert for Christmas and/or New Years and everything in between. I actually made it last year for Thanksgiving and not a morsel was left. You can get your kids to help you assemble this because it’s the easiest thing in the world to layer and kids love patterns, as in A-B-C-A-B-C. Once you fall in love with this dessert, I know you will start dreaming about the next holiday for which can make a trifle!

Gingerbread Trifle with Poached Pears

Pamela

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Servings -10

Ingredients

For an 8 x 8 pan of gingerbread:
¾ cup unsulphured molasses not blackstrap
¾ cup 100% pure maple syrup Grade B is fine
½ cup unsweetened applesauce
½ cup melted unrefined coconut oil or unsalted butter
2 ½ cups whole wheat pastry flour or white whole wheat flour*
1 ½ teaspoons aluminum-free baking soda
½ teaspoon fine grain sea salt
3 teaspoons 1 Tablespoon ground ginger
3 teaspoons 1 Tablespoon ground cinnamon
¾ teaspoon ground cloves
1 cup hot water
For the Pastry Cream or you can make or buy pudding:
½ cup cane sugar
6 large egg yolks
6 Tablespoons non-gmo corn starch
2 ½ cups whole milk
1 vanilla bean split lengthwise or 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste
2 Tablespoon unsalted butter at room temperature
For the Poached Pears:
1 750-ml bottle white wine, such as Riesling or Viognier
1 cup water
¾ cup cane sugar
1 whole vanilla bean split and scraped
1 whole clove
1 cinnamon stick
1 star anise
6 firm Bartlett Anjou or Bosc pears, peeled, halved and cored
For the Whipped Cream:
1 ½ cups heavy cream
2 Tablespoons cane sugar or powdered sugar
½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup pomegranate seeds click here for my favorite method of de-seeding a pomegranate

Instructions

To make the gingerbread: preheat the oven to 350 degrees and grease and flour an 8-inch square baking dish.
In a blender, combine the molasses, maple syrup, applesauce and coconut oil. Blend until smooth.
In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, sea salt and spices.
Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and mix until just combined. Stir in the hot water. Pour into the prepared pan.
Bake 45-55 minutes (ovens vary wildly) until a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool for 15 minutes, remove from pan and place on wire rack and allow to cool completely. You can freeze this or make this several days ahead. Cut into 1/2 –inch cubes and set aside.
To make the pastry cream: in a medium saucepan whisk the sugar, egg yolks and cornstarch together until thick and pale.
Meanwhile, in a small saucepan over medium heat bring the milk and vanilla bean (if using) just to a boil (just until milk starts to foam up). Remove from heat and add about ½ cup slowly to egg mixture, whisking constantly to prevent curdling (if you get a few pieces of egg (curdling) in the mixture, pour through a strainer). –continued-
If using vanilla bean, remove from mixture and scrape out seeds and add the seeds to the egg mixture.
Pour the remaining milk into the egg mixture, whisking constantly. Bring the egg-milk mixture to a boil over medium heat whisking constantly. When it boils, whisk mixture constantly for another 30-60 seconds until it becomes thick. Remove from heat and whisk in vanilla extract if you are using that instead of the bean. Immediately transfer the pastry cream to a clean bowl, whisk in the butter and allow to cool on the countertop for a few minutes.
Press a piece of plastic wrap directly on the cream to prevent a skin from forming. Refrigerate. You can make this up to 2 days in advance.
To poach the pears: place the white wine, water, sugar, scraped vanilla beans, vanilla pod, clove, cinnamon and star anise into a saucepan large enough to hold all the pears. Bring to a boil, stirring to dissolve the sugar.
Decrease the heat to medium low and place the pears into the liquid. Cover and cook for 20-25 minutes or until tender and easily pierced with a knife. Remove the pears from the liquid and chop into ½-inch pieces.
Remove the vanilla bean from the saucepan, increase the heat to high and reduce the syrup to approximately 1 cup of liquid, approximately 20 to 25 minutes. Do not allow the syrup to turn brown. Pour the syrup over the diced pears and refrigerate until cool, at least 1 hour. You can do this up to 2 days in advance.
About 30 minutes before assembling the trifle, make the whipped cream: If you can think about it ahead of time, place your mixing bowl and whisk in the freezer. In a deep bowl or electric mixer, whisk the cream, sugar and vanilla together until soft peaks from. Refrigerate until ready to use.
To assemble the trifle: place half the gingerbread on the bottom of a 7 ½ or 8 inch trifle bowl or other deep bowl. (You can also do individual trifles in glass jars.) Spread half the pastry cream on top, then half the pears (remove with a slotted spoon,) then half the whipped cream, then half the pomegranates. Repeat layers, ending with the whipped cream and then the pomegranate seeds. Or don’t add the whipped cream until the top.

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gingerbread pomegranates pudding whipped cream

Holiday Test Kitchen with Zelana Montminy and Gina Ragnone

A few weeks ago, my friends Zelana and Gina came over to play in the kitchen with me. The three of us all have the love of cooking in common, but more specifically, cooking with natural foods. Zelana, whom her readers call Dr. Z., has her masters and doctorate degrees in clinical psychology, is a wellness expert and TV Host appearing on the TV Guide Network as well as other networks such as E! and Good Morning America on ABC. Gina is a holistic health coach and partner in a delicious LA vegan cafe called Falabar. Plus she makes the most incredible sprouted snack mix called “Gigi’s Remix.” We thought it would be fun to try out some holiday recipes on each other and we had a blast, in addition to a delicious lunch!

We each picked a dish that was really easy to make and we kept it vegan. Zelana made a yummy “creamed” Swiss chard, which is very exciting for any dairy-free folks since there was no cream used at all. Zelena used coconut milk to make it creamy,but somehow it didn’t taste coconut-y at all. Gina roasted these delectable miso-maple Brussels sprouts, which is something I’ve always wanted to try. I am crazy for miso, which is a salty soybean paste, and I am crazy for maple. Sweet and salty is my thing and on the Brussels sprouts it was amazing. I put together a fresh, seasonal twist on my classic kale salad to which I added thinly sliced raw fennel, pomegranates, toasted pistachios and fresh mint. It was refreshing, crunchy and would be great with a meat meal or veggie. After lunch, we indulged in some vegan Magic Bars which satisfied the sweet tooth in all of us, while still keeping the ingredients clean. So many of our readers asked us for the recipes, that I decided to post them here. They would be the perfect addition to any holiday dinner!

Since this wasn’t a planned post, our images are all from our iPhones! Let me know if you have any questions about the recipes since I am lacking the normal step-by-step photos.

Dr. Z’s “Creamed” Swiss Chard

serves 6

2 teaspoons olive oil
2-3 large bunches of rainbow chard, washed and chopped, stems kept separate from leaves

2 medium shallots, finely chopped
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour of choice
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg + an extra pinch

Sea salt, to taste
Freshly ground pepper, to taste

1 cup coconut milk, unsweetened (use full fat for a creamier consistency)

1 teaspoon orange zest, finely grated

Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat.
Add chopped shard stems, shallots and garlic and saute, stirring frequently, until tender and translucent.
Stir in flour, 1 teaspoon of nutmeg, salt and pepper to taste and cook for a couple minutes until fragrant.
Pour in coconut milk, stirring frequently over high heat, until thickened and reduced by half .
Add in chard leaves and orange zest, cook until soft and coated. Season with an extra pinch of nutmeg and sea salt to taste.

Gigi’s Maple-Miso Glazed Brussels Sprouts

serves 4

4 cups medium brussels sprouts, ends trimmed and cut in half through the core

1 Tablespoon unrefined, cold-pressed olive oil

Sea salt and black pepper to taste

1/4 cup white miso

1/4 cup pure maple syrup

Pre-heat oven to 375*F and line a baking sheet with unbleached parchment paper.
Toss sprouts with the oil until evenly coated and arrange on prepared baking sheet. Season with salt and pepper.
Roast for 20 minutes until just slightly browned. (Larger sprouts will take longer.)
Whisk together the miso and maple syrup in a large bowl.
After the sprouts have cooked for 20 minutes, remove them from oven, let cool for a bit and add to the bowl with the maple-miso dressing. Toss the sprouts until evenly coated and return them to the baking sheet.
Cook for an additional 10 minutes or so, depending on how crispy you like them. You can also broil them until browned and very crispy, just be careful not to let them burn.
Remove from oven and let cool slightly before serving.

Pamela’s Raw Kale Salad with Fennel, Pomegranates and Mint

serves 4-6

2 bunches black kale (a.k.a Tuscan, lacinato, or dinosaur kale), about 12-14 ounces, washed and dried

1 bulb fennel, ends trimmed, halved and thinly sliced

Dressing:

2 teaspoons minced shallot

½ teaspoon fine sea salt

A few twists of freshly ground black pepper

2 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice or unseasoned rice vinegar

2 Tablespoons fresh orange juice

2 teaspoons 100% pure maple syrup

6-7 Tablespoons unrefined, cold-pressed extra-virgin olive oil

1/2 cup pomegranate seeds (click here for how to seed a pomegranate)

1/2 cup shelled, toasted pistachio nuts

1/4 cup small, fresh mint leaves (large leaves can be chopped)

Strip the kale leaves from the stems and compost or discard the stems. Finely shred the leaves with a sharp knife. Place in a serving bowl with the fennel.
Prepare the dressing: whisk all the ingredients in a small bowl until emulsified or place all dressing ingredients in a glass jar with a lid and shake until emulsified.
Add enough dressing to coat the kale and fennel lightly. Massage the dressing into the kale leaves and fennel slices with your hands to soften the leaves.
Add the pomegranate seeds, pistachios, mint leaves and toss. Salad can be served at once or allowed to sit and soften further. This salad would be delicious with crumbled feta, too.

Turkey and spinach quesadillas with cranberry salsa recipe

I know you are all in major Thanksgiving prep mode. But I wanted to post this recipe for the day after if you are planning that far ahead. And if that is the case, you and I are probably good friends, or should be. One of the reasons I absolutely love the day after Thanksgiving is because I sit in my pajamas until noon like a lady of leisure and make everyone bring me things like tea and slippers, and fetch me the remote control because I slaved over that meal for days and days and I deserve to sit on that couch for as long as I feel like it. Ha! Once a year, it’s nice to be queen for the day.

I also love the day after Thanksgiving for the leftovers. Leftovers mean I don’t really have to cook, but I do need to figure out how to repurpose turkey and potatoes and such in a tasty way. I used to just literally reheat everything and we would have another Thanksgiving dinner the next night with some fresh turkey vegetable soup from simmering the turkey bones all day. But personally, I have tired of that sameness two days in a row and have begun to look for ways to redo leftovers that don’t seem like leftovers. I have made turkey shepherd’s pie and turkey pot pie (use turkey instead of chicken in this recipe), as well as Southwestern turkey and black bean chili and turkey, butternut squash and wild rice soup and so on.

But this year, I am really going off in a different direction with these Turkey and Spinach Quesadillas with Cranberry Salsa. Has this New Yorker been in Los Angeles too long? By the sound of today’s post, you might think so. Or maybe it’s because as I write this, it’s 75 degrees and my mind isn’t going toward something heavy like turkey stew. I like this recipe for a variety of reasons, the first of which is that it’s tasty. Another reason is that it’s so easy and I don’t need multiple pots and pans and cutting boards. I am kind of not into cooking this Friday. Lastly, I like the twist of a different, fresh flavor.

My family all had different opinions about this recipe which is why my life stays interesting. Mr. Picky still will not eat cheese because he thinks it’s the devil and I won’t eat it often because it’s not great for me, so the two of us tried the turkey quesadilla without cheese and with avocado instead. Delicious! The creamy from the avocado was a perfect replacement for the melted cheese, in our opinion. As for the salsa, my husband likes cilantro 50% of the time and in the cranberry sauce was not one of those times. One of my daughters put plain cranberry sauce on her quesadilla and liked that just fine and thought that would be a better way to present this recipe since there was no extra work involved there. True.I also loved the cooked green onions, but there’s a good chance you might not have those lying around, so if you could easily sub cooked regular onions if you’re motivated. No judgment from me if you’re not, though.

Hope you have an amazing holiday! We all have so much for which to be grateful!

Turkey and Spinach Quesadillas with Cranberry Salsa

Pamela, adapted from Cooking Light Magazine

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Servings -8

Ingredients

Salsa:
1 cup whole-berry cranberry sauce
¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro
2 Tablespoons chopped green onion or finely diced shallot
1 Tablespoon fresh lime juice
¼ teaspoon ground cumin
½ jalapeno seeded and minced
pinch of sea salt
Quesadillas
1 Tablespoon unrefined cold-pressed, extra-virgin olive oil
¼ cup 2-inch pieces of green onion
a few teaspoons unsalted butter or more olive oil
8 8-inch whole grain tortillas (I like Rudi’s whole spelt and Food For Life sprouted grain)
1 cup 4 ounces shredded Monterey Jack cheese
2 cups chopped cooked turkey
4 handfuls baby spinach leaves

Instructions

Prepare the salsa: combine all ingredients in a bowl. Cover and refrigerate.
Prepare quesadillas: heat a large skillet or griddle over medium-high heat. Warm olive oil and sauté the green onions for a couple of minutes until tender. Remove the onions and lower the heat to medium.
Add a little butter or oil to the pan, place a tortilla on the pan and sprinkle cheese over the tortilla, Top the cheese with ¼ of the onions, ½ cup turkey and a handful of spinach leaves. Cover with a tortilla. Cook until the underside is lightly golden and flip over. Cook until cheese is melted.
Make remaining three quesadillas in the same way, adding a little extra butter to the pan if necessary to prevent sticking.
Cut each quesadilla into 4 wedges and serve with prepared cranberry salsa or plain cranberry salsa.

Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

cranberries spinach turkey

Whole roasted maple-brined turkey recipe

This is it, my last Thanksgiving recipe for you. And it’s my favorite way to make turkey as of late. I taught this method in all my November classes last year and a few this year and I was consistently thrilled with the results. I don’t even like turkey, but this was juicy and so flavorful. Even if you have solidified your Thanksgiving menu, I’m not too late with this one since you are probably making turkey of some sort. Let’s get down to the nitty gritty of making a good turkey:

Buy a fresh, organic turkey (they taste better than frozen and/or Butterball chemically-injected ones). If you bought a frozen turkey, plan for a few days to defrost in the fridge. Do not thaw in brine!

Don’t forget to remove the neck and giblet bag from the cavities (including the neck.)

Brine it. You can dry brine (which means you’re rubbing the turkey inside and outside with kosher salt 2-3 days before) or wet brine 24 hours in advance. A wet brine is a salt-water solution, usually with brown sugar and some other flavors. Brining gets the salt deep into the meat to season it well and keeps the turkey juicy. Both brines do this. The advantage of a dry brine is that it’s easier, especially if you’re cooking a super large turkey. All you have to do is rub it with salt. ANd it takes up less space in the fridge. The advantage of a wet brine is that it’s faster and you can add different flavors to the solution. The only time you don’t want to brine a turkey is if it is a KOSHER bird. Those have already been brined. If you can find a good quality organic, kosher turkey, go for it. You don’t have to prep it in advance = easier. I have tried NOT brining a turkey, and instead seasoning it just before cooking. Not the same. DO the brine. If you don’t have room in your fridge, place the turkey in the brine in a pot in a cooler with ice and it will be just fine.

Allow the turkey to come to room temperature before cooking. Promise me you’ll take the turkey out of the refrigerator at least one hour before cooking it, otherwise the interior will be underdone and the exterior will be overcooked and dry. That does not have to happen. For the largest birds (over 20 pounds), leave out of the fridge and out of the wet brine (if you’re using it) for 2 hours before roasting. 12-18 pounds leave out for 90 minutes before roasting. Less than 12 pounds leave out for at least an hour before roasting.

Use a meat thermometer to determine whether or not your turkey is ready. You cannot go by the chart on the turkey wrapping or by a recipe. I have made over 150 turkeys in my life in lots of different ovens and trust me, you need a meat thermometer to say the thickest part of the breast, which is on the side closer to the neck, registers between 160-165 degrees. The thigh should register around 175 degrees. Check this post here to see if your thermometer is accurate!

Allow the turkey to rest for at least 20 minutes before carving. The juice will redistribute and the turkey will be juicer. If you take the turkey out and cut it too soon the juices with pour onto your cutting board. That would be sad. Feel free to allow the turkey to rest a little longer, up to 40 minutes is fine. But keep it covered with a piece of foil so it stays warm while you make gravy and bake your stuffing. Click on this post for carving help.

You don’t have to follow this recipe for a great turkey, but you should employ the above strategy. Here are my other turkey recipes on my site:

Whole Roasted Dry -Brined Turkey (this post has videos and more details about cooking, carving and making the gravy!)

Herb-Roasted Whole Turkey Breast

You will have a delicious turkey, I am sure. But, if something goes wrong, here are some tips:

If you have dry turkey meat: carve the turkey and pour hot chicken or turkey stock over it. No one will know!

If your turkey is undercooked and you’ve already cut into it, remove the thigh and drumstick and take the breasts off the carcass. Put all the pieces into the roasting pan and put back in the oven until they reached the desired temp.

Good luck!! Leave a comment on any recipe if you have questions!

Whole Roasted Maple-Brined Turkey

Pamela

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Servings -14 without leftovers

Ingredients

12-14 pound fresh turkey giblet bag and neck removed, rinsed
For the brine:
1 1/3 cup kosher salt such as Diamond Crystal
½ cup maple syrup or brown sugar
1 quart hot water
1 orange cut into crosswise slices
1 lemon cut into crosswise slices
1 Tablespoon black peppercorns
2 teaspoons allspice berries
1 gallon ice cold water
1 onion quartered
3 or 4 parsley sprigs thyme sprigs and or sage leaves
3 sprigs of fresh rosemary
1 apple quartered or cores from 2 apples
6 Tablespoons unsalted butter melted or olive oil
1-2 cups stock or water
Gravy
¼ cup dry white wine
5 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
3 -3 ½ cups chicken or turkey stock preferably homemade
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Instructions

I like to brine the turkey for about 14-18 hours. You can brine it, remove it from the brine and then store it in the refrigerator for a day until you are ready to cook it. To make the brine: Dissolve the salt and maple syrup in the hot water. Take the orange slices and carefully squeeze them into the mixture. Add the lemon, peppercorns and allspice berries.
Place the brining bag in a large stockpot. Add the cold water to the bringing bag and then the warm mixture. Place the turkey in the brine breastside down and make sure the whole bird is covered with liquid. Seal the bag securely and place pot in the refrigerator for 12-18 hours.
Remove the bird from the brine and rinse with cold water. Pat dry. Refrigerate until ready to cook or proceed with recipe.
The day of roasting, take turkey out of refrigerator and wipe dry with paper towels. Bring to room temperature, about 60-90 minutes.
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Position a rack in the lowest rung of the oven. Oil a V-shaped rack in a roasting pan.
Sprinkle a little freshly ground black pepper in the cavity and then add in the onion, herbs, and apple. Truss the turkey by tying the legs together. Brush the skin all over with some of the butter or oil.
Place the turkey on the rack in the pan, breast-side down and pull the wings behind the back. Roast for 40 minutes, basting with butter or oil after 20 minutes. Reduce the heat to 325 degrees, turn breast side up (I usually wear clean rubber gloves to do this) and add 1 cup stock or water to the roasting pan. Continue to roast, basting with the remaining butter or oil until used up and then with the pan juices every 20 minutes. Add additional stock to the roasting pan if you notice there are no pan juices with which to baste the turkey.
Roast until golden and cooked through. After about 2 hours, start testing for doneness by inserting an instant-read thermometer in the thickest part of the breast away from the bone; it should register 165-170 degrees. You may also test the thigh – it should read 180 degrees. The turkey should roast a total of about 2 ¾ hours, but it can range from about 2 ½ - 3 hours or 12-14 minutes/pound.
Transfer to a cutting board or warmed platter and cover loosely with aluminum foil until ready to carve, at least 20 minutes (I prefer longer.) Use the pan juices to make gravy.
Prepare the gravy:
Pour all the pan juices, including the fat into a fat separator. Allow the fat to separate from the juices.
Heat the roasting pan over medium heat on the stove and add the pan juices, leaving the fat in the fat separator. Add the wine to the roasting pan. Bring to a boil and lower heat to a simmer for 2-3 minutes, stirring with a wooden spoon to dislodge any brown bits that stick to the bottom of the pan. Strain into a bowl or you can use the gravy separator again or wait until Step 4 and strain into the gravy saucepan.
In a saucepan over medium heat, warm the reserved fat from the gravy separator until it is bubbly. You should have at least 3-4 Tablespoons. If you don’t, add some olive oil. Add the flour and whisk rapidly to cook the flour, about 2-3 minutes.
Whisk in the strained pan juices and 3 cups of stock to the saucepan until smooth. Bring to simmer and cook until thickened, about 5 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Keep warm on lowest heat. Add additional stock as needed to achieve desired consistency.

Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

turkey

Planning a happy thanksgiving 2014: 1 week to go!

This post has been edited from the original which was published on November 17, 2011.

Wow, the last three weeks have gone by so quickly! I am so excited to celebrate Thanksgiving. We have a super fun crew joining us this year and I am also looking forward to some one-on-one time with the kids, especially my older daughter who will be home from college for the first time since August! I used to get all of them in the kitchen Thanksgiving morning to help me with pies or trimming green beans or whatnot, but my two daughters have taken to sleeping until noon on days off. However I had a stroke of genius three years ago, which was to tack my Thanksgiving to-do list on the refrigerator and have everyone sign up for three tasks. Even my husband gets in on the fun!

My last class is Friday, so I’ll start getting busy this weekend. I always plan Thanksgiving day down to the last detail because I don’t like forgetting things and a schedule makes me feel more relaxed, which equals more fun for me! But just because Thanksgiving is the star of the show this week doesn’t mean that I can forget about normal life on very other day. So I think about regular meals and activities, too. Here’s what my schedule will look like from Sunday until we eat on Thursday at 4:00 pm (-ish). This shouldn’t make you feel exhausted, but merely show you what you can do ahead for your own Thanksgiving!

Sunday

Go grocery shopping for most perishable items, bread for stuffing and food for remaining dinners this week.

Make cranberry sauce (I used to make applesauce on Sunday too, but my friend Caitlin is bringing it this year.)

Arrange tables and chairs

Write out placecards for table (a good job for one of the kids)

Dinner: orange and rosemary-glazed chicken, cauliflower-potato mash, and broccoli

Monday

Make salad vinaigrettes

Make bread cubes for stuffing

Make ice cream

5:30 Bring Mr. Picky to soccer practice

Dinner: roasted vegetable enchiladas, salad

Tuesday

11:00 – 1:00 cooking with blogger friends Zelana Montminy and Gina Ragnone

Shop for last perishable items from farmer’s market

Pick up turkeys. Brine in the morning.

Buy flowers for entry table, family room and living room and put together table arrangements

Set table (I’ll set one place setting for the kids to copy and they can do the rest.)

Wash and dry greens (salad)

Toast pumpkin seeds (salad)

Seed pomegranates (salad)

Shred gruyere (tart)

Shred manchego (salad)

Defrost chicken/turkey stocks

Dinner: pumpkin and black bean chili, spinach quesadillas

Wednesday

Make butternut squash soup

Chop onions for soup, stuffing and roasted vegetables

Slice zucchini (tart)

Steam, bread cauliflower

Blind bake crust (tart)

Herb oil (tart)

Make stuffing

Prep vegetables for Maple-Mustard Roasted Veggies

Thinly slice Brussels sprouts

Cut butternut squash into cubes for salad

Make sweet potato casserole

Bake pecan pies

Remove turkeys from wet brine and rinse (do not rinse dry-brined turkeys)

Set up for coffee and tea service

Check powder room

Dinner: spice-rubbed salmon, brown rice, sautéed Swiss chard

Before bed: make sure garage refrigerator door is closed! (Four years ago, I left the door open to my extra fridge in the garage all night long. OMG. Disaster! Needed to buy two new turkeys on Thanksgiving morning!)

Thursday

6:00 am wake and shower

Make cornbread (small oven)

Bake pumpkin pies (large oven)

Bake coffee cake (small oven)

Make gingerbread (large oven)

9:15 Take turkeys out of refrigerator

All desserts must be out of large oven by 10:30 am

Bake apple pie (small oven)

10:45 turkeys go in large oven breast side down at 425 degrees

11:25 turn oven down to 325 degrees and flip turkey breast side up

12:00 reheat soup and serve with cornbread

tidy up kitchen

get dressed and dry hair (a girl’s gotta look good!)

Put mixing bowl and beaters in freezer for whipped cream

Roast butternut squash for salad (small oven)

1:30 Peel potatoes and make mashed potatoes; keep in bowl, covered, over pot of simmering water

2:15 zucchini tart in small oven

2:30 fry cauliflower and heat tomato sauce; serve hot

3:00 serve hors d’oeuvres; start testing turkey temperature

3:00 – 3:30 take turkey out of oven

Put vegetables in large oven at 400 degrees

Make gravy

Reheat stuffing in small oven

Bake sweet potato casserole in large oven

Chop apples for Brussels sprout salad, assemble both salads

Light candles, pour water in glasses, set out cranberry sauce and applesauce

Place turkey platter in oven to warm up

3:50-4:00 Carve turkeys

4:00 Dinner is served

After dinner: whip cream (do not overbeat!), coffee and tea, sparkling water

Make notes on what to remember for next year. Next year??!!

Thanksgiving

How to make and roll out pie crust VIDEO

It’s pie season if you haven’t noticed. And even though I don’t think we should be eating too much dessert, I am a sucker for a good, seasonal fruit pie. Making pie is my favorite Thanksgiving task, and I love do everything from scratch, including the crust. I taught myself since no one in my family ever made pie crust, including my auntie who I think is the best cook in the world. I do think a homemade crust is far superior to the ones in the grocery stores, but if that’s what you have to use, it’s not a deal breaker.

If you are a do-aheader, you can actually make and freeze your pie crusts now for Thanksgiving.

I have written a blog post about making a homemade pie crust before over here, as well as posted several divine pies, including apple, pumpkin and pecan. But I also thought a video would be helpful, too. So here you go. Let me know if you have any questions. You’ve got this!

For the recipe with measurements, here’s the link to that post.

Brussels Sprout Sliders

Ingredients

Instructions

Biscotti

Chocolate Bark

Dark Chocolate Bark with Hazelnuts, Dates and Sea Salt

Ingredients 1x2x3x

Instructions

Granola

Custom Almond Butter (or any nut butter)

Infused Olive Oils and Vinegars

Gingerbread Trifle with Poached Pears

Ingredients 1x2x3x

Instructions

Dr. Z’s “Creamed” Swiss Chard

Gigi’s Maple-Miso Glazed Brussels Sprouts

Pamela’s Raw Kale Salad with Fennel, Pomegranates and Mint

Turkey and Spinach Quesadillas with Cranberry Salsa

Ingredients 1x2x3x

Instructions

Whole Roasted Maple-Brined Turkey

Ingredients 1x2x3x

Instructions

Ingredients

Ingredients

Ingredients

Ingredients