Recipes Archives - Page 79 of 113

Cranberry-orange almond flour muffin recipe

Even though Thanksgiving is passed, I am not letting go of cranberries just yet. I’m not letting go of winter squashes, pears or apples either for that matter. And I might just make some pumpkin pancakes tomorrow morning if I feel like it. I am not yet tired of all those fall flavors, nevermind that winter is knocking at the door.

I made these cranberry-orange muffins on a whim the other day and just had to share. Even though my family and I are not technically gluten-intolerant, gluten is something I mindful about limiting because it is quite pro-inflammatory and hard to digest and something that can be overeaten very easily. So every now and again when I want to bake something, I play around with gluten-free flours based on grains like rice or millet (if you haven’t tried these Millet Blondies, you must!), or to go grain-free I love using almond flour and coconut flour. There’s not one flour that mimics wheat perfectly, but there are ways to achieve a similar result. One of my kids’ favorite muffins is this recipe for Chocolate-Banana-Almond Muffins with Chia Seeds. That recipe uses all almond flour and has a very nice light, moist interior and such a yummy flavor. I otherwise don’t love using all almond flour in baking since things can get a little heavy. And you have to be sure to use almond flour and not almond meal. Almond flour is very fine and almost powdery. Almond meal is a little coarser which isn’t as desirable when you’re baking a muffin.

One of my new favorite combinations is using almond flour with a little coconut flour mixed in. The result is just a little lighter and chewier than with all almond flour. It’s still not exactly like wheat or spelt flour, but it’s close enough and my kids love muffins I make this way, including these cranberry-orange beauties. These muffins are just sweet enough, in my opinion, with a hint of orange. My family doesn’t love an overwhelming orange flavor, so the zest of 1 orange was perfect for us. But my favorite part is biting into a tart cranberry. I love contrasts in textures and flavors, so the tart and sweet always gets me! I remember making cranberry-orange quick bread when I was little girl. One of the reasons I’ll never forget it is because I completely screwed up the recipe the first time by mistaking baking powder for baking soda and things didn’t rise the way they were supposed to. Live and learn. Even though it was as dense as a brick, the flavors were still so good and we ate the whole thing anyway!

You can still find fresh cranberries in the markets and they also freeze beautifully if you would like to stock up and make cranberry-based recipes in the future. I think these are great for lunch boxes or for a chilly afternoon with a cup of tea, but I also would love them on Christmas morning, which is two and a half weeks away!! Loved being with you today, but it’s time for me to make like an elf and get back to business. Until next time!

5.0 from 4 reviews

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Cranberry-Orange Almond Flour Muffins

Author: Pamela

Serves: makes 9

Ingredients

2 cups blanched almond flour (I use Honeyville)
¼ cup coconut flour
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon sea salt
grated zest of 1 orange
6 large eggs (or 4 eggs and 2 “flax eggs”*)
½ cup honey
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar or white vinegar
a heaping cup of fresh cranberries
1 Tablespoon unsalted butter or unrefined coconut oil, melted
2 Tablespoons sliced almonds (optional)

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a standard muffin tin with 9 unbleached parchment liners.
Place the 2 cups of almond flour in a large mixing bowl. Remove 2 Tablespoons and transfer it to a small bowl and set aside. Add the coconut flour, baking soda, salt and orange zest to the large mixing bowl and whisk to combine.
In a blender, add the eggs, honey, vanilla and vinegar. Blend until well combined.
Pour the egg mixture into the large bowl and combine well. Fold in the cranberries.
Scoop the batter into the prepared muffin tin, filling each cup to the top. I use an ice cream scooper to do this. Lightly brush the tops of each muffin with butter and sprinkle with the reserved almond flour and (optional) sliced almonds.
Bake until lightly golden and when a toothpick inserted comes out clean, about 30 minutes.

Notes

*1 flax egg = 1 Tablespoon ground flax meal + 3 Tablespoons warm water. Stir together and allow to gel, about 15 minutes.

You don't have to do the almond flour and sliced almonds on top, but it makes a pretty finish!

Baked parsnip fries recipe

I really, really ate too much the tail end of last week. And it wasn’t lettuce I was overeating, in case you’re wondering. The whole Thanksgiving-Hanukkah collision really did me in. If all the pies and butter last Thursday weren’t enough, the potato pancakes fried in an inch of oil followed by more sugar over the weekend put me over the edge for sure. In between all of that, my sister-in-law forced me, yes forced me, to try a s’mores cupcake at her son’s birthday party. Ahhhhhhhh!!!!!!!! It happens to the best of us. It starts off with a weekend of over-indulgence which is followed by two weekends of holiday parties followed by Christmas and New Year’s and there’s the 8 pounds that “snuck up on ya.” You have been warned.

Ok, let’s make some parsnip fries! Not to worry, parsnips are one of the few good white foods! And these are baked, not fried. Trust me, I’m on your side! I don’t think I ever tasted a parsnip until 10 years ago, and I think it was in a soup mixed in with a bunch of other things. But let me tell you, I have made up for lost time and I am now crazy for these little roots. They’re kind of like intense carrots, really fresh, sweet and grassy. My favorite way to eat them is chopped up, plain roasted with some salt (mmmmm……salty-sweet!) But then my friend Avigail made me some baked parsnip fries and they were so super addictive, I went bonkers. They aren’t crispy like regular fries, but they aren’t soggy either. It’s really the caramelized sweet flavor mixed with the salt that I love. I also think there’s something fun about eating with your hands, which makes these a little dangerous because I can eat an entire sheet pan all by myself in not a lot of time. Sure, parsnips are a whole food, but they do have more carbs than a lot of other vegetables, so you don’t really want to eat a whole sheet pan of them.

The trick with making parsnip fries is cutting them the right way. Because they’re a bit skinny on the bottom and fat on top, I like to cut them in half crosswise first and then cut each half into sticks. You have a much better chance of getting uniform pieces, which we all know is the key to making sure vegetables roast evenly. Try not to allow the ends to be too skinny, otherwise they’ll burn before the rest of the parsnip is tender. Some people like to cut the core out of the middle because it is supposedly tough, but I just slice the whole thing.

I really don’t know what you couldn’t serve these with. Parsnip fries re a perfect alternative to French fries, so these are great with burgers, veggie or otherwise. Parsnips are fantastic with poultry. I think Avigail served them to me with salmon. Really, cooked this way they are so neutral you can’t go wrong. Unless you do eat an entire sheet pan of them. You have been warned…

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Baked Parsnip Fries

Author: Pamela

Serves: 6 or just you and me

Ingredients

3 pounds of parsnips, peeled
3 Tablespoons unrefined olive oil
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Instructions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line 2 rimmed baking sheets with unbleached parchment paper.
Cut the parsnips in half crosswise. Then cut each half into ½ inch sticks.
Place parsnips on the prepared baking sheets and drizzle with olive oil. Toss to coat with your hands and spread the pieces in one layer.
Season with salt and pepper to taste. (I like ½ teaspoon salt per pan.) Bake until tender and golden, about 35-45 minutes, tossing once about halfway through roasting. Sprinkle with additional salt, if desired (I always do.)

parsnips

Cranberry-granola-yogurt parfait recipe

Sometimes I think of Thanksgiving as the culinary Olympics since there is major cooking and intense prep involved. And today I have the sore legs to show for it! But it is all worth it especially when I get to cook with my kids and spend a nice long day with my loved ones. I had the extra-special treat of having my mom visit this year for which I was so grateful. She was an amazing sous chef and always has such an easy going attitude. I am hoping (hint, hint) that she makes this a regular trip and brings my dad next time.

Today is not a cooking day for me. It might be a reheating leftovers day. It might be a juicing and smoothie day. But I have turned off the creative area of my brain and I am giving my feet a much-needed rest and that’s that. My main focus today is getting out of the house after lunch so that when that craving for pie hits, I’m less likely to succumb to temptation. This is when poor eating habits take hold and before you know it, it’s January 5th and there are a few extra pounds that came out of nowhere. Except I’m telling you, they start today!

If you want something sweet, but a little more natural, I have always loved this parfait, which also does double duty by using up leftover cranberry sauce. There’s really no recipe here, just layers of cranberry sauce, unsweetened yogurt, and granola. And sometimes I swirl the cranberry sauce into the yogurt. If you don’t have any granola in the house, just mix together what I call “faux granola” — a few nuts and seeds, dried fruit and toasted (or raw) coconut. You still get the crunch that balances out the creamy from the yogurt. I’m not over thinking this one and I don’t think I have it in me to do so if I tried! Enjoy the rest of the weekend!

4.0 from 1 reviews

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Cranberry-Yogurt-Granola Parfait

Author: Pamela

Ingredients

plain, unsweetened yogurt, regular or Greek-style (I like whole yogurt)
leftover cranberry sauce
granola

Instructions

Take a glass and layer the ingredients however you want. There is no right or wrong way to do this. You can do one layer or each, or two layers of yogurt and granola and one dollop of cranberry sauce. Just make sure you have enough yogurt so the parfait doesn't get too sweet!

Roasted delicata squash and apple salad recipe

Oh, I know your Thanksgiving menu is probably planned and I think that is great! I actually had no intention of trying to convince you today, this late in the game, that you absolutely must include such and such recipe on your holiday table. I know you’re committed and that’s that. But for the rest of you slackers, it’s your lucky day! This is your Thanksgiving salad. Period. I have taught it umpteen times already this month, with another class to go and I am more obsessed with it than ever. I think this salad actually makes turkey taste better!! Make some room on that menu!

Delicata squash should be nicknamed “THE Thanksgiving squash” because it’s seasonal, adorable, and minimal work. You don’t peel it! You eat the skin! It tastes amazing! How much do you love me right now? Forget butternut squash this year. Give yourself a break and go with delicata. I have no idea if you can find it where you live, but in Southern California it’s all over the place at every supermarket, farmers market and Trader Joe’s. Sometimes it’s off-white with yellow stripes, sometimes pale yellow with orange and lots of in-betweens.

As much as I love delicata squash, my favorite part of this salad just might be the big wedges of roasted apples. Pink Ladies are my favorite and I think are perfect here, but Honeycrisp, Fuji, Jonagold are all great, too. Granny Smith is a little too tart in my opinion. Leave the peel on to not only make your life easier, but I think the apples look prettier that way and hold their shape better.

Here’s your game plan for this salad:

make the dressing this weekend and store in a glass jar with a lid in the refrigerator
wash and dry your salad greens on Tuesday and store in the refrigerator
if you are using nuts or pumpkin seeds, toast them Tuesday and store at room temperature
wash, seed and cut delicata squash into slices on Wednesday and store in a container or ziploc in the refrigerator
shave Manchego cheese with a vegetable peeler and store in the refrigerator in a tightly sealed container
Thursday morning you can roast the delicate squash and apples and take the dressing out of the refrigerator to bring to room temp; store cooked squash and apples at room temp until dinnertime
right before carving the turkey, assemble and dress the salad!

Have an amazing Thanksgiving!!!

5.0 from 2 reviews

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Roasted Delicata Squash and Apple Salad

Author: Pamela

Serves: 6

Ingredients

2 delicata squash, washed but not peeled, cut in half lengthwise, seeds removed, and cut into ½-inch slices
2 large apples, cored, sliced into ½-inch slices (I cut them crosswise)
3 Tablespoons olive oil or unrefined coconut oil, melted
1 Tablespoon pure maple syrup
1 teaspoon minced fresh rosemary (optional, but I think it’s delicious)
1 teaspoon sea salt
freshly ground black pepper, to taste
10 cups mixed greens including some bitter varieties such as radicchio and/or arugula
Dressing:
2 Tablespoons apple cider vinegar, preferably raw
5 Tablespoons unrefined, cold-pressed extra-virgin olive oil
¾ teaspoon Dijon mustard
½ teaspoon sea salt
freshly ground black pepper, to taste
2 teaspoons pure maple syrup
Toppings: shaved manchego cheese, ½ cup buttered and salted toasted pecans or toasted, salted pumpkin seeds

Instructions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees and line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
Place the squash and apples in a large bowl and add the melted coconut oil and 1 Tablespoon maple syrup. Toss to coat. (You can also add the apples to the salad raw instead of roasted.)
Place the apples and squash in one layer on the baking sheets and sprinkle with rosemary, salt and pepper. Roast until tender, approximately 20-30 minutes. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool.
For the dressing: in a small bowl or screw top jar combine apple cider vinegar, olive oil, Dijon, salt, pepper and maple syrup and whisk or shake to combine. You may have more dressing than you need for this recipe.
Place salad greens on a platter and toss with enough dressing to coat lightly. Separately drizzle the squash and apples with some dressing and add to the greens. Sprinkle with any desired toppings. Taste for salt and pepper and serve.

apples delicata squash manchego cheese pumpkin seeds

Planning a happy thanksgiving — 1 week and counting!

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 very 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. 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 two years ago, which was to tack my Thanksgiving to-do list on the refrigerator and have everyone sign up for three tasks. I asked my husband to help too, because good gracious the man needs to brush up on his cooking skills!

My last class is Monday night, so I’ll start getting busy this weekend and then I’ll go full steam ahead on Tuesday. 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

4:00 leave to teach cooking class in Brentwood

Dinner: spaghetti squash bowls with beans, roasted vegetables, and guacamole

Tuesday

9:30 am Dentist appointment for Mr. Picky

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: Italian wedding soup and grilled cheese sandwiches

Wednesday

Chop onions for soup, stuffing and roasted vegetables

Slice zucchini (tart)

Make soup

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

Make sweet potato casserole

Bake pecan pies

Set up for coffee and tea service

Check powder room

Dinner: shrimp with tomatoes, white beans and spinach, rice

Before bed: make sure garage refrigerator door is closed! (Three years ago, I left the door open to my extra fridge in the garage all night long. OMG. 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??!!

Crunchy cauliflower recipe

I have been really surprised by how many people have asked about this cauliflower recipe after seeing it on my Thanksgiving menu. I’m only surprised because it’s not fancy or interesting or all that different. And it’s not the most super healthful thing I’ve ever mentioned. True, my husband and my kids are crazy for it, but I’m always like “Really? That’s the recipe you’ve been searching for?” Ask and you shall receive!

My mom has always made this cauliflower for Thanksgiving and it was one of the recipes I incorporated into my Thanksgiving dinner after I was married. It’s basically like making parmesan chicken cutlets, but with steamed cauliflower. Admittedly, these take a little longer to assemble than chicken since you must dip or roll each cauliflower floret in beaten egg and then a breadcrumb mixture and then fry in oil. But, like my mom taught me, all the prep is done the day before, i.e. steaming and breading, and then the frying is done the next day right before dinner. When I was a kid, I didn’t love these (sorry Mom!) because they were served room temp as opposed to hot out of the pan, and they’re nothing to write home about when they’re not warm, in my opinion. Of course it is kind of absurd to think that anyone could fry all these cauliflower florets to serve hot for Thanksgiving dinner when gravy needs to be made, casseroles reheated, candles lit, the buffet set and turkey(s) carved. That’s when I decided to serve these as an hors d’oeuvre and it worked out beautifully. Too beautifully, I might add. Now I’m making three heads of cauliflower every Thanksgiving!!

But what is nice about this recipe is that it’s not a Thanksgiving “one-hit wonder” like sweet potato casserole. I actually make this during the year as well for weeknight family dinners. On Thanksgiving I like to keep it simple by sprinkling all the florets with flaky sea salt. Although my husband prefers to dunk his cauliflower into hot tomato sauce. Spicy mustard and homemade ranch dressing (I’ll share that recipe one day!) are also popular with the kids. Speaking of dips, my friends at GROW shared a really interesting recipe from epicurious.com for a head of roasted cauliflower with whipped goat cheese. I skipped the head of roasted cauliflower for now and made the whipped goat cheese, which was a very tasty dip for hot crunchy cauliflower florets.

Even though I have a feeling most of you planners have your Thanksgiving menus all squared away, I am thinking I’ll share a few more recipes this week just in case!

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Crunchy Cauliflower

Author: Pamela

Serves: 4-6

Ingredients

1 large head cauliflower, cut into florets (about 1 ½ inch pieces)
2 large eggs
1 ¼ cups dried bread crumbs or Panko crumbs
a sprinkle of sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Handful of freshly grated Pecorino-Romano or Parmiggiano-Reggiano cheese (optional)
Olive oil for frying or olive oil spray
Suggestions for accompaniments: warm tomato sauce, whipped goat cheese (recipe follows), ranch dressing, mustard, flaky sea salt

Instructions

Steam cauliflower until just tender, about 5 minutes and rinse with cold water to stop the cooking process or drain and immediately spread out over a clean kitchen towel to cool. Set aside to dry.
Beat eggs in a small bowl. Place bread crumbs in another small bowl and season with salt and pepper. Mix in cheese with breadcrumbs, if desired.
Dip a floret in egg (I use a fork to transfer to the next bowl) and then in the breadcrumb mixture. Roll around to coat evenly and transfer to a baking sheet until ready to fry. This can all be done the day before. Cover with foil or plastic wrap and refrigerate.
Heat olive oil in a large skillet. Place the florets in an even layer in the skillet and fry until golden brown on all sides. Sprinkle with flaky sea salt (or any salt) and serve immediately.
OR if you don’t want to fry them, preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Place the breaded cauliflower on a baking rack set on top of a baking sheet. Spray with olive oil spray and bake until golden brown, about 20 minutes. Serve immediately.

Notes

WHIPPED GOAT CHEESE:

4 ounces fresh goat cheese
3 ounces cream cheese
3 ounces feta
1/3 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons olive oil plus more for serving
Coarse sea salt (for serving)

Blend goat cheese, cream cheese, feta, cream, and 2 tablespoons oil in a food processor until smooth; season with sea salt. Transfer whipped goat cheese to a serving bowl and drizzle with oil.

Planning a happy thanksgiving — 2 weeks and counting!

This post was originally published on November 10, 2011.

Thanksgiving 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. One of my students said to me today that my Thanksgiving planning blogs are stressing her out. Yikes! Of course that was not my intention. 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.

Here’s what you can get done this week:

Get your knives sharpened Especially your carving knife. A razor-sharp knife is the most important tool in your kitchen. In my area, you can get your knives sharpened at Sur La Table, the farmer’s market and at the local cutlery store at the mall. I think Sur La Table charges $1/inch.

Make your grocery lists I make three lists:

Non-perishables (e.g., flour, spices, wine, nuts, dried fruit) I buy these now.
Perishables to buy one-week ahead (e.g., winter squashes, butter, hard cheeses, potatoes)
Perishables to buy two days before (e.g., turkey, dairy, bread for stuffing, all other fruits and vegetables)

Buy to-go containers I always make too much food and I like sending care packages home with my guests to enjoy the day after, especially our single friends. This year I am definitely packing up all the extra desserts so that they aren’t tempting me the next afternoon when I’m shopping for holiday gifts online. I love the idea of having people bring their own reusable containers, but for me it’s easier to get these disposables from my local Smart & Final.

Clean out the refrigerator I’ll get to this over the weekend. Now is a great time to get rid of food past its prime or to get creative with the last spoonful of nut butter or those four olives just to make more space in the fridge. I have a second, inexpensive refrigerator in the garage which really comes in handy for big dinners. If you don’t have the extra space, see if one of your neighbors is going away for the holiday and can store your chutney and jam collections for a few days.

Check your instant read thermometer This tool the only way you’ll be able to tell if your turkey is cooked properly, so it’s important that it’s accurate. If you’re unsure, stick the tip of the thermometer into boiling water. If the temperature reads 212 degrees Farenheit, you’re good to go.

Maple-mustard roasted vegetables recipe

This is the first year that my Thanksgiving menu has not been finalized so close to Thanksgiving. I am not freaking out yet, but I might need an intervention. I come up with new recipes every year for the Thanksgiving classes I teach and then I want to include them in my personal Thanksgiving dinner. The problem is, the last few years I have just added to the menu without taking anything off and I think I am now at maximum menu capacity. Also, there’s no balance to a meal with four Brussels sprout dishes, now is there? I keep asking my husband, “can we just take stuffing off the menu?” And he looks at me like I’m crazy. Then he asks me, “why don’t you take the sweet potato casserole off the menu?” Then I look at him like he’s really crazy. I think I’m just going to take my Thanksgiving CEO job a little more seriously and make the tough choices. Some dishes just aren’t going to make the cut this year (unless I get a few more ovens and a few more hours in the day) and I am prepared to deal with the backlash from my people.

If you are still looking for a winner side dish or two to add to your Thanksgiving menu, then look no further than these delicious vegetables. I think what every Thanksgiving table needs is a little more color, i.e. vegetables and a little more texture, i.e. something other than soft, mushy food. I love this recipe because it’s more interesting than just roasting vegetables with olive oil or coconut oil. A little sweetness from the maple syrup, some acidity from the white wine and a touch of tang from the mustard — how good does that sound? No marshmallows, no canned cream of something, no swimming pool of heavy cream. Just beautiful vegetables tasting like they should. You can choose whatever vegetables in whatever quantities you like and they are all super nutritious so you won’t go wrong there. But….I’ll tell you what you shouldn’t omit. Love, love, love the parsnips, and the red onion and the Brussels sprouts. If you’re trying to keep it simple, do those three (or sub halved shallots for the onion) and pick either butternut squash or carrots or sweet potatoes to join the party.

A little advice though — one year I made 6 sheet pans of these in one oven — two pans side-by-side, three racks — and they didn’t caramelize as beautifully as I would have liked. Too much vegetable closeness. And they take a little time in the oven, so you need to plan for your turkey to rest for about 40 minutes and then allow 10-15 minutes for carving and that timing should be about right. But if you are reheating stuffing, sweet potato casserole and other stuff, you’ll need to roast these veggies before the turkey goes in and then just do a quick reheat before serving. That will work just fine. And if there’s no way you have room to add these to this year’s Thanksgiving menu, there’s always Christmas dinner, which is less than four weeks after Thanksgiving. Ok, now I’m freaking out!

Shop the tools I used for this recipe by clicking on the images below:

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Maple-Mustard Roasted Vegetables

Author: Pamela

Serves: 6

Ingredients

¼ cup unrefined, cold-pressed, extra-virgin olive oil or unrefined coconut oil
2 Tablespoons 100% pure maple syrup
1 teaspoon whole grain mustard
2 Tablespoons dry white wine
2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves, chopped
½ pound butternut squash, peeled and chopped into ½-inch pieces
2 carrots, chopped into ½-inch pieces
1 red onion, peeled and cut into sixths or eighths (keep root attached)
2 parsnips, peeled and chopped into ½-inch pieces
1 medium sweet potato (e.g. Garnet or Jewel), peeled and chopped into ½-inch pieces
10 medium Brussels sprouts, halved
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. (I've noticed that darker sheet pans, even lined with parchment paper, caramelize vegetables better/more quickly than light-colored pans.)
In a large bowl, whisk together the oil, syrup, mustard, wine and thyme. Make sure the maples syrup is well incorporated. Add all the vegetables and toss to coat.
Spread evenly between the two pans in one layer and sprinkle well with salt and pepper (about ¾ teaspoon salt or more.)
Roast vegetables until tender and slightly caramelized, about 50 minutes, tossing after 30 minutes. You may need to rotate the pans if they are not side-by-side in the oven or if your oven has hot spots.

Notes

These are just examples of vegetables that work nicely together and with these flavors. Feel free to concentrate on fewer vegetables, and use more of them.

brussels sprouts butternut squash carrots parsnips red onion sweet potatoes