Thanksgiving Sides

Thanksgiving is probably my favorite holiday...food, family, football - how much more can you ask for?

Here at our house, roast Turkey is a must but in addition to the bird there must be some tasty sides.  Here’s what we usually have:

GREEN BEAN CASSEROLE

INGREDIENTS

1 Tbsp. Olive Oil

1 Tbsp. Butter

Mrs. Dash - to taste

½ Yellow Onion, or Vidalia if available

6 oz. button mushrooms, thinly sliced

1 clove garlic, finely diced (can sub. garlic powder)

¼ cup white wine

2 14.5 oz. French style green beans, drained

1 can Cream of Mushroom soup

1 container French Fried Onions

 

DIRECTIONS

1- Preheat oven to 350.  In a large saucepan, heat oil and butter over medium heat.  Sauté onions, garlic and mushrooms until soft, drop heat if needed as you don’t want to brown the ingredients, just sweat down until sweet.  Add Mrs. Dash and wine and reduce until most of the liquid has evaporated.

2- Add green beans, half of the French-fried onions and soup, stir until well combined and cook over medium heat until bubbling, stirring frequently so it doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pan.

3- Empty contents into a dish for baking and serving.  Put in the oven and bake, covered for 25 minutes until hot all the way through.  Uncover and top with the remaining French-fried onions and bake for an additional 5-10 minutes until onions on top are browned.

Remove from the oven and enjoy!!!

SILKY SWEET POTATO PUREE

Servings:  8

Cooking Time: ~45 min.

Total Time: ~60 min.

 

INGREDIENTS

3 lbs. whole sweet potatoes, pricked with a fork

½ tsp. freshly ground pepper, to taste

½ cup buttermilk or Mexican Crema

½ cup Half & Half

6 Tbsp. butter cut into pieces

 

DIRECTIONS

1- Adjust oven rack to upper-middle position; heat to 425 degrees. Place potatoes on a foil-lined pan; bake 45 to 60 minutes, until tender. Peel when cool enough to handle.

2- Puree with pepper in a food processor. With motor running, gradually add liquids through feeder tube, then butter. Process until silky. (Can make up to 2 days ahead; store in an airtight container.) Reheat and serve.

Addition to the Christmas Dinner Tradition

 Thanks to a special request, we've added another veggie to the Christmas Dinner Tradition.  While the Creamed Spinach from The House of Prime Rib is always delicious, Brussel Sprouts seem like a very appropriate addition and adds just the right amount of crispy and tasty - and who can object to the recipe from Ruth's Chris, even if you aren't normally a fan of these tasty orbs?

ROASTED BRUSSEL SPROUTS

Ruth Chris Steak House Copycat Recipe

Serves 2-3

1 lb. fresh Brussels Sprouts (not frozen)
1 Tbsp. vegetable oil
3-4 slices of applewood smoked bacon, cut into ½ inch pieces
1 ½ tsp. apple cider vinegar
1 ½ Tbsp. maple syrup
½ tsp. salt, plus more as needed
ground black pepper for seasoning

Bring a medium-sized pot of water to a boil and salt generously. Trim the bottom end of Brussels sprouts, and pull off the outer dark leaves. Halve through the core. Add Brussels sprouts to boiling water and cook, uncovered, until tender - about 7 minutes. While Brussels sprouts are boiling, add the oil and bacon to a large skillet (I prefer cast iron), and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally until the bacon is crispy. When Brussels sprouts are tender, drain and rinse under cold running water. Remove the bacon with a slotted spoon and set aside.

Increase heat to medium high. Add the Brussels sprouts to the skillet and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes. After five minutes, sprouts will start to brown a little. Add apple cider vinegar and stir. Cook an additional 4 minutes. After 4 minutes, add maple syrup. Continue stirring until edges of sprouts are brown and crispy (about 2-3 additional minutes.) Add bacon. Salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately.  If you have to cover, reheat so everything crisps up.

Baked Ziti, Penne, Rotini...Whatever

Fall hit Utah pretty hard this weekend, OK just Sunday, but it was nice to have a high in the 60's and a low in the low 40's.  Consequently, we were jonesing for something baked, something comforting so what works better than a pasta bake?!

I didn't have any Ziti in the pantry but did have a variety of other pastas so I improvised and did half Penne and half veggie Rotini - turned out pretty damn good...

BAKED ZITI

Prep time: 10 minutes   Cook time: 55 minutes   Yield: Serves at least 8

 

INGREDIENTS

1 lb. ziti (can sub penne or rotini) pasta

Extra virgin olive oil

1 lb. bulk Italian sausage or ground beef or pork

1 large onion, diced

3-4 garlic cloves, shredded on a microplane

8 oz. container mushrooms, sliced thin

2 Roma tomatoes, sliced thin

1 Tbsp. fresh rosemary (or basil), minced, plus more for seasoning on top of fresh tomato layer

1 Tbsp. Italian seasoning, plus more for seasoning layers

1 tsp. garlic powder, plus more for seasoning layers

1 large jar of marinara sauce (about 32 ounces) or make your own tomato sauce

12 oz. mozzarella cheese, grated or shredded

1 heaping cup of ricotta cheese

1 ½ cup grated parmesan or pecorino cheese

 

DIRECTIONS

1. Boil the pasta: Heat a large pot of water (2 quarts of water) to a strong boil. Add a tablespoon of salt. Add the pasta and cook at a rolling boil, uncovered, until the pasta is al dente—edible but still a little firm to the bite.

Drain the pasta through a colander. Toss with a little olive oil so the pasta does not stick together while you make the sauce.

2. Brown the meat: While the water is heating in the previous step, start on the sauce. Heat a tablespoon of olive oil in a large sauté pan on medium-high heat. When the oil is shimmering hot, add the bulk sausage or ground meat. Break up any large chunks of sausage as it cooks. Brown well.

Don't stir that often or it will be more difficult for the meat to brown. If you are using ground beef or pork instead of sausage, sprinkle with a little salt, garlic powder, Mrs. Dash and Italian Herb Seasoning.

3. Add onions and sauté, then add garlic, spices, then tomato sauce: When the meat is mostly browned, add the onions and stir well to combine. Sauté everything until the onions are translucent and beginning to brown, about 6-8 minutes.

Add the garlic, rosemary or basil, Italian seasoning and stir to combine. Cook 1 minute, then add the tomato sauce and stir well. Bring to a simmer.

4. Preheat the oven to 350°F.

5. Layer sauce, cheese, pasta, tomatoes in casserole dish: Spread a thin layer of sauce in the bottom of a 9x13-inch casserole pan, then dot the surface with half the ricotta cheese. Ladle a spoonful of sauce into the pasta, stir it well and then add half of the pasta into the casserole, top with half of the mozzarella, parmesan and all of the Roma slices, then add the rest of the pasta.

Pour the rest of the sauce over the pasta, dot the remaining ricotta cheese over the pasta, and sprinkle on top both the mozzarella and the Parmesan cheese, garlic powder and Italian Herbs.

6. Bake 20 min: Bake in oven at 350°F until the top is lightly browned and the cheese melted, about 20-25 minutes.

Serve with a nice simple salad and your best garlic bread!

Creamy Lemon Chicken Pasta

We're starting a pretty intense, full person program later this week so we wanted to get some yummy, non-Whole30 meals out of the way...Jules suggested a creamy lemon chicken pasta (we have a bunch of Meyer Lemons we need to use).  The following is what I found, and after my doctoring, came up with.  Truth be told it was pretty spectacular!  The jury is still out on adding the Ricotta - it may have made the sauce a little grainy and runny, next time we'll try it without (in 70 days).

CREAMY LEMON CHICKEN PASTA

Prep Time:  5 mins                        Cook Time:  20 mins                     Serves: 6

Rich creamy lemon basil sauce with sautéed or grilled chicken tossed with pasta. 

INGREDIENTS

1-2 Tbsp. Olive Oil

1 Tbsp. Butter

1 Onion (finely diced)

1 lb. Chicken Breast (about 2-3 chicken breasts, cubed); can be pre-grilled and cubed

2 tsp. Mrs. Dash

½ tsp. Red Pepper Flakes (optional)

1 tsp. dried thyme or 5 sprigs fresh thyme

3 Garlic Cloves (finely minced or grated on a microplane)

1 cup Chicken Broth

1 ½ cups Heavy Cream or Half-n-Half

½ cup Ricotta (optional)

Lemon Zest (from one lemon)

1/3 cup Lemon Juice

1 Tbsp. tapioca starch

½ cup Grated Parmesan Cheese

Fresh Basil (cut into ribbons or torn)

1 lb. Pasta

DIRECTIONS

1- Start by boiling water in a large pot.  Add a generous amount of salt to the pot of water. This will help to season the pasta.  Cook pasta according to package instructions. Drain.

2- While water is heating up, in a large skillet, heat butter and olive oil over medium heat. Add onion and sauté for 5-6 minutes. Turn up the heat to medium-high and add chicken breast. Sauté for 7-8 minutes (if adding grilled chicken, add during Step 4 before adding salt to taste). Add garlic and sauté for 1 minute. Garlic can easily burn so watch it carefully. Season with Mrs. Dash and red pepper flakes (optional).

3- Add chicken broth and heavy cream or half-n-half. Let simmer for 5 minutes. Stir in lemon juice and lemon zest. If you want more lemon flavor, add more lemon zest. Simmer for 3-4 min.

4- In a separate small bowl add tapioca starch to ½ cup of sauce and whisk until smooth.  Add back in to the pan of sauce and stir until incorporated.  Simmer for 3-4 min. more to cook roux. Taste sauce and add more salt, if necessary. 

5- Toss cooked pasta with sauce. Top with freshly grated Parmesan cheese and fresh basil ribbons.

Red Chicken - A Family Favorite...

My mom used to make this, and the kids fell in love with it, especially Emily.  Quick (prep, still has to cook for 90+ minutes) and easy.  Serve with your veggie of choice...

RED CHICKEN

Serves 4 (plus a little left over)

INGREDIENTS

3 lbs. Chicken 4 legs/4 thighs, bone in but skinless
Olive Oil
3 cloves garlic, sliced thin

1 Tbsp. garlic powder

1 Tbsp. Mrs. Dash or Montreal Steak Seasoning

1 Tbsp. Italian Herb Seasoning
2 Bay Leaves
Salt and Pepper to taste
2 14oz. cans diced tomatoes, regular or Italian style
1 pkt. Lipton Onion Soup Mix*
¼ c. Red Wine (can use white wine, beer or all stock)
½ c. Chicken stock
Splash Balsamic vinegar

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 350°F.
Combine Tomatoes, Soup mix, Wine, Stock and balsamic in a food processor or blender and process until smooth.
Heat oil over medium-high heat in a heavy, oven-safe Dutch oven (Le Creuset)
Sprinkle both sides of chicken pieces with garlic powder, Mrs. Dash and Italian Herb Seasoning.  Brown chicken pieces, in batches if necessary, ~4 min. per side

Add garlic, S&P and bay leaves to oil and stir until fragrant, 1-2 minutes (don’t overcook, garlic gets bitter)

Situate all chicken pieces in the Dutch oven with as many pieces as possible touching the bottom of the pot.
Pour tomato mixture over chicken and lift the pieces so it settles in between, under and covers the chicken.
Cover and put Dutch oven in the oven on 350°F for 2-3 hours (convection if available), checking about ½ way through to make sure nothing is burning and stirring to make sure everything is evenly distributed.
When done, chicken should fall off of the bone.  Remove the bones and cartilage, but leave the chicken in larger pieces for ease of serving and presentation.
Serve over steamed rice.

*If you don’t have a packet of Lipton Onion Soup Mix.  Gently sauté ½ finely diced onion with Mrs. Dash, garlic powder and a little soy sauce then add to the food processor

Essential Drink for the Holidays...Hell, any celebration!

SILVER FOX BLOODY MARY MIX

 Recipe can be cut in half very easily…

INGREDIENTS

2 large cans (46oz.) Tomato Juice (just the basic Campbell’s Tomato Juice)

1 Ten oz. bottle Worcestershire Sauce

1 Ten oz. bottle A-1

10 shakes Tabasco (to taste)

10 shakes Celery Salt

1 tsp. Horseradish (to taste)

Fresh ground black pepper (to taste)

Juice of ¼ fresh lemon and lime (to taste)

DIRECTIONS

In a one gallon container, shake/stir all ingredients listed above until well mixed.  Serve over ice with your choice of accompaniments:

- Pickled Asparagus

- Celery stalks

- Stuffed green olives- bleu cheese, pimentos, garlic, etc.

- Cooked Bacon

- Lemon wedge

- Lime wedge

- Whatever else sounds good…

This mix is very good with regular Vodka, but goes great with citrus or pepper Vodka as well.

You can also add other spirits for a good twist:

Gin – Gin Mary

Tequila – Tequila Maria

Jameson – Mary Bloody Mary (ode to U2)

V8 – Virgin Mary

I was telling a friend about this drink and realized it was not on here so HAD to include it!
Whether you drink or not, this is a staple at any brunch, weekend breakfast or celebration!

Paleo Orange Chicken - Chinese

As most of you know, I rarely branch out into something other than American, Mexican or Italian food but I tried a couple of versions of this recipe, made my usual tweaks and came up with my first Chinese dish (besides a kick-ass bowl of ramen)...

PALEO ORANGE CHICKEN

Prep: 10 min/Cook: 20 min/Total: 30 min

Serves 2 people – I would suggest doubling the recipe!

INGREDIENTS

For the sauce:

¾ cup 100% Orange juice

Zest of half a medium orange

1 Tbsp. Coconut aminos

1 tsp. Rice vinegar

Pinch Red pepper flakes

Salt and pepper

½ Tbsp. Canola oil *

½ Tbsp. Fresh ginger, grated on a microplane

1 tsp. Garlic, minced

1 tsp. Tapioca starch

For the chicken:

2 Tbsp. Canola oil

3 Tbsp. Tapioca starch

Salt and Mrs. Dash

8 Ounces Chicken breast, cut into 1 inch cubes

For serving:

Green onion, sliced

Sesame seeds

Hot cooked white rice, quinoa or cauliflower rice

INSTRUCTIONS

1. In a small bowl, whisk together the orange juice, orange zest, coconut aminos, rice vinegar, red pepper flakes and a pinch of salt and pepper.  Set aside.

2. In a medium, high-sided frying pan heat the oil (for the sauce) on medium heat.  Add in the ginger and garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.

3. Add in the orange juice mixture, stirring so the garlic/ginger mix into it.  Additionally, place the 1 tsp of Tapioca starch into a medium bowl.

4. Turn the temperature up to high and bring to a boil. Once boiling, add 2 tsp of the hot sauce into the tapioca starch and whisk until smooth.  While whisking, pour the tapioca mixture into the sauce and stir in well. 

5. After you add the tapioca, boil the sauce for 2 minutes. Then, turn the heat down to medium/low and cook an additional 3-4 minutes until the sauce is thick and glossy.   Transfer to a large bowl, cover, and let stand to thicken up more while you make the chicken.

6. In a large frying pan over medium/high heat, heat the avocado oil. NOTE: you do not want to crowd the chicken, so I fry mine in 2 batches, using 1 Tbsp. of oil each time. Adjust according to the size of your pan.

7. While the oil heats, place the tapioca starch and a pinch of salt and pepper into a large Zip-loc bag.  Add in the chicken cubes, seal the bag and toss until the chicken is coated in the starch.

8. Place the chicken into the hot oil (again, don't crowd them) and cook until golden brown and crispy about 2-3 minutes per side, flipping once. If your chicken cooks too quickly, reduce the heat a little bit. Repeat with the 2nd batch of chicken if necessary.

9. Once cooked, transfer to a paper-towel lined plate and gently press out any excess oil.  Place the chicken into the bowl with the sauce and toss until the sauce coats everything.

10. Serve over top of cauliflower rice, quinoa or white rice, garnish with green onion and sesame seeds, and DEVOUR.

Recipe Notes

*Wear an apron – the oil splatters

*Again...Double the recipe – it is THAT good.

Adapted from: Food, Faith, Fitness and other websites