Thanksgiving

I am so excited right now – I don’t know if it is from the mug of coffee I just finished or because I have found so many amazing recipes for Thanksgiving that I just can’t wait to share! Every year my parents host Thanksgiving. About 8 years ago I asked if I could help cook. This was around the same time I became very interested in nutrition, so my ulterior motive was to turn our traditional WI thanksgiving into a more wholesome, healthful, and nutritious meal.  Thankfully that first successful year has turned into tradition of homemade pies, fresh vegetables, and made-from-scratch cranberry sauce.

Each year I search for new recipes to try. In the last few weeks I have found dozens of fall dishes that I can’t wait to try (but will likely have to with this thing called medical school in my way). Here are some of the favorites I have found so far. As I make them, I will post the recipes with notes about how they were.

Brunch

• Baked apples stuffed with cinnamon date pecan oatmeal
• Baked oatmeeal with pumpkin and bananas

Sides

• Quinoa salad with butternut squash, dried cranberries, and pepitas
• Roasted butternut squash with kale and almond pecan pamesan
• Cranberry, apricot, and pecan wild rice pilaf
• Mashed rutabaga with sour cream and dill
• Green bean casserole with shallot crumb topping
• Kale and apple salad with pancetta and candied pecans
• Lemon salt-roasted fingerling potatoes

Dessert

• Pumpkin walnut bread
• Yogurt and apricot pie with crunchy granola crust (substitute apples or homemade cranberry sauce for apricot)

Breads

• Herb and Cheese Drop Biscuits
• Yam cornbread stuffing
• Sweet potato biscuits

Leftovers

• Turkey wild rice soup
• Turkey stew
• Turkey and black bean soup

 

Slow Roasted Cabbage and Potatoes

Slow Roasted Cabbage and Potatoes by A Year of Slow Cooking

Ingredients

• 1 small head of cabbage (cut into wedges)
• 12-14 colorful baby potatoes, cut into 1″ chunks (no need to peel)
• 10-12 whole cloves of garlic
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 2 T balsamic vinegar
• 1 t kosher salt
• 1/2 t black pepper

Directions

1. Combine veggies into the crockpot with the whole garlic cloves. Add olive oil, salt, pepper, and balsamic vinegar. Toss to coat. DO NOT ADD WATER.
2. Cook on low for 4-6.
3. The vegetables are done when the potatoes reach desired tenderness.
4. The cabbage will get a little carmelized and crispy around the edges where they touch the crock walls.

 

Garlic Mashed Potatoes

Slow Cooker Garlic Mashed Potatoes by A Year of Slow Cooking

Ingredients

• 4 large potatoes (I prefer Yukon golds but any type should do)
• 2 T melted butter
• 2 T olive oil
• salt and pepper
• About 8 garlic cloves

Directions

1. Peel the garlic and cut it into long slivers.
2. Wash your potatoes, and pat dry. Carefully cut slits into each potato about 1/2 inch thick almost do the very base. The potato should start to separate a bit like an accordion.
3. Shove as many garlic slices as you can in each slit of each potato.
4. Nestle the potatoes into a 6qt crockpot.
5. Liberally salt and pepper. Combine the melted butter with the olive oil and drizzle over the top of each potato, trying to get some in the garlic-filled slits, if you can.
6. Cover and cook on high for 2-4 hours or on low for about 6. They are done when the potatoes reach desired tenderness.

We ate these with Herb Roasted Chicken.

 

Walnut and Sage Potatoes Au Gratin

Walnut and Sage Potatoes Au Gratin by a Year of Slow Cooking
(with some modifications)

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup flour
• 6 medium potatoes, cut into 1/4 inch slices (leave the skins for extra nutrition!)
• 1/2 yellow onion, diced
• 1/3 cup of butter (you could use a spreadable canola oil-butter product for a buttery taste with less saturated fat)
• 1 t salt
• 1/4 t black pepper
• 2 1/2 cups skim milk
• 1 t dried sage
• 1 1/2 cups of shredded gruyere  or swiss cheese
• 1/2 cup finely chopped walnuts

Directions

1. Peel and cut the potatoes in 1/4 inch slices.
2. Melt butter in a microwavebale bowl, and slowly wisk in flour until there aren’t any lumps.
3. Add the milk and spices; mix well.
4. Spray the inside of your crockpot stoneware with a bit of cooking oil
5. Begin layering the potatoes, onion, walnut pieces, and the milk mixture in the crockpot; continue until everything is used up.
6. Shred all of the gruyere and dump on top of the potatoes, flattening if need-be with your hand.
7. Sprinkle with a bit more sage
8. Cook on high for 3-5 hours (you could try it on low for 7-8 hours)

 

Potato-Greens Torta

This is Torta I made months ago and just got around to blogging about. Jason and I are very cheap and often shop at Aldi. One week a 10 pound bag of potatoes were on sale for $0.70. No, I didn’t put the decimal in the wrong spot – 70 cents for 10 pounds of potatoes! We couldn’t pass that deal up, so when I got home I got to cooking. I made over a gallon of potato soup (I will try to find the recipe and blog about it soon), some Pot Pie with potato added, and this recipe. I had never cooked lettuce before (the whole idea seemed odd but then I guess it is similar to cooking spinach), but I trusted that Cooking Light knew what they were talking about when they put together this recipe and I went for it. It turned out to be very good…even better with fresh Parmesan cheese on top 🙂

Potato and Green Totrta
Slightly modified from Cooking Light Magazine

Ingredients:
– 1 1/2 pound potatoes, washed and cubed, but not peeled
– 3 1/2 tsp salt
– 1 TBSP canola oil
– 3 cloves of garlic
– 4 cups torn romaine
– 3 cups frozen spinach, thawed and drained
– 1 cup green onion, diced
– 1/2 cup skim milk
– 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
– 2 large eggs
– 3 TBSP bread crumbs
– cooking spray

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 375F and coat a 9″ square pan with cooking spray.
2. Cook potatoes over the stove using a steamer. Mash into a bowl.
3. Heat oil in a large skillet. Add garlic and onion. Cook for 2 minutes. Add greens and cook until wilted.
4. Add cooked greens, milk, cheese, eggs, and salt to potatoes. Stir well. Press mixture into the greased pan and top with bread crumbs.
5. Bake at 375F for 25 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool for 10 minutes before slicing and serving.
Ingredients

 

Tomato Basil Steak and Roasted Potatoes

Jason is a big guy – not fat, by any means, but big. At 6’4″ and 210 pounds, he has quite an appetite. While I would love to only make the food that I like, it would mean Jason would be scavenging through the cupboards to find something more to eat. Keeping Jason well fed is definitely a priority, so I frequently make wholesome, nutritious meals that will last Jason a few days. This is the best for both of us – Jason doesn’t go hungry and I don’t come home to empty cupboards.

Steaks are a food that has gotten a bad rap over the past few years. Steak can actually be one of the healthiest entrees on a restaurant’s menu. The key is portion size (stick to 6 ounces – this is equivalent to 2 servings of meat) and choosing a lean cut. Fillet Mignon is obviously the best, and most expensive cut. If you are looking for something a little more affordable, a sirloin is good choice. This recipe used sirloin and it was perfectly tender and seasoned.

Tomato Basil Steaks and Roasted Potatoes

Serves 4

Tomato Basil Steak Ingredients

-4 5-oz sirloin steaks

–Mrs. Dash’s Tomato Basil Seasoning

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350F
2. Rub the steaks with Tomato Basil seasoning.
3. Spray a baking pan with non-stick spray and place the steaks on the pan. Check steaks in 5 minutes. If not done, flip and check every 2 minutes. The steaks are done when the thermometer reads 155F.

Roasted Potatoes Ingredients

-Baby red potatoes

-Italian Herb Seasoned Olive Oil (basil, garlic, oregano)

Directions

1. Cut the red potatoes in half.
2. Pour 1-2 TBSP olive oil into a large skillet that can fit a lid. Heat the over medium heat.
3. Place the potatoes in the pan with the cut side down, first placing the potato in the oil and then pushing the potato to the side. Be careful since the oil is hot. If you are worried about the oil splashing, pace the potatoes into the pan before heating the oil.
4. Place the cover on the lid and let sit for 5 minutes. If the pan seems to be getting too hot, turn the heat down to prevent burning.
5. Flip the potatoes over once the bottoms are crispy and put the lid back on until the potatoes have little resistance when a fork is inserted.

*You can add parsley before step 4 if you’d like – I plan to try this next time.

 

Creamy Crockpot Mashed Potatoes

These are the creamiest, easiest, and tastiest mashed potatoes I think I have ever had! I was watching food network one day while I was at the gym (since we don’t have cable here) and the host was talking about how he loves creamy mashed potatoes and people often ask him if he lightens them ever. He said, “No, never. This is how I like my mashed potatoes and I would rather have them they way I like them and maybe have a little less instead of needing to eat three pound of ‘light’ potatoes just to feel satisfied.” I think this is so true! If you have troubles stopping with just a serving, try putting the serving of potatoes on your plate and then putting the rest in the refrigerator. This little trick could help a lot, because if you really aren’t hungry, you probably won’t go through the hassle of warming up more potatoes. For me, if the tasty food is sitting on the table in case someone wants seconds, I will pick at it even if I am full…if it is in the refrigerator, I usually never go for seconds. Just a thought 🙂

Ingredients
-2 pound of red potatoes, halved, NOT peeled
-1 cup of fat free sour cream
-1 tbsp Dijon mustard
-2 tsp garlic
-pinch of salt and pepper

Directions
Toss the potatoes in the remaining ingredients in a separate bowl. Add to a 3-4 serving crock pot and cook on low for 4-5 hours, or until the potatoes are soft enough to mash. Mash with a potato masher and enjoy!

 

Meatloaf and Garlic Mashed Potatoes

What could be better than meatloaf and mashed potatoes? Not much! Jason and I frequently make mashed potatoes because they are quick, easy, and tasty.

Mashed Potatoes

In a microwave-safe container, place 3-4 small red potatoes that have been poked with a fork to allow steam to escape. Place a lid on the container and microwave on high for 4 minutes. CAREFULLY open the lid and push on the potatoes to see their softness. Depending on your microwave and the size of the potatoes, they may have to go for 5-10 more minutes. If they need to cook longer, turn them over and rotate so they are in different positions. Continue to microwave on high in 4 minute increments. Once they are soft, let them sit for about 3 minutes in the microwave, so they can cool off a bit and finish cooking through. Once they are manageable, mash them up with a fork (if you need, use a knife as well). Season to taste. We usually use garlic and sometimes a little butter and an Italian seasoning blend.

Meatloaf

Ingredients

1/2 cup bread crumbs

1 1/2 lb lean ground beef or turkey

1 cup skim milk

1 large egg

1/4 cup chopped onion

1/2 tsp dry mustard

1 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

1/4 tsp garlic

1/2+ cup Light Italian Dressing

1/4 cup ketchup

1/8 cup BBQ sauce

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Mix all the ingredients except the barbecue sauce together, then spread the meatloaf mixture into an ungreased loaf pan.
3. Spoon barbecue sauce and some Italian dressing on the top of the meatloaf and bake, uncovered, for 1 hour.