Wednesday - Thanksgiving Eve

Thanksgiving is tomorrow. Some last minute ideas for the table – or any time. Enjoy!

MAPLE-GLAZED SWEET POTATOES

This comes from the November 2012 issue of Vegetarian Times, page 60. It starts off, “As these sweet potatoes cook, a blend of maple syrup and apple cider vinegar thickens into a light glaze.” Serves 8.

To view this online, click here.

1 cup pure maple syrup

1/4 cup apple cider vinegar

1 Tbs. olive oil

1 tsp. salt

2 cinnamon sticks

3 lb. sweet potatoes or garnet yams, peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks

2 Tbs. shelled roasted unsalted sunflower seeds or pumpkin seeds

Preheat oven to 425°F. Combine maple syrup, vinegar, 1/2 cup water, oil, salt, and cinnamon sticks in 13- x 9-inch baking dish. Add sweet potatoes, and stir to coat.

Cover dish tightly with foil, and bake 10 minutes. Uncover, and bake 30 to 35 minutes more, basting potatoes every 10 minutes with maple mixture, until maple mixture thickens and potatoes glisten and begin to brown. Remove from oven, season with salt and pepper (if desired), and stir in sunflower seeds.

nutritional information per 3/4-cup serving: Calories: 233; Protein: 2 g; Total Fat: 3 g; Saturated Fat: less than 1 g; Carbohydrates: 51 g; Cholesterol: 0 mg; Sodium: 332 mg; Fiber: 4 g; Sugar: 32 g; Vegan; Gluten-Free

BLACKBERRY CRANBERRY CRISP PIE

This comes from The Baker Chick. Makes 1 9-inch pie.

To view online, click here.

Ingredients

Single layer of Pie Crust

12 ounces frozen organic blackberries (do not thaw)

12 ounces fresh cranberries

1 1/4 cup sugar

3 tablespoons instant tapioca (you could also use cornstarch, the pie will be a little juicier)

juice and zest of 1 small lemon

For the Filling:

1/3 cup brown sugar

1/3 cup flour

1/2 cup cold butter, chopped into cubes

1 teaspoon cinnamon

Instructions

For the Filling:

In a medium sized saucepan, combine all the filling ingredients. Stir mixture well until berries are evenly coated.

Cook over medium heat for 12-14 minutes, stirring occasionally. The berries will burst, and the mixture will reduce and thicken.

When the mixture starts to bubble like lava, stir constantly for another 2 minutes or so. Pour filling into a heat-proof bowl and cool completely in the fridge. (Or use the freezer to speed things up.)

When the filling has cooled enough, roll the crust out to about 12 inches. Drape it over a 9-inch pie dish. Fold the over hang under and crimp using a butter knife or your fingers.

Pour the filling into the prepared shell.

For the Topping:

In a medium-sized bowl toss together the flour, brown sugar and cinnamon. Cut the butter in and use your hands to work it into the dough.

Sprinkle the topping over the pie. Bake at 400F for 50-60 minutes or until the filling is bubbly and topping is crispy and golden.

BAKED CORN CASSEROLE

This comes from FamilyTime, and begins, “Reminiscent of cornbread, this enticing casserole adds the favorite flavor upgrade of corn in another form to any daily dinner.” It makes 6 servings (about 1 cup each). Prep Time: 10 minutes; Cook Time: 35 minutes

To view this online, click here.

1 can (10 3/4 ounces) Campbell's® Condensed Cream of Chicken Soup (Regular or 98% Fat Free)

1/2 cup milk

2 eggs

1 can (about 16 ounces) whole kernel corn, drained

1 package (about 8 ounces) corn muffin mix

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1 can (2.8 ounces) french fried onions (about 1 1/3 cups)

Beat the soup, milk and eggs in a medium bowl with a fork or whisk. Stir in the corn, corn muffin mix, cheese, and 2/3 cup onions. Pour the soup mixture into a 1 1/2-quart casserole.

Bake at 350°F. for 30 minutes or until the mixture is hot.

Top with the remaining onions. Bake for 5 minutes or until the onions are golden brown.

CORNBREAD STUFFING

This is from page 42 of the November 2012 issue of Vegetarian Times. It starts off, “A pan of homemade cornbread provides the base for this zesty, garlicky dish.” Serves 12.

To view this online, click here.

Cornbread

2 cups fine yellow cornmeal

1 Tbs. baking powder

1 tsp. salt

1/8 tsp. ground black pepper

1 1/2 cups low-fat buttermilk

2 large eggs, beaten

6 green onions, chopped (1 1/2 cups)

1 1/2 tsp. olive oil

Stuffing

1 12-oz. pkg. soy chorizo, such as Soyrizo, crumbled

3 small yellow onions, finely chopped

2 large celery ribs, finely chopped

4 cloves garlic, minced

1/3 cup chopped fresh parsley

2 Tbs. finely chopped fresh sage

1 Tbs. finely chopped fresh thyme

2 large eggs

1 1/2 cups low-sodium vegetable broth

2 tsp. smoked paprika

2 Tbs. olive oil

To make Cornbread: Preheat oven to 350°F. Whisk together cornmeal, baking powder, salt, and pepper in large bowl. Stir in buttermilk and eggs, then fold in green onions.

Heat oil in 10-inch cast iron skillet over medium-high heat. Pour in Cornbread batter. Transfer skillet to oven, and bake 25 minutes, or until Cornbread is firm and golden. Cool. Unmold, and cut into 1-inch cubes. Spread cubes on baking sheet to dry overnight. Transfer to large bowl.

To make Stuffing: Preheat oven to 350°F. Coat 13- x 9-inch baking dish with cooking spray. Spread Cornbread cubes on large baking sheet, and toast 20 minutes. Cool, then return to bowl.

Sauté chorizo in skillet over medium-high heat 5 minutes, or until crumbles begin to crisp. Stir in onions, celery, and garlic. Reduce heat to medium, and cook 10 minutes, or until onions and celery have softened, stirring frequently. Stir in parsley, sage, and thyme, then stir chorizo mixture into Cornbread cubes.

Beat eggs in separate bowl, then whisk in broth and smoked paprika. Season with salt and pepper, if desired. Stir egg mixture into Cornbread mixture until moistened.

Spread Stuffing in prepared baking dish, and drizzle with oil. Bake 30 to 45 minutes, or until top is lightly browned, and sides look dry and crisp. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

nutritional information Per 3/4-cup serving: Calories: 193; Protein: 9 g; Total Fat: 8 g; Saturated Fat: 1 g; Carbohydrates: 24 g; Cholesterol: 63 mg; Sodium: 504 mg; Fiber: 6 g; Sugar: 4 g; Gluten-Free

PUMPKIN DUMP CAKE

This comes from Tablespoon, an email newsletter that I discovered yesterday. From what I've seen so far, it looks pretty good. The woman who posted this calls herself “Girl Who Ate Everything.” “Girl,” I doubt you're reading this, but if, by some chance you are, PLEASE keep posting yummy food! (And thanks, in advance.) Girl writes, “An easy fall cake that is "dumped" into a pan and baked.” Makes 16 Servings

To view this online, click here. (Now, sign up with Tablespoon to view more great recipes.)

1 (29 ounce) can pure pumpkin

1 (12 ounce) can evaporated milk

3 whole eggs

1 cup white sugar

3 teaspoons cinnamon

1 (18.25 ounce) Betty Crocker Supermoist yellow cake mix

(optional) 1 cup chopped pecans

3/4 cup butter, melted

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease a 9x13 baking dish.

In a large bowl, mix pumpkin, milk, eggs, sugar, and cinnamon until well blended. Spread pumpkin mixture in prepared baking dish. Mixture will be very wet.

Sprinkle cake mix evenly on top of the batter. If adding pecans, sprinkle them over the cake mix. Pour melted butter over the top of the cake mix. Bake 50 minutes.

Cool. Top with whipped cream or ice cream.

CRANBERRY PIE

This recipe can be found in my e-cookbook Off the Wall Cooking, which is for sale on Amazon.com. (To buy a copy of it for your Kindle or tablet, click here.) My dad sent this recipe in a letter dated “18 No 79”. He wrote, “Here is a recipe for a pie. 1st the way it was in the paper and the way I made it.”

2 T cornstarch

1 C sugar

1/4 tsp. salt

1 1/4 C hot water

1 C raisins

1 T butter

2 C cranberries

Pie crust

Blend 1st four ingredients & cook in double boiler until thick. Add next 3 ingredients & cook 10 minutes. Put in pie shell & bake at 450 degrees for 20-30 minutes, covering pie with foil for the first 10-15 minutes. (Crust can be any kind you want, whether double crust or simply a bottom crust.)

VARIATION

2 Tbls cornstarch

3/4 C honey + 1/4 C molasses

1/4 tsp. salt

1 1/4 C hot water

1 C raisins

1 T margarine

1 1/2 C cranberries + 1 C canned cranberries (kind with berries in sauce)

Pie crust

Make as above.

ONE LAST WISH

My wish is that you have a wonderful Thanksgiving. Remember: It might not be perfect. You may not have every single family member around you. But here's to memories, peace, a good meal, and a reason to give thanks. Enjoy!