Thanksgiving Sides

Here's a second Saturday post, something that seldom happens. But since Thanksgiving is next Thursday, I decided to post a few side dishes for your holiday meal, including Mulled Apple-Cranberry Cider and Cranberry Tart with Nut Crust. (Last year, this was a Meatless Monday post, but I already have a post for Monday.) Enjoy!

DIY CRANBERRY JUICE COCKTAIL

This recipe was from an article on healing foods, titled Cranberries by Maria Lissandrello in the November/December 2008 issue of Vegetarian Times, and can be found online here. This one starts off, “One of the biggest complaints about bottled cranberry juice is the high sugar (and low cranberry) contest: a 1-cup serving contains more than 130 calories – beating out a sugary soft drink! For an easy homemade version that delivers a higher concentration of cranberry juice and a lot less sugar, follow these steps:

Ingredients

1 cup unsweetened cranberry juice

1/4 cup plus 2 Tbs. agave nectar

2-inch cinnamon stick

4 cups boiling water

Directions

Mix unsweetened cranberry juice with the agave nectar in a heatproof, 1-quart measuring cup.

Add the cinnamon stick to the mixture.

Stir in the boiling water. Cool, and enjoy.

SPICED ALMONDS

This is from page 48 of the March 2010 issue of Vegetarian Times. It starts off, “Tapas-style almonds are traditionally deep-fried in oil, but this recipe gets the same crunchy results from oven roasting.” This vegan, gluten-free recipe makes 2 cups.

Ingredients

4 tsp. olive oil

1 1/4 tsp. hot smoked paprika

1 tsp. ground cumin

2 cups blanched whole almonds

1/2 tsp. kosher or sea salt, or to taste

Directions

Preheat oven to 300 degrees F. Warm oil in small saucepan over low heat. Add paprika and cumin, and stir 1 minute to blend and release flavors. Remove from heat when mixture just begins to bubble. Transfer to medium bowl, and stir in almonds.

Transfrer almonds to parchment-lined baking sheet, and bake 10 minutes. Aprinkle immediately with salt, and transfer to wire rack. Let dry at least 2 hours before serving.

Per 1/4-cup serving: 233 cal; 8 g protein; 21 g total fat (2 g saturated fat); 8 g carb; 0 mg cholesterol; 131 mg sodium; 4 g fiber; 2 g sugars

SPICY PUMPKIN PIE

Servings: 8

View recipe: http://diabeticgourmet.com/recipes/html/154.shtml

Print Friendly: http://diabeticgourmet.com/recipes/bin/print.cgi?ID=154

Ingredients

1 (9-inch) pastry shell

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1-1/2 cup pumpkin (canned)

1/2 tsp ground nutmeg

2 eggs; beaten

1/2 tsp ground ginger

1 cup low-fat milk

1/4 tsp Salt

3 tbsp liquid cal-free sweetener

1 pinch ground cloves

2 tbsp brown sugar, packed

Light vanilla ice cream

Directions

Prick pastry shell with a fork. Bake in 450F oven for 8 min.

Stir together pumpkin, egg, milk, sweetener, sugar and seasonings. Pour into partially baked pie shell.

Bake in 350F oven for 50 minutes or until center is almost set. Cool slightly and then refrigerate.

Cut into 8 wedges and serve each with 2 tbsp light vanilla ice cream.

Nutritional Information Per Serving; Calories: 173; Protein: 5 g; Fat: 9 g; Carbohydrates: 20 g; Exchanges: 1/2 Starch/Bread, 1-1/2 Fat, 1 Dairy, 1/2 Fruit

CRANBERRY TART WITH NUT CRUST

This is from The Kitchn, one of my favorite email newsletters. Serves 6. Makes one 9-inch tart.

To view online, click here.

Ingredients

For the pie:

4 cups (16 ounces) fresh (or defrosted) whole cranberries

2/3 cup granulated sugar

2/3 cup golden syrup

Zest of 1/2 unwaxed lemon

For the crust:

1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour

3/4 cup nut flour

1/4 cup powdered sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

4 ounces (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into small pieces and chilled

1 to 3 tablespoons cold water

Directions

In a medium sauce pan, combine the sugar and golden syrup over medium heat. Stir until the sugar dissolves and the mixture is bubbling. Add the cranberries and lemon zest and turn over several times to coat evenly with the sugar mixture. Remove the pan from the heat and set aside to cool to room temperature.

Prepare the dough: If using a food processor, combine the dry ingredients in the processor bowl and pulse to combine. Drop in the butter pieces and pulse several times until the consistency of oatmeal. If preparing by hand, combine the dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Add the butter pieces and cut in with two knives or a pastry blender until the mixture is the consistency of oatmeal.

Continue preparing the dough by adding the water one tablespoon at a time until the dough just barely comes together in a ball. Turn the dough out onto the counter and gather up and shape into a disk. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap. Chill in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.

Unwrap the dough and place on a lightly floured surface. Roll out to a rough 9-inch circle. Carefully transfer to a 10-inch tart pan with removable bottom. Press the dough into the pan and then form a lip around the edge by turning the pan while gently pinching the lip between your left thumb on the outside and right thumb and forefinger on the inside. Chill the prepared pan for 10-15 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 375°F.

When ready to bake, remove the prepared pan from the refrigerator and prick the bottom a few times with the tines of a fork. Line the bottom of the tart shell with pie weights or a layer of parchment paper and uncooked beans. Bake for 10 minutes or until crust begins to show some drying and browning.

Remove the tart shell from the oven and pour the cool cranberry mixture into the shell, spreading it out from the middle so as not to drip on the lip of the crust. Drizzle any remaining sugar mixture from the pan throughout the shell, again avoiding the lip of the tart.

Bake for another 30 minutes, or until crust deepens in color and the filling is bubbling. Cool on a wire rack. Carefully remove the outer ring, and serve while still warm, or at room temperature. Top with a scoop of ice cream, or a dollop of cream.

CHOCOLATE-CRUSTED PUMPKIN PIE

This comes from the October 2012 issue of Vegetarian Times, page 71. It starts off, "Tweak the holiday pie tradition with a chocolate crust and pumpkin filling that's thickened with cornstarch, not eggs." Makes 1 9-inch pie (serves 8)

This recipe can be viewed online here.

Ingredients

Crust

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar

1 stick Earth Balance margarine, cubed

1/4 tsp. vanilla extract

Filling

1 1/2 cups Oven-Roasted Pumpkin Purée or 1 15-oz. can puréed pumpkin

1 cup almond milk

2 Tbs. lemon juice

1/2 cup light brown sugar

1/4 cup cornstarch

1 tsp. ground ginger

1 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon

1/8 tsp. ground cloves

6 Tbs. Earth Balance margarine, melted

Directions

To make Crust: Pulse flour, cocoa, and confectioners’ sugar in food processor until combined. Add margarine, and process until mixture resembles sand. With processor running, add vanilla and 3 to 4 Tbs. cold water, and process until smooth dough forms. Chill 2 hours.

Roll out dough to 11-inch circle on floured work surface. Press into 9-inch pie pan. Chill 30 minutes.

To make Filling: Drain pumpkin in mesh strainer over bowl 30 minutes.

Combine almond milk and lemon juice in bowl. Whisk together brown sugar, cornstarch, ginger, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and cloves in bowl. Whisk in almond milk mixture, then pumpkin and margarine.

Preheat oven to 400˚F. Place Crust on baking sheet, top with parchment paper, and fill with dried beans to weigh down. Reduce oven heat to 350˚F, and bake Crust 10 minutes. Remove parchment and beans, and bake 5 minutes.

Pour Filling into Crust, and bake 25 to 30 minutes, or until Filling is bubbling in center. Cool completely before serving.

nutritional information Per Slice: Calories: 377; Protein: 3 g; Total Fat: 20 g; Saturated Fat: 8 g; Carbohydrates: 47 g; Cholesterol: 0 mg; Sodium: 361 mg; Fiber: 3 g; Sugar: 24 g; Vegan

SWEET POTATO PUREE WITH CANDIED PECANS

This comes from the November 2012 issue of Vegetarian Times, page 52. It starts off, This recipe straddles the line between luscious side dish and low-key dessert. To bring the dish to a potluck, keep the candied pecans crunchy by packing them separately and sprinkling them on the dish just before serving.

Ingredients

Candied Pecans

1 1/2 cups raw pecan halves

2 Tbs. pure maple syrup

1 Tbs. coconut oil, melted

2 Tbs. raw organic cane sugar

Sweet Potato Purée

4 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks

1/4 cup pure maple syrup

2 Tbs. coconut oil

1 1/2 cups light coconut milk, warmed

Directions

To make Candied Pecans: Preheat oven to 350°F. Line baking sheet with parchment paper, or coat with cooking spray. Spread pecans on prepared baking sheet, and toast 4 minutes.

Transfer pecans to large bowl, and stir in maple syrup and coconut oil. Stir in sugar until pecans are thoroughly coated. Return to baking sheet, and bake 3 to 5 minutes more, or until pecans look dry. Cool. Transfer to food processor, and pulse several times, or until pecans resemble chunky crumble. Transfer to small bowl, and set aside.

To make Sweet Potato Purée: Preheat oven to 400°F, and line baking sheet with parchment paper, or coat with cooking spray. Toss together sweet potatoes, maple syrup, and coconut oil in large bowl. Transfer sweet potatoes to prepared baking sheet, and roast 1 hour, stirring every 10 minutes, or until potatoes are fork-tender.

Purée sweet potatoes and coconut milk in food processor until creamy. Season with salt and pepper, if desired, and spread in 2-qt. casserole. Sprinkle Candied Pecans over top.

nutritional information Per 1/2-cup serving: Calories: 285; Protein: 3 g; Total Fat: 20 g; Saturated Fat: 7 g; Carbohydrates: 26 g; Cholesterol: 0 mg; Sodium: 23 mg; Fiber: 3 g; Sugar: 15 g; Vegan; Gluten-Free

MULLED APPLE-CRANBERRY CIDER

This comes from Weight Watchers. Unfortunately, it was sent to me a number of years ago (try 2006) and while I tried to find the link for it on the WW site, I couldn’t locate it. If anyone reading this can shed light on this, I’d appreciate it if you’d let me know.

POINTS® Value | 2; Servings | 6; Preparation Time | 5 min; Cooking Time | 15 min; Level of Difficulty | Easy

This begins, “This hot drink is perfect for chilly autumn nights. Curl up with a good book and indulge.”

Ingredients

3 cup apple cider

3 cup cranberry juice cocktail

1 Tbsp unpacked brown sugar

1/2 tsp ground allspice

1/4 tsp ground cloves

1 Tbsp orange zest

3 average cinnamon stick

Instructions

Combine all ingredients in a large saucepan. Bring to a slow boil over medium-high heat and then reduce heat to simmer. Simmer for 15 minutes and then strain into mugs. Yields about 1 cup per serving.