Thanksgiving, Coconut & Lime Style

Starting on Nov. 16th, I will be posting (coordinating) Thanksgiving day recipes starting with side dishes and cranberry sauce. The following week will include turkey and stuffing. Look for Thanksgiving leftover recipes starting Thanksgiving day.

Can't wait? Take a moment and check out some of my favorite Thanksgiving recipes from the past five years.

Turkey recipes:
I've never ended up with a dried out turkey. Check out tangerine scented roasted turkey, apple cider basted turkey, quick roasted turkey, brined turkey for turkey perfection.


Stuffing recipes:
I have a unique way of making stuffing and I've created a few variations over the years. Try pecan stuffing, rosemary-sage stuffing, onion & celery stuffing or crimini unstuffing.

Cranberry sauce recipes:
We love apple cider cranberry sauce, ginger-lime cranberry sauce, tangerine-cranberry sauce, classic cranberry sauce and even homemade jellied cranberry sauce.

Side Dishes:
Choose from Slow cooked rosemary garlic mashed potatoes, potato-celeriac mash, mashed potato gratin, apple cider glazed butternut squash, Brussels sprouts with potatoes and balsamic-Dijon dressing, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts & crimini saute or thyme smashed potatoes


Pie:
Try ginger spiced sweet potato pie with a pecan crust or heirloom apple pie with a cheddar-black pepper crust



Leftover ideas:
Use up your leftover cranberry sauce by making this yummy cranberry ribbon cake, cranberry cheesecake squares or muffins.

Use up leftover turkey in tortilla soup, Thai noodle salad with turkey and shrimp, turkey enchiladas, turkey kasha varniska, and turkey gumbo.

Cauliflower, Brussels Sprouts & Crimini Saut�

Ingredients:
2 1/2 cups cauliflower florets (I used yellow cauliflower)
5 ounces sliced crimini mushrooms
10 Brussels sprouts, halved
1 onion, chopped
3 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon butter
juice of 1 lemon

Directions:
Toss the vegetables with the thyme and lemon juice in a large bowl. Set aside. Heat the butter and oil in a large skillet. Add the vegetables and cover. The vegetables should be in a single layer. Cook about 3 minutes or until just beginning to become tender. Uncover and cook, stirring occasionally, until all of the water evaporates and the vegetables are lightly caramelized. Serve hot.

Yield: 4-6 servings

My thoughts:

Here in the mid-Atlantic we have a much shorter growing season than all of those lucky West Coasters and Southerners. Therefore we have to make the most of what we can get before the date of the first frost. Right now I am seeing some amazing cauliflower and Brussels sprouts so I decided to pair them together in this simple but flavorful saute. I know that cauliflower and Brussels sprouts top many people's least favorite lists but cooked like this, they are amazing. The caramelization process brings out the natural, slightly nutty sweetness in both and completely eliminates any sort of bitterness. I love this as a side dish or as a light meal.

Roasted Brussels Sprouts and Potatoes with Balsamic-Dijon Dressing

Ingredients:
10 oz small brussels sprouts, halved
1 lb Russet potatoes, cut into 2 inch chunks
1/2 lb onion, cut into wedges

for the dressing:
1/18 cup balsamic vinegar
1/8 cup olive oil
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
leaves from one sprig of thyme
salt
pepper

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350. In a small bowl, whisk together all of the dressing ingredients. Set aside. Arrange the potatoes, brussels sprouts and onions in a single layer in a 11x 7 inch baking dish. Pour the dressing evenly over everything, then give the pan a good shake to help coat. Bake about 30-40 minutes or until the food has begun to caramelize. Leave it in if you like it a little extra crispy. Serve hot.

Yield: about 4 servings

Quick tip:
The trick to roasting a few different vegetables together is to cut them all the same size so they take roughly the same amount of time to bake.

My thoughts:

My husband always says that he didn't think he like brussels sprouts until he ate some that I made. I'd like to think that is because of some cooking magic on my part, but really, done well, brussels sprouts are delicious. I took advantage of their sudden availability and the still chilly weather to roast some with potatoes, onion and a slightly Spring-y dressing.

When roasted, brussels sprouts become nutty-sweet and not at all cabbage-stinky like their ill-deserved reputation might suggest. Roasting is possibly the forgiving way to cook brussels sprouts. The longer they bake, the more caramelized and sweet they become.

Roasted Vegetables

Ingredients:
1/2 lb brussels sprouts, halved lengthwise
4 carrots, cut in 1 in chunks
3 potatoes, cut in 1 inch chunks
1 large onion, cut in 8 pieces
1 head broccoli, chopped
4 tablespoons olive oil
salt
pepper

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400. Sprinkle 2 tablespoons olive oil over a 9x13 baking pan. Arrange the carrots, potatoes, onion, and brussels sprouts evenly in the pan. Sprinkle with the remaining oil and salt and pepper to taste. Bake 1/2 hour. Remove from the oven to stir and add the broccoli, then return to the oven. Bake for an additional 1/2 hour.

My thoughts:
This would be a great side dish for a roasted chicken, as you could roast them side by side, but I confess, this was our dinner. The brussels sprouts were especially good, carmelized and very flavorful! I like how easy it was to prepare the same vegetables I would normally steam in a way that makes them taste totally different. The only thing you have to do after you put it in the oven is stir once and add the broccoli. The broccoli cooks and dries out much faster than the hardier vegetables, so you really do have to add it half way through, it's better to leave it out than to cheat and add it in the beginning.

Brussels Sprouts with Parmesan and Butter

Brussels Sprouts with Parmesan and Butter

Ingredients:

1/2 lb brussels sprouts, cut in half lengthwise
2 teaspoons butter
4 tablespoons finely grated Parmesan

Directions:

In a shallow sauce pan, add about 1 inch of water and bring to boil. Add brussels sprouts and cover. Allow to steam for 5-10 minutes or until bright green and cooked through. Drain. Top with butter and sprinkle with Parmesan. Toss to coat and serve immediately.

Brussels Sprouts with Fresh Garlic

Ingredients:

1/2 lb brussels sprouts, cut in half lengthwise
5 cloves garlic, smashed
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon olive oil

Directions:

In a saucepan with a lid, heat oil and butter. Add garlic and saute until fragrant, 1-3 minutes. Discard garlic. Place brussels sprouts cut side down in the pan. Stir, then cover and let steam until cooked through, 5-10 minutes, depending on size. Stir occasionally. If they look dry or begin to stick, add a couple teaspoons of water and continue to cover. The brussels sprouts should be hot, bright green and almost carmelized on the cut side. Remove from heat and serve.

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Brussels Sprouts with Bacon and Garlic

Ingredients:

20 oz whole Brussels sprouts
6 slices thick cut bacon
4 cloves garlic, chopped
Salt and pepper

Directions:

In a large pot, bring salted water to boil. Add the Brussels sprouts and boil them for about 8 minutes. Remove from heat, drain, and then chill them in the refrigerator for about ten minutes. Slice the sprouts in half when they have cooled. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, cook the bacon over medium heat until it is just crisp. Discard all but 2 tablespoons bacon grease. Add the garlic and saut� a few minutes until lightly browned. Add the sprouts and cook until heated through. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and serve immediately.

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