So…guess what’s a month away? if you’re hosting Thanksgiving this year, you probably know it is ONE MONTH away (11/27/14) here in America. Depending on your level of preparedness and anxiety, you’re either dreading it, excited about it or you don’t really care at all. Thanksgiving became my favorite holiday, when cooking became a gift to my mind and each day I lived became a day of giving thanks. For the past few years we haven’t had turkey for Thanksgiving (that’s why the turkey above is dancing). I think we had chicken though – sorry turkey. I’m not sure what will happen this year. There’s one month, I’d better get going!
So today, just a few delicious (meatless) Thanksgiving recipes
Spiced Cranberry Sauce
12 ozs Fresh Cranberries
1 cup sugar
1 cup orange juice
1/2 of a sturdy apple chopped- (I use Granny Smith or Pink Lady)
1 cinnamon stick
2 cloves
In a medium sized saucepan over medium heat, dissolve the sugar in the orange juice add cloves and cinnamon stick. Stir in the
cranberries and chopped apples. Cook until the cranberries start to pop and the apples start to soften a bit (about 10 minutes). Remove from heat, remove cinnamon and cloves. Cranberry sauce will thicken as it cools. To cool faster place cranberries in a wide bowl.
If you don’t mind the chunkiness of the sauce, you are done here, but it you would prefer a smoother sauce add the sauce you have made to your blender and and run it until your sauce is smooth, or if you have an immersion blender break it out and put it to good use! If one cup of sugar isn’t sweet enough, Add 1/4 more at a time until you like it.
Sweet potatoes (or yams) are prevalent during this time of year. When I searched for a recipe that could use up some of the sweet potatoes I had, I came across a recipe for yam brownies. I thought it was a very strange name for a recipe, but no bother, what mattered was the taste! When I made it, I was pleasantly surprised. In my parents country this is what is called a pudding not a brownie (It’s not like the pudding we have here and you eat it with a spoon, it’s more like a moist, dense cake that you cut), but I don’t think it matters, it is delicious. You can change the name quite easily. The original recipe has quite a bit more sugar and features icing on top, and it has rave reviews, maybe you can try it both ways!
Autumn Brownies
(adapted from Golden Yam Brownies)
1/4 cup melted butter
1/2 cup cinnamon applesauce
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup white sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 – 1.5 cups peeled and shredded sweet potato/yam
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
- Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F. Grease a baking dish.
- In a large bowl, cream together the butter, brown sugar, and white sugar until smooth. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then stir in the vanilla. Combine the flour, baking powder cinnamon, nutmeg and salt; add to wet ingredients combine. Fold in the shredded yam. Spread the batter evenly in the greased baking dish.
- Bake for 30 minutes in the preheated oven, until a toothpick inserted into the center, comes out clean. Serve cold, room temp, warm or hot!
Energy Saving Tip: Shred more sweet potato than you need and freeze it. That way you can make these brownies as a quick snack whenever you wish!
Mashed Potato Stuffing
1 tablespoon butter
1 minced clove of garlic
1/4 cup diced red pepper
1/4 cup diced green pepper
1/4 cup chopped onion
2 cups of your favorite stuffing -prepared
2 cups of your favorite mashed potatoes – prepared (thick and creamy mashed potatoes work best)
1/4 cup organic raisins or chopped apple (optional)
Preheat oven 325 degrees.
Melt butter in a large pot, add garlic and saute for 1 minute. Add, onion, red and green peppers, saute until onions are translucent.
Add your prepared stuffing and combine with the seasoning well.
Add your mashed potatoes and combine well.
OPTIONAL: If you like a little sweetness in your stuffing, add raisins or a little apple.
Transfer your mashed potato stuffing to a large greased baking dish and bake until the top is brown and crispy. Some people dot the top with butter to aid in the brown crispiness!
Zucchini Patties (upcoming)
Head on over to my sister’s blog and take her fun TV Show Quiz
Do you have any Thanksgiving Food Traditions?
I am taking part in the Write 31 Days Challenge.
Days of MEaning 