It’s that time of year again. We all know what to do for Thanksgiving Day. Okay, let’s pretend we all know what to do. We will make a turkey. That’s pretty standard unless we are vegetarian. We will likely also have mashed potatoes, veggies, some kind of sweet potato, and stuffing (or dressing depending on where you live). My family has stuffing, in case you were wondering.

That’s all fine and good, but then there are the leftovers. Chances are that even if you don’t host the big event, you are likely to have leftovers. Either some well meaning relative will bestow you with some, in a thinly veiled attempt to reduce the amount that they have to deal with the next day. Maybe you will bring a side, or an appetizer, or dessert to said relative’s house and you will have bought too many of something. You might have extra sweet potatoes or canned pumpkin, or more veggies than you can ever imagine using up.

Over the next several days I will provide you with some International Ideas to transform your leftovers into fun new favorites. Who knows? You might not even wait for leftovers. You might want to use some of these recipes to rejuvenate your traditional favorites. Just don’t tell my brother-in-law. He could not understand why we would consider changing anything up. I’ll guess we’ll just have to surprise him with the sweet potato gnocchi.   Sssshhhh…

Sweet Potato Gnocchi

Ingredients

Sweet Potato – 1 large

Egg – 1 large or 1 flax seed egg

Olive Oil – 1 tbs.

Salt – 1 tsp.

Flour – ½ to 1 cup (any kind: regular, corn, rice, gluten-free mix) plus extra for rolling

 

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

2. Roast sweet potato until completely cooked through and soft. Remove from oven and cool.

3. Peel and mash with egg or egg substitute, olive oil, salt, and flour as needed. Knead into a dough.

4. Wrap in plastic wrap and rest in refrigerator for 30 minutes or until ready to use.

5. Bring a large pot of water to boil. Add salt to boiling water.

6. Cut dough into quarters. Roll into long cylindrical pieces. Cut into ½ inch pieces and roll on a fork to get lines.

7. When all pieces have been cut and rolled, drop into boiling water.

8. When they float to the top, drain and toss with flavored butter. Serve while still hot.

 

Note: The final product can be refrigerated for up to 3 days or frozen for up to 3 months.

To make flax seed egg, mix 1 tbs. ground flax seed with 3 tbs. water and refrigerate for 15 minutes.

Orange Sage Butter

Ingredients

Butter – 1 stick

Orange Zest and Juice – 1 orange

Sage Leaves – 5 (or as needed)

Salt – to taste

Directions

1. In a small saucepan or frying pan combine butter, orange zest, 2-3 tbs. orange juice, and sage leaves.

2. Melt butter and simmer for a couple of minutes to allow flavors to blend.

3. Drizzle over gnocchi. Garnish with more zest or sage leaves, if desired.