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Tag Archives: Thanksgiving


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Tell Your Turkey to Hit the Road – To Southeast Asia

Today we will address how to use up leftover veggies. Whether boiled, roasted, or just sliced and diced, there are always leftover veggies. We will call on a favorite, fast, and easy dish from Thailand and Vietnam to turn those veggies into appetizing packages. Summer Rolls are delicious, filling, and refreshing – and they’re really fun to make and eat.

Summer Rolls with Pomegranate Dipping Sauce

Ingredients

Rice Wraps – 8-12
Leftover Veggies – 2 cups – carrots, celery, etc.
Cilantro – 1 handful of leaves
Mint – 1 handful of leaves (optional)
Vinegar – rice wine or apple cider – ¼ cup
Salt – to taste
Neutral Oil – ½ cup
Sesame Oil – 1 tsp. (optional)
Pomegranate Dipping Sauce – recipe follows

Directions

  1. Chop or shred veggies into small pieces.
  2. Make a light dressing with the vinegar, salt, and oils. Toss veggies with a minimal about of dressing.
  3. Fill a shallow bowl or baking dish with water.
  4. Pass rice wrap through water to make it pliable.
  5. Lay it flat and fill bottom third with veggie mix. Add a few cilantro leaves and some mint if you are using it.
  6. Roll like a burrito. Roll up from the bottom to cover mixture. Fold in the sides and continue to roll.
  7. Cut in half diagonally. Serve with pomegranate dipping sauce.

 

Pomegranate Dipping Sauce

Ingredients

Pomegranate Juice – 1 cup
Tamari (gluten free soy sauce) – 1 tbs.
Brown Sugar – 1 tsp.
Fresh Ginger – 1 tsp. grated
Garlic – 1 clove grated
Scallions – 2-3 thinly sliced.
Red Pepper Flakes (optional)

Directions

  1. Simmer all ingredients in a small pan until combined and slightly thickened. Allow to cool. Garnish with scallions.
  2. Serve with summer rolls.


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Tell Your Turkey to Hit the Road – To Mexico

Today’s International Idea is sure to become a leftover fiesta favorite. This is a new take on how to use up both turkey and cranberry sauce. In this case we are using the cranberry jelly that comes from a can, but any extra cranberry sauce will work.

Turkey Enchiladas

Ingredients

Turkey Meat (white or dark) – 2 cups
Chili Powder – 1 tsp.
Cumin – 1 tsp.
Salt – to taste
Lime Juice – ½ – 1 lime – to taste
Olive Oil – 1-2 tsp.
Corn Tortillas -12
Monterey or Pepper Jack Cheese – 4-8 oz. shredded (optional)
Cranberry Tomatillo Salsa – 2 cups or as needed (recipe follows)

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a baking dish with cooking spray.
  2. Toss together turkey, chili powder, cumin, salt, lime juice and olive oil.
  3. Heat corn tortillas until they are pliable.
  4. Spread about 2 tbs. of turkey on the bottom half of the tortilla. If using cheese sprinkle about 1 tsp. over the turkey mixture.
  5. Roll up the tortilla and place fold side down in baking dish. Continue until all tortillas are filled and rolled.
  6. Spoon salsa over the top to lightly cover the enchiladas.
  7. Cover with foil and bake for 15-20 minutes until heated through.
  8. Serve with remaining salsa.

Note: If you love cheese, feel free to sprinkle some extra over the whole thing before you bake the enchiladas.

Cranberry Tomatillo Salsa

Ingredients

Tomatillos – 1½ pounds
Red Onion – ½ of small onion
Garlic Cloves – 2
Serrano or Jalapenos – 2
Jellied Cranberry Sauce – ½ – 15 oz. can (or more to taste)
Lime Juice – 1 lime or to taste
Cilantro – 1 handful
Salt – to taste

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spray a sheet tray with cooking spray.
  2. Remove husks from tomatillos, rinse and cut in half. Peel and cut onion in half.
  3. On sheet tray place tomatillos, onion, garlic cloves, and serranos or jalapenos. Spray lightly with cooking spray or drizzle with oil.
  4. Roast until tomatillos are softened.
  5. Peel garlic gloves and remove stem and seeds from chiles.
  6. In a food processor, puree roasted veggies with cranberry sauce, lime juice, cilantro, and salt until combined. Taste and adjust seasonings.


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Tell Your Turkey to Hit the Road!

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.
  1. Roast sweet potato until completely cooked through and soft. Remove from oven and cool.
  1. Peel and mash with egg or egg substitute, olive oil, salt, and flour as needed. Knead into a dough.
  1. Wrap in plastic wrap and rest in refrigerator for 30 minutes or until ready to use.
  1. Bring a large pot of water to boil. Add salt to boiling water.
  1. Cut dough into quarters. Roll into long cylindrical pieces. Cut into ½ inch pieces and roll on a fork to get lines.
  1. When all pieces have been cut and rolled, drop into boiling water.
  1. 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.
  1. Melt butter and simmer for a couple of minutes to allow flavors to blend.
  1. Drizzle over gnocchi. Garnish with more zest or sage leaves, if desired.