I know I say this every year but I cannot believe Thanksgiving is almost here. Yikes! Not just because of all the preparing for the holiday — which is my favorite, and always cook way more selections for the table than I need to — but because it means Chanukah will be here soon, then Christmas, then New Year’s, then 2015!
Cornbread Stuffing with Chorizo and Pepitas
Here is the other adapted stuffing recipe from the catalog project. I had prepared, and stored in the freezer. It smelled amazing when I pulled it out of the oven.
You know I had to pick on it before it cooled. So … it has a mildly spicy, and smoky flavor, that tastes so yummy with sweetness of the cornbread. OMG. And add pepitas to the mix for a twist on the traditional. Yeah, Williams Sonoma knows flavor combinations. If you don’t like seeds in your stuffing I recommend chestnuts, or dried tart cherries. The pepitas do give it a nice flavor and are not overpowered by the chorizo at all. I strongly recommend you try this.
Focaccia Stuffing with Leeks and Wild Mushrooms
Here is my adapted recipe of the lovely focaccia mushroom leek stuffing from the Williams Sonoma Thanksgiving Catalog, on page 20. That I was tempted to nibble on, but decided to freeze it instead for our Thanksgiving meal.
I prepared two stuffing recipes. One for the carnivores with chorizo, and cornbread, and this one for the vegetarians with focaccia, mushrooms, and swiss chard for all the different dietary lifestyles in the family.
Cabbage Salad with Peanut Chili Maple Dressing
My favorite thing to order at Real Food Daily, a vegan restaurant in Los Angeles, is the yin yang salad. We are not vegan, but we go to vegan restaurants because we know there won’t be any issue with dairy accidentally getting into my children’s food. Living allergen-free and going out to eat don’t always work out well, so places like this are safer for us to go to. Most vegan restaurants have gluten free options. I know it can be confusing sometimes when I say dairy free and then post a chicken recipe. With some of my meatless recipes being egg-free I can share recipes with my vegan friends 🙂
Sweet Potato Latkes
Wow, Chanukah and Thanksgiving together for the first, and possibly, last time ever! We love to celebrate both with as much food as possible. I’m thinking, turkey, stuffing, latkes, cranberry sauce, jelly doughnuts, butternut squash puree, celery root gravy, and carrot salad (tzimmes) to tie in both holidays. Yes, that’s a lot to cook. That’s why I make things ahead, so that cooking is still an enjoyable task. If I cram it all in one day I would go nuts!
Butternut Squash
As busy as life is, I still make time to cook – well I have to with the twins allergies. Sometimes I wish I could just get takeout but then I think what a blessing it is that my whole family eats wholesome foods and we are so much healthier because of it. It just takes a little more organization on my part, it’s a good thing I am a planner. Because I don’t really have that simple luxury of picking up something for dinner I make extra of a dish then freeze half of it. This is one of my “freezes well” recipes, which also can be made a few days in advance and still taste like you just prepared it. It’s a simple yet delicious recipe featuring the sweet flavor of butternut squash. I LOVE squash, all squashes.
Delicata Squash
I only began cooking delicata squash a couple of years ago after discovering this pretty little thing in Martha Stewart’s Living Magazine. Not only does it have those colorful stripes, it also tastes amazing, a cross between sweet potato and butternut squash…so you know I had to get some and give it a try.
Pineapple Noodle Kugel
Rosh Hashanah is right around the corner, beginning tomorrow night. It is one of the High Holy days, and is the Jewish New Year on the Hebrew calendar. Traditionally, growing up Jewish meant there were certain foods on the table like kugel, brisket, chopped liver, round challah, and honey. Lots of honey!
Watermelon Panzanella Salad
For a simple weeknight dinner that is full of seasonal bright flavors you must try my twist on a classic panzanella salad…with watermelon! You may think of watermelon as too sweet for this recipe, but let me tell you it’s really, really good in this salad. I will warn you that the croutons are addictive, I tend to pop more than a few in my mouth as I’m preparing the salad. I also make them for salads and grind them in the food processor for an herbed breadcrumb. I serve this with a roast chicken as our protein…
Easy Millet Salad Recipe
Have you ever tried millet?
It tastes similar to quinoa, yet it has a little sweeter corn-like flavor, which I think goes well with so many ingredients. It also maintains a somewhat firmer texture when cooked than quinoa. I love that millet is alkalinizing to the body, easy to digest, and perfect for healing gastrointestinal issues. Not a claim, just according to research. I also love that it’s loaded with fiber, magnesium, phosphorus and protein. Yes, it’s healthy, super healthy but that doesn’t mean it tastes like tree bark!