Recipe Corner
by Tiana Celesia, R.D.
Thanksgiving Recipes
Thanksgiving--a time for family, friends, and
tradition. So much tradition in terms of food, that often a family
will prepare the same dishes year after year because "that's
the way it's done." When questioning family and friends about
their favorite parts of the Thanksgiving meal, the answers go from
the basic dishes such as the sweet potatoes "with just a touch
of melted marshmallows," or the cranberry sauce "out of
the can," to "praline" pumpkin pies and homemade
breads. For me, it was Mom's stuffing, a blend of seasoned bread
crumbs, apples, and tiny bits of sausage, which was a once-a-year
tradition, and a homemade cranberry chutney. Who had room for the
turkey? Which reminds me of another favorite at Thanksgiving time--leftovers.
Apple Sausage Stuffing
Because this is one of Mom's "unwritten"
recipes, adjust the seasonings to taste. It is designed to use a
pre-seasoned stuffing mix. This recipe should be enough for a small
bird. Multiply it as necessary, especially if you like leftovers,
and put whatever doesn't fit into the bird in a casserole dish and
bake. I prefer to use vegetable oil or butter instead of the pork
fat drippings, but either way will work. A good substitute for the
pork sausage is Lightlife's Gimme Lean! meatless sausage.
1/2 pound pork sausage
2 tbsp. vegetable oil or butter
4 large onions, diced 1/4"
2 stalks celery, diced 1/4"
1 cup mushrooms, sliced
1 large apple, diced
1 bag (about 1 lb.) Pepperidge Farm Seasoned
Stuffing Mix (Mom's favorite)
1/4 cup apple sauce
1/4 cup pine nuts
Remove the sausage from the casing and cook
well. In a separate pan, sauté the onions, celery, mushrooms, and
apple in the oil or butter until onions are soft, but do not brown.
Add the stuffing mix, drained sausage, apple sauce, and pine nuts.
Mix well. Stuff turkey and bake until done. When turkey is fully
cooked, remove stuffing to a serving dish. Do not keep leftover
stuffing in the cavity of the bird. Doing so could promote the growth
of harmful bacteria.
Cranberry-Orange Relish
(Serves 6)
Since this recipe calls for a whole orange
with its rind, I recommend using an organic orange.
3/4 cup orange juice
1/2 to 2/3 cup sugar
1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
dash ground cloves
3 cups fresh cranberries (One 12-oz package)
1 large whole orange diced (cranberry-sized
pieces)
1/3 cup chopped pecans or other nuts (optional)
In a medium saucepan, combine juice, sugar,
and spices. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until sugar
is dissolved. Add cranberries and orange. Bring to a boil and reduce
heat. Cook and stir for 3 to 5 minutes, or until cranberries pop
their skins. Remove from heat and stir in nuts. Transfer to a serving
bowl and chill until ready to serve.
Pumpkin-Oat Pancakes
(Serves 4)
From Jane Brody's Good Food Book, Bantam Books, 1985
If you're not yet tired of pumpkin on Friday
morning, here's a way to use up some extra pumpkin puree, which
is full of Vitamin A. One half cup of fresh pumpkin contains about
1,300 IUs of Vitamin A and 1/2 cup canned pumpkin contains 27,000
IUs of Vitamin A.
Wet ingredients
1/2 cup quick rolled oats (uncooked)
1 cup buttermilk
1 whole egg, plus 1 extra egg white
1 tbsp. vegetable oil
1/2 cup pumpkin puree
1/3 cup milk
Dry ingredients
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1 tbsp. wheat germ
1 tbsp. sugar, or to taste
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
1) In a large bowl, combine the oats and buttermilk, and let the
mixture stand for about 15 minutes or longer to soften.
2) Add the remaining wet ingre-dients, blending them well.
3) In a small bowl, combine all the dry ingredients. Stir them into
the wet ingredients, until the batter is fairly smooth. Add more
milk if the batter is too thick.
4) For each pancake, place about 3 tablespoons of batter on a hot,
lightly greased griddle. Flip the pancakes when their undersides
are golden brown and the tops begin to bubble.
Tiana Celesia is a Registered Dietician
who consults with various individuals and organizations.
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