***Due to circumstances of family and travel, I never got around to posting about the wonderful little Thanksgiving that we had at our home. This is an entry that I was working on before I left town a few days later:
We have very much to be thankful for: Relationships, health, family, friends, and jobs. This Thanksgiving, we celebrated with our little family plus a very dear cousin who came to spend the holiday with us. We said our thanks by preparing and enjoying a delicious meal made of mostly fresh, local, and organic components. It was the most colorful and scrumptious meal. We have surely started some new traditions for our Thanksgiving feast.
The day began with a bowl of baked pumpkin pie oatmeal, sprinkled with walnuts and served with hot coffee spiked (in the brewing) with cinnamon. We diced, washed, stirred, and assembled our various dishes at a leisurely pace while we took turns playing with our toddler. We snacked on a coffee/hot chocolate drink, apple slices, homemade spicy pumpkin hummus, and dried fruit and walnut cheese ball accompanied by homemade wheat crackers, sliced radishes, and carrot sticks.
We concentrated our efforts when the baby went down for a nap and then enjoyed our meal at the tail-end of her three hour slumber. She joined us for nibbles of her own after she awoke. We then cleaned, played, talked with faraway family via the computer, and eventually put the baby to bed. We then enjoyed scrumptious pumpkin pie, apple tarts, and fresh whipped topping. Red wine and coffee rounded out the evening of indulgence.
Fantastic.
On our menu was:
Spicy Pumpkin Hummus
Dried Fruit and Walnut Cheese Ball
Sautéed Greens (with greens picked from Austin)
Mashed Sweet Potatoes (with sweet potatoes from here and Austin)
Wheat Berry, Cranberry, Apple, and Walnut Pilaf
Roasted Root Vegetables (with root veggies from here and Austin)
Spinach Salad with Cranberries and Walnuts (with Austin spinach)
Free Range Organic Turkey
Pumpkin Pie
Low Sugar Apple Tarts
**I have included the recipes and methods for most of our dishes. Many of them I found online and have linked to the original recipe. I include nutritional information when it was available. You can calculate the stats for the other recipes with an online calorie calculator. One that I use often can be found at www.sparkrecipes.com. I also have an application on my I-Phone that does this (Search “Lose It”). Some of the dishes rely more on a method than a recipe (e.g. spinach salad, homemade vinaigrette, sautéed greens, roasted vegetables). I do not have the recipe for the pumpkin pie because my sweet cousin brought it already prepared. I do know that it was completely delicious.
For Breakfast:
CCK’s Pumpkin Boatmeal (Baked Oatmeal)
- 1/2 cup oats (50g)
- 1/4 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon and 1/8 tsp nutmeg
- sweetener, such as 1 1/2 to 2T maple syrup or 1 1/2 to 2 packs stevia
- 1/3 cup canned pumpkin (70g) (You can sub applesauce.)
- 1/3 cup milk or creamer (I used almond milk)
- heaping 1/16th tsp salt
- Optional: raisins, walnuts, brown sugar for the top (I didn’t use any optional ingredients, but maybe next time I’ll add some nuts.)
.Preheat oven to 375 degress. Combine raw oats, spices, pumpkin, and milk. Pour into a small baking pan or 1-cup ramekin. Cook for 15 minutes. Finally, set your oven to “high broil” for 3 more minutes (or simply just bake longer, but broiling gives it a nice crust).
Appetizers:
Spicy Pumpkin Hummus
12 Servings
1 14 oz. can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
1 clove garlic
1 1/2 cups pumpkin puree
1/4 cup tahini
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper, (more or less to taste)
1 teaspoon cumin
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 tablespoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/3 cup plain yogurt
fresh parsley
ground cumin
paprika
Place the garbanzo beans in the bowl of a food processor. Process until the beans are very finely chopped. With the motor running, add the garlic through the tube and process until very fine. Add the remaining ingredients and process until smooth. Taste for seasoning, adding additional salt and pepper; you may also want to add more lemon juice.
Transfer the mixture from the processor onto a decorative plate or tray. Sprinkle parsley, cumin, and paprika in stripes across the dip (or spirals if you are serving this dip on a round plate). Cover and refrigerate up to 5 days. Serve with pita bread, pita chips, and/or fresh raw vegetables.
Amount Per Serving
Calories 103 Calories from Fat 34
Percent Total Calories From:
Fat 33% Protein 15% Carb. 52%
Nutrient Amount per
Serving
Total Fat 4 g
Saturated Fat 1 g
Cholesterol 1 mg
Sodium 301 mg
Total Carbohydrate 13 g
Dietary Fiber 1 g
Sugars 0 g
Protein 4 g
Vitamin A 137% Vitamin C 6% Calcium 0% Iron 9%
Dried Cranberry and Walnut Cheeseball
- 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 1/2 (8 ounce) package mild Cheddar cheese, shredded
- 1 (6 ounce) package dried mixed fruit, chopped
- 1 cup chopped pecans
- 1/2 tsp dried mustard
- 1/2 tsp nutmeg
- In a medium bowl combine cream cheese , honey, and seasonings; beat until smooth. Stir in cheese and chopped fruit; mix well.
- Form into a ball and roll in chopped nuts. Chill for at least 3 hours.
Makes one large or two small/medium balls (one may be frozen for later). Serve with crackers, apple/pear slices, and/or fresh veggies.
Sides:
Wheat Berry Cranberry, Apple, and Walnut Pilaf
2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
1 cup chopped onion (buy pre-chopped, if available)
2 tsp. dried ground, or rubbed, sage
Salt and ground pepper
1 1/2 cups hard, red wheat berries, cooked according to package instructions (yields about 3 cups cooked)
1 cup chopped walnuts, toasted*
1 cup dried cranberries (1/2 c cranberries and 1/2 cup chopped apple)
1 Tbsp. sherry or red wine vinegar
Pre-cook wheat berries up to three days ahead.
Heat large skillet over medium heat. Cook onion in 1 tablespoon of the olive oil. Add sage and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is soft, about 8 minutes.
Add all remaining ingredients and stir over low heat until warmed through, 5 to 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, and serve warm.
To toast walnuts, bake on a cookie sheet for 5 to 10 minutes at 350 degrees, or until lightly browned.
DO AHEAD: Pilaf can be made a few hours ahead and covered, then later reheated over a low flame before serving (while the beef rests).
Greens
Sautee chopped garlic and onions in a little bit of olive oil and then fill the large skillet with an amount of washed and de-stemmed mixed greens that is way more than you think you will need. Add water to help the sautéing. Season with sea salt and pepper to taste.
Mashed Sweet Potatoes
(adapted from this recipe that I found online)
Serves 4 to 6
4 large sweet potatoes, peeled and diced
1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
Generous pinch of ground or freshly grated nutmeg
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
2 to 3 fresh sage leaves, thinly sliced
Combine the diced sweet potatoes with just enough water to cover in a large saucepan. Bring to a rapid simmer, then lower the heat. Cover and simmer steadily until tender, about 15 minutes. Or, steam or cook in crock pot.
Mash potatoes until smooth. Stir in ginger and nutmeg. Season with salt and pepper. Serve at once, topping each serving with a sprinkling of sliced sage leaves.
Roasted Root Vegetables
Spray a large baking dish with olive oil. Toss together various root vegetables (beets, turnips, carrots, sweet potatoes), garlic cloves, and onions with olive oil, fresh herbs, salt, and pepper. Bake uncovered for about 45 minutes on 400.
Spinach Salad
Loads of Spinach
1/2 c walnuts
1/2 c dried cranberries
Red onion
Dressing: whisk together 2 to 1 parts flavored vinegar (balsamic or red-wine) and olive oil. Add a little salt, pepper, and nutmeg to desired taste. Toss with salad or serve on the table.
Turkey
We ordered our free range, organically raised turkey from the local Natural Foods Store for $1.99/ lb. The medium sized turkey came in at about $24 with plenty of leftovers. Husband prepared it by stuffing it with lemons and fresh herbs and painting it with a mixture of lemon juice, olive oil, and herbs. Even this 99% vegetarian ate and enjoyed a small portion of the lovingly prepared bird. We were all surprised at how lean and tender the turkey was.
Dessert:
Mini Apple Tarts
INGREDIENTS
12 phyllo dough tart shells
2 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, and diced
1/2 lemon, juiced
1 T butter, unsalted
2 T brown sugar
4 T caramel ice cream topping
4 T whipped cream (optional--nutrition info NOT included)
DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Place tart shells on a baking tray. Combine lemon juice and apples in a mixing bowl. In a cast iron or heavy skillet, heat the butter until frothy. Add brown sugar and cook until dark in color; about 1-2 minutes. Add apples and toss. Transfer apples to the tart shells. Bake 6-7 minutes. Allow to cool slightly; top with sauce and whipped cream (optional--nutrition info NOT included).
To make your own tart shells: Spray 12 mini muffin cups with nonstick cooking spray. Remove phyllo dough from packaging. Slice into 1 inch strips then cut each strip into 2 inch segments. Using 3 layers at a time, fill the cups, spraying cooking spray between each layer. Repeat process three times.
Serving Size: one filled shell with 1 teaspoon caramel sauce.
Number of Servings: 12
Nutritional Info
Amount Per Serving:
Calories: 63.4
Total Fat:
2.1g
Total Carbs:
11.9g
Dietary Fiber:
0.9mg
Protein:
0.3g
Here is a close-up of my plate. Notice how the greens dominate.
