Gobble Day Comfort Food

This was a feast without all the trouble!

About three weeks ago, when I asked my wife what we're doing for Thanksgiving, she said, flatly, that she wasn't cooking. So, it was either peanut butter and jelly sandwiches - which, don't get me wrong, are AWESOME - or I cook the meal. Well, my daughter was gracious enough to co-chef the event and the meal was nothing short of outstanding - even if I do say so myself!
In addition to the turkey - which was small because there were just four of us - we made the following side dishes, most taken from the winter issue of Clean Eating Magazine:
Almost Famous Cranberry Walnut Relish - taken from Food Network Magazine. I made this last year and it's a hit.
Sour Cream & Chives Mashed Potatoes - this recipe is as easy to make as it is delicious!
Maple-Glazed Carrots - not particularly a fan of carrots, but when you add butter, parsley and maple syrup to the mix, well, what's not to like?
Whole Wheat Dressing with Wild Rice - substituted corn bread crouton mix for the whole wheat bread.
Candied Yams - this concoction belongs to my daughter who got it from her friend's mom many years ago. We could probably call it "Candy." That's how good it is and it was a perfect compliment to the meal.
and of course......Turkey with Gravy and Biscuits to round out the meal.

This, again, was very easy to make and coordinate. Of course, having two of us helped tremendously.
Additionally, these are recipes you really can enjoy any time of the year. I know I will. So, no peanut butter and jelly this year. Next year? Who knows?

ALMOST FAMOUS CRANBERRY WALNUT RELISH
Serves 6-8 / Total Time:  15 minutes
Ingredients
1 Orange
2 cups fresh or frozen cranberries (about 8 ounces)
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup chopped walnut pieces
Directions
Finely grate the zest of half of the orange into a medium saucepan, then squeeze in all of the juice. Add the cranberries, sugar, and walnuts and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the mixture thickens and the cranberries start to pop - about 10 minutes. Let cool.

SOUR CREAM AND CHIVE MASHED POTATOES
Serves 10 / Total Time:  40 minutes
Ingredients
21/2 lb Russet potatoes, peeled or peel on, cut into 11/2-inch chunks.
1 cup sour cream, room temperature
1/2 cup 2% milk, room temperature
1/2 tsp sea salt, plus additional to taste, optional
1/4 cup chopped fresh chives
Directions
In a large saucepan, add potatoes and cover by one inch with cold water; bring to a boil. Continue to boil until potatoes are very tender, 15-18 minutes.
Drain potatoes and return mixture to pot. Add sour cream, milk, and 1/2 tsp salt and mash with a potato masher to desired consistency. Stir in chives and additional salt, if desired.

MAPLE-GLAZED CARROTS
Serves 10 / Total Time:  30 minutes
Ingredients
2 tbsp olive oil
2lb carrots, peeled and cut diagonally into 1/4-inch slices (about 61/2 cups)
1/2 cup low-sodium chicken or vegetable broth
1/2 tsp sea salt, plus additional to taste
2 tbsp pure maple syrup
1 tbsp organic unsalted butter
11/2 tsp chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
Directions
In a 12-14-inch skillet on medium-high, heat oil. Add carrots and cook, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned and crisp-tender, about 8 minutes. Stir in broth and 1/2 tsp salt, scraping up any browned bits in the skillet with a spoon, and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer, cover and cook until carrots are tender, about 5 minutes.
Uncover, increase heat to medium-high and cook until liquid has almost entirely evaporated, 1-2 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in maple syrup and butter, stirring until butter melts. Add additional salt and sprinkle with parsley.

CANDIED YAMS
Serves 6 / Total Time:  45 minutes
Ingredients
4 yams
2 tbsp brown sugar
8 tbsp butter
miniature marshmallows to taste
Directions
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cover yams with one inch water and bring to a boil. Continue to boil until soft. Peel yams, cut into round slices and place in baking dish. Distribute butter slices evenly over yams. Sprinkle with brown sugar. Repeat process to three layers. Bake in oven for 15-25 minutes. Sprinkle with marshmallows and place back in oven for about 5-10 minutes. YUM!

WHOLE-WHEAT DRESSING WITH WILD RICE
Serves 10 / Total Time:  1 hour, 45 minutes
Ingredients
1/2 cup wild rice
2 tbsp olive oil
1 yellow onion, finely chopped
3 stalks celery, thinly sliced diagonally
1 carrot, cut into matchsticks or coarsely shredded
1 tbsp chopped fresh thyme leaves
1/2 tsp fresh ground black pepper
12 oz whole-wheat bread, cut or torn into 3/4-inch pieces (about 12 cups). Opt for a bread that has a crunchier crust.
11/2 cups low-sodium chicken or vegetable broth
olive oil cooking spray
Directions
In a medium saucepan on high, bring 4 cups water to a boil. Add rice, reduce to a simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, until very tender, about 50 minutes.
Meanwhile, in a large skillet on medium, heat oil. Add onion and cook, stirring occasionally, for 2 minutes. Add celery and cook, stirring occasionally, for 4 minutes. Add Add carrot and cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are very tender, 2 to 4 minutes. Transfer mixture to a large bowl and add thyme and pepper. Stir in bread, then add broth and gently stir to evenly moisten. Remove about 1/3 of bread mixture and transfer to a medium bowl. Set both bowls aside.
Mist a 2 to 21/2-qt casserole dish with cooking spray and set aside. Drain rice. Stir rice into larger bowl of bread mixture, then transfer to the prepared baking dish, spreading evenly. Top with reserved 1/3 cup bread mixture, spreading evenly.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cover with foil and bake until heated through, 20-30 minutes. Uncover and bake until browned on top, 20-30 minutes.

Mini Lasagnas

Sorry, my pictures of this dish didn't come out very well, so I'm using the magazine picture just so you get the idea of how it's supposed to look. But the dish itself came out PERFECT! All four of my family members loved it. We served a salad with dark greens and tomatoes as well as garlic bread. The whole meal (including the salad and garlic bread) takes about 30 minutes to put together and serves four. I would do this again in a heartbeat because it's fast, only requires four ingredients ( a big plus with me), and it's real comfort food. This recipe came from PREVENTION Magazine. They have some great recipes.

INGREDIENTS:
                             Wonton wrappers (or egg roll wraps)
                              Marinara sauce - any favorite of yours will do.
                              Part-skim ricotta
                              Pesto - I used fresh

RECIPE:
1) Heat oven to 375F with rack in middle position. Coat 12 muffin cups evenly with cooking             spray.
2) Line each cup with a wonton wrapper (corners will stick out).
3) Fill each cup with 1 tablespoon marinara sauce, 1 teaspoon part-skim ricotta, and 1/4 teaspoon pesto.
4) Repeat to create a second layer of ingredients in each cup.
5) Lightly coat edges of wonton wrappers with cooking spray.
6) Bake until edges are golden brown and filling is heated through, about 10 minutes.
7) Let stand in muffin pan 1 to 2 minutes before removing with a spoon (or fingers) and transferring to plates.

Have FUN!

New website

Hey everyone. I know it looks like I haven't cooked in awhile but I have. I just haven't posted anything in awhile. I have got so much going on and that's what I wanted to tell you. If any of you viewing this site know someone in a field-based sales position - whether management or a representative - and are in need of guidance to help them improve performance, please give them my website. I started a consulting business to help these folks. I also will have a book on Leadership coming out around Christmas - very exciting stuff. I will be back posting my cooking exploits once again very soon. Have a great holiday season! The website is:  leadingtowardexcellence.com.

Moroccan Meatballs with Citrus-Glazed Carrots & Couscous

This was very easy to make and well worth the effort. Even though I'm not a huge fan of carrots, when they are glazed with the juice and zest from an orange, as these are, it really tastes wonderful. The recipe comes from the January / February issue of Clean Eating.

Serves 4  /  Total Time:   35 minutes


INGREDIENTS:
*  7.6 oz whole-wheat couscous (about 1 1/4 cups)
*  1/2 tsp extra-virgin olive oil
*  3 large carrots, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch wide and 2-inch long matchsticks
*  1 juice orange, zested and juiced 
*  1 lb extra-lean ground sirloin
*  1 egg white
*  3 cloves garlic, minced
*  1 oz sliced almonds, finely ground(tip: Whirl in a clean coffee or spice grinder. I used already ground almond meal-skinned)
*  1 tbsp ground coriander
*  1 tsp dried mint
*  1 tsp ground cumin
*  1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
*  1/2 tsp sea salt
*  1 to 2 grinds fresh cracked black pepper 


INSTRUCTIONS: 
ONE:  In a medium saucepan, bring 1 1/2 cups water to a boil. Add couscous, cover and remove from heat.


TWO:  In a medium nonstick skillet, heat oil on medium for one minute. Add carrots and sauté, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes. Stir in orange juice and 1 tsp zest. Cover, reduce heat to low and simmer for 8 minutes, until carrots are slightly softened. Remove from heat and keep covered. 


THREE:  In a large bowl, combine sirloin, egg white, garlic, almonds, coriander, mint, cumin, cinnamon, salt and pepper. With your hands, mix well to combine and shape into 48 1-inch meatballs.


FOUR: Heat a large nonstick skillet on medium. Working in batches, add meatballs and cook for 7-8 minutes, shaking skillet often to brown evenly; do not overcrowd. Meatballs are fully cooked when completely opaque in center. Drain over large bowl to remove excess fat.


FIVE:  Add remaining zest to couscous and fluff with a fork. Spoon couscous onto serving plates and top with meatballs and carrots, dividing evenly.

Almost-Famous Cranberry Walnut Relish

This recipe, courtesy of the Food Network Magazine, was thoroughly enjoyed on Thanksgiving, spread over the turkey, and is equally enjoyed by my wife who is topping everything she eats with the left overs. This was the first dish I've ever made where I was able to literally throw every ingredient into the saucepan all at once and have an incredible cranberry orange walnut recipe in about 9 minutes. Try it - you'll never go back!

Serves 6-8 (unless you have a cranberry sauce lover - then it'll serve 3-4)

INGREDIENTS:
1 orange
2 cups fresh or frozen cranberries (about 8 ounces)
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup chopped walnut pieces

DIRECTIONS:
Finely grate the zest of half the orange into a medium saucepan, then squeeze in all of the juice. Add the cranberries, sugar and walnuts and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the mixture thickens and the cranberries begin to pop - about 9-10 minutes.

Let cool.

Peas with Shallots and Pancetta

We had Thanksgiving dinner over my daughter's new home and I cooked up a couple of sides. One of which was this dish which was fast and delicious - a big hit with the fam! The recipe is from Bobby Flay and the Food Network. Since Thanksgiving, we've added the leftovers to pasta, which has been outstanding. ENJOY!

Serves  4


INGREDIENTS:
2 tablespoons olive oil ( I used organic garlic-flavored evoo)
1/2 pound pancetta, diced. (I purchased pre-diced pancetta from Trader Joe's. Saved some time.)
3 shallots, halved and thinly sliced
Pinch of red pepper flakes
1 pound frozen peas, thawed

DIRECTIONS:Heat the oil in a large high-sided sauté pan over medium heat. Add the pancetta and cook until golden brown and the fat has rendered. Remove the pancetta to a plate lined with paper towels.

Add the shallots and red pepper flakes to the pan and cook until soft. Add the peas and cook until warmed through. Transfer to a large bowl and top with the crisp pancetta.

Pears in Port Wine

This is one yummy dessert! I got the recipe from Maya Angelou. I served it with Haagen-Dazs Vanilla Swiss Almond ice cream. I cut up the pear, added the ice cream, and dabbled some of the reduced liquid over the ice cream. It's so easy to adjust the number of servings with this recipe. One pear is one serving. You can add as many pears as will comfortably fit in your saucepan. The sauce need not be adjusted at all. ENJOY!

INGREDIENTS
4  ripe, firm pears (to serve 4)
3  cups ruby port wine
1/4 cup sugar
2  cups water
1  jigger (3 tablespoons) Cointreau
2  teaspoons vanilla extract

INSTRUCTIONS
Peel the pears, but leave them whole. With the stem end intact, cut off a thin slice at the bottom so that the pears can stand upright (not in the saucepan, but in the serving dish).
In a nonreactive saucepan, bring the port, sugar, and 2 cups of water to a boil.
Place the whole pears in the liquid, lower the heat, and simmer uncovered for about 35 minutes, turning the pears occasionally, until they are tender. Remove pears with a slotted spoon and set aside.
Increase the heat under the saucepan and reduce the liquid by half by boiling vigorously for 20 minutes to a medium-thick syrup. Add Cointreau and vanilla extract. Place pears upright in a serving dish and spoon the reduced syrup over them. Chill for at least two hours before serving.
Add vanilla ice cream if you wish.