thanksgiving menu

Brussels Sprouts with Candied Walnuts

Oct 10, 2015 · Leave a Comment

This perfect side dish has been topped with candied walnuts and plump cranberries turning these Brussels Sprouts with Candied Walnuts into a very popular holiday item!

Growing up it was boiled frozen brussels sprouts during holiday meals. No disrespect to those who still love them cooked this way, my husband being one of them, but it was never my thing. Too plain, to simple for me.

It wasn’t until I moved to Calgary that I experienced them sauteed, fried, crispy and full of flavour. Now we both like brussels sprouts sauteed and loaded with flavour although husband still defers to the boiled and plain occasionally!

There are many ways to cook brussels sprouts. You can steam them or boil them as mentioned earlier. We like to roast them, BBQ in a grill pan or sautee in a pan on the stove.

Essentially these little cabbages can take on lots of flavour just like a coleslaw or slaw for tacos.

This was one of three recipes we created for a local magazine making it gluten-free, dairy free and sugar free.

The other two recipes shown below are roasted and fresh carrots with lentils and lemon roasted potatoes with a parsley pistou.

Recipes for the other two dishes we created for the magazine are below.

Other Sides Recipes

I grew up in British Columbia, my husband in Manitoba. We had the same traditional Thanksgiving dinners every year even though two Provinces apart!

Besides the classic mashed potatoes, stuffing, cranberry sauce and gravy, what are some of your favourite Thanksgiving sides?!

Roasted Sweet Potato with Dill

Jan 3, 2015 · 2 Comments

Like several other posts, I started this one well over a month ago. But December was….I have to say, a write off. Both husband and I were sick (chest infections to some degree hit everyone in our house over the course of 5 weeks) and we had a hard time shaking the sick. His progressed to laryngitis, mine to a 3 week and still fighting off head cold. We did our best to channel the Christmas spirit for the sake of the kids, but it was tough. So out with the old, in with the new…we were happy to welcome a new year and get back to our chipper healthier selves.

Long before the start of 2015, I was hearing people talking about detoxing and the New Year. I am one of those who like to get a clean fresh start following a holiday season that is typically full of lots of goodies and over indulging, giving my body some maintenance (yes just like a car). It’s a habit I’ve come quite accustomed to and while it’s not for everyone, 10 years later it’s still working for me.

I do the Wild Rose Detox and it’s 12 days long. It’s not an easy plan to stay with, especially if you have never done it before. Detoxes are different and it’s important you do not attempt one without consent from your doctor. If you are considering the Wild Rose Detox here are a few things to remember.

1. Advance shopping, meal planning and some simple prep.

2. Change up your eating weeks in advance to help you cope with the amount of things you have to eliminate from your diet. IE drink more water and green tea.

3. Add more fruit, veggies or even roasted chick peas into your diet for snacks but make sure you know which fruits you can eat on this detox and which ones you can not. This will help when the actual detox starts. There is much you can do with vegetables to help fill you up during the detox, just remember to keep fresh herbs and a good selection of spices on hand as flavour is key to success.

I love roasted vegetables and certainly eat my share of them. Upon slicing into the sweet potato, I learned it was yellow – what a surprise! Sweet potatoes are a powerhouse vegetable. They contain vitamins B6, C, D, iron, magnesium, potassium plus more, so really an excellent vegetable to include in your diet. This recipe makes enough for a couple of smaller meals or is lovely as a side dish to a main meal, Sunday supper or holiday dinner. When I am on the detox, I like to serve it over top a simply seasoned & cooked pork chop, slices of pork tenderloin, salmon, white fish or chicken breast. If you like dill, toss on some additional chopped fresh dill or parsley and finish with a squeeze of fresh lemon.

Brussels Sprout Slaw with Pancetta

Nov 11, 2013 · 2 Comments

Change up your brussels sprouts game by serving our Brussel Sprout Slaw with Pancetta!

Winter Brussels Sprout Slaw with Pancetta

If you like coleslaw with fresh cabbage, you will love our winter slaw using thinly sliced brussels sprouts.

We mix our sprouts with napa cabbage, crispy pancetta, toasted pine nuts, fresh pear slices and pomegranate seeds. An apple cider vinaigrette is drizzled on top and mixed in combining all the flavours before serving. You can prepare earlier and let the flavours mingle or serve right away.

Brussels Sprouts

These tiny cabbages are a powerhouse vegetable with all kinds of benefits. Cultivated in Belgium in the 16th century, Brussels Sprouts are cruciferous vegetable low in calories but high in fiber, vitamins, minerals and rich in antioxidants.

Like cabbage, Brussels Sprouts are a great vessel to soak up a ton of flavour. Growing up our sprouts were boiled and flavourless. These days we love adding all kinds of flavour enhancers when cooking them like sesame oil, fish sauce and spices.

How to Shave Brussels Sprouts

There are a few ways to get the job done.

Mandoline. We’ve tried this method, it’s not the easiest however some people love their mandoline so who are we to judge.
Sharp Knife. This takes a little longer but there are not many in the recipe so take your time, slice them in half and slice each half into thin slices.
Food Processor. Clearly the easiest method in the bunch. Pulse until they are all shredded.

PRO TIPS:

Cheese. Add grilled halloumi, goat or blue cheese to the salad for an additional flavour hit.
Avoiding Pine Nuts? No problem, use slivered almonds, pecans, hazelnuts or walnuts instead.
Make this vegetarian by omitting the pancetta.

Looking for more side ideas, here are a few popular ones!

Pumpkin Whoopie Pies

Oct 15, 2013 · 1 Comment

Seems we live in a world of Whoopie Pies these days. Everywhere I go there are Whoopie Pies! Never being one to jump on a band wagon, I can honestly say this is the first time I’ve ever had or made a Whoopie Pie. It started when friends invited us over for Thanksgiving dinner. Our friends were making a traditional turkey dinner and so I planned on making a traditional pumpkin pie. But I wanted something else, something more, just in case some people do not care for pumpkin pie. I googled pumpkin and have no idea how I ended up at pumpkin whoopie pies, but I did and the idea stuck. Always up for a challenge, this was definitely going to be uncharted territories. I do not particularly like to bring a recipe to a gathering that I have not tested yet. But there wasn’t much time and with the array of ingredients I had assembled, I felt quite confident making these cookies.

After browsing tons of whoopie pie recipes, all with similar measurements and ingredients, I finally made up a list of what I needed, combining a few ideas into my own concoction. In the end this recipe is not too far off some of the ones I saw and so I’m not sure who to give credit to, but I will go with the first recipe I looked at.

These cookies ended up being super easy to make and incredibly tasty both with and without the cream cheese icing. They would be the perfect bake sale item.

Now that I have made a basic whoopie pie, and they were a huge hit this past Thanksgiving, I am predicting more whoopie pies in our future. And just so you know, these cookies taste equally delicious with a dollop of leftover whipping cream on top!

Turkey Curry Quinoa Salad

Mar 20, 2013 · Leave a Comment

Day 3 of creating new Quinoa Salads for lunch, and there’s still leftover turkey in the fridge. Last month I made a tasty sandwich I called the Curry Chicken Sandwich and so I decided to turn this sandwich into a salad, the Turkey Curry Quinoa Salad.

For this salad I tried two different dressings, Blue Menu Pineapple Curry and a home made curry dressing, much like the one used to make the Curry Chicken Sandwich. Whatever dressing you decide on, as long as it has curry, it will be perfect.

Adding cilantro, if you like it, would give this quinoa a touch of freshness.

Tip: Keep a jar of curry paste in your fridge and you can be whipping up Curry in a Hurry whenever the urge hits. Remember to swap chicken for turkey if that’s what you have on hand.

Double the protein, double the deliciousness and this is Wednesday’s lunch.

Leftover Turkey Quinoa Salad

Mar 20, 2013 · 2 Comments

An easy salad to make when you have cooked quinoa in the fridge! Turn leftovers from your holiday turkey dinner into this Leftover Turkey Quinoa Salad!

If you are like me and are always looking for new ideas to use up leftovers, especially turkey or chicken, this is the perfect salad to help with those leftovers!

When you cook your big turkey meal and are making brussels sprouts, ensure you put a few fresh sprouts to the side for this dish. Save some squash and cube it or pick up a small butternut squash and roast it.

Making the Salad

Plan ahead for this salad. I like to make the quinoa the night before and let it fluff and cool in the fridge. That way I can add whatever I want to 1-2 cups of quinoa plus a quick dressing and have a salad ready to go.

I have found there is so much flavour in this dish you really do not need an actual vinaigrette. Extra virgin olive oil, salt, pepper and lemon juice make it sparkle!

Slice the sprouts thin, they will give you a little crunch in your salad.

PRO TIPS

Cook 1 cup of quinoa in 2 cups of water the night before. You will end up with 4-5 cups of quinoa.
If using fresh squash, dice it, mix with olive oil, salt and pepper and roast in 350F oven until soft.
You can plump your dried cranberries in water or orange juice for 15 minutes to take the edge off.
Swap pecans for pine nuts, walnuts or almonds.
Make this vegetarian or vegan by omitting the turkey and adding more sprouts and squash.
Some people insist on washing the quinoa before cooking. I never do and it’s always tasted great.
Spices I use are simple flavours like poultry seasoning, spices with lemon zest, thyme, sage, salt and pepper.

Looking for other ways to use up leftover chicken or turkey? Here’s some of our favourite recipes!

Carrots Au Gratin

Nov 21, 2011 · Leave a Comment

Baked carrots, with a cheddar cheese sauce, and topped with crispy cornflakes becomes the perfect side to your holiday meal. Back in the day we celebrated meals with some form of cauliflower and broccoli baked with a cheddar cheese sauce. So this is a spin on one of those retro dishes. I keep the cheese sauce simple, and the carrots crunchy which makes it simply delicious.

Pumpkin Pecan Bundt Cake

Nov 17, 2010 · Leave a Comment

Along with cooler weather and beautiful landscapes, for me Fall also means baking, comfort food and, well, all things pumpkin.

Summer ends quickly around here, September rolls in and it’s back to school followed by preparations by Canadians everywhere getting ready for Canadian Thanksgiving in October. Pumpkin recipes, photos and pumpkin spice everything start to flood social media giving me the warm fuzzies.

We created this recipe based on our love for any kind of bundt cake plus having some leftover canned pumpkin and pecans needing to be used up. Serve it with a sprinkle of icing sugar, dollop or whipped cream, or even mascarpone.

Tips: Try roasted walnuts or hazelnuts in place of pecans. Make sure you have a bundt pan for this cake.

Oven-Roasted Vegetables

Nov 24, 2008 · 2 Comments

It seems like I make a variation of these oven roasted vegetables every Thanksgiving, Easter or Christmas. It’s easy and delicious. We like our vegetables to have a little bite to them, and you can add or remove any you want in this dish.

I also add brussels sprouts to the mix (cut in half), but since they tend to cook faster, I add them for the last 30 minutes of cooking to ensure they are not overcooked.

Stir occasionally as the veggies roast and if you need to add a little more olive oil or salt do so. Season as you go! I sprinkled the vegetables with fresh chopped parsley before serving.

thanksgiving menu