Thanksgiving Vegetables
and Side Dishes
Apple, Celery, Walnut Salad
Core and chop 3 crisp apples. Slice 4 stalks of celery and 2 green onions. Toss with 4 tablespoons of mayonnaise and a handful of chopped fresh parsley.
Top with 1/4 cup chopped walnuts and serve!
Can substitute Belgian endive for the celery - slice 1 or 2 endives to add to salad. Fill the leaves of another endive with the salad for a pretty presentation. Boston lettuce leaves also make a pretty 'container' for this salad.
Roasted Veggies
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a rectangular roasting pan, place:
1 lb. fresh carrots (cut in 1-1/2" chunks)
2 sweet red peppers (cut in 1" slices)
8 ounces button mushrooms
8 ounces peeled pearl onions
Drizzle or spray with canola oil or olive oil.* Add 1 teaspoon dried thyme or rosemary over all the veggies. Roast for 30-45 minutes until fork tender. Shake pan several times during roasting.
*Substitute 1/2 cup of chicken or vegetable broth for oil. Cover roasting pan with foil. Remove foil for the last 10 minutes of cooking.
Green Beans
Basic Preparation:
Snap stem ends of fresh green beans and rinse.
Steamed Green Beans:
For fresh, tender summer beans, steam or boil for only 5 minutes. For older tougher beans, cook up to 10 minutes until they can be pierced with a fork.
To retain the bright green color, plunge into a bowl of ice cold water after cooking, then drain.
Serve these variations hot, cold or room temperature:
Toss any of the following combos with your fresh steamed green beans. These can be served hot, cold or room temperature. Use a mild vinegar, like apple cider vinegar or rice wine vinegar.
Basil Green Beans: 1/4 cup mild vinegar, 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil (or dill) and fresh ground pepper.
Red Onion Green Beans: 1/4 cup chopped red onion and 2 Tablespoons olive oil; Optionally add a handful of chopped parsley.
Green Onion/Tomato Green Beans: 1/4 cup mild vinegar, 1/4 cup sliced green onions, 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil and 1 chopped tomato.
Squash
Basic Preparation:
Squash is naturally sweet. Resist the temptation to dump lots of sugar or butter or anything on it. Try it's natural sweet state and enjoy the unique flavor of each squash. One exception is acorn squash, where I sprinkle just a pinch of nutmeg.
Baked: For most squashes, cut them in half (carefully with a large sharp knife that will slice through the thick skin) and scoop out the seeds. Spray or brush the cut-side with oil, place on a baking sheet and bake at 350 degrees Farenheit for 30-45 minutes until tender. Scoop the squash out of it's shell into a bowl and mash it, or serve it right in the shell. Squash is incredibly good without anything added, being naturally sweet with a buttery or nutty taste.
Boiled: Some squashes (butternut, acorn) can be peeled, sliced in half, seeds removed, then cut into 1-1/2" chunks. Drop carefully into a pan of boiling water and boil for 10-15 minutes until tender.
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Thanksgiving Vegetables
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