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| Friday, November 20, 2009 |
| Orange Thanksgiving - aka Sensei’s Thanksgiving menu |
In honor of beta-carotene, Sensei’s official color and my favorite color, I have come up with an all orange vegetarian Thanksgiving menu for you. It’s so easy to make and I suggest preparing it all at the same time. Once the oven is on, might as well use it. You can prepare this menu ahead of time and just reheat when ready. You will have plenty of soup for 8 servings and even more depending on the size of vegetables you use. I recommend freezing the extra because it really takes the same amount of time to prepare a full batch as it does half…and what would you do with the other half of the squash anyway?
You know I usually don’t recommend packaged products, but I used the Jiffy corn muffin mix because it’s so convenient and some people may not keep the specific ingredients needed in their pantry. Furthermore, it’s a good “basic” corn muffin mix that can easily be altered and personalized. You may also use your favorite corn bread recipe instead. As for the canned pumpkin pie mix, that was an error. I just grabbed two cans from the display without reading the label. I only realized the error when I opened it and noticed it wasn’t as solid as usual. So I tweaked the recipe to make sure it would all “congeal” correctly. But it was a great discovery because that stuff is so good right out of the can. I will have to figure out other ways to use the second can and let you know. This custard is so light and remember, if you are eating it warm it will be sweeter than when cold. You can also transform it into a crème brûlée if you fancy that.
I hope you try some of these because they’re so easy to make and you can do it all in one afternoon. Once the oven is on and you’re in the kitchen, might as well make the best of it.
Butternut Bisque
Serves 8
1 large butternut squash
2 leeks or 1 large onion
4 cups (32 oz) of vegetable or chicken stock
2 carrots, peeled and sliced
1 potato, peeled and diced
2 garlic cloves
1 tsp dried oregano
½ tsp ground sage
¼ cup parsley leaves and stalks or 2 tsp dried parsley
Optional: 1 cup reduced fat milk or evaporated skim milk
Wash the squash and carefully cut it lengthwise. Remove the seeds and place in a microwave safe dish, cut side up in ½ inch deep of water. Loosely cover and microwave on high for 10-15 minutes or until soft when inserting a sharp knife. Set aside for 5 minutes to cool. Meanwhile, pour stock in a large pot over medium heat. Once the squash is cool enough to handle, flip it over and peel the skin off using the back of a soup spoon. The skin will peel off easily. Add cooked flesh to the stock pot.
You can also use already peeled and chopped butternut squash if you’d like, but they are quite expensive compared to the fresh whole one. You may also use a large can of plain pumpkin purée, but cooking the squash in the microwave is so easy and quick.
Wash, trim and remove the darker part of the leek leaves. Slice leeks in half, rinse under the tap to remove any dirt between the leaves and coarsely chop. Add leeks and other ingredients to the stock pot. Cover and simmer for about 30 minutes over low-medium heat or until the vegetables are tender. Purée with a hand held blender, regular blender or food processor, working in small batches. Taste and adjust seasoning but you probably don’t need to add any salt, and should only add pepper at the table to avoid black specks in the velvety orange. You may stir in some milk for a richer look but it’s great just like that.
Jalapeño and Jack Corn Bread Stuffed Acorn Squash
Serves 4
Corn bread ingredients:
1 box Jiffy Corn bread muffin mix
1 egg
1/3 c milk
2 tsp dried parsley
1 cup shredded Jack cheese, cheddar or Colby
1 Jalapeño pepper, seeded and finely chopped or ¼ cup red bell pepper or 2 small Serrano peppers
Preheat oven at 325°F.
In a medium bowl, empty the package contents, add milk and egg. Combine using a spatula and fold in other ingredients. Do not over mix. Just make sure that the ingredients are incorporated. Pour batter in an 8”X8” pan you have previously sprayed with cooking spray or an oil mister.
Bake as directed and set aside.
Acorn squash ingredients:
2 medium acorn squash
½-1 cup water
2 Tbsp olive oil
¼ tsp ground sage
1 tsp dried basil
2 tsp dried parsley
½ tsp grated nutmeg or to taste
Zest of 1 lemon or lime
¼ -½ c orange or apple juice or white wine
Salt and pepper to taste
Preheat oven at 350°F with oven rack set in the middle. Wash and carefully cut the squash lengthwise. Scoop out and discard the seeds. Coat a baking dish large enough to fit the 4 halves with cooking spray or use an oil mister. Set squash halves cut side down and add water to the pan ¼- ½ inch deep. Bake in hot oven for 45-60 minutes or until flesh is tender. To test doneness after 45 minutes, carefully remove pan from oven, flip a squash and insert a sharp knife into the flesh. If not soft yet, return to the oven but be careful not to overcook it as the outside of the squash needs to serve as a “vessel”.
Scoop out the flesh, but leaving about a ¼- ½ inch thick wall. Transfer cooked flesh into a large mixing bowl, add the dried herbs, oil and lemon zest and mix well. Crumble corn bread into bite size pieces and gently fold it in to incorporate but do not over mix. Keep some corn bread to sprinkle on top for a nice crunchy finish. Add some of the liquid to create a “moist” stuffing. Mound mixture into the squash shells, sprinkle the reserved corn bread, spray oil using an oil mister and bake at 350°F for 15-20 minutes or until heated through.
Serve with a crispy frisée salad garnished with hazelnuts, dried cranberries and drizzled with hazelnut oil and champagne or white wine vinegar.
Pumpkin Custard
Serves 8
2 cup Libby’s pumpkin pie mix
1-12oz can evaporated milk
2 tsp rum extract
1/8 tsp pumpkin pie spice mix
Fresh nutmeg to taste (1/3 of a nut)
Zest of one orange
2 large eggs
2 egg whites
Preheat oven at 300°F.
Spray 8 custard cups (ramequins) with cooking spray or an oil mister. If you don’t have custard cups, you may use small Pyrex containers. Boil about 3-4 cups of water and set aside to use for the “bain-marie” (a receptacle containing hot or boiling water into which other containers are placed to warm or cook the food in them).
Place all ingredients in a blender or food processor and blend until homogeneous. Put custard cups into 1 or 2 large pans and pour mixture into cups up to ¾ full. Open oven door and slide out the medium rack and place pans in the center. Carefully pour hot water into the pan(s) about 1 inch deep. Gently slide oven rack back in and close the door.
Bake for 60-70 minutes. Test doneness by inserting a sharp knife in the middle and it comes out clean. Carefully remove from the oven and let cool on a wired rack. It is delicious warm, at room temperature or cold.
Happy Thanksgiving and a warm thank you for your support!
- Josée and the rest of the Sensei Team
Labels: Healthy Recipes, Holiday Eating, Josee
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posted by My Sensei @ Friday, November 20, 2009   |
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| 2 Comments: |
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Oh, I am so NOT a cook. Can you just send this to me!!! :-)
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I hear what you are saying, but try to make the soup. It is so easy and doesn't take that much time either. You will love it! It is very velvety and filling too.
- Josee
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Oh, I am so NOT a cook. Can you just send this to me!!! :-)