New winter side dishes

For our Thanksgiving menu, I planned on mostly tried-and-true dishes: mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce, green bean casserole, the usuals. However, I added in two test vegetable side-dish recipes that I found that looked like the perfect Thanksgiving experiments: few ingredients, relatively simple directions, and could be made while so many other things were going on in the kitchen.

I am pleased to say that both recipes were big hits with everyone at our table, and I'm excited to share them with you today. Both are, like I mentioned, pretty easy to make, and both will be good all winter long (not just at Thanksgiving!). I can't wait to make each of these again!

Roasted Root Vegetables
lightly adapted from Weight Watchers magazine (Nov / Dec 2013 issue)
Serves 8-10

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup pure maple syrup
• 1 1/2 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 Tbsp whole-grain Dijon mustard
• 1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
• 1 Tbsp fresh thyme, chopped
• 2 lbs parsnips, peeled and cut into chunks
• 2 lbs carrots, peeled and cut into chunks
• salt and pepper

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 425*. Line large baking sheet with heavy-duty nonstick foil.
2. Whisk together maple syrup, oil, mustard, vinegar, and thyme in large bowl. Add carrots and parsnips and toss to coat.
3. Spread vegetables onto baking sheet and roast until vegetables are tender (about 40 minutes), tossing halfway through cooking time.

In the interest of full disclosure, I didn't roast my vegetables in the oven - it was Thanksgiving, and the oven was full! Instead, we got out the electric skillet, cranked the heat as high as it would go (400*, I think), and then cooked the vegetables uncovered for about 30 minutes and covered for 10 more. We didn't want them covered the whole time, in order to avoid steaming instead of roasting, but covering them for the last few minutes ensured they were soft. Either cooking method works, and next time I will definitely roast these in the oven!

Lemony Brussels Sprouts
lightly adapted from Weight Watchers magazine (Nov / Dec 2013 issue)
Serves 8-10

Ingredients

• 2 tsp olive oil
• 2 lbs Brussels sprouts, trimmed and halved
• 3 Tbsp grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/3 cup panko bread crumbs
• 1/3 cup fat-free sour cream
• zest from one small lemon
• juice from one small lemon
• 1/4 tsp garlic powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/3 cup water
• 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

Directions

1. Bring large saucepan of lightly salted water to a boil. Add Brussels sprouts and cook until crisp-tender (about 4-6 minutes). Drain and transfer to large bowl of ice water to cool and stop cooking process. Using slotted spoon, transfer Brussels sprouts to paper towels and drain well.
2. In a small bowl, stir together bread crumbs and Parmesan. In another small bowl, whisk together sour cream, lemon zest, lemon juice, olive oil, garlic powder, and salt.
3. Pre-heat large, deep skillet over medium-high heat. Add Brussels sprouts and water and bring to simmer, then cover and cook for 2-3 minutes, until Brussels sprouts are hot. Uncover and cook until water is evaporated (about 1 more minute). Sprinkle evenly with cayenne and stir to mix well (no one wants a mouthful of Cayenne pepper!).
4. Remove from heat and stir in sour cream mixture; coat Brussels sprouts evenly.
5. Top with breadcrumb mixture and serve.

I was nervous about this combination of sour cream & lemon juice with the Brussels sprouts, but it actually turned out to compliment the tiny cabbages wonderfully! The cayenne pepper adds a little something extra, and it makes for a side dish that is truly delicious. Even the non-Brussels-sprouts-eaters around our Thanksgiving table enjoyed this one - or at least they claimed to! :) 

Special thanks to my brother-in-law for taking the pictures above - he was a wonderful photo-document-er of our first Thanksgiving!

Baked Spaghetti (Squash) Boats with Sausage

Dinner last night was a culinary adventure - which we all know can turn out great or awful. I was tackling an item I'd never cooked with before - a spaghetti squash - and I was a bit hesitant.

Dun dun dunnnnn.

Spaghetti squash has been all over the interwebs lately it seems - recipes on blogs, Pintrest, everywhere I look. I found a really nice-looking one at my local Global Foods, and decided to give it a whirl. I wasn't exactly inspired, though, and so it sat on our counter for a week and a half while I tried to figure out what to do with it. When I saw this post on Iowa Girl Eats, I knew I'd found just what I needed.

Last night, I wrestled the spaghetti squash, and I'm pleased to say that I won. This meal was delicious, and I will definitely be making it again! Highly, highly recommend this one. IGE did point out something about spaghetti squash - people tend to make it and get disappointed because the "noodles" aren't like "noodles." To that, I have to say "no shit, Sherlock" - it's squash. Squash noodles will not fool any rational pasta lover, so I wouldn't necessarily try to fool anyone. However, that doesn't mean it's not delicious! Go into this recipe knowing that you're eating squash, not pasta, and I don't see a problem.

Baked Spaghetti (Squash) Boats with Sausage
Slightly adapted from Iowa Girl Eats
Serves 2

Ingredients

• One large spaghetti squash
• One jar of spaghetti sauce (pick your fave)
• One package of chicken sausage (I used this)
• Shredded mozzarella
• Parmesan cheese
• Salt
• Pepper
• Cooking Spray

Directions

Preheat the oven to 400* and prep the spaghetti squash. I used IGE's recommendation and, using  a sharp knife, poked 5-6 holes in the skin and then microwaved the squash on a plate for three minutes, turning over halfway through. Spaghetti squash is particularly thick, so the microwaving helps soften it a bit before you try to cut into it.

Cut the squash in half lengthwise. Honestly, this was a lot harder than I expected it to be - took me about five minutes and two very sharp knives, and I finally just broke it open when I got to the bottom. Be warned.

Scoop the insides out of the squash. I'm sure you could save and roast the seeds and all that jazz, but I did not. Place the squash halves, edible flesh up, on a foil-lined, cooking-spray-sprayed baking sheet. Season liberally with salt and pepper.

Roast the squash for 50-60 minutes.

When the squash is finished roasting, take it out of the oven and place on a cooling rack until it's cool enough to handle (probably 30 minutes or so). While you wait, cook the sausage and then slice on the diagonal to make bite-size pieces.

Shred the inside of the squash with a fork - it should come apart really easily and form the "noodles."
When both sides are shredded, transfer "noodles" to a mixing bowl and combine with desired amount of spaghetti sauce (~2/3 of the jar).

Split noodles between the squash shell "boats" evenly, then top each squash with half of the sausage. Top with a little more sauce and sprinkle with mozzarella and Parmesan.

Broil until cheese is melty and just starts to brown - watch carefully, because the squash shell can start to burn.

Transfer boats to plates and sprinkle with a bit more Parmesan and dried parsley. Serve with the world's easiest garlic bread *.

*See "recipe" below.

This recipe is one of those "sneaky" ones, where you get a lot of veggies and not a whole lot else, and it feels really decadent but is actually not that bad for you. This could be made with Italian sausage, crumbled ground beef or turkey - whatever you have on hand. Using the roasted garlic sausage really lent incredible flavor to the dish, but feel free to modify! We actually ended up with plenty for leftovers for lunch today - if we'd been starving, this would have just been dinner, but with the bread on the side, neither of us could finish. I'm excited to eat it again!

World's Easiest Garlic Bread

Ingredients

• Bread
• Butter
• Garlic powder
• Parmesan (the cheap, powdered kind is best!)

Directions

Spread bread with butter. Sprinkle on garlic powder and top with Parmesan. Broil until bread is toasted and parm starts to brown and melt. Enjoy!

The bread I used last night is seven-grain sourdough from Wegmans, and it is freakin' good.

Feelin' Soupy

I woke up to pouring rain this morning, and it was a struggle to get out of bed. What I really, really, really wanted to do was stay home in my jammies and cook something delicious. Currently on my list of "Why Don't I Have Time to Make This?!" are chocolate chip banana bread (craving that in a serious way!) and split pea and ham soup (also craving that badly). I have all the ingredients for both, I just haven't actually had the time to make them - and I still won't, as we have a jam-packed weekend ahead of us. While it will be fun, I'm just a smidge disappointed that I can't spend my Saturday wrapped in my apron, filling my house with the foodie-smells of fall. Dreamsss.

But then, as I was sitting as my desk this morning, it hit me - the exact recipe that I have to share. Drum roll please.... roasted tomato soup with broiled cheddar.


[source]

This recipe is from Smitten Kitchen, and I made it last winter and then forgot about it. I don't know how - it is one of the most amazing things I've ever eaten. It's so simple, but it hits that "comfort food" spot dead-on. The soup has incredible flavor from the roasted tomatoes - it doesn't taste at all like "ketchup and milk" (which is the reason C usually won't eat tomato soup). You can obviously just put together a batch of it and eat it out of a bowl, but I did it just like it's pictured: French Onion Soup style, with a piece of French bread floated on top and buried under a mound of broiled sharp cheddar cheese. Life-changing.

This is the soup that my tomato-soup-and-grilled-cheese loving heart is made of. As if all that wasn't incentive enough to make it, it's actually really, really easy, too! Most of the time required is spent waiting for the tomatoes to roast. So worth it, though!

I'm practically drooling over the idea of a piping-hot bowl of this soup with a sourdough bread & sharp cheddar grilled cheese next to it.... ahhhhh. Someone make this soup for me! I will love you forever.

Roasted Tomato Soup with Broiled Cheddar
Recipe from Smitten Kitchen

Serves 4 (though closer to 6 if served in mugs)

Soup
3 pounds plum tomatoes, halved lengthwise
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 large or 4 small cloves garlic, unpeeled
1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh thyme leaves or 1/4 teaspoon dried
1/4 teaspoon (or more to taste) dried crushed red pepper
4 cups chicken or vegetable stock

Lid
4 1-inch slices from a large loaf of rye bread, whole wheat sourdough or bread of your choice (or 16 1-inch slices from a baguette), toasted until hard and lightly buttered on one side
1 tablespoon grated raw onion
1 cup coarsely grated cheddar (or more to taste)

Make soup: Preheat oven to 400°F. Wrap garlic cloves in a tight foil packet. Place tomatoes, cut side up, on large baking sheet. Sprinkle generously with salt and pepper (I used 1 full teaspoon of Kosher salt). Drizzle tomatoes with olive oil. Add foil packet of garlic to tray. Roast until tomatoes are brown and tender (garlic will be very tender), about 1 hour. Cool slightly.

Unwrap garlic packet and peel cloves. Transfer cloves, tomatoes and any accumulated juices to a blender or food processor and pulse machine on and off until tomatoes are a chunky puree. Transfer tomatoes to medium pot and add thyme, crushed red pepper and stock and bring to a boil Reduce heat to a simmer and cook, uncovered, for 25 minutes. Remove from heat and adjust seasonings to taste.

Create cheddar lid: Preheat oven to 350. Arrange four ovenproof soup bowls, crocks or large mugs on a large, foil-lined baking sheet. Stir grated onion into the warm soup. (I love this last-minute suggestion of onion.) Float toast slice(s) in each bowl, buttered side up and divide grated cheese generously over top. (If you’re using a wide bowl, you might find that you want more cheese to create a thick, broiled lid.) Bake soups on tray for 15 to 20 minutes, until cheese on top is bubbling and brown at the edges. If you’d like it even more bronzed on top, preheat your broiler and finish soups for a minute or two under it. Serve immediately.